The Mech Touch

Ves eventually approved Janassa and Tifi's proposals despite his many doubts on their commercial viability.

The Design Department should not limit itself to developing humanoid mechs. Janassa and Tifi were the closest thing to bestial mech designers that the Larkinson Clan had at its disposal, so Ves was keen for them to develop this aspect further.

Most mechs utilized by people came in the form of humanoid mechs, but that did not mean that bestial mechs had no value. They were just a bit harder for mech pilots to master and weren't as versatile in different battle situations.

However, as long as they fought under ideal conditions, they could easily burst more power than humanoid mechs!

Ves felt that his clan should have at least one mech legion that fielded bestial mechs. How could the clan of the Golden Cat live up to its symbolism if it didn't field a single feline mech model?

He felt it was only right for his clan to deploy thousands of ferocious tiger mechs on the battlefield in the future!

"Wait a minute. Why do I feel like I have to make this happen at all costs?"

His eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was he being influenced by Goldie? Had he become irrationally obsessed about developing tiger mechs just so that his clan could overwhelm its enemies by unleashing a sea of cat-like mechs?

"Well, it's fine." Ves shrugged.

He felt that it wasn't so bad to raise a troop centered around tiger mechs in the future.

After he obtained enough information about Janassa and Tifi's plans, he turned to the final pair of Journeymen in the meeting room.

"Sara, Dulo, do you plan to work on this time?"

"I already have a busy schedule." Sara Voiken spoke up. "My expertise is needed in many different mech design projects, most notably the expert mech design projects. On top of that, I think it is extremely important for me to be extensively involved in the aforementioned Mauler Project. Since the heavy tiger mech is meant to withstand a lot of damage, I should make sure its armor system can handle all of the physical stresses of combat. This doesn't leave me with time to pursue any other projects."

Ves frowned a bit. He was a little disappointed. Sara Voiken would definitely be able to design a decent space knight if she wanted to. However, she was in the same position as him. Her specialty was just too useful to set aside. Every project could benefit from her specialty.

He increased his resolve to hire another defense-oriented Journeyman in the next recruitment wave. The Design Department shouldn't have to be dependent on just a single key mech designer to service all of the defense requirements of its mech design projects!

"I understand." He said. "The current wave of design projects are too important to us. Whether it is an expert mech such as the C-Man Project or a commercial mech with amazing sales potential such as my Tutor Project, it is extremely important to ensure that their defensive parameters do not fall behind. The more durable they become, the more we are able to persuade our customers to entrust the lives of their mech pilots to our dependable products."

"Those are my thoughts as well." Sara Voiken nodded.

"I don't want your ability to develop your own mechs to grow rusty, though. I hope you will be able to come up with a good mech concept for the next design round."

"It will depend on how busy I become." Sara Voiken stated. "If there are too many expert mech design projects, I will end up in the same position as now. Don't get me wrong, sir. I enjoy working with expert mechs. They are much more powerful than the machines that I am accustomed to working with. It is a gift for me to be able to make so many contributions to high-end mech designs."

"That is understandable, but don't forget that standard mechs are the root of our profession. The majority of our customers and clients are still regular mech pilots. They need the protection that only mech designers can provide to them. In time, our Design Department will welcome more defensive specialists, so you won't be as short on time in the future."

Sara Voiken didn't have any comments regarding this. The Larkinson Clan was too big for only a single defense-oriented mech designer. She possessed enough confidence in her abilities and did not fear additional competition.

In fact, having a like-minded colleague in the Larkinson Clan would probably be helpful for her progression as she could hold frequent exchanges with her fellow defensive specialists!

"What about you, Dulo? Your schedule is not as busy as none of the mech design projects that we have discussed so far involve spear weapons."

"That is correct, sir. I have been working on several potential ideas. It is not that difficult to come up with decent mechs that perform adequately in different scenarios, but that is not enough to develop a product that can generate sufficient revenue. After I attempted to devise a spearman mech that can be of much greater value by combining it with one of your glows, I think I have ended up with a good idea."

The male Voiken sibling uploaded his draft design to the central projection.

It turned out that Dulo Voiken visualized a landbound spearman mech. It was a relatively simple design and did not appear to feature too many bells and whistles.

Its frame was solid but not too heavy. It was capable of wielding a variety of spears, but preferred to carry a longer one that allowed it to strike its target without getting too close.

"This looks like an ordinary spearman mech." Ves commented. "It doesn't have a flight system so it can't fight in space. What use does it have and what are its selling points?"

To Ves, the spearman mech looked generic. There was nothing that immediately stood out to him. Its spear looked normal and its frame did not look as if it could deliver a powerful blow outside of performing a charge attack. Its armor layers weren't too thick so the mech wasn't able to endure too much damage either.

Perhaps the only clear positive point of this mech was that its mobility should be higher than normal. Its legs looked as if they could support a faster running speed. The mech was also equipped with compact boosters that could give the spearman mech a short-term speed boost.

Before Dulo could unveil its role, Ketis spoke up first.

"This is a hunting mech." She declared with certainty as her eyes shone with appreciation. "Its configuration is similar to my Monster Slayer, except it is even better geared towards operating in hunting zones and untamed planets. This spearman mech is mobile enough to trek through rough terrain. It is also maneuverable enough to dance around large exobeasts. By relying on the reach of its main weapon, this mech can poke holes into its target without needing to step too close to a dangerous beast!"

Dulo and everyone else looked surprised at Ketis. Not even Ves had been able to figure out the draft design's purpose!

"Why are you looking at me like that?" She frowned. "Don't you know that hunting exobeasts used to be a hobby for Swordmaidens such as myself? We preferred to hunt dangerous beasts by relying on our bodies and our swords alone, but some prey are just too big. We could only hunt them down by relying on our mechs."

This was a dangerous pastime and one that the Swordmaidens no longer engaged in due to lack of access to hunting grounds.

"You're right, Ketis. This is indeed a mech designed to hunt beasts." Dulo admitted. "The Huntmaster Project is an idea that I created with the hunting industry in mind. You might not have heard about it, but hunting is a booming business in the Red Ocean. There are many more untamed planets in the new frontier that are filled with lots of alien flora and fauna. The most valuable planets with life often contain large and powerful exobeasts that are formidable existences within their habitats."

Ves scratched his head. "I understand the enthusiasm around hunting, but how do you intend to persuade those engaged in this activity to opt for your Huntmaster Project? Isn't it easier to bring a bunch of ranged mechs and just shoot them from a safe distance?"

"It's not as thrilling to shoot these majestic beasts with rifles or cannons." Ketis replied with clear disapproval on her face. "Ranged weapons also make a lot of noise and can completely disturb a hunting ground. However, the biggest disadvantage of using them is that they will ultimately inflict heavy and extensive damage to the body of the target. If you return from a hunting trip with a carcass that is beyond recognition, then good luck getting a decent trophy out of it. You can't brag about your hunt if you can't bring back a whole head!"

Dulo's choices made more sense in this context.

"Spearman mechs are ideal hunters." He claimed. "There are two main reasons for people to hunt exobeasts. The first one is to build up their reputation and prestige. Retrieving a body that is intact as possible is essential. Ideally, enough of it is undamaged to turn it into a whole display piece. The second reason is to harvest them for rare and valuable resources. It is the same reason why we harvested the organs from the Phaser fish-whales during the Purgatory Campaign. There are many more amazing alien species that can offer new possibilities to humanity. A spearman mech can better control its damage output and can utilize its precision to make sure it does not damage any essential organs or tissue."

All of this made sense. As Ves imagined the Huntmaster Project in the field, he thought of a spearman mech that operated alongside a dozen other identical machines.

Just like the primitive humans of the past, the Huntmaster Project mechs could easily combine forces and hunt down their prey by relying on the convenience provided by their spears!

"All of this sounds good." Ves said. "However, I don't think its value proposition is high enough to defeat the competition. I am sure that there are plenty of spearman mech models on the market that perform no differently from this balanced spearman mech."

Dulo grinned. "That's because I haven't explained its killer function yet. You see, one of the most persistent problems that hunting teams face is making their prey stay long enough to get killed."

"What do you mean by that?" Ves asked.

"He means that many exobeast species aren't stupid enough to fight a bunch of strange and odd mechs to the death." Ketis explained. "Exobeasts may be powerful, but the planets they live on are usually occupied by other massive species. Each of them needs to be able to pick their battles to some extent in order to survive in a dangerous environment. When exobeasts are confronted by metal machines that look completely different from the rivals they are accustomed to, they will get spooked much faster than usual. It is hard to prevent an exobeast from escaping if it truly wants to leave."

Dulo nodded again. "This is why I want my spearman mech to carry an aggressive and provocative glow. As long as the Huntmaster Project can anger an exobeast, the chances of completing a successful hunt should be much higher! The hunting teams that bring at least one of my mechs will also be able to save more time as their prey is less likely to run repeatedly when confronted with mechs."

Ves understood the premise behind this mech now. The Huntmaster Project was supposed to provoke hostile exobeasts by aggravating their bestial emotions with Zeigra's glow!

What a fitting combination. Zeigra used to be a Crown Cat that perished after getting hunted.

Now, the design spirit was about to side with the hunters by empowering their mechs!