The Mech Touch

Melody, who had been watching over Gloriana from a distance, quickly raced forward and dragged her rabid charge from glomping all over Ves!

For his part, he felt extraordinarily deprived. He really enjoyed their second long kiss! The pure emotion she put into showing her appreciation became so intense that Ves even sensed their spiritualities started to touch and resonate with each other!

Both of them felt bummed out when Melody forced them apart. As Melody berated Gloriana over and over again for failing to adhere to her limits, Ves began to take a dim view of Constance Wodin.

While he understood why Gloriana's mother wanted to impose some limitations on their relationship, they were both more than thirty years old! What right did she have to treat them both like underage teenagers who barely knew their way around with love?!

Ten tiresome minutes later, Melody marched back over to the observation station in the workshop compartment and resumed whatever work she was doing.

"Sorry about that, Ves." Her big eyes looked up at him in this incredibly adorable manner.

"It's okay." He responded and modestly patted her back. He resisted pulling her into an embrace. "We have all the time in the galaxy."

She smiled at him. "I don't want to wait anymore. From the moment I saw your masterwork mech, I decided then and there that I will never let you go. I will make you mine, Ves. Mine mine mine mine mine!"

"Ehh.."

He never expected the impact of revealing his masterwork mech to be so great! He could tell that Gloriana was being serious with her words because he could sense the conviction in her spirituality!

"For me, a perfect vessel can only be formed if I meet two conditions. First, I have to design the perfect mech for a specific mech pilot. The design has to be the best possible result given the requirements I have to meet and the limitations I have to abide by. I'm very far away from reaching this height, but I've been pursuing this ambition from the start."

This sounded a bit more flexible than Ves initially surmised. If she tried to design 'the' perfect mech, then it was practically impossible to achieve this goal! She would have to surpass every Star Designer in the past, present and future in order to design a mech considered 'perfect' in an absolute sense!

In contrast, the way she phrased her ambition made it clear that success depended on the circumstances in play. If her definition of 'perfect' meant designing a mech that fit her capabilities, the objectives she needed to meet and the practical limitations preventing her from resorting to more expensive toys, then her chances of realizing her design philosophy became a lot better!

Ves became impressed at her girlfriend. Crazy and eccentric she might be at times, she was still a clever and competent mech designer. She did not take her profession lightly.

"What's the second condition?"

"I think you can guess." She gazed lovingly at Ves as if he was a treasure. "Just because I design the perfect vessel under the circumstances doesn't mean the physical reproduction is devoid of flaws. There is always a certain degree of variance in the fabrication and assembly of parts. A single mech can consist of more than a million different parts! No matter how careful you are in fabricating them, many parts are too intricate to stay within tight tolerances."

"Materialization technology can ensure that every part is reproduced without a single atom out of place." Ves suggested.

Her smile dropped a bit. "What I'm trying to make is the perfect vessel for a mech pilot, not the perfect mech in a vacuum. For me, the perfect vessel transcends precision engineering. One of the biggest shortcomings of producing mechs through materialization is that no one has ever created a masterwork mech through this method. All of the mechs are completely identical and consistent in quality, I'll give them that, but they are also completely devoid of the necessary character that can elevate them to masterwork!"

This had to do with the definition of a masterwork. It was a rather vague and imprecise concept. It couldn't be quantified or codified in a way that allowed AIs and algorithms to identify them. Only experts and insiders of a profession could recognize a masterwork on the spot because only they possessed the intuitive judgement that allows them to recognize if a work holistically surpassed the sum of its parts.

For this reason, a product materialized into existence without the intervention of a craftsman could merely be described as a precise reproduction, rather than a masterful reproduction.

Whether it came to the production of mechs, combat armor or personal firearms, a true masterwork had always been created by hand by an eminent craftsman.

Of course, materialization technology did not slow down just because of this flaw. As long as a manufacturer could afford to implement this tech, then the machine-like consistency and complete lack of variance allowed for incredibly efficient and reliable production of extremely complex goods.

Most manufacturers were more than willing to give up the miniscule, almost nonexistent chance of producing a masterwork to rid themselves of so many inefficiencies!

Ves did not agree, though, and neither did Gloriana. He felt a bit more closer after finding out they shared the same views on the matter.

"Materialization technology has its merits, but as someone who fabricated a masterwork mech, I think many mech designers are missing out on the wonders of producing masterworks. Ever since I fabricated my masterwork Devil Tiger, I can tell you that my intuitive understanding and feel towards mechs has increased. Whether it's designing mechs or fabricating them, I've become noticeably better."

"You're referring to the mech affinity theory, right?"

He nodded. "After experiencing the effects myself, I fully believe in it. It's not a lie. It's especially valuable at our current stage when we are still improving rapidly. The earlier you enjoy this boost, the smoother you progress."

Gloriana couldn't help but hug herself against him yet again! "Hihihi! You shameless boaster! Not everyone can be as exceptional as you! I'm so lucky to find such a wonderful mech designer who made his first masterwork mech just a year after being recognized as a Journeyman! I think you even set a record!"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure about that. I've heard that some freakish Apprentices have managed to fabricate masterworks as well."

"That doesn't matter. You have everything I've wished for, Ves. I truly regret that I only sent that batch of pure ASMAS to you. I should have known you would have used it to create a fantastic masterwork mech! I won't make that mistake again! I've decided to stay with you permanently now. Even if my mother wants to drag me back, I won't let her! Promise me you'll keep me with you, Ves."

The intense way she pressed up at him and gazed in his eyes made it extraordinarily difficult for Ves to resist!

"I.. as long as our relationship works out, I'll follow you wherever you go. I don't want you to fallout with your family. If your mother summons you back to the Hegemony, I'll accompany you until they kick me out."

She grinned brilliantly at him. "Great! You're so sweet, Ves. I'll make sure it doesn't come to that. Now that I'm sure of my decision, I'll do my best to make the Wodin Dynasty accept you. It will be a tough road but I am sure you'll impress them with your masterworks."

"It's not that easy to make a masterwork mech." Ves cautioned her. "You can't make them on demand. They are products of chance, effort, skill and serendipity. It may take years or decades before I can replicate this feat."

"If you can do it once, you can do it again. That's the case with everyone who created a masterwork." She stated confidently. "This will be the key to earning my mother, and by extension my dynasty's approval. Our matriarch would be crazy to ignore you just because you're a third-rater!"

"You Hexers really don't think much of people who originate from third-rate states, do you?"

"I don't deny we are prejudiced against your kind. I think we have the tendency to be biased against people like you because your low births and lack of wealth limits your development. After all, look at me for example. You don't want to know how much hex credits my mother spent to upgrade my genes, augment me with implants and hire renowned tutors. Can any mech designer from the Bright Republic match my advantages?"

"Uhh.."

"My mother spent so much not just because she loves me, but also to invest in me. All the money put into raising me and turning me into a great mech designer is a targeted plan to foster a talented Wodin mech designer. I'm very much aware that I would have never become so great at what I do if not for enjoying this treatment."

Her words forced Ves to look at her in a different way. Though she worked hard to become a talented Journeyman, it was undeniable that her mother enabled most of her success.

It also meant that she owed a very huge debt to the Wodin Dynasty!

"So your mother doesn't want you to enter into a relationship with a poor and impoverished Brighter because they think I'll limit you, is that right? They expect to get a much better return on their investment if you are paired with a much more capable Hexer mech designer who enjoyed similarly lavish treatment."

She nodded. "That's exactly right. While I admit that there are many fine boys back at home, none of them are as suitable as you. I have to say that you're not a slouch yourself. You managed to achieve just as much if not more than me despite your humbler background. That should have been a point in favor of you, but my obstinate mother doesn't really see your kind as equals to Hexers."

"I see. We'll just have to prove her wrong, then. While I am not trying to boast here, some of the things I've done in the past have more than made up for the disparity you've described."

"Yes. Your record does mention something mysterious about looting a crashed CFA warship. Please don't blame me, but I also took body scans and samples of your DNA during our first meeting and had our geneticists analyze your state. Your physical state is very impressive!"

"But not enough to convince your mother that I'm worthy?"

She shook her head. "She can be a bit old-fashioned sometimes. In her eyes, you have a lot of potential, but your upbringing is too average. She doesn't expect you to realize your potential as much as I do. The only way for us to change her mind on you is to prove that you are already more fantastic than my suitors in the Hegemony. Providing undeniable proof that you've fabricated a masterwork mech is key! It's even better if we both collaborated on a masterwork, because that enormously increases my own value!"

All of this sounded rather unfair at first, but Ves knew that he needed to go above and beyond if he wanted to gain the approval of a powerful dynasty of the Hexadric Hegemony.

In any case, as long as he passed this difficult test, then the Wodin Dynasty would definitely accept him with open arms! He wouldn't have to face their continued disapproval!

"So we can quell all dissent as long as I show off another masterwork, is that right? We can't show the Wodin Dynasty my Devil Tiger, though. I'll just have to make a proper masterwork mech that won't land me in trouble, then!"

He became incredibly motivated to replicate his earlier feat!

"Not any mech will do, Ves. My mother won't acknowledge a worthless third-class masterwork mech no matter how impressive it is put together. The only way to get my stupid family to acknowledge you properly is to present them with a second-class masterwork mech that one of our mech pilots can put to use immediately!"

A second-class masterwork mech! His heart sunk down as soon as he heard this demand.

To fabricate a masterwork mech, it was essential that Ves possessed a high familiarity and feel for its design and overall mech class. His lack of experience with second-class mechs meant that it would be incredibly hard to achieve a state that could bring him close to producing a masterwork!

This meant that if Ves truly wanted to spend the rest of his life together with Gloriana, then he needed to immerse himself in second-class mechs!