The Mech Touch



Ves had been using much of the time after the short engagement of New Kreon to reflect on the role and the value of heavy artillery mechs.

For many years, his design work largely centered around spaceborn mechs. This was where the Larkinson Clan fought most of its battles.

Since it was important for Ves and his Design Department to meet the needs of his own clan first, it was natural for them to work on a lot of spaceborn mechs and multi-environmental mechs.

Ves thought it was fully worth it to dedicate himself towards spaceborn mech combat. All of the mechs that he and his fellow Larkinson mech designers pumped out in the last few years performed so well in space that they were highly competitive against other second-class spaceborn mechs.

However, this also deprived him from a lot of opportunities to familiarize himself with planetary mech combat. Space and land were two completely separate environments that had few intersections with each other.

This was why he felt grateful for his decision to go on another Mastery experience. He felt as if he reconnected himself to the more basic battles fought on land.

He not only gained a lot of valuable reminders and insights on how a war was fought in a planetary environment, but also enjoyed a powerful first-hand perspective of how battles on land were fought from the perspective of an artillery mech!

Ves harvested more than enough observations to help him understand the essence of heavy artillery mechs.

He was brimming with a lot of potential ideas on how he should work together with Master Decimus Horst and design his first 'proper' heavy artillery mech that was built for war!

It was vital for this powerful machine to incorporate a hefty complement of physical ranged weapons.

Although Ves had a clear preference for luminar crystal weapons in all of his mechs, more traditional artillery cannons brought a whole host of possibilities that he had never properly explored in the past!

He developed the desire to go out and hire a kinetic or explosive weapon specialist as soon as he returned to his present time!

Energy weapons were better at inflicting sustained damage, but Ves fully fell in love with the greater punch and much stronger deterrence power of physical weapons.

Only a machine armed with heavy physical cannons such as the Iron Hedgehog was able to destroy an opposing expert mech and scare off an entire mech force by virtue of its firepower alone!

If the Federal Military of Davute was able to strengthen this aspect to an enormous degree with the help of his work, Ves would succeed in influencing the upcoming war between the two colonial states!

The heavy artillery mech he envisioned would have a disproportionate effect in any battle on land. The grueling campaigns on the surface of many planets would proceed a lot smoother if he could realize the mech that took shape in his imagination!

Of course, his work might not be too useful in battles fought in deep space, but that was not his problem. He was willing to shape his second major mech commission around a strong bunker mech if Davute wanted him to fulfill this niche.

He also wanted to reserve a bit of time to completely reinvent his Transcendent Punisher model.

Ves was fully willing to accept all of the additional expenses and compromises to turn the Mark III edition into a semi-modular heavy artillery mech that could dynamically swap its weapon loadout depending on the environment.

This was not going to be easy as every heavy artillery mech needed to be precisely attuned and optimized in order to land their shots as accurately as possible at extreme ranges.

Part of the reason why machines such as the Iron Hedgehog produced such amazing effects was because they were effective at longer ranges.

They did not have to be too precise in their targeting, but if they could not deter a hostile mech force at longer ranges, then they weren't worth the additional expense and mass!

As Ves continued to think about how he should maximize the value of his next artillery mechs, he snapped out of his musings after his host called out for Blinky.

"You're leaving, aren't you?" Venerable Irene Mox quietly spoke as she sat down on her bed aboard the Peyton Phoenix.

Blinky appeared into view yet again, though Ves had made sure that it was only visible to him and his host.

"Mrow."

Emma emerged out of Irene's head as well. The pulsing orange cat flew closer to Blinky and started to act like a cat.

Miew~

"I am no longer needed here." Blinky said.

A part of Irene was sad that she would no longer enjoy the company of a knowledgeable helper. Blinky had already done so much for her, but it made sense that he would move on now that the Korinna V Campaign came to an end.

Ves could already feel the Time Gate starting to pull him back to the System Space in his present time.

He could trigger his return in an instant or delay it to an extent by resisting the recall force.

There was no way for him to stick around for too long, though. He did not belong in this time period and felt increasingly more estranged from his environment.

Though Ves was ready to return and throw himself onto his work with renewed inspiration and enthusiasm, he did not want to waste this moment either.

The current Irene had no idea of the heights she would reach in the far future!

Compared to the Destroyer of Worlds who had grown and matured for over two centuries, the current version of Irene was much more approachable!

Ves would be a fool if he did not take advantage of the goodwill he built over the past few days!

"Where are you going?"

"I can't say." Blinky responded. "I will show up here and there. It will take longer than you think for me to settle down. My work is never done."

"I see…"

Emma landed on Irene's lap. The companion spirit enriched the expert pilot's life. The spiritual cat's value exceeded that of her expert mech as far as she was concerned!

"Will we ever meet again?"

"That depends…" Blinky mysteriously responded. "Perhaps there may be an opportunity if you live long enough. Grow strong. Keep fighting. Embrace your mission. Powerful pilots such as yourself have gained strength far beyond the means of other humans, but there is no point of possessing such might if you do not contribute to the society that we belong to. Each of us has an obligation to assume responsibility. Do not reject it once you have become powerful enough to make a difference. That is enough of a repayment for all of the boons you have gained."

The expert pilot nodded while maintaining a solemn expression. A small part of her could feel the weight of history and destiny in those deep words.

"I will promise you that I shall not squander my strength and gifts."

Blinky smiled. "The cosmos is much vaster and more encompassing than you think. What you know as a citizen of the Quillim Principality only scratches the surface of what takes place within the Milky Way and our society. The end of the Age of Conquest has given the human race a chance to restore the damage of the past, but that does not mean that all threats have disappeared. There are both internal and external contradictions that will slowly build up until they explode. If you are able to make effective use of your talents and grow stronger as a result, I hope you will not stand by and let everything come to ruin."

"I shall do so if that ever happens." Irene seriously spoke.

Much of what the purple cat spoke was too distant and high-minded to her limited cognition. She only assumed that she would have the power to protect her second-rate state from future turmoil.

How cute.

Though Blinky wanted to mention more hints about the future, he was afraid that would draw too much suspicion towards him. He also did not want to distort her legendary growth process.

Any god pilot grew to this height by learning how to overcome one impossible challenge after another by tempering their willpower and solving problems by themselves. Nothing good would come if they grew too dependent on others.

Just as Divine Irene Mox assumed a huge amount of responsibility in the future, Ves also took the responsibility to strengthen humanity's ability to resist external enemies through whatever means possible.

Ves already started to treat the Destroyer of Worlds as his 'work'. The god pilot might not be as malleable as his mech designs, but he felt fully justified in taking credit for enabling her astonishing rise!

The pull of the Time Gate grew stronger. This reminded Ves that he needed to finish this little session.

Blinky stared speculatively at Irene. The cat then turned his gaze towards Emma.

Miew?

"I have a small request, Irene. It is a little sensitive. You may choose not to fulfill it, but it would be incredibly helpful to me if you are willing to make a sacrifice."

"You have given me so much help already." Irene said in a friendly tone. "I am not an ungrateful pilot. I have yet to decipher your motives or your origins, but that does not stop me from acknowledging that your intervention has likely saved my life and that of all of the Quillims that have made it to this starship. I am not afraid of paying back my debt to you, Blinky."

"Don't be in such a hurry to agree. You see, what I truly want from you is… a piece of Emma."

The expert pilot blinked. "Pardon?"

"I have many interesting uses for the energies that make up the bodies of strange life forms such as your new companion." Blinky frankly explained. "You cannot imagine the value that Emma possesses. Many people with mysterious backgrounds would do anything to get their hands on your cat, or at least a piece of her. This is why I have warned you to never expose her to anyone. Even I cannot resist the urge to bite her form and harvest a piece of her energy."

Though his explanation sounded distressing, Irene did not exhibit any fear or wariness towards Blinky.

The pilot raised her arm. Emma flew up and presented herself before the other cat.

"Take what you need from Emma." Venerable Irene decisively said. "You have brought her to life within my very own head. It is only right for you to take what you are due."

Blinky smiled. This was easier than he thought!

"Thank you, Irene. This is going to hurt a bit, but I hope you can keep as still as possible. I don't need much from your new companion. It will be like drawing blood from a body. Emma will become a bit deflated after I am done, but she should be able to get back up with sufficient time and rest. I just hope that you won't act rashly if you ever sense this piece of your cat at any point in the future."

Ves did not delay any further. His companion spirit slowly drew closer to Emma until he was able to bite the orange cat's flank.

A modest amount of Emma's spiritual energy came loose. Blinky quickly swallowed it and contained the destruction-attributed energy in his body.

Even though this was not really the case, Ves felt as if he had just pulled off a heist against a god pilot!

Just the thought of this ridiculous act made him feel euphoric! He would have laughed if he wasn't afraid of inadvertently exposing his real self!

"That hurt Emma a lot more than I thought." The expert pilot spoke with difficulty.

Miew miew…

Emma had grown a lot more tired than before. The damage she suffered was a bit too much for a companion spirit that had only just been born. Even if her starting point was much higher than normal, she had not yet fully grown into her power.

The explosive cat quickly quickly dove back into Irene's mind so that she could heal while staying dormant.

This was it. Ves had no more reason to stick around. Blinky stared into Irene's eyes one last time before he raised his front paw in greeting.

"Goodbye, Irene. Take care and pursue your own future. I hope we will still stay friends if we ever meet again in the centuries to come."

The expert pilot smiled and bowed. "Thank you. I look forward to our reunion. I shall definitely live long enough to make this come to pass."