The Mech Touch

It took quite some time for Gloriana to regain a semblance of her composure. While she still exhibited a desire to pamper her 'Little Angel', Ves managed to drag her away from their new masterwork mech and push her into an office.

Ves, Gloriana and Calabast all sat down.

Gloriana still looked a bit vacant. She constantly turned her head in the direction of the Little Angel while she idly stroked Clixie's fur. Normally, she treated her pet more affectionately, but right now her furry companion hardly registered in her mind!

"Miaow? Miaow miaow!"

"Oh, I almost forgot about you, Clixie. Sorry!"

Lucky, who was perched on Ves' shoulder, looked sympathetic at his organic counterpart.

"Meow."

Ves reached up and stroked Lucky's back. "Gloriana will snap out of it.. eventually. This is your fault, you know."

His cat angrily raised his metal tail!

"Meow!"

If Lucky wanted to avoid blame, then he shouldn't be producing more pointless Hexer-inspired gems!

"Alright." Calabast spoke up. "Let us get this discussion out of the way. First, congratulations to the two of you for creating another masterwork mech. While I do not recognize much what makes your latest success so compelling, I am quite aware of the repercussions of this result. Let's discuss the good ones first."

"The.. 'Little Angel'.. is much more significant than the Quint." Ves began. "The latter is a bridge mech, and we can't take full credit of its creation due to the involvement of outside help. The former is a legitimate second-class mech designed by two of us. Hardly anyone else contributed to its design."

Ves and Gloriana deserved full credit for designing the Blessed Squire!

Both of them were already responsible for making the Little Angel!

Even if they didn't say anything, any mech designer familiar with their work could tell that the pair had truly relied on themselves!

This made this achievement much more amazing. Though the novelty factor had subsided a bit, the significance of this success was much greater.

How many collaborations between Journeymen took place in the mech industry? Ves did not even dare to utter a number.

Out of all of those partnerships, which one resulted in not one, but two masterwork mechs? Very little!

With a second collaborative masterwork mech under their belt, a third one was not out of the question. Even if it took a few years or decades to produce another one, their titles as masterwork mech designers no longer came attached with an asterisk. Both of them proved they had become fully capable of reaching the masterwork threshold at their early ages!

Calabast concurred with his assessment. "According to my understanding of the mech industry, your fame will no longer be contained to this star sector. While there are many prominent Journeymen in the Yeina Star Cluster, the two of you will likely rank close to the top after your achievement is publicized."

The way she emphasized that last word triggered something in Ves. He looked at her carefully.

"You're implying that won't happen."

"At least not immediately." She spoke. "As happy as I am for your accomplishment, don't forget about your original purpose. DIVA commissioned you to design a male Hexer mech that carries one of your characteristic glows. You fulfilled this demand with the help of Hexer technology, Hexer components, Hexer design standard and Hexer criteria. According to the terms of this commission, the design and every mech derived from it is legally theirs."

Though Ves hated it, she was right. He was not so stupid to think the Larkinson Clan could continue to own a piece of Hexer military hardware.

That did not sit well with his girlfriend, though. While she had been distracted throughout this meeting, it turned out that she still paid at least some attention!

"Unacceptable! The Little Angel is mine! He's my baby! I created him! DIVA has nothing to do with that!"

Both Ves and Calabast shared an exasperated glance.

"Gloriana, you know what DIVA will demand. In fact, if the Hex Army is involved, you will have even less rights to the Little Angel! I hate to pop your bubble, but when you work on behalf of the state, your product also belongs to the state."

This was a generally-accepted concept in the mech industry, and Gloriana should know better. It was just that her irrational affection towards the first masterwork mech she truly brought into existence was scrambling her common sense.

Though Calabast stated the truth, masterwork mechs were not treated in the same way as regular mechs!

"If I recall, DIVA's commission came with a fairly standard-looking contract, right?" Ves noted.

Calabast noted. "Model contracts exist for every type of client-mech designer relationship. DIVA has opted to make use of one of them, only modifying the terms that make it possible for a boy like you to be recognized as a lead designer."

Ves activated his comm and projected the confidential contract into view. "When I signed all of the paperwork, I specifically inspected the terms related to the production of any possible masterwork mechs."

He had already created two masterwork mechs. In the event of a third, he wanted to be ready to defend his rights.

Every commission that made use of a standard contract always incorporated clauses for nearly every possible outcome. Not even masterwork mechs were left of them! Though it was an ultra-rare occurrence for a masterwork mech to appear, it was better to set the terms beforehand rather than argue about them afterwards. A lot of ugly disputes between clients and mech designers had emerged when the latter fortuitously created a masterwork mech!

In most cases, a masterwork mech fell beyond the scope of any commission. The mech did not automatically become the client's possession, and the mech designer deserved to be rewarded for his extraordinary effort.

Sometimes, the agreements were worded in a way that allowed the mech designer to retain possession of the masterwork. The client may have ordered a specific mech, and the mech designer could easily whip up another copy and deliver that machine in the place of a masterwork.

As long as the mech designer fulfilled original commission, the masterwork mech didn't have to go!

Unfortunately, this was not the case. Calabast was right that the mech was stuffed with Hexer technology and other goodies. There was too little justification for Ves and Gloriana to maintain possession of the Little Angel unless they gained the right to retain possession of exclusive Hexer hardware.

However, that didn't mean they gained nothing.

"If we have to give up our mech, we're entitled to a lot of conversation." Ves stated.

Calabast nodded. "You can choose from various rewards, though I will have to confer with DIVA to present you with detailed options. I'll make sure you won't get short-changed. It is no exaggeration to say that the Little Angel has the potential to change everything."

"How about we keep my baby boy?!" Gloriana interrupted. "Is that a possible reward?"

"No." Calabast shook her head.

"Gloriana.." Ves turned towards his girlfriend and placed his hand over her own. He looked at her in the eyes. "I know what you are feeling right now. I felt this way as well with my Devil Tiger. I also became tempted by the urge to hoard my masterwork and keep it on display. However, is that truly the best for your Little Angel?"

She frowned. "What do you mean, Ves? He's my masterwork! What if he gets ruined?"

"The Blessed Squire isn't designed to be put on display. It's designed to fight." He stated. "As its creator, the Little Angel deserves to fulfill its intended purpose. We lucked out with the Quint because it's based on the Bright Warrior, which we designed for our own use. This isn't the case. We always intended the Blessed Squire to be used by others, and the Little Angel is no different."

Tears started to fall from Gloriana's cheeks. She actually started to cry, alarming Clixie and everyone else!

"Miaow miaow!"

"My baby.. I can't stand the thought of relinquishing my Little Angel…"

He leaned in to hug her shaking body. "It's okay, Gloriana. Everything will be alright. Don't forget about what the Superior Mother stands for. Raising a boy is all about making them grow up and be able to act responsibly. Only bad mothers want to keep their boys by their side forever. The act of nurturing has to reach an end. The Superior Mother, my mother, does not want you to waste the potential of the Little Angel!"

His garbled, improvised argument hit home. Though Gloriana's tears continued to leak from her eyes, the explicit mention of the Superior Mother caused her to rethink her views.

Only bad mothers kept their sons incapable and locked up in their protective cages.

If Gloriana wanted to show respect to the Superior Mother, she should adhere to the ideals that Ves had mentioned!

This was a bitter pill to stomach, not just for Gloriana, but many other mothers!

"I.. you're right.. I suppose.." She sniffed.

"Your Little Angel won't be thrown into the meat grinder, Gloriana." Calabast reassured. "While Ves is correct, your masterwork mech is much more useful outside of the battlefield. It's a game changer."

"What do you mean?"

"Consider your political problem. All of us here know your glows can benefit the side that uses them. There are two reasons why the Hegemony hasn't used any of your mechs. First, their designs are too weak. Second, you're a boy. Well, as soon as you finished the Blessed Squire design, the first problem doesn't apply anymore. Only the second problem remains. Originally, DIVA likely intends to introduce the Blessed Squire onto the battlefield sporadically. Before the mech is ready for widespread adoption, its value and utility has to be demonstrated in real battles."

"Otherwise, those biased Hexers will instantly dismiss our work because of the involvement of a male." Ves added.

"Yes. We're very fortunate that DIVA is more open-minded than the rest of Hexer society, but the agency alone can't field your mechs. I believe that my former superiors have already concluded that fielding your mechs en masse can break the current stalemate in the Komodo War. The longer it goes on, the greater the chance the Fridaymen will launch their own surprise."

Mentioning the political dimension caused Ves to make a very stark realization. "You can use the Little Angel to build up political support for our mech model!"

"Exactly!" Calabast grinned. "Due to its glow and its exceptional identity as a masterwork mech, it will likely attract a lot of attention as long as we exhibit it to prominent Hexers. As long as the mech can sway enough stubborn matriarchs to change their stance on letting mech designed by a boy to take part in the war, your Blessed Squires may truly become a staple on the battlefield! Of course, that is also contingent on the performance of the initial batches."

If the Blessed Squire performed worse than expected, then all of this was moot, but neither Ves nor Gloriana believed that would happen.

The scenario envisioned by Calabast took much of the sting away from the prospect of losing her baby. Gloriana no longer shed any tears, though she still appeared glum.

"I suppose I can accept that. Ves and I will be credited for its design, right?"

"Once DIVA is ready to roll out the Blessed Squires onto the battlefield, there is no more need for secrecy." Calabast confirmed. "In fact, it is to the Hegemony's advantage that your names are mentioned. The two of you have quite clearly become some of the top Journeymen of our star sector. Borrowing your fame will not only add a halo to the Blessed Squire, but also embolden the Hegemony."

"Even for a 'boy'?" Ves pointed at himself.

Calabast grinned. "You're not just an ordinary boy anymore to the Hegemony. As long as Hexers recognize the immense value of your glow, they will definitely embrace it! By then, they will employ any measure possible to circumvent established law and dogma. Nothing can stand in the way of their determination to win the Komodo War!"