The Mech Touch - Chapter 2

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The Mech Touch - Chapter 2

THE MECH TOUCH

When Ves woke up, he brushed a hand over his brown hair and wondered
why he ended up on the floor.
"It was.. the data chip!"
Ves tried to find the data chip that dropped him like a log. After a quick search,
he only came across a fried piece of metals and other melted bits. The chip
self - destructed after following its programming. He bewilderingly turned his
gaze to his wrist communicator, which was still in pristine condition.
"That’s strange. Anything that could have fried this chip should have melted
my comm in the process. How could the chip have melted itself without
transferring all that heat to my comm unit?"
Cauti ously, Ves activated his comm, expecting it to malfunction. Instead, it
turned online without a problem. After browsing the menu, he found that
nothing changed except for the addition of one new program.
The Mech Designer System.
The name already sounded b oastful. The act of designing mechs was an
intricate discipline that required years of study in the fields of mechanics,
physics, material science and more. Even after graduating from college, you
merely got your foot through the door.
It took more than ex perience and brilliance for a mech designer to achieve
true success. Just the thought of having a single app whip up a simple design
in a matter of minutes rankled Ves. The mere thought of such a software
devalued the five years he spent on becoming a mech designer.
Still... his father left him this ’System’ for a reason. Ves had no idea where
Ryncol got his hands on this mysterious app. Since he couldn’t get anymore
answers, Ves decided to run the app.
[Welcome to the Mech Designer System. Please design yo ur new mech.]
The message ended there, leaving nothing for Ves to follow up. "That’s it?"

[Deep scan complete. Registering new user Ves Larkinson. Welcome
package granted.]
"Uh, you got anything more than that?"
[Please inspect your Status. To display this page, say Status.]
"Status."
[Status]
Name: Ves Larkinson
Profession: Novice Mech Designer
Specializations: None
Design Points: 0
Attributes
Strength: 0.6
Dexterity: 0.7
Endurance: 0.6
Intelligence: 1.2
Creativi ty: 0.3
Concentration: 0.9
Neural Aptitude: F
Skills
[Assembly]: Novice
[Business]: Apprentice
[Computer Science]: Incompetent

[Mathematics]: Incompetent
[Mechanics]: Apprentice
[Metallurgy]: Apprentice
[Physics]: Novice
Evaluation: Good - for - nothing loser.
"Hey, who are you calling a loser!?"
[User Ves Larksinson is a qualified loser for having spent half of your life
wasting away your life. Your frequent diversions have left you ill - prepared for
the future. Your inability to pay off your debt is a direct consequence of your
ineptitude.]
Ves ha d to suppress the urge to raise his middle finger. Instead, he
challenged this stupid System. "I admit, I used to be a stupid kid, but I cleaned
up my act. I’m a mech designer now!"
[It is your lucky day! The Mech Designer System is the ultimate tool in th is
galaxy to design any machine that falls under the category of mechs. Any
authorized user is allowed to use this System’s many tools to design any
mech imaginable with no conceivable limits.]
Who would believe such shameless boasting. "So can I just whip up
something that weighs a thousand tons, runs at mach 50 and can even travel
faster - than - light?" 𝑓 𝑟 e ℯ 𝒘 𝗲 𝑏 n 𝑜 𝚟 𝙚 𝒍 . 𝒄 o 𝐦
[Certainly user, but you must design its components and integrate them into a
viable design by yourself. If you then wish to fabri cate the design using the
System, then you will be required to exchange a corresponding energy value
expressed in Design Points.]
It sounded ridiculous that a piece of software can just wish a mech into
existence with energy alone. "How many Design Points does it take to
fabricate a mech. How easy can I earn these points anyway?"
[An average mech requires 1,445,645,313 Design Points in order to be
fabricated accurately. Calculating your current combination of attributes and
skills. After estimating your cap abilities, you are able to earn an average of
3.89 Design Points per day.]

Ves was literally speechless. The System disparaged him again in a
roundabout way.
"You seem pretty useless. How am I suppose to get some use out of you if I
can only earn about fou r DP a day?"
[...]
"Yeah, I thought so." Ves muttered quietly. His finger already hovered over his
comm, ready to shut down this useless app.
[User, please do not exit the program yet. You have yet to explore the menu,
nor have you opened up your welcome p ackage.]
"Okay, so give me a menu then."
[Mech Designer System Menu]
Status
Designer
Missions
Skill Tree
Shop
Lottery
Inventory
"User, as a Novice Mech Designer, your privileges are limited. You currently
do not have access to the Missions, Shop and Lotter y menu."
Ves browsed the Designer option first. The System unfolded into a vast
holographic design interface that seemed to be ripped off from a popular
design suite that Ves had frequently used in his student days. The System’s
version came with a lot of additional features, though Ves wasn’t in the mood
to explore them right now.

The Skill Tree unfolded even more elaborately, taking up a panoramic view.
The most fundamental skills sat at the top. It started with the most basic fields
such as mechanics and mathematics. Beneath them nested an unfolding
expanse of sub - skills that seemingly went on forever. He could upgrade skills
as diverse as artistic judgment.
This Skill Tree alone appeared way too fantastical and unreal. How could
anyone improve themselves with the press of a button? All it took to upgrade
his skills was to spend a couple of so - called Design Points.
It was fairly uncanny that the system managed to map his current skills pretty
accurately. Ves reserved his judgment for the moment. His father had to have
a compelling reason to pass on this absurd piece of software to him. Ves
refused to consider the Sys tem to be a work of fantasy.
He opened the inventory last. It appeared to be a typical, game - like interface
except he couldn’t store or take out real - universe items. The inventory mainly
dealt with storing designs and other virtual content, though it offer ed the
option of storing real items later on.
Naturally, his inventory contained no designs, but he found the vaunted
welcome package in the miscellaneous tab. He curiously tapped it with his
finger.
The holographic box cheerfully opened up accompanied by the faux -
celebratory fanfare prevalent in cheap online games. Three silhouettes floated
in front of him, tempting his anticipation a tiny bit even as he remained
skeptical of this System.
[Congratulations, you have received 10 Design Points. Please spend t hem
well.]
"Just ten measly Design Points?" Ves exasperatingly questioned.
From browsing the previous menus, he learned that 10 Design Points was
only worth peanuts to the System. With this amount, he could neither afford to
increase his attributes or upgr ade any skills. The paltry amount only afforded
him enough to purchase a soda.
He then clicked the next silhouette which revealed three copper lottery tickets.
It allowed him to draw three prizes from the system’s lowest - ranked lottery
draw.

When Ves activ ated a ticket, the Lottery page projected a prize wheel. After
staring at the wheel in doubt, he spun the large object by heaving a lever with
his arm.
[You have failed to draw a prize from your copper lottery ticket. Please draw
again.]
[You have failed t o draw a prize from your copper lottery ticket. Please draw
again.]
[You have failed to draw a prize from your copper lottery ticket. Please draw
again.]
"Really, even the lottery tickets from the convenience store aren’t so stingy."
After using up the lot tery tickets, The System’s final present unfolded. The
silhouette faded away, revealing a small mechanical cat.
The pet displayed on the hologram seemed no different from any of the other
artificial intelligences available on the galactic net. Popular with little girls
around the galaxy, these virtual pets offered companionship and distraction
without the hassle of taking care of a real animal.
"So you got me a virtual cat. Whoop - die - doo."
[You are mistaken user. This gold - ranked auxiliary companion is an e xtremely
rare random draw from the welcome package. Congratulations on acquiring
your new gem cat.]
The creature in front of Ves shifted. The holographic interface dimmed as the
projection of the mechanical cat brightened.
The cat thudded on the floor with an audible thump. Just as Ves thought the
System was tricking him, the cat meowed and physically brushed his leg with
its very real body.
"What?"
This couldn’t be happening. The cat felt real. Ves bent down and put his
hands around the light metallic shel l of the cat and lifted it in front of his face.
The cat questioningly purred as it beheld its new owner while Ves processed
its appearance.

His communicator was just a basic model. It didn’t possess the fancy micro
fabrication options that came with premi um models.
Even if his comm turned into premium model overnight, it was impossible to
fabricate a mechanical animal larger than a mosquito. His comm simply
couldn’t store the required materials. Who knew how the cat came into
existence. The System’s workin gs already broke the bounds of reality.
[Do not be surprised user. As the ultimate design tool for mechs, the Mech
Designer System is able to utilize [REDACTED] to instantly fabricate any
design or item you have exchanged at the shop at the cost of Design Points.]
Only until now did it sink in that Ves’ father had left him an impossibly amazing
software. Though he understood very little so far, he was fairly certain that
whoever created this System was light - years ahead of even the most
advanced human scien tists. He guessed that the System might be hiding
some massive secrets, some of which may even involve alien technologies.
These questions were so far above Ves’ tiny head that he simply set them
aside for the moment. He had more immediate concerns.
"This cat is kind of cute." Ves remarked as he scratched the mechanical
creature’s head. "Is it supposed to do something more than beg for scratches
and hugs?"
[Concentrate on the gem cat in order to call up its Status.]
[Pet Status]
Name: None
Owner: Ves Larkinson
Rank: Gold [Exclusive]
Level: 1
Skills
[Gem Excretion I]
"What kind of a skill is Gem Excretion?"

"Concentrate on the skill to see further details."
[Gem Excretion]
The ability to convert low value materials into rare gemstones of a hi gher
value through manual absorption, digestion and excretion. These gemstones
provide random benefits helpful to any mech that incorporates them into their
design. Certain raw materials have a higher emphasis on the benefits that the
resulting gemstones c an express.
It took half a minute for the description to sink in with Ves. From what he could
understand, this cat ate minerals digested it into gems. These gems ought to
be quite valuable depending on their effects. He might be able to earn some
quick cas h if he sold these shiny gems.
[Do not overestimate the gem cat. At level 1, the pet can only excrete one
gem per week.]
Ves sighed in disappointment. The cat booped his nose with its soft paw.
"Well I’m better off now than before, so I’ve got no grounds t o complain. As for
you, let me call you Lucky, since I’m counting on you to be my lucky charm."
The mech cat adorably meowed in response, indicating that its artificial
intelligence possessed at least some form of low sentience.
Ves searched the cabinets o f his workshop and scrounged up a pile of loose
ore. The random materials were likely left by the previous owner that his
father didn’t bother to tidy up when he bought them second - hand.
Ves took a head - sized chunk and the small cat somehow managed to gobb le
up the entire thing in a clear violation of the laws of physics. There was no
way a normal mechanical cat could fit so much material in its cat - sized belly.
"Okay, this is clearly another freaky thing in a long list of impossibilities. No
use cracking m y head over these miracles. I’ve to take care of my money
problem first."
Ves dropped the cat and left it to explore the workshop alone. he approached
his desk and turned on the computer terminal in order to do some research.

He briefly went over the manua ls of the machines in his workshop. He found
that they were basic but reliable models, and didn’t differ much from what he
used during his studies.
He then checked the prices of mechs, parts and raw materials at the public
markets. Cloudy Curtain was just a regular boring residential planet, famed for
its colorful clouds rather than any industry, so its mech market was anemic.
If Ves wanted to sell his products to a viable market, then he needed access
to the bigger trading nodes nestled in the heart of the Bright Republic. Not
anyone qualified to do so. Ves lacked both reputation and a track record.
Even if he did gain access, he lacked the capital to acquire the raw resources
needed to fabricate a mech.
"It takes money to to make money."
That was one of th e most important lesson he learned in college. Surprisingly,
he did quite well in his business classes. Ves owed this achievement due to
his aspirations. It also helped that the classes only involved simple math.
After half a day of research, Ves gained a clearer idea on the viability of his
new enterprise.
He gave up on producing a physical product. The areas of mech design, mech
customization or mech fabrication all required substantial capital in order to
step foot in them. He needed at least several million credits upfront.
The only economically viable ma rket where he could realistically offer his
services was in the field of mech repair and maintenance. However, his
workshop was limited by its scale, and without a reputation he doubted he
could attract any customers.
He needed to make a start in a market with a low barrier of entry, one that
didn’t demand any prior investment. Ves made a resigned look at the section
of games on his terminal.
IRON SPIRIT - The most exclusive galactic mech simulator in the galaxy!
Iron Spirit was not the most played online g ame on the market. However, its
esports broadcasts attracted a very wide audience, allowing the game to
foster a large and diverse creator’s market.

The reason for the game’s success could be attributed to its adherence to
reality. Iron Spirit emulated rea lity so well that players had to buy or rent
expensive simulation pods to pilot a mech. It turned the player base into an
elitist club that served as a decent simulation to actual mech combat.
The BSBH Corporation stuck to the creed of realism so much that its virtual
mechs had to be fabricated within its simulated ecosystem in a realistic
manner. Only the mainstream mech models could be bought off - the - shelf.
The true high performing mechs in the game were all customized or original
designs that could be so ld for either gold, the virtual currency, or with real
credits. Unlike piloting a virtual mech, Iron Spirit didn’t demand its designers to
be a potentate, so even an average norm like Ves could engage in its virtual
market.
As Ves registered a mech designe r’s account in the game, he came across a
few snags. He had to pony up a registration fee of 800 bright credits. This
wiped out more than half of his remaining savings.
When the game approved his account, he encountered another barrier.
Customizing any exi sting design required the purchase of a so - called virtual
license. The licenses for the cheapest parts started at around 10,000 credits,
while the licenses for the most outdated 1 - star mechs were valued at 100,000
credits.
"I’m such an idiot for forgetting the licensing fees."
BSBH apparently didn’t want its virtual mech market to be flooded by a
tsunami of awful designs.
With no other way out, Ves turned on his wrist communicator and started up
the Mech Designer System. "Hey System, I don’t have the money to afford a
virtual license. Can you lend me a hand?"
The System accessed his terminal through a wireless connection. It took only
a dozen seconds to scan the entire game and absorb additional information
from the galactic net.
[Tutorial mission received. Please enter the Missions page to browse the
details.]
Ves obediently turned to the Missions page of the System.

[Mission]
Mission: Tutorial Part 1 - Your First Design
Difficulty: F - Rank
Prerequisites: Be an idiot who can’t solve his own problems
Descripti on
As a mech designer, it is shameful that you have not completed a single
design that is ready for sale. Use the Mech Designer System and the provided
mech model to design a customized mech that has a minimum deviance of
10% and a performance improvement of 2% of its base model.
Reward: A random 1 - star virtual mech license. A random 1 - star virtual
component license.
"This sounds doable. Can I ask how you’re able to reward me with those
virtual licenses?"
[Nothing is impossible to the Mech Designer System. With enough Design
Points, the user may even be able to achieve immortality. Please increase
your mech designer rank for a more detailed answer.]
Yeah right. Ves guessed the System had some way of hacking into Iron
Spirit’s servers. In order to preserve hi s sanity, Ves stopped his inquiry and
instead turned his attention to the Designer mode.
It wasn’t until Ves saw what kind of licenses he had to work with that he
practically spat out blood.
"This is impossible!"