The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5709 Improved Designs

"What do you think about my wife's latest proposal, Alexa?"

The next day, Ves had taken care of his usual chores before paying a visit to Alexa's workplace.

His direct disciple was just in the process of completing the refinement to her chosen design philosophy and the mech designs that reflected her aspirations.

This was a crucial moment for Alexa. After receiving her mentor's critique, she had courageously delayed her impending advancement in order to strengthen her foundation even further.

Any modest advantages that she was able to establish at this point would definitely pay off immensely in the future!

The quality of Project S1 and Project S2 had clearly benefited from her additional care and attention.

As Ves carefully reviewed the design schematics of Alexa's smart metal mech and rifleman mech, he became particularly impressed by how she was able to make them feel more human rather than pursue efficiency at all costs.

The more familiar shapes and proportions should do a lot to make mech pilots feel better about piloting Alexa's concept works.

While Ves continued to admire his student's updated works, Alexa thought over the story that he had shared and formulated her response.

"I think your wife's argument has merit." She said. "I have heard about your mixed past related to this subject, but that should not serve as an impediment to advancing the strength of your clan. Our clan. We still have a severe mismatch between our value and our military might. The expeditionary fleet alone cannot possibly protect you or the amazing organizations that you have built. The fact that you need to depend on the Bluejay Fleet is a clear sign of weakness on your part. The sooner you can rid your dependence on the mechers for protection, the better. There is no telling when the Red Association sees fit to withdraw its fleet or worse."

Ves grimaced. "I get what you mean. I worry about this as well. Even so, the shares in my mech company are really valuable. I don't mean to boast, but I think I have a pretty good chance of advancing to Star Designer one day. How do you estimate the value of any shares of the main mech mech company of a figure of this stature? People should be glad to give me possession of their starships, shipyards or even a piece of their own organizations in exchange for getting involved in any of my businesses! However, no one in the present is willing to go this far. I won't get as much value for selling those shares today than if I wait a decade or two decades."

Alexa shook her head in disapproval. "You should not think of this issue from this angle. It is indeed likely that the market value of your shares will continue to rise over time as long as you keep releasing more impressive works, but you will spend many more years without the security and safety provided by the additional strategic first-class assets that you can bring under your control. It is ultimately up to you to decide whether you are willing to rely on the Bluejay Fleet going forward, but that will take much longer to build a proper fleet and allow your clansmen to accrue vital experience needed to make the best use of these powerful assets. If you start to build your fleet too late, then it will not be able to perform at its best when you need to rely on it the most."

That was a concern that Ves was worrying about as well. He could not forget about all of the images of doom and gloom that he and Ylvaine had painted on the surface of the Zeal.

The mechers may have forced him to erase the prophetic visions, but they still lived on in his mind.

Sure, the Red Association would do its best to prevent the doom scenarios from unfolding, but success was not guaranteed. If the mechers failed, then Ves and the Larkinsons needed to be able stand on their own without relying on dubious allies and fair weather friends.

Though Ves did not make up his mind right away, he clearly became more swayed by Gloriana's proposal. Alexa's lack of disapproval played a major role in shifting his feelings about this subject.

"No person or organization is able to stand alone." Alexa said. "My former ancient clan is no exception. It has forged many bonds with other organizations by exchanging shares of its assets. By surrendering a part of your control, you will gain the allegiance of a powerful ally who will be incentivized to stand up for you in the situations that matter. The early injection of wealth or other strategic concessions can be used to consolidate your position and reduce the risk of collapsing."

"Mmmhmm." Ves grunted as he continued to contemplate this situation while at the same time completing his examination of her two living mech designs. "I like how you have made great strides in anthropomorphizing the design and visual appearance of both the male and female variants of Project S2. I can't help but notice that you have widened the hips of the female variant to a rather obvious manner."

Alexa sheepishly smiled. "I did not initially design the female variant to simulate the birth of a human child through this specific channel. As I have shown you months earlier, the original process of procreation should have taken place in a specialized rear-mounted module that could easily be attached or detached to the machine as needed. Here, I have made many adjustments so that the module is not only attached to the front, but will also connect to internal channels of the torso of the mech frame in order to 'deliver' the mechanical offspring when the time has come."

The technical complications resulting from all of these changes were considerable. Ves knew that Alexa could not have possibly enjoyed the tedious redesign process, but that was alright.

All that mattered was whether the mech design became and whether she had learned numerous useful lessons in the process.

Her redesign certainly caused the female variant of the experimental spaceborn rifleman mech to lose much of its slender profile, but the added width and bulk should be worth it. Alexa had tried her best to put the added mass and thickness to good use by making the machine more resilient and able to absorb more heat.

"If I decide to auction a part of my shares, how much do you think I should pass on to the winners?" Ves asked.

"That is difficult to say. You do not need to push yourself to the limit and give up 46 percent ownership at once. That is far too excessive for your current purpose. You should only auction as much as you need to acquire the key assets that you seek to strengthen our clan. If you can obtain a working first-

class shipyard by surrendering 15 percent of outstanding shares of the LMC, then you will have already satisfied your minimum goal."

Ves played a clip of a simulation in the projected interface. It showed how the process of procreation between two similar mechs was supposed to unfold from a purely physical and technical perspective.

The simulated movements were quite intriguing. Ves gazed at the motions with a critical eye. He began to rub his hairless chin as he contemplated the practicality of this possible scenario.

"I see that the wider hips certainly help with this ritualistic process. However, I cannot help but notice that the male variant can only interface with the female variant from the rear and only in a specific posture. It appears that your Project S2's lack the flexibility and the proportions to interface in other stances."

"That is correct." Alexa said. "I can make it possible for the living mechs to interface with each other in other stances, but I would have to apply so many tweaks and modifications that the mechs will become needlessly complex. I have made the deliberate decision to limit these variables and keep it basic. I have found that the stance I have selected requires much less compromises in the designs due to the relatively minimal contact between the surface areas of the two variants. The only issue was that the simulations would show that certain delicate parts might vibrate out of shape from repeated activity over the long term, but I have reinforced them until they ceased to be an issue. Project S2 is only a first-generation product of my design philosophy, so it is not necessary for it to possess the full range of options. As long as it can serve as my proof of concept, then that is sufficient."

He agreed with her approach. Though he wanted living mechs to experience the fullness of life, they were still limited by all kinds of practical considerations that just did not allow them to live exactly like a human.

The point of his design philosophy was not to make them exactly identical to each other. That would defeat the purpose of designing mechs. Ves just wanted his living products to be able to grow in a more rounded manner. This was highly conducive to their growth in the long run.

"Okay. I think you are ready." He declared with a hint of pride and anticipation in his tone. "You have proven through your updated mech designs that you are ready to sunset your Apprentice days and become initiated into the true world of mech design. The only thing you have to do is to realize one of your mech designs. Will you be fabricating the S1 or the S2?"

"S2. Both variants. Project S1 is also excellent, but it is not a mech that is challenging to 'fabricate'. I only have to order a large batch of smart metal and command the nanomachines to assume the correct shape. Project S2 has to be fabricated as any conventional mech."

"Good choice. Are you sure you can fabricate the male and female variant at the same time?"

Alexa nodded. "I have already taken their production steps into account when I designed them. No process should be beyond my reach."

"Very well. If you do not have any other commitments, let us head down to the workshop so you can start right away. You need to strike while the iron is hot. I can tell you are excited for this, so it is best if you can take advantage of your current condition."

The former Terran mech designer was eager to get started, so she agreed to start her fabrication run.

It was wonderful to see her at work. Alexa might not possess the insanely high affinity towards mech that Ves currently possessed, but her theoretical understanding of all of the production machines was fantastic.

What she lacked in experience, she made up for it with logic, an attention to detail and extensive familiarity in all of the first-class instruments.

Alexa was able to work quickly. Project S2 was just a second-class rifleman mech, so it was overkill to use the current workshop to produce both of its variants.

Ves did not hover behind his student throughout this fabrication run. He still had many other responsibilities to take care of, but he tried his best to come back and stay whenever he was free.

Seeing Alexa bring her vision and her dreams to life was like witnessing the metamorphosis of an insect.

Like an ugly larva transforming into a beautiful butterfly, Alexa gradually experienced a form of tempering that increasingly added more substance to a design philosophy that previously existed as a collection of theories, assumptions and design principles.

By infusing them with her spirit and passion, she gradually transformed her design philosophy into a more spiritual existence. This would gradually make it strong enough to drag her over the extraordinary threshold and open up a wealth of new possibilities!

On the final day of the fabrication run, a new Journeyman Mech Designer had emerged.