The Mech Touch

In truth, everyone involved in the fabrication run had already completed the necessary preparations a day ago. They checked all of the production equipment and verified that the materials were all up to standard.

Once the mech designers made sure that nothing had changed, they finally chose to turn the Mars from a dream that had been in the making for eighteen months into a reality that could spark the rise of the Cross Clan!

As Patriarch Reginald stood before the five individuals that had combined their expertise to develop one of the most unique and special expert mechs in Davute, he looked both proud and expectant.

His willpower already imposed itself on the mech designers who would decide his future. Reginald was intensely focused on what was about to take place. It would be surprising if he was not excited at this time.

The man visibly increased the pressure on Professor Benedict. As the lead designer of the Mars Project, the man with a less-than-clean past saw this expert mech as the key to put a firm end to his past as a lost and struggling Senior Mech Designer.

As long as his Magma Vein System and his other design implementations turned the end product into an expert mech beyond comparison in Davute, he would gain the validation and the recognition he needed to realize his design philosophy and take the step that had eluded him for several decades!

"We are ready, Reginald." The older mech designer spoke.

"I know you are." The Cross Patriarch smiled in a failed attempt to lighten up the mood. "You have told me often enough how much you have invested in my expert mech. I hope my trust in you is not misplaced."

"You will find that entrusting me with the responsibility to lead the development of your most important mech is the best decision that you have made in your life."

Those were big words. The mech designer had pushed himself into a corner by making this boast. He could not afford to do anything else but deliver the work that Reginald truly wanted to obtain.

It was good that the former Skull Architect was no stranger to taking bold risks and working under pressure.

The Cross Patriarch turned his attention to the guest designers. Ves and Gloriana both looked eager and ready to turn their respective visions into reality. Juliet and Sara were a little more nervous due to their relatively lower experience.

"Are the four of you ready as well?"

"That goes without saying." Ves replied in a light-hearted tone. Whether he truly felt as relaxed as he sounded was a mystery. "We worked one-and-a-half years on this blasted design. It's time we prove that we did not spend all of that time in vain. The Mars is an expert mech of unsurpassed power and tech. It fully deserves to stand on the same level as the Minerva in terms of quality of construction.

The Minerva was still the latest standard when it came to masterwork mechs in the Golden Skull Alliance. It was the most recent masterwork mech that Ves and company had produced, and it was one that attained its coveted state without the use of gems or other forms of external aid.

It would be a grand miscarriage of justice if the Minerva was able to become a masterwork mech while its big brother failed to reach this threshold!

"Mars." Patriarch Reginald uttered the name as he would the name of a lover. "It is a simple and fitting name for my mech. When I looked it up on the galactic net, I found myself identifying what this ancient god has stood for. It is strange how the circumstances of ancient people who lived many millennia ago still echo the circumstances we live in today. We must unleash unsurpassed rage and fury on the battlefield in order to create lasting peace."

That was indeed a large reason why the Mars bore this name. Ves and the others hoped that its awesome power and might would form the deterrent needed to prevent the Golden Skull Alliance from being targeted by malicious parties.

"Don't worry, Reginald." Gloriana spoke up. "With our innovations, we will definitely ensure that the Mars will become more than just an expert mech. It will literally be a god in the form of mech. When you finally get to pilot your new machine, the Mars will not only be a large metallic body that you can control in order to fight your opponents. It will be the divine seat that will play an essential role in your elevation to godhood."

The powerful expert pilot liked what he heard. "Hahahaha! That is exactly what I wish to attain! I truly hope that you can deliver the Mars that you have described into my hands at the end of this week. You and your Larkinsons will become our eternal friends if you can succeed!"

The group exchanged a few more words until Professor Benedict deemed that it was time for them to start.

Maow.

Gloriana had already summoned Alexandria from her mind. Her companion spirit looked more than confident that she could play a pivotal role in the following days.

"Begin!"

As soon as Professor Benedict issued this command, everyone moved to their respective stations.

While Benedict assumed control of the Cross Clan's high-quality superfab that was comparable in functionality to the Larkinson Clan's AP-VEX model, the other mech designers took control of various other machines.

The fabrication of the Abasis Armor, the Pulsvar V-1, the ARCEUS System and more were highly complex jobs that were better left to specialized production equipment.

This way, each of them were immediately able to begin work without needing to wait in line.

They had all familiarized themselves with the production machines. They even conducted a few virtual practice sessions in order to make sure they knew how to perform all of the difficult production steps.

Maow maow!

In the meantime, Alexandria performed her job and formed a design network between each of the five mech designers.

None of them were new to this phenomenon anymore. Even Professor Benedict had selectively opened up his mind during the times where he helped the Larkinsons fabricate a couple of expert mechs.

The only newcomer to the design network was Patriarch Reginald himself. As Alexandria initially tried to establish a connection, her spiritual bond failed to reach the expert pilot!

Maow?!

Reginald's force of will was too strong and thick compared to other expert pilots.

As a demigod whose resonance strength had surpassed 60 laveres according to the latest measurement, the Cross Patriarch was much further removed from regular humans than most of his kind!

"You need to lower your guard and accept the connection." Ves paused his work and told the powerful expert pilot. "It will be uncomfortable at first, but as long as you are willing to share your thoughts and feelings to us, we will gain the information we need to attune your expert mech to you. This is but a small price to pay for a better result."

Though it was against his nature to bare so much of himself to other people, Reginald did not believe he had much to hide in the first place. It was clearly in his interest to cooperate if he wanted to obtain the mech of his dreams, so he reluctantly tried to lower his formidable guard.

As the air around him grew stiller and less volatile, Alexandria tried again and succeeded in forming a successful connection.

As soon as Patriarch Reginald joined the design network, his overpowering will and desires affected everyone else!

Maow!

Alexandria clearly struggled to hold back the tide and regulate the transmissions so that Ves and the other mech designers did not get distracted.

Fortunately, none of the participating mech designers were weak in mind. Having tempered themselves over the course of solving the most difficult challenges of the Mars Project, they adequately tolerated the additional pressure that Reginald's overpowering influence added to the mix.

Everyone became entranced by the new perspectives and influences that Reginald's entry into the design network had sparked.

For example, Reginald became more closely connected to Benedict than ever before. While both of them did not bare everything that took place in their minds to others, what they exposed on their own initiative was enough to give others a deeper understanding.

Reginald was impressed by how much fight there was in Professor Benedict. The Senior Mech Designer was far from an ordinary nerd due to his turbulent life experiences. He had traits that were commonly found in warriors and he treated this fabrication run as a battle that he had to win at all costs.

The Cross Patriarch also gained a whole new appreciation of Gloriana's ambitious vision and intentions for his expert mech. Her god body concept was so intricate and beyond the norm that it looked truly possible for her efforts to produce a mech that could be described as divine!

Of course, Reginald did not understand any of the actual science and engineering involved in her work, and he did not make any attempt to learn anything related to such. He was more interested in the result than the process.

What Reginald gained from Ves was a much more thorough understanding and appreciation of living mechs and design spirits.

He found it surprising how different Ves approached mechs. The patriarch of the Larkinson Clan truly felt as if he was creating a new life as opposed to putting together a simple machine.

Juliet Stameros and Sara Voiken also offered different perspectives on mech design and how they viewed the Mars. The expert mech design played a huge role for their development as well due to how powerful and extravagant it turned out. They were both proud to leave their stamp on this pivotal machine.

Another factor that impressed Reginald was how youthful and vigorous the Larkinson mech designers were compared to Professor Benedict.

The latter possessed the mindset and the attitude of an experienced professor who had gone through many storms. This caused Benedict to come across as weary and tired in some sense.

This made the presence of the four rather youthful Larkinson mech designers a lot more valuable. They were much more optimistic about their work and they were also a lot more fearless and daring in what they could accomplish.

The combination between new and old produced a wonderful synergy where both sides gained what they needed from each other.

With the addition of Patriarch Reginald who provided everyone with a powerful motivating influence, every mech designer became significantly more engaged in their work.

Yet as work proceeded at a pace in the following hour, everyone involved felt as if there was something missing.

Ves slowly frowned as he realized that one of the conditions that he hoped would appear during this session had yet to emerge.

"Serendipity has not graced us, it seems."

Professor Benedict, who endured most of the pressure, did not enter into an inspired state.

Regardless of his preparations and regardless of how extensively he committed himself to the Mars Project, his mentality remained as calm and controlled as ever.

Maybe too calm and controlled.

While he was definitely passionate about his work, he found it difficult to channel it without losing control entirely.

"Benedict." Ves spoke up from his station. "Do you want to…?"

The Senior nodded almost immediately. "Do it, Ves."

That was fast. Ves had already discussed this option to Reginald beforehand, and the design network already exposed the consequences of this action, so there was nothing to discuss about.

Ves shrugged and paused his current work so that he could leave his station and move over to the superfab.

He pulled out a glowing hammer from his toolbelt and raised it over Professor Benedict's head.

For his part, Reginald made sure to temporarily deactivate his shield generator and his other defenses to prevent any accidents.

"Are you ready?" Ves carefully asked.

"Hit me. I have grown curious about what I will experience under this state for a long time."

"Here goes nothing, then!"

Whack!

As soon as the hammerhead tapped the Senior's head, an air of frenzied enlightenment immediately exuded from his body!