The Mech Touch

The establishment of the Eye of Ylvaine was a major event for the Larkinson Clan, but the ripples hardly affected the Design Department.

To the mech designers, Gloriana was their only god. Her instruction was their gospel and her wrath was just as fiery as that of any other transcendent being!

Though Gloriana could be a cruel and vicious deity, she could be very generous towards the most faithful and pious of her worshippers.

Naturally, Ves tried his best to remain on top of her list of devotees!

As if feeling his urgency, Blinky regularly materialized from Ves' head in order to do his magic. He became increasingly more proficient in forming a new kind of network while flying around poking his black-tipped tail in other people's minds.

Whenever the companion spirit enabled the mech designers to share their respective talents with each other, the overall productivity level of the Design Department skyrocketed.

The mech designers weren't ignorant, nor stupid. Even though Blinky was quite good at keeping his presence hidden when he needed to be, he did not possess Lucky's stealth abilities.

"Blinky! Here, here!"

"Oh, you're so cute, Blinky. I wish I could hug you. You're so fluffy."

The purple starry cat attracted compliments wherever he went. He had quickly surpassed Lucky and Clixie as the most favorite cat of the mech designers.

The assistants were particularly grateful for the help that Blinky provided to them! Whenever he inserted his tail in them, they received a substantial boost in ability that granted them a tiny but very meaningful taste of what it was like to design a mech like Ves and the other Journeymen.

These special moments not only allowed them to get a lot more work done, they also gave them a broader, first-hand perspective of what higher-level mech design is about. The personal preview acted as something akin to a Mastery experience to them. Even if Blinky's network was too weak to convey the essence of the higher-level design philosophies to the assistants, the few elements that managed to get through had already caused the recipients to become enlightened to certain truths.

Truths they weren't ready to learn.

Ves frowned whenever Blinky reached his limit and ended the special state.

"What's wrong, Ves?" Gloriana asked as she looked satisfied after concluding another highly productive design session. "We are close to completing the first iteration of the Disruptor Project. Shouldn't that be a cause for celebration? With the help of your new cat, we managed to get so much work done that our design is already in a much better shape than what I expected!"

"You're not wrong, but at what cost are we achieving these results?"

She looked confused. "What are you worrying about?"

"Look at them." He swung his hand in the direction of the assistants. "Look at their happy expressions, their tired grins and the ideas that they must be mulling in their heads. Have you paid any attention towards the changes they are experiencing as a consequence of more direct exposure to our design philosophies?"

"What of it, Ves?"

"Doesn't it bother you that we are skewing their perspectives toward mech design?!"

Gloriana pursed her lips and placed her hands against her hips. "We've always been doing that. The assistants work directly on top of our own work. It is a part of their job to familiarize themselves with our design principles so that they can help us with refining our solutions. They won't be as useful if we constantly have to correct their hamfisted input all the time."

"I get that, honey, but don't you think this is getting too far? A determined and confident Apprentice will be able to continue to hold strong to his or her design philosophy even when they are working on a mech designed by someone else. However, I'm afraid that frequent direct exposure to our own unique perspectives will cause them to develop into copycats over time. I have already noticed more mech designers beginning to think on how to incorporate life in their formative design ideals."

"And you think this is an adverse development?" Gloriana questioningly raised her eyebrow as she started to pet Clixie's back.

Ves became disgusted with his wife's lack of care. "These mech designers might not have that much potential, but they still fall under our responsibility! They have all worked years to develop their own unique ideas about mech design. Now, much of what they formulated by themselves risks getting overridden by new ideas based on our design philosophies! If they ever find an opportunity to go forward, I'm afraid that they may follow a path that does not follow their true inclinations. Every mech designer deserves to pursue their own dreams. It is not proper for us to influence them to the point where they are following my dream or your dream instead!"

Though Ves might be lacking in terms of empathy sometimes, he was always sincere and principled when it came to his duties as a mech designer.

In his opinion, he assumed responsibility over every assistant mech designer employed by the Design Department. The basic contract between Ves and the Apprentices was that he would provide ample opportunities for them to develop their design capabilities in exchange for providing their labor.

Ves detested exploitation and one-sided relationships. It was only fair for him to provide guidance and learning resources to Braves and Erudites. Everyone who decided to study mech design did so with the aim to get further ahead and reach the rank of Master or Star Designer one day.

Even if it was extremely unlikely that any low-ranking mech designer would accomplish these nearly unattainable goals, the best way for them to realize their design philosophies was to be truly passionate about their chosen ambitions.

It was one thing for a Master to pick a young Novice or mech design student to carry forth an aspect of their mature design philosophies. At those early stages, mech designers hadn't developed their own ideas at all, so as long as they agreed to study under a Master, they implicitly accepted the necessity to adopt someone else's design philosophy.

It was another thing for Ves and Gloriana to impose their more mature ideas on those who had already made substantial progress by themselves!

"Don't kid yourself, Ves. How many of our assistants will ever be able to advance to Journeyman by their own methods?"

"Not much." Ves sighed. "They lack the talent to have any chance of advancing no matter how much effort they put into developing their own design philosophies, but that is beside the point. Whether they succeed or fail, they at least deserve the courtesy of following their ideas!"

Gloriana snorted. "You think highly of their stupid assumptions. Most of them won't amount to anything greater than an Apprentice for their entire lives, so this discussion is irrelevant to them. However, for argument's sake, let us consider the few Apprentices that do possess the required talent. Is it really that bad for them to incorporate influences of a more successful and proven design philosophy? I would argue that their chances of getting ahead are greater because they have incorporated some of our best practices!"

"Even if that is true, whatever success they enjoy isn't truly due to their own merits! The principles they borrowed from us will eventually come to bite them back in their butts once they progress further. This is a known phenomena in the mech industry!"

"I don't see it that way, Ves. Hardly anyone in the Design Department has a realistic shot at becoming a Master one day. It is much more likely for them to remain stuck as Apprentices for the rest of their lives. If they can gain a bit of inspiration from us and advance to Journeyman against all odds, then we have changed their fate for the better as far as I'm concerned!"

The two couldn't come to an agreement on this issue. Suffice to say, Gloriana was eager to retain the advantages that Blinky's network brought, and she did not even contemplate the option of abandoning it in order to 'protect' their assistants.

Ves had a feeling that she would even be willing to sacrifice the souls of the Apprentice Mech Designers if that was what it took to perfect her mech designs!

He didn't even know why he bothered to hit his head against a Gloriana-shaped rock. His wife obsessed so much about her work that she was even willing to disregard the ethics that a proper mech designer must always adhere to. She exhibited no decency or guilt at all for settling on her callous and uncaring stance!

Gloriana set Clixie aside and leaned forward in order to pat his head. "Let's stop here. We have much more important matters to talk about. Our expert light skirmisher design is close to reaching full functionality, but it has become increasingly more troublesome to cram the final components in its limited frame. We need to make some difficult choices in order to include all of the features that it needs."

Ves no longer insisted on bringing up his original topic because he knew he wouldn't get anywhere. He still felt that using Blinky to accelerate their design projects was not always the right option, though.

What he didn't state was that he and all of the other Journeymen were getting influenced as well. The only difference was that their design philosophies were already set so it was unlikely for them to shift their core premises just because they became exposed to a shiny new toy.

What was more likely to happen was that they would each influence their progress over time. Gloriana would probably move closer to Ves while he might take a few detours after gaining some inspiration from Ketis' work.

This cross-contamination might help in increasing their synergy, but it also steered them away from their core focus. Ves didn't think this was ideal, so he decided to make some changes.

Later that day, he summoned his companion spirit from his mind. The cat had been taking a nap and did not take kindly to being yanked out of his slumber.

Mrow… mrow!

Ves ruffles his fingers through Blinky's soft, intangible fur. "You've been working too hard lately. You should take it easy. There is no need for you to maintain your spiritual network for such a long stretch of time. At least lower the bandwidth or something so that it becomes less strenuous for you to maintain your ability."

Blinky tilted his head.

Mrow?

"I'm not saying that! I do appreciate your design-oriented network! It's just that it risks becoming a crutch if mech designers depend too much on it to complete their work. While I don't mind relying on your network when our projects have entered a crucial phase, you should dial it back a bit in order to give us the opportunity to overcome our challenges without any help. Conquering adversity is the only way for us to improve."

Mrow mrow.

"I knew I could count on you. Ah, who am I kidding. You're me, so it's impossible for you to contradict my will. Isn't that right?"

Mrow.

"Oh, and you better not make Gloriana notice. Just reduce the bandwidth of the network gradually."

As the Design Department began to complete the final stages of the current phase of the design project, Blinky did as instructed.

Everyone worked harder than ever to complete the first version of the complete design, but hardly anyone noticed that the handicap they used to enjoy had gradually grown weaker.

Ves quietly sighed in relief as he noticed that the mech designers had all gained so much confidence that they still remained confident enough in their own design prowess to make do without as much help!

As the final day of Gloriana's deadline dawned, Ves meticulously manipulated some tools until he completed a miniature scale model of the first iteration of the Disruptor Project.

The small but impressive mech figurine exuded a weak but remarkably flighty impression that attracted every mech designer that had gathered around the central table.

The physical depiction of the Disruptor Project conveyed a sense of weightlessness. It was as if anyone who attempted to hold it in their hands would let it slip and fall onto the deck!