The Mech Touch

"Okay." Ves said as he hugged a sleeping Aurelia in his arms. The little girl looked exceptionally cute as she wore unicorn-themed pajamas. "I understand the benefits of basing the C-Man around smart metal. However, second-class smart metal systems are nowhere near as strong and effective as their first-class versions. It is supposed to be an expert mech that ought to be at least as powerful as the First Sword if not more in melee combat. Smart metal is not only extremely costly, but also comes with numerous well-known downsides."

"That is why I don't intend to make use of ordinary smart metal systems." Gloriana smirked. Smart metal mechs are not that popular at the second-class level, but developers are constantly innovating and developing new products. There is no better location to look for new and experimental products than in the Red Ocean. Many of the most ambitious and the most brilliant equipment developers have moved to this dwarf galaxy. I am certain we will be able to find a viable alternative in this region or maybe even on this planet."

Her words were not empty. While Davute VII had not yet reached the splendor of the port systems of the old galaxy, it had already attracted a lot of research and development firms due to the increasing presence of mech manufacturers and other producers.

Davute was one of the many star systems that took advantage of the networking effect to accelerate its growth and become one of the powerhouses of the Krakatoa Middle Zone.

The networking effect simply described the phenomenon where goods, services and even locations became more valuable as more people became involved. A trading hub that only attracted 100 companies was incomparable to one that attracted 1 million companies!

Davute was well on its way of becoming the latter at this rate, and many other entrepreneurs and inventors had taken note of that. They relocated to the port system and began to offer more diverse goods and services to the growing number of customers in the area.

A larger concentration of businesses not only increased the supply of common goods such as bulk alloys and starship parts, but also introduced rarer and more niche products that could not be found on smaller planets.

Though Gloriana had not yet searched whether a company that specialized in the development of smart metal systems had settled in the Davute System, she was certain that such businesses had already arrived.

She only needed to seek them out and inquire whether they recently invented a new smart metal system that took advantage of the new materials and possibilities of the Red Ocean.

"I think there is a good chance that there may be hidden gems in Davute." Gloriana told her husband. "If not now, then they will surely arrive in the future. Our vision is currently limited by our limited use of smart metal systems. If we approach the companies that are engaged with developing new products based on nanotechnology, we might be able to find a solution that is much more appropriate for the C-Man."

Ves hesitated for a bit before he acquiesced. "Alright. You captured my interest just enough to give you a chance. I don't mind paying more for a cutting-edge implementation that is far more powerful than ASMAS, but it needs to keep up with the growth of Venerable Vincent."

"I know. I don't want the C-Man to grow outdated too quickly either." Gloriana replied in an understanding tone. "No matter what smart metal system we employ for the C-Man, it will be easier to update and strengthen it since much of it is so malleable. We may be able to use it as a test platform to test other technological innovations. This will help with justifying its higher development and production expenses."

Ves shrugged. To him, the greatest value of the C-Man was how much this technological puzzle could advance their design philosophies. He fully agreed with his wife that working on an odd and unusual design project produced a lot more stimulation than a more standard design project.

Therefore, even if the C-man Project sucked up thousands of MTA credits with little to show for it, the endeavor would still be worthwhile if Ves and Gloriana learned a lot of lessons and came a few steps closer to advancing to Senior.

The next day, Gloriana pampered and played with Aurelia for a few hours before deciding to leave her cute daughter in the care of Ves and Shannon Maris.

"Mama!" Aurelia tearfully cried and reached out with her arms while her nanny Shannon held her back. "I want mama!"

"Oh, honey." Gloriana leaned in and planted a kiss on Aurelia's forehead. "Mama needs to head out into the city to conduct business. I would love to take you along, but I can't bring you into some of the facilities. Will you be a good girl and stay with your father?"

Aurelia reluctantly nodded though she clearly wanted to spend time with her mother today.

Both of her parents exchanged a helpless glance with each other. It wasn't as if Gloriana would be gone forever.

She finally managed to get away and board a shuttle that departed from the Cat Nest.

The vehicle flew straight from Industrial District 2 to the center of Kotor City.

Gloriana was not a stranger to the ironically-named Austere District. She begged Ves multiple times to buy a luxurious estate in the most exclusive and expensive city district on Davute VII, but he refused due to security considerations.

She pouted when she looked through the window and gazed at all of the opulent residences. Not only did she miss out on living in an area that broadcasted her success, she also missed an opportunity to socialize with neighbors who reigned at the top of Davute's growing society!

"Stupid Ves." The young mother grumbled. "How can you be blind to the opportunities of this district? It would have been much easier for Aurelia to make friends with the future rulers of Davute!"

Fortunately, the clan at least decided to settle in Davute as opposed to an isolated rural star system that was far away from anything important.

Gloriana could still make contact with notable residents and expand her network by attending social gatherings and visiting certain venues.

Her first destination of the day happened to be her new favorite hangout.

The Bronze Paradiso was a floating private club that deliberately adopted an anachronistic neo-hellenistic theme.

Hard materials that emulated the look and feel of marble and bronze dominated the floating estate. Even the gardens and plants were designed to imitate the ancient mediterranean environment of Old Earth.

Amidst the statues and murals of ancient Greek gods and heroes, the decorators of the Bronze Paradiso also blended in depictions of different mechs.

This made for an unusual but natural-looking fusion of mythology and science. Ancient titans were struck down by modern ace mechs while the legendary city of Troy was being sieged by a mech regiment of heavy artillery mechs.

The obvious mech theme of the Bronze Paradiso already declared the kind of clientele it attracted and serviced. Many of the notable mech pilots, mech designers, researchers, engineers and other specialists had already applied for membership to the semi-exclusive establishment.

In order to maintain its standards and prevent the riff raff from lowering the atmosphere, the Bronze Paradiso implemented a lot of rules that made it harder for ordinary people to get inside.

This was exactly how Gloriana liked it. While many of the Bronze Paradiso's gardens and courtyards were hardly occupied, she was certain that this would change in future.

"I already prefer this club over the one I visited back in Chance Bay." Gloriana smiled as she admired the excellent craftsmanship of the various murals and bronze sculptures. "As expected of the Mech Supremacists!"

Just like the Well-Oiled Machine based in Chance Bay, the Bronze Paradiso was a mech community-oriented club that the MTA Supremacist Faction discreetly founded in Davute.

While this connection wasn't obvious, it was pretty much an open secret among the more powerful and accomplished mech insiders.

It was exactly because of this connection that Gloriana thought of starting her search in this place. No one understood the local mech scene better than the executives presiding over this new but growing establishment!

She entered a large but open structure and ascended up a stairs that led to an open lounge.

Different projections displaying exquisite masterwork mechs that had earned a lot of renown from the mech community gave the visitors plenty of conversation material. A few of the guests preferred to settle down and admire the rotating depictions while sipping their expensive drinks.

Though Gloriana was tempted to sit down and study the interesting variety of masterwork mechs to see if she could derive any insights from them, she already made an appointment for today.

She approached a middle-aged man who was dressed in a relaxed green suit.

"Madame Gloriana Wodin-Larkinson, it is an honor to welcome you to our fine establishment. You and your husband are certainly the talk of the town among the local Journeymen. There are no two mech designers who have accomplished more and created so many masterwork mechs at your early age. A number of our guests would love to sit down with you and discuss how the two of you have succeeded in defying convention."

"Good morning, Director Aperson. I am afraid I will have to pass on that. I am here on business."

"Of course. We will accommodate you as best as possible. Come. Let us sit down and discuss what you seek to know."

Managing Director Levi Aperson was not only the man in charge of the Bronze Paradiso, but was also a mecher who was related to a notable member of the Mech Supremacist Faction.

Only an individual with connections could become a spokesperson and monitor of this strong, powerful and influential faction. Gloriana had already learned about this arrangement back when she visited the Well-Oiled Machine so she already knew that she would likely be able to obtain her answers from Director Aperson.

Despite Gloriana's impatience, they did not immediately discuss her request. A human servant brought in a pot of tea while the two chatted about shallow topics.

Director Aperson described what it was like to live and work in the Austere District while Gloriana shared a few of her thoughts on the Larkinson's future plans in Davute.

"My husband is so fixated on keeping his clan mobile that he doesn't want us to permanently settle in Davute." Gloriana exasperatingly complained. "How can we possibly enjoy a good life and give our children the childhoods they deserve if we turn ourselves into vagabonds again? At least Ves has acquiesced to the establishment of a branch on this planet. Hopefully he will see sense over the years and treat this 'branch' as our main home and workplace in the coming years."

The director nodded. "Humans are emotional creatures. The main problem with your husband is that he overwhelmingly associates planets with death, loss of freedom and other trauma. If you want him to change his mind, then you need to focus on rebuilding his positive associations with landbound life. As long as his positive associations are recent and abundant enough, they will be strong enough to crowd out his negative associations that will slowly fade from his mind as long as they are not repeated."

"That is a good approach! I will apply it as best as possible and see whether Ves can finally see sense again!"

The two talked a bit more about other topics before Gloriana brought up her reason to visit the Bronze Paradiso.

"Our clan has started a new design project for a melee expert mech. Due to several reasons, I am not satisfied with designing a conventional expert mech this time. Instead, I want to strengthen my upcoming design by incorporating advanced smart metal technology into its frame."

"That… is an unusual and expensive choice, madame."

"I agree, but our clan is not short on funding. We are willing to explore this idea, but the premise is that we can make use of a high-quality smart metal system that is newer and stronger than the products on the market. What I want to ask is whether you know of any developers in Davute that can present me with interesting options?"

Director Aperson paused for a few seconds before he made a single nod. "There are… a handful of researchers and developers on this planet that may be of interest to you. Let me give you their contact information."