The Mech Touch

Marcus Pelle began to explain the rationale of his design philosophy.

\"One of the biggest threats plaguing the Sentinel Kingdom is the pirates spilling out of the Nyxian Gap. As you have probably heard by now, the Nyxian Gap is not a normal region of space. Unlike regular space which consists of empty space interspersed with star systems that consist of one or multiple suns orbited by varying amounts of planets, it almost entirely consists of an endless field of asteroids!\"

The amount of asteroids floating within the Nyxian Gap defied natural law. Some very strange anomalous effects caused a huge region of space within the Komodo Star Sector and its neighboring star sectors to host a seemingly-endless sea of rocks, most of which consisted of worthless materials.

However, the Nyxian Gap also represented a source of wealth. Some of the rocks floating in the Nyxian Gap contained scraps of exotics of varying rarity and value. Low-grade and medium-grade exotics were fairly prevalent in the finds that prospectors uncovered, but sometimes they hit the jackpot by uncovering a small deposit of high-grade exotics!

The wealth buried within the Nyxian Gap attracted the greed of every state that surrounded the hazardous region. Despite the pirates and other scum infesting the area, the Sentinel Peacekeeper Association continually dispatched outfits and expeditions to the mineral-rich portions of the Gap in order to prospect for exotics.

The Sentinel Kingdom's territories weren't all that remarkable. The reason why the Kingdom grew so impressively to the point where it became the strongest third-rate state in the star sector was because of how much wealth they extracted from the Nyxian Gap!

Due to the Sentinel Kingdom's preoccupation with the Nyxian Gap, their mech culture distinctly placed a lot of emphasis on spaceborn mechs.

That did not mean that the Sentinel Kingdom saw no use in landbound mechs. Notable mech pilots like Lady Miralix still had plenty of fighting in store if they deployed to the Nyxian Gap.

Anomalous heavy gravity planets such as Mournshell attracted a lot of landbound mechs, while many moon-sized asteroids transformed into secret pirate settlements sometimes required boots on the ground as well.

Still, most battles still took place in space in the Nyxian Gap. Due to the complex environment within this area, the Peacekeeper outfits sometimes develop unusual demands.

\"There are many uses for mechs that can operate continuously within the Nyxian Gap.\" Marcus Pelle elaborated. \"One of the biggest problems with the Nyxian Gap is that FTL drives are completely useless in this region aside from a few exceptions. Fleets have to navigate perilous routes, surrounded by asteroids in every direction, in order to reach their destination. Such journeys can last for months or even years.\"

Ves idly rubbed Lucky behind his ears. \"Since a lot of time is invested in these journeys, the expeditions have to be sure they reach their intended destinations!\"

\"Exactly! Navigation is very difficult in many portions of the Nyxian Gap. Asteroids are constantly spinning and colliding everywhere, thereby scrambling navigational markers that help both Peacekeepers and pirates from figuring out their positions within this territory. My mechs are often deployed as part of long-range reconnaissance units. They're sent in different directions in order to figure out which direction leads them to their intended destination.\"

Ves could hardly fathom how these outfits and expeditions kept track of the mechs they sent out. Navigation within the Nyxian Gap was so difficult that every outfit that operated in the region depended on the services of specialized navigators!

\"You're not the only one who designs long deployment spaceborn mechs, right?\"

\"Correct. There are a number of mech designers from Sentinel and other states with an interest in the Nyxian Gap who compete in this market.\"

\"What separates your products from your competitors?\"

\"Well, aside from the high energy efficiency and various power-saving settings of my designs, I've invested a lot in developing methods to maintain the mental health of my customers. It's something that none of my competitors has paid as much attention to than me. Mental health isn't something that ordinarily comes to mind when mech designers embark on a new mech design.\"

In other words, Marcus Pelle's actual specialty largely encompassed the field of psychology and other fields related to the human condition!

Both Ves and Pelle developed pilot-centric design philosophies, which caused them to share some kinship with each other.

Just as with Ves, Pelle's mech designs didn't feature the greatest and most efficient performance. Nethertheless, the high regard of its customers caused his products to develop a modest but very devoted fanbase!

\"I take it that your specialization goes beyond loading up the data banks of your mechs with games and drama series.\"

Pelle nodded. \"Isolation breeds lots of problems. Outfits try their best to mitigate this problem by sending out multiple mechs on reconnaissance missions at a time, but this is fairly costly and not very efficient. Carrier vessels can only bring so many mechs, and they constantly require protection wherever they find themselves. Not a single region in the Nyxian Gap is devoid of pirates!\"

\"Except for the outposts, right?\" Ves asked.

\"Even the outposts aren't completely safe.\" The Sentinel mech designer shook his head. \"Whenever they get too big or attract too much traffic, the Nyxian pirate gangs tend to gather together and launch a massive assault! Even if the Peacekeepers have placed a lot of defenses at these sites, the Nyxian pirates can't tolerate the presence of any lawful settlement in their playground!\"

They quickly went back to the main topic.

\"Even pairing mech pilots up isn't enough to stave off isolation, right?\"

\"Correct, Mr. Larkinson. Even if you are grouped up with your closest comrades, my research indicates that there are instances where colleagues can grow estranged from each other. The Nyxian Gap is a very strange space, and while I haven't been able to gather any proof that it agitates them in any measurable way, the strange conditions already exert their own form of pressure!\"

In other words, the unknown and uncomfortable space environment was so weird from the regular, orderly universe that mech pilots started to believe they were stuck in a dark, endless hole where no respite could be found within several light-years!

In fact, the stories that Ves heard about mech pilots going crazy in the Nyxian Gap were so prevalent that he started to suspect that there might be a spiritual effect at work!

Sadly, the only way to verify his guess was to step foot in the Nyxian Gap himself, which he really wanted to avoid at this stage.

\"So how do you best stave off the negative effects of isolation?\"

The question pointed straight at Marcus Pelle's core specialty. He paused for a moment as if to contemplate how much he wanted to reveal.

Eventually, he gave out one useful nugget of information.

\"One of the most obvious ways to defeat isolation is to make mech pilots feel they aren't alone.\"

The answer sounded simple, but Ves sensed the depth in those words. \"Even when they are deployed on their own for weeks at a time?\"

\"Even then, there are ways to make mech pilots experience a connection with the wider galaxy despite lacking any connection to their ships or the galactic net. Before I came around, the most predominant solution to this problem is to drug the mech pilots with stimulants that suppressed their fears and prevented their moods from sliding.\"

\"I've heard about that. They're quite effective, right?\"

\"That's true. A lot of Peacekeepers have relied on these drugs to mitigate the destructive effects of isolation. However, I don't consider any of those drugs to be perfect. Each drug affects more than just the fears that emerge from enduring isolation.\"

\"What's so bad about that?\"

\"The skill, attentiveness, motivation and judgement of the mech are depressed as well when taking these drugs. While they might not necessarily have a severe effect on hardened and experienced mech pilots, their performance drops are very significant. I believe there are better solutions to stave off isolation than drugging our mech pilots stupid!\"

Ves agreed with such a sentiment. As someone who dealt with several addicts in his life, he knew that a reliance on drugs and stimulants often led to severe or outright destructive repercussions.

\"What is your alternative to drugs?\" He pressed, eager to hear the solution that Marcus Pelle came up with as his specialty.

\"Surrealism.\"

\"..Pardon?\"

\"Surrealism.\" Pelle repeated. \"It's a simplistic description of what I do, but it succinctly describes one of the earlier methods I came up with to keep mech pilots active and engaged in their mission.\"

Ves wanted to stop petting Lucky in order to rub his ears. Did he hear correctly? Had he mistakingly entered into an exchange with a graphical artist rather than a mech designer?

\"Of all the possible answers I expected, I never imagined you'd come up with this.\" Ves said mildly. After so many instances where he confounded other mech designers, this time it was his turn to be perplexed! \"What is so surreal about your products?\"

Pelle smiled at Ves. \"I've altered the sensory perception of my mechs. There are many ways to process and translate sensory data in ways that allow mech pilots to interpret them through the man-machine connection. What I've done is to add a mode to the sensors of my design that alters some of their parameters when the mechs are continuously deployed.\"

Ves frowned at this response. \"So.. if I understand this right, instead of depending on stimulants, you instead mess with the sensors of your mechs in order to simulate some of their effects?\"

\"Somewhat.\" The Sentinel mech designer shrugged. \"It's anything but a perfect solution, but the results I've achieved are surprisingly effective. I've learned much about how mech pilots think and how their moods change as a result of specific external stimuli.\"

\"It still sounds weird for me. Are you projecting eyeballs onto the surfaces of asteroids or something?\"

\"Heavens, no! You can't just mess with the perception of mech pilots with such disturbing images!\"

\"So this method can easily backfire and go awry.\"

\"Right. Frankly, this method is very dangerous and can easily lead to the deaths of your customers. That's why I don't recommend you utilize this method yourself.\"

Pelle spent some time to warn Ves of the many possible repercussions if he attempted to imitate this method without a foundation in the underlying theories.

Ves sensed the seriousness in his counterpart's warnings. \"You've been very clear about the dangers inherent with messing with the sensory perception of mech pilots. Why do it in the first place, then? What is the point of this method?\"

\"The simple explanation is.. it serves as a distraction. Space is monotonous. While boredom can be staved by serving up entertainment to mech pilots, that will almost always result in a massive reduction in situational awareness.\"

\"Distracted mech pilots are easy marks for pirates.\"

\"Exactly. In addition, not every mech pilot derives enjoyment from such static entertainment. The sense of isolation can creep up at them regardless if they immerse themselves in virtual simulations. All of it is fake.\"

\"Isn't surrealism fake as well?\"

\"Ah, but that's the strength of this method.\" Pelle grinned. \"You see, the surrealism that I've resorted to is all real!\"

\"All real?\" Ves couldn't resist scratching his head this time. \"So if I understand this right, the illusions you serve up to your mech pilots reflect reality?\"

\"Indeed. If you place a red filter in front of your eyes, your vision will turn red. Does that mean the reality you perceive is any less true?\"

Ves frowned. \"I'd say that my perception is distorted in that case.\"

\"What is truth and what is false? What is illusion and what is reality? I think that absolute truth doesn't exist, and that reality can never be perceived in an unbiased perspective. There is always a form of distortion at work no matter how precise and how accurate a sensor claims to perceive and measure reality!\"