The Mech Touch

She was over 360 years old, which meant she had grown up during the early days of the Age of Mechs.

Though humanity's recovery was already in full swing at that time, the scars of the Age of Conquest were still raw as well.

Most people from those generations tended to develop a strong dislike against the excesses of the past.

The reckless genetic modification of humans along with the unrestricted use of warships and weapons of mass destruction became almost universally reviled for multiple reasons.

As a result, people such as Master Barnard Solas Voiken overwhelmingly aligned themselves with groups that advocated for peace, order and the preservation of humanity.

Someone as old as Master Amphi Helecos should have become a fellow compatriot of the Voiken Patriarch, but instead she threw her lot in with a group that held the opposite ideals!

Though Ves wasn't able to find much about Master Amphi's background on the galactic net, Professor Benedict had filled him in on the important woman political stance when they brought the MTA delegation to the hangar bay where the Mars was stored.

While Master Amphi and her expansive team of mech designers and engineers poured over the newly-built masterwork expert mech, Ves soon understood why Master Amphi acted so familiar with Benedict.

"She's an Unbounder?!" Ves softly gasped.

"That is correct. Don't look so strange. The members of the Unbound Humanity Faction are not much different from people such as you and I. They are still passionate about mechs, but they believe that humanity should follow a different direction from the prevailing consensus."

"Is she dangerous?"

"You don't need to worry about that, Ves. She is on our side. Master Amphi may hold aggressive ideas, but none of them are directed towards us, at least specifically."

That did not sound good to Ves. "What do you mean by that, exactly?"

Professor Benedict sighed. "She is part of a faction that believes in removing most of the oversight that the Big Two maintain over human society. The Unbounders believe that the artificial rules and restrictions have limited our potential as a race and crippled our strength relative to other civilizations. Therefore, even if revoking all of the taboos and many other rules will result in much more violent wars between the states, the followers of this ideology eventually believe the humans that are able to survive at the end will be the strongest and most worthwhile additions to humanity."

Although it was easy to talk about rescinding rules, the consequences of doing so were anything but abstract!

"An enormous amount of human suffering will ensue if the Unbounders have their way!" Ves responded. "I don't like to agree with the Preservers, but I think they are correct in assuming that humanity is made up of beasts. It only takes a few rabid animals to trigger mass genocide."

Benedict sighed. "The Unbounders do not necessarily believe we will repeat the mistakes of the past, especially now that we are more aware of what might happen. They insist that the retention of weak states that have grown so weak that they are unable to resist alien forces is a worse development than the alternatives. Rather than allowing large parts of humanity to continue to degenerate into sheep, they want to change the rules of the game so that we can become wolves again. That was what most of humanity was like during the Age of Conquest."

The rhetoric all sounded nice and all, but the consequences couldn't be foreseen!

What Ves found insidious about this stance was that a part of him felt that it made a lot of sense. A lot of human states and groups had indeed degenerated into a weaker version of humanity in the past.

The Big Two was directly to blame for this. Their overreaction towards humanity's abuses in the past had prompted them to create a giant cage around human space where they kept all of the so-called space peasants under a controlled regime.

Just like animals in a zoo, a huge number of space peasants would not be able to survive the transition if they were ever dumped back into the wild!

Whether the original policies of the Big Two did more harm than good to human civilization was not important to Ves. What mattered was that they lived in a reality where the overwhelming proportion of humans were unable to possess any agency in a future dictated by the Unbounders.

Ves frowned. "What's your take on this, then?"

The Senior Mech Designer made a wry smile.

"I cannot reveal too much to you, but let me just say a future where the MTA and CFA maintain a strong hold over every human does not sound like a utopia to me. The Unbounders are one of the few groups of mechers who support initiatives to weaken the power and influence of the MTA. They are very courageous in that regard, but they are also regarded as rebels and contrarians as a consequence. Given my… history… I feel most at home when I am in their company."

A man who used to be chummy with pirates and went by the moniker of the Skull Architect would certainly feel that way!

"I understand." Ves replied. "You didn't have much choice to begin with, I guess."

"It is not just that. The Unbounders have genuinely provided me with vital support in a situation where my value was not entirely clear to them. They believe that I am an excellent representative of their ideals, as strange as that may sound."

These Unbounders certainly sounded like whackos. Ves hoped that Master Amphi Helecos wouldn't pull him into any of her faction's crazy initiatives!

Ves and his fellow mech designers quietly waited at the side while the MTA delegation conducted their thorough examination.

From what it looked like, the Mars presented so many new and interesting applications and combinations that the mechers would probably be busy for a longer time than usual.

The Mars had reached a degree of power and technical complexity that the mechers were taking it a lot more seriously than any other second-class expert mech.

The MTA hadn't shown nearly as much enthusiasm towards the Minerva!

Fortunately, Master Amphi Helecos did not get lost in studying the Mars entirely. She pulled herself out of her fascination and slowly floated over to the group of waiting mech designers.

"Your mech bears a great amount of interesting tech." She told Professor Benedict. "Some of them are highly technological in nature while others are less conventional in their principles. The fusion of the two into a coherent mech frame produces many interesting reactions. I have examined more expert mechs than I can count, many of which are much more powerful than your Mars due to their first-class nature, but few of them are as daring and filled with unconventional innovations as yours. Bravo. The Mars presents a fantastic case study to us. We have decided to reward you with 5 million MTA merits for your contribution."

"Thank you for your recognition." Professor Benedict bowed in thanks. "I shall endeavor to do better next time."

"I look forward to seeing you succeed. Your latest innovation is brilliant and has many interesting uses, but it is a pity that you have not standardized it as of yet. You can look forward to receiving many rewards once you have completed this step."

That would be the point where Professor Benedict likely advanced to Master.

After chatting with Benedict for a few more minutes, the old woman finally turned to the Larkinsons.

Surprisingly enough, she did not settle her eyes on Ves, but rather paid special attention to Gloriana!

"I am told that you are responsible for the special phenomenon that is slowly but constantly affecting the entire frame of the Mars."

"That is correct, Master!" Gloriana eagerly chirped.

Master Amphi directed a generous smile towards the young mother. "Your method of empowerment is one of the most exotic that I have witnessed in the last five decades. It reminds me of a particular piece of alien tech that I have encountered in the past. If you are willing, I can introduce you to that tech. We can make comparisons and learn what you have in common with the aliens and what you can learn from their own technological framework."

"I would love to do that, Master! I have very little to compare my god body tech. If I can gain inspiration or ready-made solutions from other examples, I can make my next implementation much more effective!"

After she displayed her interest in Gloriana's latest obsession, the Master finally deigned to tell the Larkinsons their rewards.

"My staff and I have each recognized your contributions to your latest masterwork expert mech. Each of you will receive another masterwork certificate as well as 750,000 MTA merits into your accounts. Do you have any questions or objections?"

Ves tried his best to maintain a neutral expression.

To be honest, he was a little dissatisfied. Why did Professor Benedict obtain 5 million MTA merits while he only received a fraction of that amount?

Sure, Professor Benedict had definitely carried them all during the fabrication run this time, but the Mars would never have become such a fantastic mech without the help of the Larkinson Clan!

Aside from all of the unique elements that Ves and Gloriana added to the expert mech design, it was also the Hammer of Brilliance that was chiefly responsible for putting Professor Benedict into a huge inspired state!

If Master Amphi truly wanted to be fair, then she should have granted all of the MTA merits meant for Professor Benedict to the Larkinsons!

Of course, Ves did not voice any of these thoughts. It was not only difficult for others to accept this explanation, but he did not have any backing at the moment.

Master Amphi and Professor Benedict were part of the same faction, so it was natural for the former to favor the latter.

"When will you begin your initial test?" Master Amphi tasked after she was done with the official announcements.

"We can begin as soon as you and your men complete your inspection." Professor Benedict replied. "We have completed all of our preparations in advance. Considering what might happen once Patriarch Reginald Cross pilots the Mars for the first time, we have prepared a long and elaborate session that is designed to give the combination plenty of opportunities to test their newfound might."

"We would like to assist in the process."

"In what way, Master?"

"We think it may be useful for the Mars to spar against a handful of our mechs."

"Your cooperation would be appreciated."

Normally, it was ludicrous to pit any second-class mech against one of the MTA's own machines!

Although reasonably powerful second-class expert mechs such as the Everchanger were able to close the gap to a degree, Ves did not think his own work was able to get the better in such a bout.

The Mars was much different, however. Ves believed it stood a decent chance of defeating a first-class multipurpose mech even if Patriarch Reginald had yet to advance to ace pilot!

Of course, the range in power between different first-class multipurpose mechs was incredibly big. There were probably top machines that were so overwhelmingly powerful that they could probably overpower the Mars by relying on brute force!

The only way the Mars would be able to stand a chance against these elite first-class mechs was if Reginald succeeded in becoming a Saint!

This was why everyone held so much anticipation towards this initial testing session. Compared to earning another bag of MTA merits, gaining an ace pilot was the real reward as far as everyone in the Golden Skull Alliance was concerned!

"We shall expedite our inspection as much as possible so that we can begin within this day." Master Amphi promised.

Even she sounded excited!