The Mech Touch

Ves did not spend too much time on presenting the other strengths imparted by other contributors to the Tensars.

The improvements were rather basic and more fundamental such as enhanced heat management systems and the like. Ves merely had to mention them once in order to make the expert pilots take note that the Tensars would not heat up as rapidly as with other mechs.

Inwardly, Ves sighed in admiration as he examined the design of the Arma Tensar and the Fila Tensar.

To a mech designer like himself, he understood the brilliance of the Tensars more than the people gathered in this simulated space.

In order to develop this pair of expert mechs, the mech designers needed to overcome a huge amount of technical and conceptual challenges.

Just the difficulty of finding two expert pilots with similar skills and approach towards combat was already a cumbersome demand.

The two then needed to undergo special training and instruction in order to develop a deep and profound trust towards each other.

They then had to train in numerous combination tactics that allowed them to maximize the combination of their two expert mechs.

This was just the demands that the mech pilots had to meet!

As for the expert mechs themselves, the Tensars had to be as identical as possible while still tailoring themselves to the individual characteristics of their unique expert pilots.

When Gloriana initially studied the information that the Hexers had managed to gather about the Tensars, she practically drooled over their exquisite designs!

"Those conniving, treacherous and dishonorable Fridaymen are all lowlives, but I have to admit that they know how to design their mechs." She said in a mix of contempt and admiration. "Master Huron and Master Bates have both worked in this industry for over two centuries, so it is not a surprise that they have become extremely good at tailoring mechs to individual pilots. I can definitely do a better job than them, though!"

Whether her boast was accurate or not, her remarks made it clear that the Master Mech Designers entrusted with the design of mid-tier and high-tier expert mechs were all old foxes that had managed to accumulate a dazzling list of accomplishments!

The expert pilots slowly comprehended this as well. Their faces turned grave as they thought about how they could possibly defeat the Tensars.

Fighting against just one of them in isolation was already bad enough. Fighting against them when they exhibited perfect teamwork was much worse!

This was also one of the scary factors of Master Huron's work. His obsessive focus on neural networks and synchronized pilot was driven by the need to develop solutions that allowed the weak to defeat the strong.

Just like how battle formations allowed large groups of Larkinson mech pilots to inflict an enormous blow that was comparable to an attack launched by an ace mech, neural networks allowed varying numbers of mech pilots to completely coordinate their actions so that they could achieve maximum synergy!

"How should we fight against the Tensars?" Venerable Isobel Kotin asked with concern. "Is it possible to defeat them in a ranged duel, or do we have to get close and fight them at close range?"

Ves looked uncertain. "As far as I know, it is especially tricky to defeat them in melee combat. The Tensars are two machines that always maintain a respectable distance from each other. This not only allows them to attack a target from multiple angles, but also allows them to cover for each other. If an opposing melee mech such as our Dark Zephyr manages to get into point-blank range of the Arma Tensar, then the Fila Tensar will accurately strike the light skirmisher's exposed back or sides!"

"If that's the case, then what about dispatching another light skirmisher to the Fila Tensar?"

"It still won't work. First, the expert mechs need to get close enough, and that is already a difficult ordeal because it will expose them to a lot of fire. Second, the Tensars are pretty quick themselves and can run away or prolong the interception long enough for reinforcements to arrive. Third, their teamwork and synergy most definitely surpasses that of any other pair of expert mechs. This massively boosts their effective performance and allows them to defeat a lot of opponents that should have gained an advantage."

"Then how the hell are we supposed to beat them, then?" Venerable Orfan asked in an exasperated tone.

"You will have to figure that out yourself." Ves replied with a helpless shrug. "We will make it as easy as possible for you. The Hexers have developed fairly interesting estimations of the Gauge Dynasty's expert mechs. While their modeling is largely based on guesswork and extrapolation, I think they have done a decent job in developing virtual mech designs that can give you a reasonable expectation on what it is like to face them in battle. I have uploaded all of these virtual mockups of the enemy expert mechs to the MSTS so that you can practice fighting against them. They'll be much trickier in reality due to all of the advantages conveyed by their expert pilots, but at least you should be able to get a grip on their basic technical functions."

The Larkinson expert pilots all smiled. This made it a lot easier for them to prepare to fight against the more formidable Sundered Phalanx expert mechs. None of them wanted to be taken by surprise or get caught without answers when they got locked into combat against weird and unknown opponents.

After Ves was done with explaining the Tensars, he resumed his presentation by introducing the other known enemy expert mechs.

He did not spend too much time on explaining the low-tier expert mechs. Their design budgets were considerably lower and the Master Mech Designers rarely applied their best design applications to them. They were much more standardized in order to give recent expert pilots the chance to discover and develop their new post-breakthrough fighting styles.

Besides, even if these low-tier expert mechs came with a few brilliant features, their overall combat strength was so low that any of the Larkinson expert mechs could crush them with ease.

Unlike the Sundered Phalanx that was weighed down by a huge amount of cost posts, the Larkinson Army enjoyed a considerable amount of largesse from the clan!

Every expert mech design project was an opportunity for Gloriana and other collaborators to go wild and explore the limits of their design philosophies. Low-tier expert mechs simply weren't interesting enough for them, so even the most modest and 'affordable' Larkinson expert mechs were already equivalent to mid-tier expert mechs!

This was why Ves was more than confident enough that his expert mechs and expert pilots could wipe the floor with the weaker enemy expert mechs.

There was no need for him to devote any additional attention to explaining the strengths and weaknesses of these average machines. Gloriana had already written a comprehensive report about them that the Larkinson mech pilots could read in their free time.

What Ves truly felt concerned about was the prospect of defeating the strongest champions among the Sundered Phalanx. Their strength was the real deal and they looked so formidable that the chance was great that not every Larkinson expert mech might be able to return from the battlefield intact!

There was even a chance that a number of his precious expert pilots might perish on the battlefield!

Ves would feel extremely pained at the loss. Each expert pilot was a strategic asset to the clan and they were difficult to nurture.

Of course, a battle as massive as this would certainly produce its fair share of breakthroughs. As long as the Larkinson Clan wasn't too unlucky, the amount of newly-ascended expert pilots would definitely surpass the amount that died!

His eyes briefly narrowed.

If he was truly desperate, he could activate a few secret functions of the MSTS that should hopefully cause a lot more mech pilots to break through in a short amount of time.

He had not done so yet despite the obvious temptation because he did not want to attract too much attention and because the Transhumanist Faction did not want the truth to come out too soon.

He focused his attention back on his presentation. After going over a few irrelevant expert mechs, he came across another notable machine.

"The Skorpion Kommando is a lot more special than the ones I've mentioned before. As you can see, this high-tier machine comes in an offensive space knight configuration. Don't get fooled by its silly name. The Skorpion Kommando is one of the strongest powerhouse mechs of the Sundered Phalanx in Pima Prime. If the Gaugers hadn't stationed an ace mech in the same star system, then the Skorpion Kommando stands a good chance of becoming the lead mech!"

A new expert mech appeared in front of the Larkinson expert pilots.

The design and appearance of the Skorpion Kommando was radically different from that of the Tensars.

It quickly became evident that the Skorpion Kommando was designed for dueling and upfront combat. Its frame wasn't as thick and massive as that of the Shield of Samar, and its rounder shield also didn't look as if it could withstand as many attacks, but its role was not to provide cover for other assets.

"If it isn't obvious to you yet, then let me explain it to you quickly. The Skorpion Kommando is designed for independent combat. It is not a team player and is loaded with features that allow it to fight alone without support from other friendly elements. Its main responsibility was to seek out enemy expert mechs and defeat them in crushing duels."

While the Skorpion Kommando was most definitely a tough and resilient machine, its streamlined design that looked more balanced than anything also showed that it was able to move a lot faster and more nimble than many other space knights!

"Each of you should already be familiar with the Gatecrasher that once opposed us during the Battle of Fordilla Zentra." Ves said. "The Skorpion Kommando is similar to that, but it is also different in many different ways. For example, the Gatecrasher is largely a momentum-based expert mech that can inflict a lot of impact damage by launching devastating charges. The Skorpion Kommando on the other hand is much more optimized for standing battles where it can outfight its opponents without giving them space to pull off any fancy maneuvers."

The Skorpion Kommando's inherently high defenses allowed it to brush aside a lot of weaker attacks while absorbing the ones that hit a bit harder.

The high-tier expert mech could easily crush ordinary opponents by bashing them with its shield and slicing them with its thick and hefty sword.

However, what truly allowed it to overcome other high-tier expert mechs was its killer feature!

Ves pointed towards the arcing and segmented tail that stretched out of the rear of the expert mech.

"The Skorpion Tail is extremely dangerous. Developed by Master Charise Denton, otherwise known as the Viper, this tail can strike in any direction with devastating speed and force. It is like an additional limb to the expert space knight, able to launch an attack when the Skorpion Kommando ordinarily should have been occupied already."

This threw a lot of less experienced opponents off-guard. There weren't many people that were accustomed to fighting against mechs that essentially wielded an extra melee weapon at the same time!

"The force and penetration capabilities of the Skorpion Tail are immense." Ves continued as he ordered the simulated expert mech to demonstrate just such an attack! "As you can see, the stinger can punch through damn near anything, but especially excels at punching through solid armor."

"Can the Skorpion Tail pierce through Unending alloy?" Venerable Orfan asked.

"Yes." Ves plainly stated. "It is that powerful. It's not just the tech behind the Skorpion Tail that is powerful. When paired with the true resonance generated by a high-tier expert pilot, the Skorpion Tail received an immense boost in performance that no unprotected mech can block the damage. The point is that whatever you do, don't get locked in a melee duel against the Skorpion Kommando. None of your expert mechs are strong enough to stop its tail."

Venerable Vincent looked skeptical. "Even mine?"

"Your transphasic smart metal armor system won't help you, because if my guess is correct, the Skorpion Tail has likely integrated phasewater technology as well!"

That caused the Larkinson expert pilots to view the Skorpion Kommando with a lot more fear!

They already learned how well transphasic weapon systems were capable of penetrating armor.

When paired with a component that was expressly made for this purpose, none of the Larkinson expert mechs could shrug off a fatal blow!