The Mech Touch

Lanie Larkinson was puzzled as one of her instructors pulled her out of her training session.

The teenage mech cadet's training results were pretty good, though she was far from matching the best. She brushed aside her brown hair as she waited for the shuttle she had boarded to reach its destination.

It did not take long for the vehicle to land inside an enclosed mech hangar. Her instructor, an older trueblood Larkinson and war veteran, strapped herself off her seat.

"We're here. Follow me, cadet."

"Yes, ma'am."

The straps holding her in her seat retracted as soon as she pushed herself to her feet. She obediently followed her teacher as they entered into a huge but largely empty hall.

They moved forward until they approached another Larkinson.

"You're here. Good. My name is Cherie Tovar-Larkinson. I am an assistant mech designer serving in the Design Department. Is this Miss Lanie Larkinson?"

The instructor nodded. "Yes. I have brought Cadet Lanie as requested."

"I have already studied her academy records. Just to be sure, can you give me your evaluation on her training progress?"

"Cadet Lanie is a diligent mech cadet and never misses class. She gets along well with her fellow cadets but has shown no special aptitude in leading them in battle. While she has performed decently in piloting different mech types, she has shown a greater affinity for ranged combat. She performs a bit better on land than in space, but that is normal for every mech cadet. Overall, her training progress is on par for her genetic aptitude of B-, though she has peers who managed to perform better."

There was an implicit tone of criticism in the mech instructor's tone. Lanie felt a bit disappointed, but she had no one else to blame but herself.

While she was eager to become a good mech pilot, there were other Larkinson potentates who spent their every waking moment training or studying!

Their drive to become an elite Larkinson mech pilot was insane. They tended to be outsiders who joined the clan after their parents got in. Recognizing the golden opportunity in front of them, these new mech cadets worked so hard that the academy had to step in to prevent them burning out too quickly!

The mech designer soon brought up the reason why Lanie was here.

"Cadet Lanie, our Design Department has recently completed the design of a very specific mech. Our Patriarch wishes to invest in the future mech pilots of our clan and has devised a new model that is specifically geared towards improving your training results. We have chosen you to be the first to pilot the completed version of our Chiron!"

Though Lanie hadn't heard about this development, the instructor already guessed the reason. The older woman had already been involved in the testing of the prototypes.

"Miss Tovar, while Cadet Lanie has achieved good results, our academy has other young potentates who deserve this honor."

Cherie shook her head. "This is not a matter of honor. It is a matter of observation. We predict the difference in performance is more drastic if the cadet in question has more room to improve. The Chiron does not make much of a difference if the mech pilot is already good. Besides, the patriarch personally assigned the first production copy to Cadet Lanie."

That finished this little discussion. Lanie moved on to undergo a quick physical before changing into a special piloting suit. Soon enough, a couple of mech technicians guided her to a mech that looked different from any other machine she had witnessed.

"Is this.. the Chiron?" She asked with an impressed tone in her voice.

"Yup." A mech technician grinned. "It's a training mech that is specifically made for kids like you. It has some special features that you'll be testing today."

As she came closer to the prepared mech, she already felt its glow. The feeling the Chiron gave off was very familiar. Her hearts tugged with warmth and her affection for the Larkinson Clan increased. She also thought about hugging cats for some reason.

"Why is it called the Chiron?"

"Beats me. According to the galactic net, this Chiron fellow was a big centaur who taught a lot of heroes. I guess that's as good a name as any for a training mech."

"The Chiron is not a centaur mech, though. It's humanoid." Lanie pointed out.

"You should tell that to the big boss."

Soon enough, Lanie entered the cockpit. She settled into the piloting seat and waited until she received to activate her mech.

"You may activate your mech now, cadet."

She did as instructed. Once she pressed the activation button, she tried to keep her excitement under control as her mind slowly connected to something greater.

It was hard for her to keep calm!

Every Larkinson cadet looked forward to piloting an LMC mech. The adult mech pilots all raved about how pleasant it was to pilot the so-called living mechs. If not for the fact that the current LMC mech models couldn't keep up with second-class machines, the Larkinson pilots wouldn't want to part with their Bright Warriors!

Now, Lanie would be the first one to pilot the completed version of the Chiron.

Though the initial startup procedure was longer than usual, Lanie slowly felt the mech unfold in her mind.

The mech that connected to her mind was truly different from any training mech she interfaced with before.

The other machines were small, weak and limited in strength. In class, she learned that the neural interfaces of training mechs were deliberately constrained in order to minimize as many risks as possible for the mech cadet.

Due to their youth, their minds were more adaptable, but that meant that it was easier for them to be distorted by outside factors.

In order to raise them into proper mech pilots, mech academies tried to make sure they did not get exposed with faulty or extreme mechs.

While the Chiron possessed similar limitations, Lanie perceived something completely different.

The new training mech was warm. The new training mech was alive. The new training mech pulled her in deeper than any other machine!

"Is this what it is like to pilot an LMC mech?"

She finally understood why so many Avatars and Sentinels didn't want to part with their LMC mechs. The experience was so much better compared to other mechs.

Before she interfaced with the Chiron, she had already grown accustomed to piloting training mechs that made her feel as if she was donning a heavy suit. Each movement required her to exert her mental strength.

The worst part was that exercising precise control was a major challenge. If she put in too much effort, her mech would overshoot its movements. If she tried to be more careful, the mech wouldn't move as fluently.

What was even worse was that training mechs often possessed a very difficult body structure from what she was accustomed to. Every parameter was so different that Lanie had to learn how to control a completely different body.

Yet she was about to experience something a lot different this time.

[Cadet Lanie.] Cherie Tovar spoke over a comm channel. [The telemetry suggests that you have successfully interfaced with the Chiron. Are you experiencing any problems of any sort?]

[No, ma'am.]

[Good. Just to be sure, let us go through a checklist and test your initial performance with the current state of your training mech.]

Lanie began to perform some basic tests with considerably more ease than before. Normally, she wouldn't have been able to move so comfortably with a training mech, but this was different. Though the Chiron was still a mech that was fairly difficult to pilot for a cadet, the comforts it provided allowed her to adjust to the mech with remarkable speed.

The mech just felt too good! If she had a choice, she didn't want to go back to the stiff, cold mechs she practiced with before. The difference was like night and day!

Once she performed some basic movements with the Chiron, Cherie Tovar announced the next phase of the test.

[Very well. We have established a suitable baseline. We shall proceed with the body adjustment and archetype switching. We will be initiating this transformation while you are still piloting the Chiron. This may be uncomfortable for you. Make sure to warn us if you ever feel uncomfortable.]

"Wait, ma'am. The mech hasn't been adjusted yet?" Lanie asked.

The Chiron received a command that caused it to initiate some pre-planned procedures. Its entire frame began to morph as numerous mechanical parts began to shift.

The arms began to contract, the legs grew shorter as well. The torso contracted and narrowed. Thousands of adjustments took place at the same time or in quick succession as the Chiron slowly but surely began to conform to Lanie's modest and slender physique!

All the while, Lanie remained connected to her mech. She could feel it changing in a way that caused it to become more synced with her own mind!

This was a magical experience for the young mech cadet!

She experienced no discomfort of any kind. The mech worked exactly as designed and changed shape to such a drastic extent that she felt as if she was back in her own body!

Once the transformation process came to an end, the mech cadet waited patiently until the others confirmed that nothing went wrong.

[Alright. Cadet Lanie, as you have noticed, the mech has transformed to adapt to your physique. Please run through the same tests as before. We need to determine how much your performance has changed.]

She performed the same movements as before.

The differences were obvious straight away. Though the difficulty of controlling her mech hadn't dropped as much as she hoped, the challenges became much more manageable.

Lanie never thought that piloting a mech that matched her physique to a much greater extent would make such an enormous difference! Compared to before, she performed 40 percent better on average!

This was a huge jump, especially when Lanie was just starting to get accustomed to piloting such a sublime training mech!

[We are releasing a laser rifle to you. Please take the rifle and fire at the projected targets.]

She commanded her Chiron to grasp the rifle that was brought in front of her mech. The rifle fit the Chiron's grip in a familiar fashion. It was almost identical to how she held an infantry rifle in her real arms.

Once her Chiron began to shoot some low-powered beams at some static and moving practice targets, she became increasingly more caught up in the activity.

Her accuracy had practically doubled! Firing a rifle with her mech in her current conditions was so familiar that she could replicate her actual technique without worrying too much about inaccurate translations.

"This is amazing!" She gasped.

By the time the test had ended, Lanie begged to pilot the Chiron for a couple more hours. She did not get her wish.

She emerged out of her mech feeling bot satisfied and regretful. She was so addicted to piloting the Chiron that she just wanted to throw everything else aside so she could spend all day with her new training mech!

Cherie Tovar greeted the mech cadet as she reluctantly lowered herself onto the ground.

"Have you been enjoying yourself?" She asked with a knowing smile.

"The Chiron is amazing, ma'am! It's already comfortable to pilot in its normal state, but once it adapted to my body, it's twice as good!"

"That's what this model is all about. We not only aim to make it easier for its mech pilots to perform maneuvers, but also enjoy the sessions while they are at it. As far as I'm concerned, the Chiron is one of the most powerful trump cards of our clan!"

Lanie wholeheartedly agreed. If every mech cadet in the clan received the opportunity to pilot the Chiron, they would probably get addicted as well!

Still, as much as she enjoyed her session, the young potentate still remained sober enough to form some concerns.

"Is it alright to pilot the Chiron further? Don't get me wrong. I like piloting it. I just don't encounter the problems that I regularly face with other mechs. Won't I be able to get accustomed to piloting real mechs if I pilot with a handicap all the time?"

The mech designer shook her head. "It's not that simple. While you are right, don't forget that the Chiron's frame is infinitely adaptable. By adapting its layout to your body shape, you are able to practice many advanced skills such as marksmanship and swordsmanship through targeted training ahead of time. However, once you have to practice other forms of mech handling, the Chiron can automatically adjust to an adult shape or even take on abnormal forms in order to train your adaptability."

Lanie understood what she meant. The Chiron's ability to transform opened up a lot of extra possibilities!

If used correctly, the Chiron could produce an army of excellent graduates!