The Mech Touch - Chapter 5

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The Mech Touch - Chapter 5

The Mech Touch

After Ves finished freaking out, he read the mission description again
and understood he missed out an important detail. The mission
demanded that he sell virtual mechs 'of his own creation'. What the
phrasing implied that he wasn't stuck with trying to peddle the
ungainly Fantasia 2R-E to a group of idiots.
As long as Ves spent the month designing a couple of decent variants
and promoting them on the local net, he might reach the sales figure.
A hundred sales a month might sound like peanuts to established
virtual mech designers, but meeting it remained a hefty challenge to a
nobody like Ves.
"I can't physically build all hundred models by hand." Ves concluded
as he formulated a basic plan. "At this tier, pilots don't demand too
much from their models. It'll be fine if I outsource the manufacturing
to the game."
The game made it easy to automate production of any design as long
as the owner had fabricated it in the virtual workshop by hand at least
once.
It came with hefty downsides if Ves decided to enlist this service. The
cost of production doubled and the quality of the finished mechs took
a substantial hit. These were deliberately set by the BSBH Corporation
in order to avoid the mech market being dominated by a small number
of professional producers.
The biggest challenge was to design a custom mech that was still worth
buying even after its quality took a dive when put into mass
production. It had to offer at least one substantial advantage over the
competition.

He'd never be able to accomplish such a design without help. Luckily,
the bright credits and the Design Points he earned from the previous
tutorial missions could help him out a lot, if he spent them wisely.
Despite the tight 1 month deadline, Ves felt highly motivated. The
reward for completion mentioned that he could receive a production
license for a real mech. Licensing costs for outdated mechs were
modest, but nobody bought antiques except for special purposes. The
licenses for current mechs started with prices ranging from tens of
millions of bright credits, not an easy amount for Ves to pull out of
nowhere. The System taking care of the license reduced his projected
spending by at least 80%.
Only the randomness of the reward kept him a little vigilant. He hadn't
received much luck with the System so far, so he felt there might be a
possibility he might receive a useless model.
Any design over a hundred years old were too obsolete to be of use in
the battlefield. While some mech designers have found a niche by
refurbishing classic models with modern materials and technology, it
had never been a large enough market.
Perhaps the System's randomness might also screw him in the other
direction. Ves could receive a model that was too high-end, one that
cost billions in materials alone to produce. His small-scale second-
hand 3D printer might not even have the capabilities to process all of
the exotic materials involved with the production of the parts. If he
was particularly unlucky, some big players might even wonder why his
small mech boutique possessed such an expensive production license
in the first place.
Ves shook his head and got down to Earth. "First, lets spend the
Design Points. They're not much, but enough for a total beginner like
me."

He had received a windfall of a 1000 DP for completing the tutorial
mission, but he couldn't rely on earning the same amount going
forward. He only earned 1 DP for completing a successful design, and
another point for selling it. At this pace, he'd face a considerable
drought of DP in the near future.
"The points aren't doing anything sitting in my Status. I might as well
spend them as I desperately need to improve my basic capabilities."
His recent experience in designing a mech variant and putting it on
the market helped put his skill level in perspective. Ves had a better
what his good and bad points are in comparison to other
inexperienced mech designers who sold their work in Iron Spirit.
[Status]
Name: Ves Larkinson
Profession: Novice Mech Designer
Specializations: None
Design Points: 1012
Attributes
Strength: 0.6
Dexterity: 0.7
Endurance: 0.6

Intelligence: 1.2
Creativity: 0.3
Concentration: 1
Neural Aptitude: F
Skills
[Assembly]: Novice
[Business]: Apprentice
[Computer Science]: Incompetent
[Mathematics]: Incompetent
[Mechanics]: Apprentice
[Metallurgy]: Apprentice
[Physics]: Novice
Evaluation: A loser on the right track.
His status hardly changed since the last time he viewed it. Only his
concentration had improved by 0.1. While he could work hard to raise
his attributes and skills on his own, the System could do the same.

While he could have bought more equipment or pets from the System,
what he really needed right now was to improve his own capabilities.
Ves had enough sense not to rely too much on external help.
After browsing the Shop and the Skill Tree for a couple of hours, Ves
formed a spending strategy based on the prices set by the System.
Attributes formed the basics. Not all of them were useful, but
intelligence, concentration and creativity had a pretty big influence in
Ves' future limits.
His creativity especially appeared deficient, something he could
confirm first hand as any casual drawing he sketched would draw
looks of disgust.
Ves wanted to raise his three core attributes substantially, but if he did
that, he might not get an immediate benefit for the amount he spent.
They were just too big and vague.
Developing his skill tree provided immediate results. He could
improve practical sub-skills like increasing his proficiency when
working with the 3d printer or become more proficient in balancing a
mech's weight distribution. A lot of the fancier and impressive skills
cost millions of DP to unlock and required the acquisition of other
skills first. Those goodies were still too far away for the moment. Ves
spotted plenty of low-hanging fruit that could improve the value of his
designs for a modest amount of DP.
Frankly, Ves was spoiled for choice. But if he wanted to accomplish a
hundred sales within a month and earn enough credits to meet his
interest payment, he needed to ignore the extras and focus on the
money makers. Spreading himself out in too many areas of interest
would dilute his gains, resulting in a marginal increase in the value of

his designs. An improvement of 1% in every category was not as eye
catching as a jump in 10% in a single criteria.
"I need to think deep about this. My choices here will affect the rest of
my career."
Many star designers gained their fame from standing out in a
particular aspect. Raul 'The Armorer' Mendoza was a genius in the
area of developing new armor alloys and employing them in ingenious
ways in his mech designs. The mechs his company manufactured
supposedly boasted the highest survival rate.
Another star that Ves admired was Jonathan Rasmussen, known as
'Apollo'. He only developed one line of mechs in his entire life,
Sunburst series. Each of the Sunbursts incorporated fire attacks in its
arsenal, and they grew increasingly refined with the development of
every new generation. In fifty years, Apollo had introduced the
Sunburst as a quirky but niche mech into the pinnacle of heat-based
mechs.
Naturally, there were also stars who went in the opposite direction.
'The Polymath' Claire Gramza possessed one of the most formidable
intellects in human space. Any field she put her mind into, from
physics to computer science, she reached the top. She was also
notoriously prolific in pushing out designs, many of them
incorporating the latest advances in whatever field of science she was
studying at the moment.
Ves knew he wasn't a genius who could spread his attention
everywhere, so he had no intentions of imitating the Polymath. He'd
be better off imitating the previous two examples and pick one or two
things he could do better.

He always did better in the mechanical side of things. His skill
proficiency in his status screen reflected this. Ves browsed the skill
tree and picked a couple of interesting choices.
[3D Printer Proficiency I]: 200 DP
[Jury Rigging I]: 150 DP
[Lightweight Armor Optimization I]: 200 DP
[Speed Tuning I]: 200 DP
His choices reflected a bias on light mechs. This was a practical
decision reflecting his economic circumstances. Outside of games,
heavier mechs were mainly employed in professional and military
outfits, groups who generally did business with the major arms
manufacturers and disdained taking orders from small, one-man
mech boutiques.
Lighter mechs required less raw materials to build up and the low-end
production licenses were dirt cheap. The public market consisted
mostly of less formal outfits who try to save costs everywhere, so they
widely use light and medium weighing mechs whenever they could get
away with it. Ves had little to worry about running out of buyers if he
went with this route.
He spent much of his remaining points on boosting his Creativity
attribute. It was a deliberate choice on his part. Though increasing
intelligence might provide him with a better mind, it cost a lot more
points to improve since it was already relatively high. His creativity on
the other hand was severely dysfunctional. Designing mechs was not
just a science, but also an art.

As Ves bought 0.7 points worth of Creativity, he immediately felt the
benefits as the amount of ideas bouncing around his mind had
skyrocketed. He looked around and saw the world in a slightly
different way. Everything looked beautiful, and each object had its
charm. Lucky looked especially appealing, having been modeled after
a cat but retaining its mechanical origins quite clearly. Ves felt as if he
had been seeing the world in black and white for so long and only now
did he start to see color.
"This major boost of creativity is really making a difference. I haven't
realized that it has always held back my ambitions."
[Status]
Name: Ves Larkinson
Profession: Novice Mech Designer
Specializations: None
Design Points: 12
Attributes
Strength: 0.6
Dexterity: 0.7
Endurance: 0.6
Intelligence: 1.2

Creativity: 1
Concentration: 1
Neural Aptitude: F
Skills
[Assembly]: Novice - [3D Printer Proficiency I]
[Business]: Apprentice
[Computer Science]: Incompetent
[Mathematics]: Incompetent
[Mechanics]: Apprentice - [Jury Rigging I] [Speed Tuning I]
[Metallurgy]: Apprentice
[Physics]: Novice - [Lightweight Armor Optimization I]
Evaluation: Someone who likes 'em skinny.
The results of his spending put Ves in a good mood. He was itching to
engage the designer and let his creativity loose once he finished
selecting a couple of virtual licenses in the game. Just before he visited
the in-game market, Ves first looked up his 2R-E variant and chose to
let Iron Spirit take care of the manufacturing. The minimum price rose
to 3200 gold, which was still not too pricey but not the best deal
available on the market. This time he left the price alone, as he wasn't

intending to earn a profit this time. He just wanted to reach a hundred
sales as soon as possible.
"Not that anyone is stupid enough to throw 3200 gold on an ugly
mech like the 2R-E. Now that I've raised several of my skills, I can see
the flaws from its crude design. I'm really embarrassed I actually built
such an abomination."
Still, a sale was a sale, so Ves hadn't deleted the design from his
account.
Ves spent the next few hours scouring the components section of the
market. His new sub-skills helped weed out the awful parts from his
selection. His improved creativity allowed him to consider
unconventional combinations. Though difficult to implement, he
might be able to forcibly cobble them together with his jury rigging
skill. He eventually settled for purchasing the virtual licenses of a
couple of good quality 1-star components.
[Astoria Experimental Flight System]: 25,000 bright credits
[Fayette ECM Mk. I]: 7,000 bright credits
[Red Eye Assisted Aim Module]: 9,999 bright credits
[MTTR Removable Battery Pack]: 3,000 bright credits
[Harconix Light DMR Version 3]: 19,999 bright credits
[Festive Cloud Generator]: 5,000 bright credits
[Mirin-21 Ultralight Armor Plating]: 10,000 bright credits

Almost 80,000 bright credits exited his spending account as Ves
finalized his purchases. Parting with half of his newly gained credits
hurt, but he consoled himself for making the necessary investments.
The component licenses he chose performed exceptionally in the 1-
Star range.
Their high prices also ensured that not many of Ves' competitors
incorporated the components in their own designs. The 1-Star mechs
ultimately served as training wheels for new potentates, so it wasn't
worth investing too much when one had access to much better mechs
in a few years.
Overall, the parts Ves had licensed all revolved around enhancing
flight. The early mechs such as the Fantasia lacked flight options due
to the immaturity of flight technology back those ages. The Astoria
flight system had been invented a hundred years after the introduction
of the Fantasia, and featured lackluster power, short flight capacity
and an over-sized wing profile that was easy to damage.
But it did the job. It had been one of the first successful modules to
allow for mechs to fly in standard planetary conditions, thus
introducing a new dimension in mech battles.
"Let's get to work. I have to integrate them into a single coordinated
platform."
Ves opened the System's designer and loaded the stock Fantasia 2R
model in his virtual workspace. He loaded the components he just
bought one by one and spent hours integrating them properly into the
Fantasia 2R's frame. It was never as simple as bolting them on. Each
placement needed careful judgment and tedious work.
The Astoria wings came first, its huge skeletal 'wingbones' flaring
impressively outwards, making the Fantasia appear like a fallen angel.

Its combination of thrusters and antigravity systems meant the wings
had been designed to maximize its surface area. This also made it easy
to damage, as any casual hit could reduce the component's
performance and ground the mech.
To combat this vulnerability, Ves choose to carefully bulk the Astoria's
limbs with the Mirin-21 Ultralight armor plating. This was a delicate
and error-prone job, one that could easily reduce the flight system's
efficiency by a drastic amount. He ultimately had to spend an entire
day trying to get it right.
He placed the Fayette electronic countermeasure or ECM over the left
eye, making sure to align it so the short antenna extended from the
Fantasia's ear. The ECM insured that automated and aim-assisted
systems had a harder time tracking the mech. It worked particularly
well against guided missiles, as long as they were from the same tier.
The Red Eye Assisted Aim Module had been placed over the other eye.
Its red, gleaming lens giving the Fantasia a menacing look. The Red
Eye performed well against mechs without ECM, helping pilots keep
their aim onto enemy mechs once they acquired their targets. Aim
assistance was practically essential in all low-tier flying mechs. Pilots
simply couldn't aim steadily enough if they jerked around in the air.
All of these systems drained energy, especially the flight system. The
modules came with their own energy storage, but as 1-Star parts they
lacked endurance compared to modern alternatives. This required Ves
to place rectangular MTTR battery packs anywhere he could fit on the
Fantasia without overburdening the frame. The only place he could fit
more battery packs was at the front upper torso. He papered over the
vulnerable packs with additional ultralight armor plating.
He placed most of them around the waist, making the chassis look like
it wore an overfilled tool belt. The great thing about the MTTR was
that the packs were disposable, allowing pilots to eject them once they

were drained of energy. He covered them up with Mirin-21 armor
plates to make them less prone to damage.
Finally he added in an unconventional but potentially effective system,
the Festive Cloud Generator. A specialty of Cloudy Curtain, Ves had
visited many mech shows on his home planet that used the colorful
cloud generator to create patterns in the sky. Though its bright colors
hardly helped with stealth, Ves thought that it might help obscure the
Fantasia and its vulnerable wings if placed on the rear just underneath
the Astoria.
Once he had integrated all of these components, he set the Fantasia's
default weaponry to be a bog-standard combat knife and the new
Harconix Light DMR. Not quite a sniper rifle nor a standard assault
rifle, the Harconix nevertheless offered precision at a generous firing
rate. The rifle's hefty power requirements necessitated a power
coupling with the mech, meaning that if the Fantasia dropped the
DMR, it couldn't be fired anymore.
Once Ves brought all of the newly bought parts together, the new
variant looked nothing like its stock model. Though it gained a
generous amount of mass, the new Fantasia also appeared like a
predator, capable of striking down any interlopers from afar.
He enjoyed putting this variant together. He had been able to flex his
improved creativity and newly acquired sub-skills to do a much better
job of integrating the parts than if he was still a fresh graduate.
"This is hardly a Fantasia anymore, so let's call you a Fantasia 2R
Seraphim."
Before Ves submitted the design for approval, he painted over the
entire frame in Cloudy Curtain's national colors. It made the Fantasia
appear as if it was born in the skies.

[Design Evaluation: Fantasia 2R Seraphim.]
Variant name: Fantasia 2R Seraphim
Base model: Fantasia 2R
Original Manufacturer: Kezia Armaments
Weight Classification: Light
Recommended Role: Aerial Marksman
Armor: D
Carrying Capacity: F
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: D-
Energy Efficiency: D-
Flexibility: C+
Firepower: C
Integrity: F+
Mobility:

Spotting: B
X-Factor: F
Deviance: 44%
Performance improvement: 17%
Overall evaluation: The Fantasia 2R Seraphim features a superior
aerial performance at a horrible cost. Its performance in close-ranged
combat has been sacrificed for powerful long-ranged firepower. The
mech is able to outperform its opponents as long as it has energy to
spare, which isn't much. The Seraphim further shines out due to its
attractive appeal.
[You have received 50 Design Points for completing an original design
with a performance improvement of over 10%.]
Ves whooped into the air with a cheer. He actually did it! He
completed a custom design that outperformed the base model
significantly. Sure, he overspent way too much to achieve such a boost,
but it nonetheless propelled his Seraphim in the top tier of custom
Fantasias.
Chapter end