The Mech Touch

When Ves studied the predominant tactics employed by mech hunting teams on the Asco Continent, he learned they predominantly adopted persistence hunting against formidable huge cats.

Monstrously strong Crown Cats such as Zeigra couldn't be felled in a single confrontation. The damage they could endure matched or exceeded that of a heavy mech!

These huge cats grew up on a personalized diet of exotics deposited at various places in the hunting zones at regular intervals. For a single huge cat to develop into a fearsome Crown Cat, they needed a lot of specialized minerals and exotics over the course of their growth!

This was very expensive! House Laterna was bleeding money to sustain the hunting activities in Asco.

Nonetheless, the biotech research they engaged in to develop the huge cats eventually paid back for itself. There were many possible applications for fearsome organic products that could equal the strength of mechs.

Crown Cats happened to be their crown jewels, which was very apt considering the immense amount of resources invested into their growth!

Normally, a huge cat as young as Zeigra still required a few more years to grow to his level of strength.

Yet Zeigra smashed everyone's expectations by supplementing his diet by eating chunks out of mechs! His tolerance range for exotics was a lot wider than the researchers who designed his genes expected!

Neither Ves or Lady Miralix dared to underestimate this creature who became worthy to join the ranks of Crown Cats in expert time. If he grew a few years more, it was very much possible that he might one day shoot all the way to the top of the ranking!

Against these formidable Crown Cats that sometimes matched the strength of second-class mechs, hunting teams predominantly adopted strategies meant to tire and bleed the fearsome creatures over time.

"Hunting the weaker huge cats requires less effort on the part of hunting teams." Lady Miralix elaborated as they drew closer to her Kinslayer. "The weaker cats are still strong enough to pose a threat to mechs, but their strength and resilience can always be overcome in a single battle."

"And that's not viable with Crown Cats?"

"No." She shook her head. "Crown Cats are the best of the best. They are much more terrible than a regular huge cat. If my Catstrikers attempt to fell a beast like Zeigra in a single battle, then our mechs will almost certainly break before our prey does! The only way we can conclude our hunt successfully is if we wear it down over multiple rounds!"

"So unlike the lightning strike approach adopted against weaker cats, you're trying to egage Zeigra in a battle of attrition?"

"That is an apt way to describe my plan. fighting against a Crown Cat is a contest which will both sides nibble at each other until one side can't keep up anymore."

"Your mechs don't exactly look suitable for a long slog." Ves remarked.

"That's why we have to make sure we fight ferociously enough to beat Zeigra into a retreat or deter him from pursuing us when we pull back."

"I take it that doesn't always work out the way you want."

Her face took on a grim expression. "It is during these times where most of the casualties fall. Cats are very opportunistic, especially those we genetically modified to become more formidable predators. They expend a lot of energy during fights, and constantly judge whether it is worthwhile for them to persist in the fight or cut their losses and retreat."

"So in other words, a huge cat will choose to retreat as long as it thinks it can't defeat its opposition?"

"On the other side of the coin, they'll continue to press their aggression as long as they think their opposition is weak! This is what we have to avoid at all costs! As long as Zeigra smells weakness, he will continue to exert his energy into killing us, thereby pushing our mechs to their breaking points!"

It sounded simple, but the cost of failure was immense. The Kinslayer and the other mechs of the Felixia Catstrikers were geared towards outputting an overwhelming amount of strength and ferocity in a short amount of time.

Depending on their energy expenditure, after fifteen to thirty minutes had passed, the mechs would quickly run out of steam. Unless they could resupply their spent energy cells during combat, the mechs would not be able to resist the furious ire of a Crown Cat!

"Naturally, the Crown Cats can't afford to fight too long, as their endurance has limits as well." She noted. "However, if they throw all caution to the wind, they will definitely choose to fight to the point of utter exhaustion!"

In order to avoid this awful outcome which was the leading cause for failure in hunting Crown Cats, the Catstrikers had to fight in a way that made them appear stronger than they really were. They had to put up such an intimidating front that the cat they wanted to hunt would eventually choose to back off or let the mechs disengage without continuing the pursuit.

"I can hardly see how this is possible." He admitted. "Crown Cats are the strongest cats on the continent. Surely they're incredibly proud and full of themselves, right?"

"Part of what you said is true, Mr. Larkinson, but don't forget that Zeigra is still a young huge cat. Even if we started ranking him among the Crown Cats, this is merely a human construct. According to the investigations I've conducted on Zeigra, the cat himself still adheres to the behavior pattern of an adolescent of his kind. That means he is a bit more inclined to flee if he thinks he faces a serious threat."

"That's a very bold assumption to make. What if you're wrong?"

"Then the hunt will result in failure." She replied flatly.

While Ves had a lot of misgivings about the risky nature of her hunting strategy, it was the only viable option to tackle one of the deadliest beasts on the continent.

"My respect for hunters who succeeded in killing a Crown Cat has grown. While I don't claim to understand the culture surrounding the hunting community, I can see why these kinds of hunts draw admiration!"

Just because wealthy individuals had a way of earning prestige didn't mean it came easily. The integrity and validity of their accomplishments had to be impeccable to make their accomplishments count.

High society took a very dim view to those who attempted to get by with exaggerated accounts or outright cheating. Letting lazy or cowardly individuals subvert the challenges not only put the hunting tradition into question, they also devalued the accomplishments of genuine hunters!

Since many people who engaged in this tradition happened to be wealthy or powerful individuals, they possessed the means to impose fairness to the process. Only in this way would huge game hunting continue to be a prestigious activity.

"Will we be followed around by neutral inspectors during the hunt?"

Lady Miralix nodded. "That is a given. The entire process of the hunt will be monitored as well. As soon as we return to Kemila, all of the footage and raw data will be uploaded to a database of the Galactic Hunting Club. Once they analyze the footage and verify their authenticity will the hunt be formally added to my record. Yours as well."

"Galactic Hunting Club?"

This was the first time he heard of such an organization!

"I'm not surprised you haven't heard of the GHC. It's a well-known entity among hunters in the galaxy, but it doesn't advertise its existence to commoners. Its only purpose is to impose a set of common hunting rules throughout the galaxy so that every hunter can compare their hunting achievements to fellow hunters without any confusion."

"Is it a weaker trans-galactic organization like the Mercenary Association?"

"That's a good comparison. The GHC works along the same lines. They are mainly responsible for registering, verifying and cataloguing notable hunting achievements. The inspector that will be accompanying us in our hunt is both an envoy of the royal house and a mid-level official of the Club."

"I see. You said the GHC will record a successful hunt in my record as well?"

She smiled. "As long as you make good on your promises and accompany my Catstrikers into the hunting zone, you are as much of a hunter as I. Just because you don't pilot a mech doesn't make you any less of a huge game hunter in the eyes of the Club!"

That was… a somewhat mixed surprise to Ves. While he indeed wished to pad his record by adding in a notable hunt, he didn't know that it was so formalized.

This was good news to him because if the GHC's influence truly stretched over the galaxy, his hunting achievements would still be relevant even if he moved to a completely different star sector!

"Let's go take a closer look at your Kinslayer. Can I look at its performance specifications as well?"

"Everything is open to you as far as my mech is concerned. Feel free to explore it to your heart's content."

Ves began to study the tiger mech that Lady Miralix intended to defeat a Crown Cat.

Overall, he found many similarities to the humanoid mechs piloted by the rest of her hunting team.

"This is a custom mech, right?" Ves guessed.

"Right. I commissioned a Journeyman to tailor a mech that complies with the limits."

"It's a good design." He appreciatively remarked. "There's hardly any waste in the design. Every aspect of the mech is being utilized. I haven't spotted any fatal weak points either."

Whoever designed the Kinslayer not only knew their way around with bestial mechs, they also exhibited a solid and stable design approach.

While the custom mech might not have a lot of exciting features or gimmicks, its base performance parameters were very high considering the underlying tech and materials.

Ves had the impression that he was studying the work of an older, steadier and more experienced Journeyman.

This was both good and bad for him. It was good because a solid foundation meant that Ves did not have to waste a lot of time to fix flaws that were beneath his notice.

However, a mech that was already pretty good left very little room for improvement. So far, Ves did not see a lot of areas where he could implement clear improvements.

Perhaps he might be able to spot more opportunities to improve the Kinslayer if he upgraded his Mechanics and Metallurgy Skills to Senior. Yet the entire point of his recent actions was to design a mech that fulfilled the upgrade missions for those Skills!!

This meant that Ves would not be able to contribute as much as he hoped. The best he could do was to alter a few design choices into a different direction that strengthened one aspect while weakening another aspect of the mech.

Doing this couldn't really be considered as improvements. At best, they were merely modifications that shifted the specialization of the mech.

Perhaps the only value he could add to the mech was his specialty. While this wasn't the first time he added an X-Factor to an existing mech not of his own design, he lacked a lot of experience in this area.

Perhaps he could remedy that shortcoming this time.

"Alright. I think I know what I am dealing with." He declared. "To be honest, your mech is already a very fine machine. Don't expect me to achieve any substantial jumps in the performance of your mech."

"I've already taken that into account, Mr. Larkinson. Just do your best to turn the Kinslayer into something remarkable. Any advantage, no matter how small, is worth the effort!"

It relieved Ves quite a bit that he was dealing with a sensible client this time. Lady Miralix had a good head on her shoulders, and knew enough about mechs to keep her expectations in check.

"If you don't mind, I'll start with my work."

"Very well. I will be at the office in the center of the compound if you need me. Be sure to spare some attention to the other mechs of my hunting team as well. My entire maintenance crew is standing ready to assist you with the grunt work."

After Miralix and her cat departed the stables, Ves took a good look at the Kinslayer's unfeeling mech frame and wondered how he could breathe life in this machine.