The Mech Touch

The time had come to present their work to the ones that had shown a great interest in the potential of the Carmine System.

Proof was all that the leadership of the Survivalist Faction lacked. Now that Ves and Jovy had worked hard in the last 20 hours to deliver 3 whole Carmine mechs as well as a ridiculous juggernaut design, it was time for this affair to enter the final stage.

Surprisingly enough, all three members of the secret panel reappeared once again.

Their schedules must be incredibly busy given how they all had to meet with a lot of important figures in order to undertake their duties as the envoys of their respective faction leaders.

Master Xena Wintress, the Mace of Retaliation and Master Vayro Goldstein all looked as strong and impeccable as ever as they teleported inside the secure mech workshop.

Their eyes immediately drew towards the three Carmine mechs that were awaiting their inspection.

Even though the machines that Ves was able to produce in this short timespan did not come close to representing his best efforts, the way these three distinguished figures gazed at his Carmine mechs made it seem as if they were all masterworks!

The ace pilot spoke up first. "So these are your works, Professor Larkinson. I can truly appreciate how novel it is to come into contact with mechs that are... alive. The stories and the records do not do your work justice. It is this quality that enables your Carmine System to increase the cooperation between a mech and a mech pilot, is that correct? Is there no possibility that your Carmine System can be employed on a non-living mech?"

Ves nodded as he stood aside his three works. "You Survivalists are certainly welcome to try, but based on my current theories I see no way to make this happen. The Carmine System is not really the most important part about all of this. It is the Blood Pact that truly enables people to bond with their mechs in a more intimate fashion. You cannot form a metaphysical bond if there is no valid receiver on the other side."

He genuinely did not want his Carmine System to become overly dependent on living mechs.

It sounded contradictory as it went against his own interests for people to become less dependent on his work, but he did not want to deprive people of the ability to choose when they had the option to pilot a mech with the help of the Carmine System.

He ideally wanted the decision to pilot a living mech and develop a deep and permanent bond with one to be as voluntary as possible.

Ves believed that only the pilots who proactively chose to pilot living mechs could utilize them to the fullest.

However, he saw no viable way to detach the Carmine System from living mechs. The former worked as an extension of the latter.

"Are these mechs ready for use?" Master Xena Wintress asked.

"The designs should be sound enough." Jovy answered this time. "We have encountered no major issues during the fabrication process either. Theoretically, these mechs should be safe and adequate enough to be piloted in a regular fashion. The only uncertainty is the Carmine System. Professor Larkinson has designed three unique versions of it to accommodate the specific circumstances of every test machine. In every case, the variations are the first of their kind to exist in reality. Neither of us are able to guarantee their safety and performance."

"That is understandable." Master Goldstein said in a gentle tone. "We are well aware of the potential risks and dangers of testing unverified tech. If our conditions were better, we would have been willing to extend more time to attain the results we desire. Sadly, we do not enjoy that luxury. We are pleased that the two of you have successfully completed your assignment in a small span of time. We recognize and appreciate your skills."

The three high-ranked figures moved closer to the three Carmine mechs and inspected their frames and design characteristics in their own ways.

The three machines could not hide many of their secrets from the sight of two powerful Master Mech Designers. Both Wintress and Goldstein were easily able to trace the design process and many of the design choices that Ves and Jovy had made over the course of the design process.

Only the Carmine System eluded their understanding for the time being. All of their knowledge, experience and other advantages did not avail them much in their attempts to decipher all of its secrets.

This was why they wanted to see it at work so badly. After a decent delay, they finally had an opportunity to gain the missing piece that could complete the puzzle surrounding the mysterious Carmine System.

"Interesting." The Mace of Retaliation spoke as he brushed aside the Carmine Trooper and the Carmine Knight so that he could get a closer look at the undersized Carmine Raider. "What has led you to settle on this size?"

"I am not a big fan of turning the demimech into a glorified suit of combat armor." Ves replied. "The difference between mechs and suits of combat armor is in the method of control. I wanted to rule out any possibility for manual movements to control the movements of the demimech, so I made sure its torso is large enough to encompass the entire body of the pilot."

"I do not entirely see the value of this Carmine Raider of yours." The Mace of Retaliation frowned. "I admit that it is large enough to possess a great advantage against infantry, but its size prevents it from passing through most corridors and other indoor spaces that are fairly tight. It also happens to be small enough that any serious mech can crush them in an overwhelming fashion. It possesses too many vulnerabilities and shortcomings to be useful on a wider scale."

Ves did not deny all of the criticism. "That is true. If we weren't so short on time, 1 would have been able to design a smaller Carmine demimech that would have been more suitable in smaller scale engagements. 1 am not confident that I can shrink the Carmine System down to such a small size. It is designed for a mech, not a suit of armor. There is too little space to accommodate it if I shrink the demimech too much."

"Understandable. We did not request a demimech and expect it to be used in any serious battles. We merely want to test out one of our ideas."

Both Masters nodded at each other once they completed their inspections.

"We can proceed to the testing phase." Master Goldstein spoke with a smile on his face. "We have already readied the test subjects and prepared a small but secure hall to conduct the first activations. Let us move."

The leaders did not want to spend additional time on transporting everything to their next destination, so they teleported straight over.

Ves, Jovy, the three envoys along with the three Carmine mechs all appeared in an empty space in a different section of the Khamatar Reign.

The research battlecarrier was large and expansive enough to offer a lot of space for the purpose of testing mechs.

Three pilots were already present in the chamber. Each of them had suited up in special protective piloting suits that looked a lot more elaborate than any piloting suit that Ves had seen.

"Let me introduce you to the pilots." Master Goldstein said as he approached the saluting pilots.

"This is Pilot Tina Ekland. Her genetic aptitude is B-, which is enough to pilot most of our standard mechs, but it is hard for her to compete against her more fortunate peers. We have a theory that your Carmine System can help her close the gap between herself and the pilots who have been able to derive more benefits from their superior aptitudes."

The female mech pilot conveyed herself with a professional demeanor that betrayed no unsolicited emotion or reaction.

Nonetheless, Ves could sense a strong drive and hunger for improvement. She did not want to remain stuck in the middle of the pack. She wanted to stand out and defeat her rivals who always had it much easier due to their incredible talents!

He had to admit that selecting a highly motivated pilot like Tina was a good choice. Not only did she possess the motivation to accept the tradeoffs of the Carmine System, but her mediocre results thus far made it a lot easier to make comparisons once she bonded herself to a new machine.

"Is there anything you would like to convey to Pilot Ekland before she enters the cockpit? Do not worry about confidentiality. The pilots here are fully cleared to know about the Carmine System."

That made life a lot easier for Ves.

He faced the test pilot directly. "The Carmine Trooper is the third mech with the Carmine System that 1 have designed. 1 am not sure how much documentation you have read about living mechs, but try to show respect and treat it as an equal partner. It might not be as alive as my more proper works, but it still has its own feelings and emotions. If you treat it with sincerity, it will take care of you to the best of its ability."

Pilot Ekland seriously took his advice into consideration. "You make it sound as if your mech is a horse."

"That is a good analogy. Just keep that image in your mind. If you want to pilot my Carmine Trooper, then you can't just hop onto its back and gallop away. You will have to merge your bodies with it and exchange each other's blood. This is one of the most intimate ways in which two different beings can connect with each other, so do your best not to show any hesitation or rejection. This advice applies to the rest of you as well."

Master Goldstein moved on to introducing the second candidate.

"This is Lieutenant Leon Di Maggio. He is a tactical officer stationed on this ship. He is trained in infantry combat and possesses enough knowledge on mechs to assist in planning mech operations. He is also an avid virtual mech enthusiast, so he is not completely out of his depth if he ever finds himself in a mech cockpit."

This was a soldier who possessed both brains and brawn in good abundance. Though the lieutenant tried to remain just as calm and professional as the other two candidates, his emotional turmoil was by far the greatest!

"Do you have confirmation that he does not possess the right genetic aptitude?" Ves asked.

"We have confirmed it many times over, Professor Larkinson. His genetic aptitude is F-, which is the lowest possible measurement that we can record in our system."

Ves had actually possessed a genetic aptitude of F- as well a long time ago. Somehow, that got upgraded to plain F sometime ago for whatever reason.

It did not make any difference as far as he was concerned. He was still as untalented and unsuited to pilot mechs in person as before.

"I do not have any idea what else is required to pilot a mech by relying on the Carmine System alone." Ves frankly admitted. "There is a significant chance that the burden of piloting a second-class mech is too great for a norm, even one that has received plenty of cognitive augmentations. I cannot rule out the possibility that an accident will occur."

"We are no stranger to sacrifices, Professor Larkinson. Do not think that you are doing a disservice to Lieutenant Di Maggio. It is the opposite. You have bestowed him with great honor. He stands to become the first human individual with poor genetic aptitude to pilot a real mech through a novel and practical control system. If these experiments succeed, his name will be recorded in history as a volunteer who has dedicated himself to contribute to a revolutionary new invention that has brightened the Age of Dawn."

If the upcoming tests proceeded well, then Master Goldstein was right. They would be making history today. Their names would be recorded and remembered for many years after the conclusion of this testing session.

All it would take for Ves and the lieutenant to become a prominent part of red humanity's historical record was for the Carmine mechs to do their jobs!