The Mech Touch

"Thank you for the offer, Master Benedict, but it isn't necessary for you to build an energy bridge out of the skull of an expert pilot." Ves eventually told the man over the comm. "Venerable Jannzi won't be able to fully embrace an expert mech that is partially made out of human remains."

The head designer of the Cross Clan looked disappointed. "That is your prerogative. It is your mech and your skull, after all. Are you open to using it in another project, or does your clan have a more general objection to my special design solution?"

Ves briefly thought about the expert mech design projects that were about to go into the pipeline and found a suitable choice.

"One of our Black Cats has managed to advance to the rank of expert pilot in the last battle. Our clan intends to design an expert stealth mech in order to take full advantage of Venerable Zimro Belson's back ops background."

Master Benedict looked intrigued again. "Hmm. Good choice. Stealth systems are troublesome due to their high energy consumption. It takes a great amount of power to hide a mech from most forms of detection. This problem is magnified when it comes to expert mechs because they also have to hide from the powerful intuition and other unique detection methods of expert pilots. The technical challenges to designing an effective expert stealth mech are so great that I am surprised that you are even thinking about starting this design project."

Normally, the older man was right, but Ves just happened to gain a lot of knowledge related to stealth and cloaking technology recently.

Combined with the fact that it wasn't necessary for him to develop a stealth system from the ground up, Ves was confident that his current competences should already be sufficient to design an expert stealth mech.

"We can take care of it." Ves told the Master. "We will be in touch with you. We still need to do a lot of prep work for all of our upcoming expert mech design projects."

"Understood. My assistance is always available, but you should take into account that I will likely employ different experimental variations of my Endex System and other design solutions in order to collect more varied data."

The Endex System was so high-end and expensive that Master Benedict could only justify its use in high-ranking mechs. Every expert mech design project was a precious opportunity for him to develop his latest and most impressive innovation further. This was also why he easily agreed to help the Larkinsons design their next expert mechs.

With that taken care of, the Larkinson Journeymen involved in the Dullahan Project continued to flesh out the draft design.

The work wasn't that exciting to be honest. It involved a lot of reading, a lot of talking to different people and a lot of difficult puzzles.

They also had to check in with Venerable Jannzi from time to time in order to ensure that she still agreed with the direction of the Dullahan Project. Ves had to be quite diplomatic at times in order to convince her to back the more radical design choices.

Though Ves wanted to progress the Dullahan Project faster, he knew that such an important and significant endeavor couldn't be rushed.

The more thorough he and his fellow Journeymen prepared for the project, the smoother it would proceed after its formal start.

Compared to the relative calm of the Dullahan Project, Ketis was having a lot more fun tinkering with the plasma sword.

The high-tech weapon contained many different marvels of human technology. As it was the first true melee plasma weapon that the swordmaster came in touch with, she eagerly studied its design and its many technological solutions in case she needed to design her own plasma weapon one day.

When Ves entered the workshop where Ketis was doing her work, she happily hummed as she carefully replaced one set of circuitry for another set in an attempt to reduce the power of the weapon.

"Have you made a lot of progress, Ketis?"

"I did." She said as she continued to go about her work. "I removed that skull and everything that was supporting it a few days ago. I've tried my best to keep the ensemble intact so that the guy is still alive, but I would prefer it if you can take that horror show away as soon as possible. While I have seen my fair share of disgusting sights, this one is truly awful. I still can't understand why a mech designer from a proper state like the Friday Coalition can bring himself to engage in human experimentation of this nature."

Ves nonchalantly shrugged. "The mech industry isn't as clean and proper as we all wish. Normally, it's the biotech industry that is known for engaging in a lot of illegal and dangerous experimentation, but in my personal experience the mech industry isn't that far behind. Whenever there is a temptation to break the rules, someone will most certainly cross the line for one reason or another. It's human nature. We all have the desire to progress faster, push greater limits and bet on a big payoff that might not even exist."

His former student briefly paused her work in order to give him a deep glance.

"I'm sure you know all about this temptation."

"I do." Ves plainly admitted. There was no need for him to hide his true nature in front of one of his most trusted comrades. "What makes me different is that most of my bets pay off, if not always in the way I intended. Much of my research and design work is based on bold conjectures and radical ideas. There is no getting around the fact that I need to rely on my judgment in order to ensure that I am continuing to progress my design philosophy. The Dullahan Project is a good example of that. If I don't force myself to be more proactive, Gloriana will most definitely surpass me and advance to Senior first."

"And that is a bad development in your eyes?"

"It will be doomsday for me, my pride and my status in the clan."

Ketis chuckled after she heard this. "Of course you would say that. Could you explain to me again why you decided to marry Gloriana?"

He coughed. "ANYWAY, I'm interested in your plan for the plasma sword. What kind of weapon are you turning it into? I have the impression that you intend to do more to it than removing its controversial element and reducing its power level."

"That's correct. I've uploaded a version of this weapon to the MSTS and asked my man to wield the simulated version in various battle scenarios. I've made detailed observations on how Joshua and the Everchanger has handled the sword and concluded that it needs to be shortened in order to work."

"Oh?"

Ketis waved at the length of the giant blade. "The plasma sword was originally designed to be the primary armament of an ace mech. The Neo Amadeus is a dedicated melee mech that possesses much greater physical might than the Everchanger. Saint Jeremiah Gauge is also an impressive swordmaster who can truly harness the potential of many different blades. This plasma sword may be on the larger side, but Jeremiah can wield it as smooth and easy as if it was a combat knife. Joshua on the other hand…"

"He's not good enough to maintain control over such a long weapon, is that what you are trying to say?"

"It will be difficult for him to master the weapon if its mass and dimensions remain the same." Ketis admitted. "The Everchanger is slightly smaller and possesses a lot less physical strength than the Neo Amadeus. Even though you might think that a weapon that relies on the power of plasma to cut through obstacles shouldn't be heavy, the truth is quite different. It needs to be even denser and tougher than normal in order to protect its more delicate internal components."

Ves wanted to scratch his head. "Okay, I can understand the need to downsize the sword. Do you need any help with this or can you complete this modification yourself?"

"I can take care of it. There aren't a lot of electronic components on the upper half of the blade. Most of the tech is concentrated towards the hilt. It should only take a few days for me to cut the appropriate length. After that, it won't take much longer for me to complete my initial work. While I prefer to overhaul this powerful weapon more extensively, I want to respect the intentions of the original designer as closely as possible."

"That is a noble sentiment. How powerful will the weapon be after you have made all of the changes?"

"In Joshua's hands, I expect it to be able to exceed the Heartsword by at least three or four times." Ketis claimed. "Of course, that only applies as long as the plasma sword is fed with power and isn't being used against an enemy that is resistant against energy damage."

That was better than Ves expected. The Everchanger could already deal a decent amount of damage with its current mech sword. Once it had access to the altered plasma sword, the expert hero mech should be able to become a considerably stronger combat asset. It might even be able to overtake the likes of the Dark Zephyr and the Amaranto in terms of kill count!

His only regret was that Ketis clearly did not intend to allow the plasma sword to be wielded by any mounted wargear loadout, but it wasn't as if the Titan-5 Project urgently needed its power.

The meat suit was already dangerous enough in its current configuration.

"So what do you think of the use of plasma swords in general? Are you open to equipping a part of your swordsman mechs with this weapon type in the future?"

Ketis pressed her lips. "I don't know. I am genuinely conflicted. Let's say that I am more open to the idea than before. Personally, I still prefer to design swordsman mechs that are armed with good old-fashioned metal blades, but if I want to master swordsman mechs to the fullest, I need to be more open-minded towards alternatives. I don't think I will work with plasmas swords anytime soon, though. They are way out of the typical design budget of a standard mech."

Ves nodded. He understood the cost of such a weapon just as well. The increased lethality of the current plasma sword compared to the Everchanger's current melee weapon was a good example of why the difference in cost was so massive. Performance always had a price.

"What about your next design projects?" He asked. "I'm sure the previous battle must have inspired you a lot. I certainly gained a lot of new ideas. Do you have any promising new ideas that you want to turn into reality?"

Ketis smiled. "I do. I did get a lot of inspiration from the last battle. Seeing the swordsman mech of our clan as well as the Sundered Phalanx in action has made me more aware of all of their strengths and limitations. I'm actually interested in designing a swordsman mech that employs an energy weapon of sorts."

"You mean a plasma sword or similar?"

"Not exactly." Ketis shook her head. "I have my eyes on a mech that wields a sword that is less advanced but can still produce a similar effect. There are lots of different technologies available to us. I am convinced that there is suitable tech out there that can allow me to design a more practical version of a swordsman mech that is armed with an energy weapon. I believe such a mech will definitely have a place in our clan."

"Keep me informed. I'm interested to learn what sort of weapon you choose to pair your new mech design with. Just make sure it is powerful enough that destructive potential can be raised in the future."