The Mech Touch

After testing the prototype, Ves and Gloriana swiftly returned to the design lab in order to make use of the data they gathered.

No mech ever came out flawlessly after completing their initial design. Even Gloriana, who excelled in spotting and correcting flaws, could achieve this level of perfection.

While they managed to spot flaws easily when the mech was in a pristine state, as long as its condition deteriorated, all kinds of unexpected shortcomings emerged.

Due to time, manpower and budget limitations, the LMC could not afford to test hundreds of prototypes in order to unveil every possible malfunction that could occur as a result of damage or wear and tear.

The LMC did not actually need to go that far. Most of those possible shortcomings were rare, and could only be fixed by making tradeoffs, which would likely introduce new flaws in the design.

If the LMC was a trans-galactic enterprise that spanned the entirety of human space, then Ves would definitely be willing to go through thousands of prototypes to tease out every possibility.

As it was, he had to make do with two at most.

”The sandmen are continuing to gain ground. The third line of defense is constantly losing strength.” He reasoned. ”For this reason, speed is of the essence. We canʼt afford to delay the release of the Deliverer for too long.”

The updates he received painted an increasingly grimmer picture. The biggest factor was the loss of infrastructure and the complete cessation of cross-border trade.

Hardly any foreign traders dared to ship any goods to Bentheim at this time! Its outer system was infested with sandmen and the defenders were too stretched to wipe them out immediately.

Too many trade vessels had already become sandman food during these past few weeks!

Only the government and the biggest domestic shipping companies managed to sustain the flow of goods in and out of Bentheim. Their rates had skyrocketed as a response as demand for shipping was far too high.

The government commandeered more and more infrastructure and institutions to keep their war engines going. As a consequence, monthly inflation already surpassed a hundred percent and did not seem to slow anytime soon!

Any normal economic activity would soon be a thing of the past. A lot of commercial development at Cloudy Curtain had ceased or scaled as a response.

Under these dire circumstances, even Gloriana had to admit that she needed to lower her standards this time. If she insisted on delaying the release to refine the Deliverer even further, the Bright Republic might be gone by the time the mechs could come into action!

Though Ves estimated that his state could still hold on for a couple of months, he had to take into account the delay between the Delivererʼs release and its eventual use in other states.

The Ylvaine Protectorate would definitely use the Deliverers to save their own state first!

Even if the Kronons were willing to make a deal with other states and dispatch Kronon marksman mech pilots to assist its neighbors, it would still take at least a month or more to reach Bentheim from Protectorate space!

Ves thought back on the three Kronons who had been assigned to him. They were probably the only mech pilots in the Bentheim region who could make full use of the Deliverer!

Once he realized this, he began to view them in a different light.

In the current circumstances, Lieutenant Dominic Kronon and his fellow Ylvainans were definitely worth their weight in high-grade exotics!

”They can immediately head to Bentheim in order to assist in the defense!”

Of course, he wouldnʼt offer to do so at this point. While the LMC did not hide the testing of the prototype from other observers, it was nothing more than a peculiar-looking marksman mech at this point. It had not yet demonstrated the capacity to snipe sandman admirals.

The defense of Bentheim was firmly under the control of the military. The Mech Corps and Starfighter Corps subordinated every other force in order to maximize coordination and minimize confusion.

This way, the military unified the scattered strength of Bentheimʼs many influences. However, the military also looked down on external forces as a result.

In the view of the government, the military would definitely play the leading role in defeating the sandmen! There was no way Ves could convince the higher ups to put their faith in a commercial mech model, especially an Ylvainan one!

”Only the Ylvainans are willing to believe my claims.” He sighed.

This wasnʼt a guess. Lieutenant Dominic Kronon had not only been sent to Ves in order to offer assistance, he also acted as a liaison.

Through the help of Crindon, Ves found out that the mech lieutenant frequently contacted the Kronon Dynasty.

Since the lieutenant made use of military encryption, Crindon hadnʼt been able to crack the transmissions.

It didnʼt matter. The point was that Dominic doubtlessly informed the Protectorate of the potential of his Deliverer!

Ves had already given him permission to do so. He had nothing to hide anyway.

When Dominic met with him again, he conveyed his governmentʼs response.

”The three leading dynasties are willing to provide full support to produce your Deliverers.” He told Ves. ”Soon, some representatives will approach the LMC to hash out the details. This wonʼt be simple because both of our currencies have become unstable.”

Ves dismissively waved his hand. ”We can talk about remuneration later. The most important thing is to roll out enough Deliverers to turn the tide of the war.”

”I understand, Mr. Larkinson. I will convey your intentions to my superiors.”

In truth, the Ylvaine Protectorate was probably doing better than the Bright Republic at this point. The latter needed the Deliverers more, but Ves had no choice but to work with the most receptive client first.

Aside from communication from the government of the Ylvaine Protectorate, Ves also received an important notice from Miles Tovar.

”Senator Tovar wishes for me to inform you that he has managed to achieve a comprise regarding your.. tenuous security situation.”

”Oh?” Ves leaned back against the terminal of the design lab. ”Will the government finally get off my back?”

”Not quite.” Miles shook his head. ”The Light Hounds have completed their mission. I think. They will soon depart the Cloudy Curtain System. Instead, a smaller detachment from the Mech Corps will arrive to reinforce our star system.”

”How many mechs?”

”Iʼm not sure. Two to six mech companies maybe, all military. Theyʼll be permanently assigned to Cloudy Curtain to defend the planet against any encroaching sandmen.”

”Is that even needed? Aside from the abnormal sandman fleet that intruded in our star system a few weeks ago, no further incursions took place.”

”The government isnʼt relieved with that. Your life is important, Ves, more so now that your Deliverer mechs have the potential to achieve the impossible!”

Perhaps most Brighters would respond with skepticism towards his new mech design, but five Tovar mech designers personally took part in its design. They knew more about what Ves intended to design and the recent prototype testing sessions also proved that its Guided Aim ability was not purely fantasy!

”Does Senator Tovar believe in the Deliverer?” Ves pointed asked.

”I… canʼt really say.” Miles admitted. ”I think he is keeping an open mind. He has purposefully advocated on your behalf. The compromise he forged is quite controversial. While Bentheim isnʼt safe anymore, other strategic star systems such as Rittersberg and New Foundation are still secure. You would definitely be safe if you shelter at those locations.”

”No. Absolutely not. This is my home and I wonʼt abandon it easily.”

Of course, this was just an excuse to Ves. While he did care about his home planet and all of the infrastructure he built on it, he cared about his own life and freedom even more!

Whether Senator Tovar was aware of his true intentions, Ves couldnʼt guess.

”So which mech regiment is reinforcing our star system?”

”That is still under discussion, from what I know. The Mech Corps really canʼt spare too much mechs from their existing assignments. They have to make a considerable sacrifice in order to placate you. Iʼve even heard that theyʼre attempting to prepare a unit led by a Larkinson that you can get along with. I hope you appreciate the militaryʼs efforts, Mr. Larkinson.”

That last detail came as a welcome surprise to Ves. ”Ah, I would appreciate that. Any Larkinson is welcome at Cloudy Curtain.”

With his considerable influence in the Larkinson Family, Ves would definitely be able to exert some influence on the Larkinson in the military.

If that wasnʼt possible, then any of the other older generation Larkinsons on Cloudy Curtain would certainly put in a good word on his behalf!

Ves would not have to be afraid of developing friction with his protectors if that was the case.

As for whether this reassignment might inadvertently lead to the fall of Bentheim, Ves did not dare to think any further in this direction. He was already culpable for the deaths of trillions of humans in the Komodo Star Sector for unwittingly releasing Sigrund from his cage.

In any case, the good news from two separate governments lifted up his mood and made him even more enthusiastic about finishing the Deliverer.

Only a few days went by as Ves and Gloriana rapidly addressed the shortcomings they identified. With the help of their design team, they ran millions of simulations that tested the second iteration for any new flaws.

Because of the data they already collected beforehand, the second testing was a lot more targeted and purposeful. The simulations revealed a number of tiny flaws that werenʼt very complicated to fix.

Ves and Gloriana completed the second iteration of the design very quickly!

While they unavoidably rushed this phase, they really couldnʼt help it. Ves seemed to sense a clock hanging over everyoneʼs head. It was constantly ticking down as he was continuing to waste time on fixing minor flaws that did not impact the quality of mech in a significant fashion!

Sure, if Ves published his mech design at this current state, it would probably be 95 percent as good as if he spent half a year to optimize it further.

Yet did the Bright Republic really need a product that reached 100 percent of its potential?

Let alone 95 percent, a design that only exhibited 80 percent of its potential was already enough to fulfill its essential function!

Of course, Ves had to be very mindful of Gloriana about this. To her, 95 percent was already egregious enough. Releasing a mech that was only 80 percent ʼcompleteʼ would absolutely drive her mad!

”Iʼm not happy about this at all, Ves, but youʼre the boss of this design project. This is your decision and therefore your responsibility. Iʼm just a helper.”

”Even so, this still takes a lot out of you.”

”Itʼs not that bad.” She tilted her head. ”Iʼve already recovered from my mental exhaustion. I think Iʼve even grown a little stronger as a result. I feel I can tolerate more things now.”

Both of them hugged at each other as they supervised the Tovar mech designers fabricating the second prototype of the Deliverer.

Different from last time, the Tovars had already learned their lessons. They adjusted their mindset towards the project and tried to show at least some respect towards the design.

It helped that the first prototype already vindicated the design. No matter how much skepticism the design team held, it had no choice but to accept the evidence!

Soon enough, the second prototype was complete, and another round of testing ensued.

Ves and Gloriana did not have to supervise this process in person. They remained on the surface and began to discuss and plan their next steps.

What mech should they design next? What steps should they take to prepare for the possible fall of Bentheim? Many things had to be discussed. Completing the Deliverer design was not the end of their troubles!