The Mech Touch

The two had grown too far apart in order to work as equals. They both possessed opposing ideas on what constituted a good mech. If neither of them took charge, they would just push against each other every step of the way, thereby cutting off the possibility of producing something remarkable at the end of their fabrication run!

However, after trying to make one or the other take the lead, they only ended up with adequate mechs.

Certainly, the quality of the Sanctuary and the Ferocious Piranha they fabricated surpassed that of regular gold label mechs.

Yet they were nowhere close to reaching masterwork quality. It was as if Ves and Gloriana lacked the magic they used to achieve when they worked together.

This was a very frustrating outcoming for Gloriana. At the start, they had six chances to attempt a masterwork. Now that they completed their third attempt, the prospect of fulfilling her dream seemed even further away!

No amount of rest and cuddling with Lucky, Clixie and Goldie could pull her out of her malaise this time.

Even Ves felt troubled by this adverse development. He couldn't have imagined that splitting up for half a year would generate so much discord between the two of them. If they weren't able to solve this impasse, the future of their collaborative efforts might go under!

"How will we tackle the Chiron and the Crystal Lord Mark II?" Ves asked. "Do you want to continue with our current approach or find another way to achieve a better outcome?"

Gloriana pressed her fingers against her temple. "I don't want to go back to how we worked before. Every argument between us will only further detract us from our attempts to fabricate the best mech possible. I think we shouldn't be too quick to assume that our current approach is failing us. We just aren't too used to deferring all of the important decisions to one of us. Maybe we need to tweak our methods in order to do better."

They brainstormed some ways to make their next attempts more harmonious. In the absence of one of them entering into a special state, the best way to produce a mech of exceptional quality was for them to get in sync with each other. This wasn't easy to accomplish if one of them was explicitly restrained from showing any initiative.

"We should cooperate more extensively in the areas where we can find common ground." Gloriana proposed. "Despite our philosophical differences, there are still many aspects about our mechs where our opinions are close enough to get along with each other. We need to grasp these opportunities!"

That was actually a great idea. Their relationship was basically based around ignoring their differences while placing as much emphasis as possible on their similarities.

Since this worked so well in their relationship, it stood to reason that it should have an effect in their next attempts.

"Let's do this, then." Ves agreed.

Now that they had regained some much-needed hope, they approached the Crystal Lord Mark II with higher expectations.

Though Ves unquestionably took charge in producing the mech he had a special bond with, his wife gained more room to provide her input.

With both of them actively trying to foster greater cooperation whenever possible, their moods remained positive throughout the fabrication run.

Neither of them started any new arguments. Eager to break the previous pattern, Gloriana kept herself in check to a greater extent than before. Ves admired her forbearance. It was quite rare for her to be so patient.

Yet after two days of hard work, the Crystal Lord Mark II they produced was only somewhat better than their previous mechs.

Gloriana lost her good mood. "We failed!"

"We made progress." Ves tried to reassure her. "Be glad we haven't regressed! Compared to where we stood after we made our first Valkyrie Redeemer mech, we have caught up to our old level. I'm already proud of what we've accomplished this time."

Compared to the previous mechs, the Crystal Lord Mark II was much more dazzling. The Illustrious One finally unleashed its glow through a mech without restraint, thereby causing Ves and Gloriana to be affected by a field that caused their sights to be a little blinded.

It took a bit of time to get used to the complex glow of the Illustrious One. Unlike many of his other design spirits, the Illustrious One did not impose any judgemental values onto the people that fall under its influence.

The Illustrious One didn't care about duty or loyalty to the Larkinson Clan. He did not attempt to terrorize a mech pilot.

Instead, his glow mostly added a bright and sparkling quality to the Crystal Lord Mark II! The landbound rifleman mech looked like it was more at home in a mech exhibition hall than a muddy battlefield!

"This proto-god is wasted on a third-class mech." Gloriana remarked with a frown. "It would have been so much if we could make him empower a second-class mech. In fact, it would also be best if you turned him into a woman!"

Ves did not even bother to engage in her last point. He did somewhat agree with her initial judgement.

"I think we need to design a lot of second-class mechs in our second round of projects. Our Larkinson Clan is lacking too many adequate mech models. We also need to boost the LMC's profit by at least five times in order to fulfill our ambitious plan to outfit our fleet with enough capital ships and expert mechs."

She looked skeptical. "While I agree with you, right now we are the only ones who are qualified to design second-class mechs. Our assistants still need years to reach our standards."

"I've been thinking about this problem for a while now. I see two ways to achieve what I want. The first is to hire second-class mech designers as our assistants. Previously, no second-rater took us seriously. I think our recent accomplishments along with our grand wedding has permanently solved this issue."

Gloriana frowned. "I don't know. Second-class mech designers are a lot more difficult to handle than the obedient boys and girls we have right now. While their design abilities are lacking, I like how much they defer to us. We won't be able to command the same level of respect from the talents who graduated from similar universities as mine. People like us are inherently proud and confident."

She had a good point. Ves always had a headache whenever he had to manage strong personalities.

"The second method is to collaborate with the Cross Clan's new Senior Mech Designer. Professor Cortez is quite a good mech designer."

"I heard about him." Gloriana replied. "I studied his work, what little he has published. He's actually quite average for a third-class Senior. It's only recently that he changed his course and began to design some second-class mechs. I like his specialty. It's just that I'm not sure whether we can work well together."

"Is there a conflict between your design philosophies?"

"We'll have to meet and exchange with each other to be sure. Instinctively, I think that some of what he does encroached upon my specialization. The good news is that I think we can work out our conflicts."

This was something to consider later. Though Ves only threw this option out as a possible choice, he was still very reluctant to work together with Professor Cortez on anything aside from expert mech designs.

They reluctantly proceeded onwards with fabricating the Chiron. Now that Gloriana took back the lead, she tried her best to imitate Ves in opening herself to outside input.

It was a lot harder for her to do so. She had to grit her teeth and act against her nature in order to give Ves sufficient room to express himself.

The end result turned out to be no better than the Crystal Lord Mark II. The training mech they made was merely 'good', which meant it didn't possess any special qualities!

"This isn't working!" Gloriana complained. "Our approach is flawed from the start! No matter how much we try to accommodate each other, we haven't been able to achieve true synergy!"

They had only one attempt left. The last but most important mech was by far the most critical one. The formidable Cat's Paw was not only bigger and more complex than any mech they worked on, it was also a model that would play a key role in the defense of the Larkinson fleet.

In order to give their exclusive second-class artillery mech the best possible start, Ves wanted to start off strong. Even if he couldn't turn the first production copy into a masterwork, he at least wanted its quality to exceed the usual norm.

As Ves and Gloriana retired for a day in order to prepare for the big job, Ves began to think about a way to break their current deadlock.

He agreed with his wife that their synergy was lacking. How could they regain the magic that they achieved during the early days of their collaboration?

At some point, his eyes shifted to his wedding band.

"Wait a minute."

Achieving synergy required great understanding. By getting in sync with Gloriana, he achieved some form of resonance with her, allowing them to focus their entire abilities on the same goals.

Right now, their growing differences had made it harder for them to resonate with each other. The logical solution to resolve this issue was to find a way to narrow the gap between each other!

The moment when Ves and Gloriana returned to the mech workshop again, Ves presented a radical idea.

"You want to activate our wedding rings?"

"Yes." Ves nodded. "Do you recall the shared moment we had right after we kissed during our wedding? Back then, we felt more close to each other than ever before. Part of that was due to our love. Another part of it was due to the moment. However, our rings played a role as well. To be more exact, it's the fragments connected to them that has played a significant role."

Both of them possessed each other's spiritual fragments. Normally, this caused them to feel each other's presence even when they were alone. They also derived some other minor benefits.

What Ves wanted to do now was to activate one of the functions he programmed into the fragments. Once the spiritual constructs built into the fragments became online, both of them should be able to gain a portion of each other's domain!

Ves wasn't quite sure how this would affect their current work, but he theorized that it would definitely allow them to find more common ground.

Though Ves had not tested this at all, Gloriana easily accepted his proposal. "Okay. If you think it will work, let's try it. Our Cat's Paw has to be better than the trash we made before!"

After instructing her for a bit, both of them took the time to calm and center themselves before activating their borrowed spiritual fragments.

A hint of excellence and perfection unfolded into Ves' mind. The foreign presence was not inherently compatible with his domain. He had to put active effort into preventing his mind from pushing away the foreign influence.

Gloriana had it easier. She already hosted his spiritual fragment for a few years. Her strong obsession towards Ves and her acclimatized design seed allowed her to embrace the growing influence of Ves in her mind!

Their rings seemed to radiate energy. An invisible line seemed to form between them. Ves and Gloriana became too caught up in the changes to their moods, thoughts, preferences and perception.

"Wow." She looked impressed. "This is new. I think I comprehend a little more how you view mechs. It's so.. chaotic. Somehow, it doesn't look so bad this time. I can see the charm in letting mechs grow."

"I'm experiencing the same phenomena as you. I didn't expect this to work so well."

Theoretically, all kinds of compatibility problems should have taken place. Yet for some reason, the rejection he anticipated wasn't as strong as he thought.

After adjusting to their altered states, they began their final fabrication attempt with greater confidence!