What's Junk? (The Mech Touch)

[lost star]

Bolt was currently at an intermediate point in his career now. Making new mechs and designs had become less of a priority if he wanted to improve. He could, but they wouldn't really advance him. As a Senior he was best served by refining his existing base and directing subordinates to explore other niche areas. This was actually rather new territory for him, and he wasn't sure how to proceed at the moment aside from doing the obvious.

His current plan, as barebones as it was, was mostly to get a update for all his models out this year and little else. This was because he felt like he as in a bit of a sweet spot market wise. He could sell his models without overwhelming local markets but also had enough of a spread that people could purchase a lot of what they wanted. Maintaining more lines would cost too much attention wise. He was also currently in the process of getting the Heart System approved for licensing in the Sector. The MTA wanted more data before a galactic release.

This was something Bolt agreed with. There were still a lot of edge cases around the system that needed to be addressed and smoothed out. Installation and compatibility with other designing philosophies was quite necessary and one of the areas that they really needed more testers in. He really felt he was best served by waiting for that and what innovations would occur from other designers.

Which actually brought him to another area he needed to keep a close eye on. His students had just built their next mechs. Sami had built a mech she'd named Lantern Witch. Herald had built a mech he' named Sword-Grunt.

Both were extremely interesting in their own way, despite being Third Rate and done by beginners.

Lantern Witch had two weapons. One hand held a lantern that sent out missiles. The other hand held a small handgun that fired lasers. Both on their own weren't particularly dangerous. Sami had made several alterations to make them worthy of consideration. The first was that the missiles looked like little fireflies and marked targets. The second was that the laser tended to bend to hit the marks. The combination made the Lantern Witch a surprisingly accurate and deadly little close range killer. It was a striker that didn't look like a striker.

Herald's Swordsman, named Sword-Grunt, functioned relatively normal in comparison. The mech had no outstanding features at all really. It was almost textbook as a swordsman. Had it not been reinforced all over with something like spiritual constructions Bolt would have actually been forced to talk with Herald about remedial lessons. Instead he had to actually study the new mech a bit to see what was had actually been done.

Bolt's conclusion was that Sword-Grunt was basically just more of a mech. That was the best description, as anemic as it was. Herald had taken cues from his lessons and just focused very hard on designing a good mech with spiritual power. Sword-Grunt was very obviously designed by a junior. It also showed a serious understanding of spiritual matters. It didn't do anything now, but it showed progress. Once the young man refined his work he'd have a relatively unique design philosophy that would likely do some very new and unique things!

This meant that his little students were both developing nicely in a way he hadn't anticipated and were learning the proper lessons! It also meant that Bolt needed to do some teaching again. The question was what? More lessons felt counterproductive truthfully. His students had the grounding in both mechs and spiritual matters. They needed refinement and experience, not more lessons. Making more mechs was the best way to do that. Having them make them in Iron Spirit didn't feel right though. It lacked a certain urgency that made one really push oneself. Neither of his students could go out and start up a company either. Their wealth and status made that a non-starter.

Bolt almost smacked himself when he recalled a possible solution. He then spent a few minutes trying to figure out how to order it before he sent a few messages. It was only after he got a reply from one of his contacts that he summoned both his students at once.

Sami was first naturally. Bolt gave her a nod and had her wait in one of the seats. Herald was next. The young man strolled in, glanced at Sami and then took a seat.

"So, this is the first time yer both meeting. Sami, meet Herald. Herald meet Sami. Yer both my direct students, and Sami's family is something we're keeping hush hush." Bolt began simply and without fanfare. "Consider her your junior Herald."

"Pleased to meet you." The young man said serenely without a hint of suspicion.

"Yeah." Sami responded uncomfortably. "We doing group lessons now?" She asked her teacher.

"Something like that." Bolt muttered and forwarded the two a comm message. "This is an invitation to visit a neighboring Sector. I want ya both to go there and do as many design contests as you think you can handle." He ordered. "Second Rate, Third Rate, doesn't matter. Just do contests. Take... Well a year max but no more than that."

Both students looked at their comms and frowned. "How am I going to get there?" Sami asked first.

"Herald, would you mind transporting her?" Bolt asked the young man.

The person in question glanced at Sami and gave a shrug then a smile. "I'm rather sure I have enough room. Anything for my junior."

"Hah." Sami breathed out. "Ok, I can handle this. It's a bit much and real sudden, but I can handle it."

"Do we need to win them all?" Herald asked.

"I ain't gonna be broken up if ya lose so long as you learn something. These orders are for you. You need practice and motivation. You now have both. Do contests, take contracts, travel and learn how they do mechs." Bolt ordered with a half smile on his face. "Yer past the point where you need direct instruction and new just need experience. Send me the mechs you want me to review and we'll go over them."

Both students nodded at him and Bolt let a few beats of silence hit them before he continued with a review on the mechs. "Now Sami, yer mech is good, but I'd suggest switching the handgun out for a shotgun and lean into the Striker aspect."

Sami frowned. "Can the arm handle that?"

"If you go with some of the lighter models yes." Bolt pointed out a few models. "Herald, your mech is structurally sound, but it's boring enough that it won't sell anywhere. After today I want you to focus on aesthetics."

"Aesthetics master?" The young man asked.

"This actually goes for Sami too, but you should make it a priority. Making mechs look striking helps with the Glow and sales." Bolt explained. "It will also let you set your mechs apart from mine. That'll be important later." He paused. "Or you could mimic my style too if you like. That again has implications."

Both his students nodded at that and Bolt continued the lesson, moving onto more technical aspects.

 

[Golgotha]

Mostly a set up chapter but it certainly could get a lot of balls moving in the future.

 

[Tavarokk]

Hardworking, amiable personality, third-rate talent, element: mech, origin: mech. Sounds familiar ^_^

 

[Pollyamorous]

You know, Sami and Herald are shaping up to be exactly what Bolt and the MTA want right now.

Sami is the example of what a designer who grows while knowing about Glows could specialize in with a weird specialization, so far apparently being mechs themed around witches with lanterns.

Herald is the example of what a designer who grows while knowing about Glows could specialize in with seemingly no specialization, being an extreme generalist that just has the Glows stapled on.

They're both the equivalent of proof-of-concept prototypes on opposite sides of the spectrum, and the data they'll be generating from being so different is going to be invaluable for everyone involved.

 

[lost star]

Mercenaries held an odd position compared to organized militaries. They held an odd position all over really. Socially they ranged from acceptable, to romanticized, to despised, sometimes in the same nation. It really depended on a lot of factors. Headhunter Leo considered it a weapon that he leveraged by building his reputation and keeping to certain codes. He was honorable, so he was welcomed, so he got the good jobs, and so on. Careful management of his behavior had given him a longer and more famous career than many other mercenaries in the same position.

Good jobs never meant easy jobs though. And this war had never given him easy jobs. Mercenaries were ultimately more expendable than normal soldiers. So he'd been thrown into the worst fighting with minimal support with the assumption that he'd die from it. Most of the experts from Third Rate nations had experienced similar situations. They should have died in mass, both weakening the Third Rate nations and preserved vital assets on the Friday Coalition.

Many had died. Yet Leo had noticed a curious phenomenon. Those experts that had Bolt's designs had died less. It was a combination of factors that had done it. They were more resistant to glows, more eager to work with one another, and while their resonance abilities weren't more potent, they were more exotic. The effect hadn't been that noticeable at first, but now, towards the end of the war, there were signs that certain people were looking at the numbers and getting worried.

Case in point. "Friday forces are unable to reinforce." One of his men reported.

"Hmm." Leo got out as he looked over the tactical map on one of the screens in the map. "And it feels like information was cut off too. I'm noticing a lack of updates in key areas."

"Jamming is in place." The man said, but it was obvious to both of them that this was deliberate. "This is just shy of a contract breach."

"That only matters if we survive." Leo replied and steeled himself. "Any forces able to render aid?"

"No."

Neatly done then. Leo didn't bother cursing out the people responsible. This was mercenary life. He focused his will and readied himself even as the Hexxer forces began to advance into his small unit.

These weren't the neatly repaired and flashy fanatics. Those had long since either left for some reason or been killed. These were the desperate and willful women who knew their days were numbered. Their mechs were patchwork, many were the most standard and easily maintained models. There were only a few Squires, and not much else in the way of Glow type mechs.

Really if there wasn't an expert leading them Leo would have rolled over them all. Instead he moved forward to meet her without words. In this place and time they were meaningless anyway. They both wanted to live another day, as pitiful as that sounded.

This worst of it all was that this battle was meaningless. The Hexxers had lost. The planet was lost. The only thing that would change was how much blood would be spilt before the end. If she won, she'd be ground down by simple attrition shortly. If Leo won, he'd be thrown into another battle due to his contract.

Despite this their wills raged as they fought anyway. Giving up when you could fight was impossible for experts. Their very souls defied odds and reality itself. Leo could no more stop moving than he could breathing. His heart would stop before he stopped fighting. Every strike, every feint, every blow was given his all, and his opponent did likewise.

(This was what willpower ascension was in the end. It was the defying reality with nothing more than your desire. It was a rebellion, and that was why mechs had been designed around it. All other forms of ascension needed other things. Will needed nothing but oneself. It was inefficient, it was unsightly, and it was very human.)

As the two experts fought, their subordinates also struggled. They had a Son of War due to military contracts, so the Glows on each side were matched. The numbers weren't. Leo's allies were forced to give ground step by step despite all their skill and enthusiasm.

Leo could see that. He also couldn't stop it. His opponent was a defensive knight. The woman wasn't particularly good, but her mech let her fight him well enough that he couldn't finish her quickly. His large axe was usually pretty good at destroying shields. Here it just bounced off thanks to careful use of resonance. She crowded him, forced him to be careful with his swings, and when he managed to get an opening she deflected it. Her entire strategy was victory through delaying tactics.

Thus he became more and more surrounded every second. Leo started taking potshots from the Hexxer's allies and he was forced to evaluate his positiong. Retreat wasn't an option. Victory was looking dim as well.

Despite everything Leo just felt irritated. There was no bounty here. No real challenge. He knew he could win against her by outlasting her if nothing else. He just wouldn't win the battle. He'd gotten thrown into a corner because of his employer.

"Look at me." The man muttered to himself as he activated his resonance and formed a ghost. "I've grown arrogant."

The ghost in question blocked a few shots from the chaff and began to fire at them. Some dropped. Others kept shooting at him as his opponent did not let up. He felt like he had to give the woman a token of respect at this point. She knew she was outmatched, but she'd found a chance at victory and was feverishly grasping it. It was worthy of commendation at least. She was acting as a warrior should have. She was doomed but refused to be doomed alone.

Well, if he was going to die here he'd make sure to take one more head at least. Leo swung his axe forward again. The shield flared with light and it bounced. The woman stepped up close and maneuvered her sword to stab. It was a drilled tactic. Likely something she'd done a thousand times. There were no openings and her moving up close made it difficult to punish her well.

He backed up to avoid the stab. The enemy surrounding him fired. He ignored how it splashed off his armor. Chip by chip he was being worn down. Leo smiled grimly. Just a few more passes and they'd both likely die. He didn't fear death. Even as it pressed on him, he felt no fear. This was the life he'd chosen. After being disowned and forced into this work from Vesia, he had no regrets. A battlefield like this was home, and here and now he found that he welcomed it.

Something cracked inside of him. Leo barely noticed at first as his mech started to show errors. Willpower flared. Then cracked again. A quiet spirit in the corner of his mech offered its hand and he took it on instinct. A barrier broke and his willpower magnified itself.

Power erupted from his body. It coated his mech. Dullahan welcomed it and howled in ghostly joy.

Every mech within sight lost their head. There was no fanfare to it. No warning. One moment they were fully functional, the next their heads were on the ground. Leo took a breath and found himself both irritated and exhilarated. In front of him his opponent paused and then very slowly dropped to a knee, sans head.

He didn't blame her. It wasn't every day someone became an Ace pilot. Leo found himself more annoyed than happy even as the high from the ascension hit him. Getting clients now was going to be hell. Ace pilots were expensive!

 

[Emptiness]

Leo: "What if I just pretend nothing happened? No Ace gets easy jobs, and then I would have to update my business cards......"

 

[foo-jin]

Leo: "Tsk, what a drag.."

 

[Golgotha]

If Bolt wasnt getting enough attention before with his Mechs having a lot of experts, its going to go nuts if they think its a greater chance of Aces as well

 

[Sunhawk]

Leo: "What if I just pretend nothing happened? No Ace gets easy jobs, and then I would have to update my business cards......"

Click to shrink...

Eh, his costs are probably going to increase. If he doesn't get a suitably upgraded mech, he probably burns through the poor thing quickly - and repairs for an Ace mechs are likely an order of magnitude or two more expensive.

But that aside, his grousing is probably more habitual than anything serious. Sure, potential clients are going to be fewer, but he's likely to not need nearly as many jobs. It's also pretty unlikely that an Ace gets done dirty like he did here - they're both too valuable and too dangerous to offend in that kind of way.

If Bolt wasnt getting enough attention before with his Mechs having a lot of experts, its going to go nuts if they think its a greater chance of Aces as well

Click to shrink...

Eh, I feel like his mechs will need to see the promotion of at least one more Ace, just to suggest it's not a coincidence.

Although that his mechs lead to much higher rates of expert survival and thriving is going to be valuable enough on its own; I wonder if it's just Leo that drew the conclusion, or if other parties noticing the Third-Rate nation mercs and levies are surviving unfortunately often have come to the same thought.

 

[Pyro Hawk]

So I just had a realisation: we just had a line in recent chapters about how no nation is recognised as a nation until it has an Ace Pilot. Headhunter Leo is someone that's ended up quite happy with Bolt and Lily, along with being part of the 3rd Rate Expert Mercenaries working for the Fridays which are called out as being unusually willing to work together and having been effective enough that they weren't dying often enough for someone in the Fridays' preference, to the point of being absolutely blatant about trying to actively see them killed off rather than just giving them the most dangerous roles to serve as cannonfodder.

Something that was riding right on the line of contract breach for Leo here, hence why he ended up in a position to Ascend. Add in how he's grumbling about the difficulty of getting jobs now and...

What I'm saying is, is this actually the start of Bloody Karma becoming an 'Official' Nation now? With many of the 3rd Rate Experts that the Fridays are now beginning to actively betray in ways that the contracts aren't quite being breached over but is clearly hostile in a way that has you going 'they have a lawyer they're listing to for exactly how much they can do before they get in trouble for killing us' in a position to rally to them?

 

[Waruiko]

Well if I understand correctly masterworks like his mech do make becoming an Ace much easier

 

[Gilar]

And the new nation's name will be "Outer Haeven".