The Mech Touch

For as long as he remembered, the Big Two were the giants of humanity. They rose up after the end of the Age of Conquest and boldly took charge of a fractured and self-destructed society.

When the Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance successfully glued the near-broken pieces of humanity back together, they managed to win the enduring support of the vast majority of humans alive.

Although it seemed that the Big Two had become the uncrowned rulers of the human race, Ves knew that supreme power and authority were not as impervious as they seemed. If the legitimacy of the two apex organizations ever came into question, then their hegemony of human civilization would quickly collapse like a house of cards!

This was why the Big Two always maintained an unassailable reputation. The mechers and fleeters didn't paint themselves as invincible because they were vain. There were real strategic reasons why they needed to inspire a huge amount of awe and dread among the common population.

Ves feared that the plot to arm the native alien species of the Red Ocean with advanced human tech sought to chip away at the foundation of this assumption.

The chances were still low that the aliens would actually be able to drive humanity away from the Red Ocean.

There was too little time for the puelmers and so on to properly master and propagate all of the new tech. High technology was called that way for a reason, and it was not because it was easy to learn.

Humanity was also so much greater than all of the native alien races of the Red Ocean combined. The dwarf galaxy was too small compared to the Milky Way. The Big Two only needed to put a moderately greater effort into their ongoing conquest to make up the difference.

What truly concerned Ves was figuring out the greater scheme behind these developments. Who was responsible and what did they seek to accomplish from messing around?

If this was just one of many steps to plot the downfall of the Big Two, then the culprits would definitely strike again. It took more than a simple dirty deed to permanently harm the MTA and CFA.

Not only would this be bad news for mechers and fleeters, many other humans would bear the brunt of ensuing chaos as well!

Like it or not, the Big Two was responsible for humanity's current prosperity.

Though wars and internal conflicts still took place, the slaughter was more constrained.

The predominant use of mechs in place of warships not only gave mech designers like Ves a huge market for their products, but also imposed hard limits on how much destruction a power could inflict.

Ves learned plenty of lessons about warfare in the Age of Conquest in his youth. He did not look forward to returning to the bad old days where a single warship could casually demolish half a continent!

"I see you comprehend the possible consequences of what our enemies in the dark may be trying to engender." Jovy cleverly remarked as he glanced towards Ves. "A part of me wants to keep you in your illusion. This should not be your business at all. Unfortunately, we don't get to choose our battles. One of the downsides of becoming one of the foremost powers of humanity is that we become the focal point of all enemies, both from within and without. Even the mighty can be felled by a swarm of ants."

As Jovy continued to paint the MTA in a more vulnerable light than usual, Ves found himself accepting everything he heard.

Yet Ves also began to entertain other suspicions.

Jovy's story was just a bit too targeted. The man spoke all of the right words that fit with Ves' own preconceptions.

Since when did MTA Journeymen reduce themselves to salesmen trying to market a new product?

As Ves thought about it more, he came up with a possible reason why Jovy was appealing so much to him. Were the Survivalists trying to rope him deeper into their camp?

It was working. Even if he knew he was being manipulated against, Ves recognized that it was in his best interest to align himself closer to the Survivalists.

After all, he was a human as well. He did not want to see the enemies of humanity end the current golden age. Though contemporary society had plenty of faults, all of the alternatives were worse. Ves really didn't think that the Terrans, Rubarthans or the Compact cultists would do a better job in governing the human race!

"We're here." Jovy stated as they stopped before an ornate silver blast door.

The entrance was carved with larger-than-life images of mechs battling against rogue warships and a myriad of alien threats.

"So why don't we go in?" Ves asked after they kept standing in place.

"Before you enter… make sure to be on your best behavior." Jovy said. "You are about to meet someone important. Very important. So much so that he had to come here in secret to avoid attracting the wrong kind of attention."

Ves grew a lot more nervous all of a sudden. "He came… just for me? Why? I'm just a mech designer. A Journeyman. Don't you mechers have better things to do with your time?"

The mecher gave him a pointed glance. "If I were you, I would not question the wisdom of people at this level. You will understand when you step inside, but try your best not to turn yourself into an idiot when you present yourself to him. He does not tolerate fools easily and has little patience for ambiguous statements. Be direct and succinct in your answers. You will regret it for the rest of your life if you leave a bad impression."

Jovy sounded so serious about this that Ves wisely smarted up. There was definitely a bigshot inside whose decisions could affect the lives of trillions of people!

Ves took a few moments to rein in his irreverent behavior. He employed a few minor spiritual tricks to assume a well-behaved side of himself.

Though Ves needed to be honest, there was no way that he was ready to spill all of his secrets to the MTA. He needed to be able to get away with speaking half-truths and diversions without generating suspicion.

Just to be sure, he also went a step further. He silently commanded Blinky to button down his mind and suppress any unusual spiritual fluctuations.

Once he made sure that he was ready to meet with whatever dignitary was waiting inside, he nodded.

"I'm ready, Mr. Armalon."

The blast doors slowly parted open. They moved quite slowly, as if it took a lot of effort to open a gap in the defenses of the chamber.

Strangely enough, Ves could not see what was inside. A white, obscuring mist blanketed his vision. He could already tell that this strange mist not only blocked his vision, but also all manner of electronic detection.

What was even more surprising to Ves was that his subtle attempt to extend his spiritual senses completely failed to yield any results!

His eyes widened. The only time that happened was when he entered the Saint Kingdom of an ace pilot!

Whether there was a hidden ace pilot nearby or not, Ves knew he had to be a lot more careful with his actions. Ace pilots were sharp and they could easily detect any foreign elements trying to pull something off in their domain fields.

Jovy gestured towards the entrance. "I can go no further, so you will have to go forward on your own. Remember what I said and be respectful at all times. You're lucky that the great person inside doesn't care too much for proper etiquette. Just be respectful."

Ves nodded. There had to be good reasons for the continual reminders.

"Thank you for your guidance. I hope to see you again."

He passed through the blast doors and continued to stride forward as the entrance slowly sealed again.

Ves had no clue what he should do next. He figured he should just keep walking forward. The only way for him to make sure that he kept walking straight forward was to use his implant to overlay a line in his vision.

A minute passed as he walked. Ves wondered whether he would bump into the other side of the chamber anytime soon. How large was this place?

As his patience slowly wore down, he grew increasingly more tempted to speak out. Whatever game this great dignitary was playing was not amusing!

Fortunately, the endless white mist finally parted a bit in front of his eyes. He observed a simple white table along with two different white chairs.

There was nothing else.

Ves didn't bother to overthink this scenario and simply headed over to the closest chair before sitting down.

Then, he waited.

Several minutes passed by as nothing happened. The white mist still obscured everything outside of his immediate environment.

It made him feel as if he had entered a form of afterlife.

Despite the circumstances, Ves truly tried his best to rein in his temper and frustration. If this was some sort of test, then he was determined not to make a fool of himself!

Fortunately, a mech designer always had plenty of matters to think about. Ves automatically turned his attention towards the Minerva Project which was already in its final phases.

The broad strokes of the expert command mech were already set. The mech designers working on the project only needed to refine their existing work before they could proceed with fabricating Commander Casella Ingvar's long-awaited battle partner.

As Ves put serious thought about how he could further improve the two-stage luminar crystal weapon wielded by the Minerva Project, he received a friendly suggestion.

"The transformation mechanism of your weapon design is prone to jamming under hectic battle situations. You should look into reducing the points of failure of this vulnerable feature."

"That's a good idea. You—, what?!"

Ves almost soared out of his chair! He had noticed the appearance of the woman sitting on the chair on the other side of the table.

The woman looked fairly ordinary at first. She wore a simple white lab coat that many researchers customarily wore.

Hers was a bit unusual though. The coat featured a few subtle but strangely elegant patterns.

The woman who wore it was also unusual now that Ves paid closer attention.

Her presence, while subtle, made Ves feel as if he had entered a bottomless ocean. There was so much hiding inside her mind that it made him feel as if he was completely insignificant!

His heart beat faster. He grew nervous as he rapidly blinked his eyes a few times.

It took an embarrassingly long time for him to remember that he had seen her face before.

Though he generally didn't pay attention to all of the great figures of humanity, he still read up on them. When he managed to match the woman's face to that of one of the people whose biography he read, his eyes widened to a comical size!

Why didn't Jovy tell him the truth?!

"…'he'…?"

The woman maintained an impassive face as she answered.

"A simple but effective form of misdirection. My current whereabouts must not be spread, hence the nature of this meeting."

Ves stiffly nodded even as he became gripped with panic.

The woman was not an ordinary bigshot. He never expected that he would meet with someone who essentially stood at the top of hierarchy!

"Mr. Larkinson." The woman spoke with a calm but undeniably authoritative voice. "You have successfully gained my interest. I believe you should know who I am. Correct?"

"Yes… I am aware of your identity. Every mech designer does. You are… the Polymath."

This was his first meeting with a Star Designer.

Hopefully, it wouldn't be his last.