The Mech Touch

The box was made out of darker metals, but also bore small golden embellishment to add a strong sense of class and refinement.

The symbol of the Red Fleet adorned the top of the ceremonial container.

It looked completely foreign compared to the standardized architecture and the design principles of the Red Association!

"Every token is locked and registered to a single individual or organization." The student of Master Urbeck carefully explained. "It will become invalid once its registered recipient ceases to exist in any real capacity. In this case, our connection with the Red Fleet has only allowed us to tie this token to your personal identity. I do not foresee this to be a problem as you still have many years ahead of you. It may very well be possible that the Warship Quota Program will become obsolete a few generations later."

Ves nodded in agreement as he continued to stare at the container. "I think this will be the case as well."

"This change is unlikely to happen in the short term, so these tokens will still be able to give their holders a head-start on red humanity's reintroduction to warships. You can train personnel, establish a supportive infrastructure and formulate the doctrines on the use of armed starships far in advance of other groups."

Ves couldn't hold in his curiosity any longer. He opened up the box and lifted up a metal medallion. The token displayed a stylized frigate on the front and a bunch of data on the rear.

It was a remarkably small object given the enormous power it bestowed to its registered holder.

"Is there anything else I should know about these tokens?"

"The tokens will grant you access to a private section of the Red Fleet's galactic net portal. You can read the full instructions over there. One of the more important conditions that you should know is that the Red Fleet retains the right to come unannounced and inspect the warships associated with the tokens at any time. You cannot just install any weapon system on a warship. Having a frigate is not an excuse to turn it into a missile platform that can launch dozens if not hundreds of antimatter warheads at your enemies."

That was a shame.

"I see. I will make sure that my people and I don't accidentally stuff any weapons of mass destruction inside our upcoming warship." Ves promised.

"You will need to procure a warship through your own means. Neither the Red Fleet nor the Red Association will be able to help you in this regard. This should not be an insurmountable challenge to a mech designer as impressive as you. Just be certain that the warship that you use conforms to the definition of a frigate as recognized by the Red Fleet."

Frigates were quite small and could only fit a handful of mechs at best if they made heavy compromises in other areas. Their length and volume had to remain on the small side in order to avoid entering the territory of destroyers.

The difference in firepower between the classes was considerable. Destroyers might not look that much larger, but their exponentially greater volume allowed shipbuilders to mount considerably larger and more powerful ship systems in their hulls. This in turn resulted in much greater firepower and defenses.

Still, Ves could do a lot with a frigate. He actually had several possible ideas on how to make good use out of this token. He needed to get back to his fleet and discuss his options with his inner circle as well as Vivian Tsai in order to make a good decision.

In any case, Ves eventually bid goodbye to his last client and took stock of his situation.

He collected a handsome amount of rewards, each of which he could benefit from in many different ways.

The RF Frigate Token alone opened up a lot of exciting new options for his expeditionary fleet!

Even if it was unlikely for the Larkinson Clan to obtain a small warship that exceeded the performance of the Red Association's escort fleet, the advantage was that the little vessel was completely under his control.

He could decide the type of frigate to build.

He could instruct what sort of weapon systems and other useful modules the ship should mount.

He could dictate the appearance and the colors of the hull.

Most importantly of all, he could order her crew to go on offensive missions and attack any target he designated without bumping into the restrictions set by the mechers!

"What you have gained is of great significance, Ves." Jovy remarked. "I doubt that Master Henry Urbeck would have gone out of his way to arrange this reward for you if your contributions were any lower. You have earned your token through unusual means that falls outside of the boundary of the RF's Warship Quota Program. That is bound to attract a great amount of accusations of corruption and complaints of favoritism under normal circumstances. Now that you are bound to become a tier 4 galactic citizen at minimum should stifle much of the criticism. Your rise in identity already elevates you above some of the rules that ordinary people are subjected to. You should not be bothered by ordinary restrictions as you continue to work on other ways to contribute to red humanity."

That sounded rather... dark. As people became richer and more powerful, they became increasingly less constrained by laws and other rules.

Ves already experienced this effect to a certain degree, but he did not expect his status to rise so quickly in the short term. The transition was so abrupt and jarring that he needed a lot more time to take stock of his new reality.

Even the way that the people invited to the conference looked at him had changed.

He used to be a relatively forgettable individual as his age, rank, reputation and so on were not remarkable among all of the impressive mechers and associates.

All of that changed after the conclusion of his first closed session. The introduction of companion spirits had the potential to elevate all of red humanity to a whole new level.

Ves could see and hear that a lot of people initially looked surprised when they learned that the inventor of companion spirits was just a second-class Senior Mech Designer.

However, this did not stop them from admiring him as one of the success stories of this conference.

"This conference is truly a gathering of hidden tigers and crouching dragons. We would have never been introduced to these impressive companion spirits if not for the Survivalist Faction."

"Professor Ves Larkinson is one of the greatest successes of the associate program. Uncovering talents like him is the reason why our faction never closes itself off from our wider society. There are always geniuses buried among the space peasants."

"I do not understand the hype around Professor Larkinson. Master Ikan's advancements in transphasic energy shield technology is much more significant in my opinion. His breakthroughs will allow the next generation of mechs and starships to resist more damage. These companion spirits on the other hand look identical to projected mascots. What are they supposed to do on the battlefield? They do not have any substance to them and they are too small to function as a distraction!"

So many people began to talk about Ves and his recent work that it actually became embarrassing for him to walk in crowded areas.

Fortunately, few people were stupid enough to approach him without invitation in order to solicit his input or services.

Ves assumed a demeanor that made it clear that he did not seek distraction. Jovy also helped with conveying the same message.

The two eventually passed through an entrance that led them to a hall where over a thousand mechers and associates had already found their seats.

Ves was just about to move towards the middle of the room, but Jovy stopped him by holding his arm.

"Wait. You don't belong there anymore, Ves. Your place is here among other tier 4 galactic citizens."

It took a few seconds for Ves to register the break in routine.

"I do not think that is appropriate. As far as I know, my record still states that I am a tier 6 galactic citizen."

"We both know that won't last much longer." Jovy said as he shook his head. "As the Masters have explained before, the only reason why they have yet to update your record right away is because they want to add up the rewards for all of your contributions on the sixth day. Anyway, you are already a de facto tier 4 galactic citizen. If you want proof, look at the people around you. None of them will disapprove of you if you sit further in the rear."

Jovy was right. Ves appeared like a rockstar to them. He had become larger than life, and all because he had decided to dedicate one of his many inventions to humanity.

It still felt surreal to Ves. He already messed around with companion spirits for so many years that their shine had already faded from his perspective. To him, they were just another part of his life.

This was not the case for the people outside of his clan. Ves needed to adjust his mentality on the value of his own inventions in order to understand why so many people gazed at him as if he was a savior or a hero.

As Ves and Jovy moved to the rear and took their seats among distinguished company, they both felt odd and out of place.

The average age of all of the Masters, ace pilots, prize-winning scientists, business magnates, statesmen and so on definitely surpassed a century!

Ves even noticed a few impressive figures who were probably legends in their own industries that looked as if they lived through the end of the Age of Conquest!

Most of these leading figures had better things to do with their time than to mock the two incredibly young Senior Mech Designers.

They just took it as fact that Ves deserved to sit in this band.

The speaker of the open session finally began his presentation shortly afterwards.

The Master Mech Designer started out strong by lifting up a transparent container that securely stored several grams of phasewater.

"Each of you should recognize what I am holding. E energy radiation and its many new applications has become the latest trend to sweep our industry, but that does not mean that phasewater has become irrelevant. Its relatively abundant availability in the Red Ocean along with its distinctive effects will ensure that it remains an important tool in our arsenal."

That was correct. Ves did not intend to abandon phasewater technology either just because E energy radiation had come along. It was much smarter to make use of both of them in order to maximize the use of available resources.

"Considering the importance of phasewater, it becomes imperative to understand its traits in order to determine how we can use it more effectively. One question has always plagued our researchers. Where does it come from? Phasewater is particularly abundant in the Red Ocean, but it is strange that it is almost entirely absent in the Milky Way. Why is this the case? Is it because of the presence of phase whales?"

That caused many of the attendees to recall what the natives thought about the origin of phasewater.

"If you believe in the myths and stories of the native aliens, then phasewater is the liquid that flows through the veins of this 'god race'. We all know that this is not true. Any young phase whale that has yet to augment himself has normal alien blood running through his veins. Perhaps the only trait that is truly impressive about this aquatic race is that they can integrate phasewater into their massive physiques at a much higher success rate than others. Is this a coincidence, or are phasewater and phase whales intricately related to each other? In this session, I shall walk you through our studies of both phenomena and present you with our conclusion that may provide you with a possible answer."

Interesting.