The Mech Touch

Now that Ves obtained solid data on the performance of his new and revolutionary MSTS, he became incredibly satisfied with the preliminary results!

According to various data points, the Mental Simulation Training System was not only relatively safe to use, but also approximated realistic battles to a degree that Yarach Stimmons had rarely seen in other simulation programs!

"Although the tests so far only produced data relating to simulated duels between two training mechs, the performance of the MSTS has exceeded my expectations." Yarach Stimmons told Ves. "Master Dervidian did not dispatch us to you in vain. Even if the subsequent performance of your new simulation system does not pass muster, the starting point is so impressive that it is already of great value to the mech industry. Congratulations, Mr. Larkinson. I do not know how you did it, but you have successfully created an entirely new base of simulation technology that sidesteps many of the technical limitations that have long plagued this sector."

Ves continued to stare at the projected diagrams and data tables. Each of them communicated a different aspect of performance. While he did not have the expertise to understand the significance of much of the data, the researchers dispatched by the MTA clearly told him that the figures should have only been produced by simulation programs that were much more advanced than what second-raters had access to in most situations!

"We wouldn't be too surprised if this data was produced by a Terran or Rubarthan simulation system, but the fact that it originated from a simulator developed by just a single Journeyman without any significant experience in this field is… astonishing."

If Ves hadn't proven himself already to the Transhumanist Faction, Stimmons would have definitely leveraged the authority of the Association to press for more answers!

Fortunately, Ves and the Transhumanists already developed a friendly relationship with each other. There was no need for the mechers to push any further. The fact that Ves contacted Master Dervidian for assistance was already a tacit form of cooperation.

After just a single testing session, the MTA researchers all recognized the insane potential and value of the MSTS. They all felt privileged for being the first mechers to get in touch with it and conduct tests on it. If everything went well, their early contributions would become widely recognized, granting them lots of recognition and rewards within the Association!

The attitudes of the mechers aboard the Alacritous Stork visibly improved.

If they previously showed respect towards Ves because of his status and because of the instructions from above, this time they all recognized his brilliance from the bottom of their hearts!

However, they still needed to do their jobs, and the data they had gathered so far was not sufficient to determine whether the MSTS was safe and beneficial.

"Now that we have established a baseline, it is time to explore the limits of your new simulation system." Stimmons grinned in a rather ominous manner.

In the next few days, the MTA Journeyman showed what neural interface specialists truly did when they were tasked with exploring the safety parameters of a new system!

The man used a sophisticated materializer to modify the neural interface device of the prototype Tutor Project without disassembling it. Normally, it was illegal to mess around with neural interfaces, but Stimmons was one of the few people that could make changes that deliberately increased the danger factor of these critical devices!

Once they put in another test subject, they prompted the prototype mech to connect to the MSTS and run another ordinary simulated duel.

Ves immediately noticed the difference this time. The telemetry showing the mech pilot's brain activity and other life signs spiked a lot higher than normal!

"What does this mean?" He asked.

"The readings suggest that the current test subject is receiving much more feedback from the simulation than in the previous cases." Stimmons answered as his eyes remained glued to the fluctuating graphs and numbers. "The change I made to the neural interface artificially lifted its safety limit to a degree that goes beyond recommended parameters. This has allowed the test subject to forge a much deeper connection to the training mech and by extension the active simulation program. It is remarkable how quickly the test subject became immersed into the false reality he has ended up in. The simulation may be so real to him that he has unconsciously forgotten that he and his mech are just standing still in the cargo hold of a frigate."

Ves glanced at the spiritual feed projected by his Hammer of Brilliance. It displayed a thrilling duel between two different Tutor Projects.

Just like in the previous cases, the test subject was a mature pilot with military training. A mech pilot of his level of skill and experience should have been able to crush any ordinary opponent in a duel even if he was piloting an unfamiliar mech.

However, the opponents produced by the MSTS weren't vegetables!

Although their performance against the test subjects of the MTA weren't that great at the start, the driving intelligence learned quickly and rarely made the same mistake twice.

It became harder and harder for the test subjects to defeat their opponents!

When the MTA researchers brought up the rapid pace of improvement, Ves merely shrugged and gave an excuse.

"The AI driving these mechs is designed to be highly adaptive and good at learning. The better its opponents, the more it improves."

There were still limitations, of course, but the current level of performance was already more than satisfactory.

The important point here was that the AI mech the current test pilot was fighting against was so challenging that he had to do his utmost to grasp any chance of defeating his opponent!

This difficulty level happened to be exactly right in this instance. The automated opponent was not strong enough to defeat the mech piloted by the test subject outright, but it wasn't a pushover either.

The opponent was only a bit better than the test subject, which forced the latter to fight at full strength and squeeze whatever potential he retained!

Ves didn't need to look at the data to know that the test subject was performing at a considerably higher level than was customary in training sessions!

He could see the spiritual activity from the prototype Tutor Project mech if he glanced through the window. He could also connect with Vulcan and glimpse what was going on with the MSTS at the moment.

While he wasn't an expert in simulation battles, Ves could tell that the test subject was truly fighting as if everything was real and that his life was on the line!

This was a death battle where only a single mech pilot could leave the arena with his life intact!

"Remarkable!" Stimmons enthusiastically spoke. "I anticipated that this might happen. The high degree of realism of the MSTS combined with raising the limits of the neural interface can truly induce a state that is difficult to achieve for other simulation systems."

"Does this mean that the feedback and stimulation that the test subject receives is equivalent to that of fighting in a real battle?"

That was a much more complicated question to answer. Stimmons frowned a bit. "I cannot say. The current indicators show that this may be the case, but do not forget that the current simulation has only produced this result because I have removed some of the safety precautions from the neural interface of your prototype."

In other words, the rewards of training with the MSTS were only greater after increasing the risk factor!

The test subject was literally gambling his life and his future as a mech pilot at the moment!

"Let us see the perils of the current state of your prototype and your MSTS. Can you interfere with the current simulated duel so that the test subject will fall into a disadvantage and lose?"

"Certainly. Give me a moment."

It was easy enough for Ves to manipulate any ongoing battles. He silently passed on an instruction that essentially told the Quint to stop holding back and beat up the mech piloted by the test subject as soon as possible!

The change happened in an instant.

In one moment, the two Tutor Project mechs were exchanging blows without either of them falling into a disadvantage.

In the next moment, the 'AI mech' rushed forward and battered aside the incoming sword at an ingenious angle and timing!

This allowed the aggressive mech to shoulder bash the machine piloted by the test subject, thereby producing a considerable impact!

Fortunately, the Tutor Project not only possessed a considerable tolerance for damage, but was also designed to be considerably more stable than ordinary humanoid mechs.

The machine that got struck in the chest faltered backwards but did not tip over entirely.

However, the mech still exposed enough openings that prevented it from blocking the subsequent sword attacks with ideal footing.

The incoming blows continually pushed back the mech while it was already out of balance. This caused the test subject to experience a lot of distress. His stress levels and other activity levels spiked as he scrambled for his mech to regain its guard!

Sadly for him, the AI mech was not only ruthless, but also exhibited a lot more skill and mastery over the Tutor Project mech than before.

Like a battering ram colliding against the gates of a castle, the AI mech's offensive continually left no room for its target to breathe.

Finally, the mech that had fallen into a disadvantage suffered enough hits to its chest for the next sword stab to sink straight through an exposed weak point and drive directly through the cockpit!

"AHHHHHH!"

At the same time, the test subject that still resided in the prototype Tutor Project screamed in agony as many readings abruptly turned red!

The training mech automatically pulled out of the MSTS and disengaged the man-machine connection, but it was already too late by this point.

"What happened?!" Ves gasped.

"That is what happens when a mech pilot has sunk too deep into the man-machine connection while receiving injury feedback." Stimmons calmly stated as a teleporter directly removed the injured test pilot from the cockpit. "This is a phenomenon that is responsible for the early retirement of many mech pilots. It is a result that should never happen in simulation training but sometimes will due to the use of illegally-modified simulator pods."

Ves looked dismayed. The previous results looked so promising at first. The high degree of realism produced a lot of feedback that mirrored the experience of fighting real battles.

However, where there was positive feedback, there was also negative feedback.

The excessive pain and other negative stimuli that mech pilots received after a mech sustained severe damage was known to cripple and disable a lot of good soldiers!

Even his grandfather Benjamin Larkinson was forced to abandon the identity of an expert pilot due to suffering a loss many decades ago!

Stimmons turned and gave Ves an encouraging smile. "Do not take this outcome too hard, Mr. Larkinson. I deliberately explored an extreme condition this time. As long as I reinstate the safety restrictions of the neural interface, this result is unlikely to happen again. Of course, the feedback from simulation training will also reduce as a result. It will merely be good rather than excellent."

Ves eventually restored his mood. He knew he was being too greedy at the moment. It was a bad idea to resort to shortcuts to chase after greater rewards when the initial results of the MSTS already satisfied his goal!

The MTA researchers conducted a few more tests with the dangerous neural interface. Not only did they want to see what happened to the test subjects if they lost the training scenarios, they also observed what happened when they won the duels!

It was at this time that the MTA research team brought up a female, middle-aged mech pilot that was different from the ones that showed before.

Ves could immediately tell that this test subject not only possessed spiritual potential, but had also developed it to a degree that reminded him of those that were close to becoming expert candidates!

He had a feeling that it was not a coincidence that the MTA researchers brought out this specific test subject at this time.