The Mech Touch

Venerable Dise was not too far away. She between the mech sword and the expert mech that was meant to wield it. She admired them both in equal measure.

As an expert pilot, she felt a kinship with the Decapitator Project.

As a swordswoman, she felt drawn to the mech sword.

This was not really a problem. Either way, she benefited immensely from being able to use just one of them. If she was able to utilize both at the same time, then she would probably become one of the happiest swordsman mech pilots in the region!

"Dise!" Ketis jogged over and grasped the expert pilot's hands. "Do you like my handiwork?"

"I don't have any words to say. I'm deeply grateful for what you've done for me. This expert mech and this sword are more than I have dreamt of. I can't wait to utilize them both."

Ves lightly coughed. "You'll have to keep those urges in check until we've reached another star system. You won't have to wait as long as Venerable Orfan, though. Now that we have completed this fabrication run, we no longer have a reason to stay in Amswick. We'll be departing for the Smiling Samuel Star Sector soon enough."

"That's good news, because I am really itching to swing that excellent new sword." Dise let out an eager grin.

No swordsman or swordswoman could resist a good sword! No matter the scale or medium, a true sword lover appreciated masterfully crafted swords of any kind.

"Since this expert mech and accompanying sword is made for your use, you get to decide how to call them." Ves explained. "Have you thought of any good names?"

Venerable Dise shook her head. "I did think about it for a couple of months, but now that we have come to this point, I don't think I'm qualified to name them. Ketis, I'll let you decide."

The Swordmaiden mech designer blinked. "You want me to name your stuff?"

"They're yours as well as mine. They would have never existed without your hard work. I didn't even dream about being able to wield a masterwork sword. The fact that you have managed to deliver one is a great gift. I feel even more certain about giving the honors to you. It just feels right."

"Okay…"

Ketis hadn't expected Dise to pass on the honors to her, so she needed to take a moment to process this unexpected turn of events. She looked deeply at both the mech frame and the mech sword and tried to generate fitting names based on her intentions and what she was able to sense from her creations.

"The Decapitator Project is my first true swordsman mech. Even though I designed it in collaboration with others, it is the first time since I became a Journeyman that I was able to realize my vision and implement the solutions that I developed on my own. I will always be grateful for the trust that you have put in me despite not having published any ordinary swordsman mechs as of yet. I consider this mech to be my proper start as a swordsman mech designer."

How could she encapsulate the meaning and the significance of the Decapitator Project into a single name? She struggled to make a suitable choice as several minutes passed by with silence.

Neither Ves nor anyone else spoke up to offer any guidance. Something as solemn as naming a significant creation had to come from the heart.

Eventually, Ketis settled on a choice.

"Let the expert mech be known as the First Sword."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Ves thought that she might select a fancier or more sophisticated name like Scarlet Tide or Omicron, but it turned out that her naming sense hadn't improved at all since she last named her companion spirit.

Even though Gloriana and so on did not look impressed, it was still a name that fit the expert swordsman mech in a way.

"It's simple and to the point. I like it." Venerable Dise smiled at Ketis. "We Swordmaidens don't bother too much with deeper meanings and crap like that. The actual performance of a mech matters a lot more than how it's called. Besides, this expert mech of mine is quite simple and straightforward to begin with. There's no need to dress it up with anything weightier."

Whether she said that because she truly believed in her words or because she wanted to please Ketis, her lack of objection meant the name was set. From now on, the mech that had resulted from the Decapitator Project would be known as the First Sword.

"What about the masterwork mech sword?" Ves asked with a hint of dread.

"It's a sword designed to protect by felling giants. Let's just call it the Decapitator. Since it is good enough to serve as the code name of our expert mech, let it live on as the defining name of this precious blade!"

Well, it worked, and that was all that mattered. Gloriana didn't have any standing to complain considering the silly name she bestowed on the masterwork version of the Blessed Squire. If she could get away with calling it the Little Angel, then she should just let Ketis enjoy her own moment!

After they decided upon the names of the expert mech and its sword, the expert pilot and Journeymen soon split up. The former insisted on spending more time with her new gifts while the latter all began to wrap up the project.

Once they completed all of the necessary arrangements such as the return of the workshop machines, the mech designers all shuttled back to the Spirit of Bentheim.

Both Ves and Gloriana continued to remain engrossed in their own thoughts as they walked back to their grand stateroom. Lucky and Clixie cutely circled them for a while before moving off to a nearby cat bed in order to groom each other.

"Meow."

"Miaow."

The wedded couple prepared for bed as well. They cleansed their bodies and changed into their pajamas before they slipped in their shared bed.

Ves couldn't help but rub his palm over his wife's growing belly. Seeing that his unborn daughter was still in a healthy and vigorous condition caused him to smile.

"There's still a couple of months to go, Ves." Gloriana looked amused at his antics. "We'll be able to hug our little baby soon enough."

"I look forward to that."

Once Ves had his fill of caressing her belly, he settled on his side of the bed. Before he drifted off to slumber, his wife addressed one more topic.

"If Ketis can make a masterwork, so can I." She softly insisted even as her exhaustion was starting to get the better of her. "Let's leave the Bulwark Project as last. If there is one thing the Swordmaiden girl has proven, it's that you can still upgrade an existing product into a masterwork. I feel more hopeful than ever for the Bulwark Project, but if we want to maximize our chances, we need to leave it as last. I don't want to turn just a single part into a masterwork like Ketis has done. I want the entire package to reach the second rung of the ladder!"

Ves yawned and turned his body around. "Haven't you forgotten about your brother's expert mech? The Chimera Project and the Bulwark Project might be the last two expert mech design projects of our clan, but our design run won't end until we have delivered an expert mech for Brutus."

"So?"

"Don't you want to leave the best for your brother as opposed to Venerable Jannzi?" Ves raised his eyebrow. "I mean, look at it from this angle. If you expend all of your energy and passion on the Bulwark Project when it is our sixth completed expert mech, you won't have much time to recharge and ready yourself to fabricate your brother's expert mech. If you tackle it sooner, then you can spend the extra weeks or months as we work towards completing the Chimera Project to recharge your reserves. Doesn't that sound like a more optimal solution?"

His wife looked a little less doubtful as she contemplated his proposal. "I'm not so sure…"

"Which expert mech do you care more about? The Bulwark Project or the Star Dancer Mark II? You need to make a choice, Gloriana. You can't have it both ways."

Now that she was forced into this position, she had no choice but to pick family over her professional interests.

The Bulwark Project had a lot going for it. As an expert heavy space knight, its mech type along with its design concept aligned with Master Willix's actual design philosophy. It was the mech that evoked the most interest and passion out of the MTA Master, though that wasn't saying much.

Venerable Jannzi's expert mech also spoke to Gloriana because there was just so much for her to design. The huge bulk and volume of this weighty machine granted her a lot of room to express her creativity. She loved to spend long stretches of hours puzzling different parts and structural elements together in a way that minimized any inefficiencies.

Yet… the recipient of the Bulwark Project simply didn't matter as much as her flesh-and-blood brother. Ever since Venerable Brutus lost his expert mech during the Battle of Reckoning, the poor male Hexer had been left hanging for over a year as he entrusted her sister to provide him with a replacement machine.

Considering how much Gloriana loved her older brother, she couldn't bring herself to support her previous argument anymore.

"Fine.." She sighed. "You'll get your way. We can finish the Bulwark Project first before we complete the Chimera Project. I guess it will work out better this way as the various side projects related to the latter are taking longer to complete than we thought."

Ves grinned as he closed his eyes. He finally managed to get his way!

"Good. Just make sure you don't slack off when we finally fabricate the Chimera Project. Otherwise the same thing that happened earlier will happen again. You don't want to be left out of the opportunity to make another masterwork, right?"

"Right…"

The two finally called it a night and fell into slumber.

After enjoying a long and unrestrained rest, the pair woke up a lot more rejuvenated the next day.

"I want to inspect the First Sword and the Decapitator a bit more today." She told Ves.

"I'll be on the bridge. Now that we have finished our business, we can finally say goodbye to the Amswick System."

Not that Ves spent a lot of time and effort into getting to know it in the first place. The expeditionary fleet remained well outside of the border to the inner system, as did many other visiting ships and fleets.

When Ves and Lucky wandered over to the bridge, they settled and waited until every ship in the combined fleet sounded off. Once it became clear that every vessel was ready to move, the entire fleet transitioned into FTL travel without any issue.

"How long will it take to cross into Smiling Samuel and rendev-vous with the Vulcanite greeting party?" Ves asked a navigation officer.

"Around two weeks, sir."

Ves nodded. "Very well. Please inform me if there are any changes to the schedule."

After so many ups and downs, he was finally about to complete one of the Supply Missions that the System had issued to him years ago. He felt greatly relieved that he was finally able to lift a burden off his shoulders.

Though he wanted to complete the Supply Missions sooner, it wasn't his fault the System's standards were so high. Ves still hadn't heard about any of the other ultra-rare exotics. Perhaps the only realistic way that he would be able to get his hands on weird materials like Yondu Milk was to go on another Mastery experience.

"Later." He whispered to himself. "Not now. I still need to finish my remaining projects…"