When Ves began to expand on the draft of the Hexer ch with Gloriana, they encountered a lot of initial difficulties.
Second-class chs were more powerful than the chs he was used to designing.
Even so, there were several tiers of second-class chs, ranging from the cheapest economy models that were only modestly better than his Bright Warrior to the ultra-advanced premier chs that were within throwing distance to first-class chs!
A vast spectrum existed between the two extres. What a newcor like Ves ought to do was to dip his toes into the water by entering the shallow pool first.
Instead, he dove head-first into the ocean by tackling a ch design that was ant to be on par with the military chs of the Hex Army!
Having participated in the developnt and maintenance of the chs of the Bright Republic's ch Corps, Ves knew that there was a significant difference between private chs and governnt-funded chs.
Right now, this ant that Ves abruptly had to work with a category of chs that was a bit too much for him to grasp!
The insane performance paraters of the components made available to them blew any third-class ch out of the water! With each component performing several tis better than their third-class equivalents, Ves found it very difficult to estimate the overall performance of his draft in a real setting.
Additionally, many of the components that used to take up a lot of space were suddenly smaller and lighter. Sensor systems, ch engines, power reactors and more ca in both bigger and smaller models, providing ch designers with a plethora of options to choose from! Ves soon beca unable to see the forest from the trees as he was unable to determine which components he should include in his ch design in a miniaturized form or keep them at full size!
Gloriana placed her hand on his forearm. "Calm down, Ves. I know this catalog of components can be overwhelming to you, but that doesn't an your old approach is wrong. You've always centered your design choices around your vision. This ti should be no different. Ignore the flashy features of all of these components and just choose sothing by going down a list of priorities."
He sighed. "That's the problem, Gloriana. I initially conceived of my concept when I didn't have a clear picture of how a military ch ought to perform."
"You watched the battle footage of our chs in action, did you not?"
"I did, but that was from an outsider's perspective. Now that I am exposed to the full might of second-class chs, I am a bit less certain on what to go for with our Hexer ch."
A brief silence ensued as Ves massaged his forehead while Gloriana fell into thought.
"You have , Ves. You don't have to shoulder all of the burden alone. In our past design projects, you've taken the lead all the ti. Maybe you should relinquish so more decisions to this ti. I'm a lot more familiar with these advanced components than you, and I have a much better grasp on the level of performance that is expected of this kind of ch."
She was right, though Ves noted an issue. "Aren't you incapable of designing non-custom chs?"
"I wouldn't say I'm incapable. I just don't prefer it. It's not a problem for to take care of these general problems, but I still need you to help complete this design."
"Okay."
They began to go back to the drawing board in a sense and reviewed their current ch concept. The vision that Ves had co up with was fine, but the technical details needed so refinent.
"So you're still going with a landbound knight ch?"
"Yes." Ves nodded. "It's what I'm most familiar with and it's the simplest ch type by nature. I thought about designing a rifleman ch instead, but they are often spread out throughout the battlefield or placed in the rear. What I want is a ch that can support the female Hexer ch pilots up close."
"That is sound reasoning. I agree. What else?"
"I'm not sure whether to emphasize the defense or mobility of my ch. There are advantages and disadvantages to both, and I'm not sure which one I should choose. Prioritizing defense is good if my support ch is deployed in defensive battles, while prioritizing mobility makes my ch a lot more useful in offensive actions."
The sa applied to third-class chs. His Blackbeak may not be the most ideal defensive ch, but its relative mobility was so good that it could keep up with offensive chs when they went on the attack!
However, Ves confidently designed the Blackbeak because he was very familiar with the way that third-class battles were being fought. His father was a ch pilot and his entire family regaled him with many tales of chs in action.
The sa rules didn't apply to the higher classes of combat. Second-class ch battles were very different due to the higher levels of performance and added versatility of the main pieces.
A second-class knight ch was often not 'just' a knight ch. They often incorporated at least sothing extra to make them stand out from the competition. It was like the gimmicks that Ves used to add in his ch design in a much stronger form.
The question now was what kind of capabilities he could add to his Hexer ch.
"What kind of features do existing knight chs in the Hex Army co with?" He asked.
"There are a lot of choices depending on the intended role of the ch. For example, defensive chs often incorporate so self-repair functions to sustain its presence on the battlefield. They can also carry jamming arrays that can interfere with scans and targeting systems in order to prevent the enemy from targeting critical assets."
"What about offensive knight chs?"
"Oh, sotis they co with augnted flight or boosting capabilities in order to speed up their navigation or charges. They can also co with augnted shields or more specialized fields that can temporarily mitigate energy attacks within a small radius around the ch. There are also knight chs that can carry support systems that can rapidly repair certain types of battle damage in the field, though those systems are usually found on dedicated support chs or support vehicles."
Support chs were machines that weren't explicitly designed to attack. Instead, they worked to support their own side by resupplying their spent reserves or fixing up so battle damage in the middle of an active engagent.
While they weren't as good as a bunch of ch technicians in a ch workshop, these support chs were nonetheless vital in extending the operation ti of a lot of chs.
Because their functions weren't as critical as chs designed for battle, so forces eschewed support chs for support vehicles instead.
Piloted or crewed by norms, support vehicles essentially fulfilled the sa functions just as well, though they were completely helpless if they were cornered by an enemy.
As could be imagined, the Hex Army only crewed these support options with boys!
Right now, Ves wasn't interested in designing a support ch or any kind of utility ch for that matter. He was still rooted in third-class ch design where every ch was expected to fight in one way or another.
To him, designing a support ch that couldn't even hurt a fly was not a good entry into second-class chs. He didn't want his products to be interpreted as support machines, even though his design philosophy conveyed a lot of advantages in this aspect.
As a man, he wanted to design chs that could demolish other chs!
Unfortunately, the Hexer tradition of limiting the offensive options of male chs posed a huge hindrance to this urge!
"You can't add secondary weapon systems to our current ch design." Gloriana warned him. "No missile launchers. No electrorods. No grenades. No integrated laser mounts. The extra functions either have to be defensive or supportive in nature. No exceptions."
Ves adopted a sour expression. "I really want to add so ranged options to our Hexer ch. One of my most persistent complaints about my Blackbeak and Aurora Titan designs is that they can't effectively retaliate against ranged chs. I thought I could change that now that I'm working at a higher tech level."
"It's fine if you want to design a ch for a different audience, but the Hex Army absolutely forbids this. I think you don't quite get it, Ves. Male Hexer chs aren't truly ant to defeat their opponents. Sure, a knight ch can defend itself when threatened and a ranged ch won't receive any bla if it scores a lucky hit, but female chs must always be responsible for the majority of kills! Everything that male chs can do must facilitate the actions of female chs in so way. Hexers can't imagine a situation where it's the other way around!"
That sounded completely absurd to Ves! Yet so far, the Hexers didn't seem to find a problem with this artificial separation. They were doing decently enough in the Komodo War to suppress any voices that advocated for change.
He breathed deeply. He was not a social activist nor a politician. He was just a ch designer. It wasn't his job to advance certain causes or alter the arrangents of his client.
Perpetuating any perceived injustices, even if it offended his sensibilities, shouldn't even be a factor. As long as he accepted a commission, he had to do his best to advance the interests of his client, even if DIVA forced it down his throat this ti!
"What would be a good supportive module to add to our knight ch?"
"Hmm…" Gloriana pressed her finger against her lips. "There are many options to choose from. I think we should first determine the role and sub-role of our ch. Offensive or defensive?"
"Offensive." Ves answered. "I think second-class offensive knights are already resilient enough. Defensive chs at this level are completely excessive and over the top when it cos to their capacity to resist damage."
"You'd be surprised at what kind of firepower the Fridayn can bring to bear against fortified positions. Many defensive chs in the Hegemony are designed to withstand focused bombardnt by artillery chs, you know."
"Well, I don't want to design a turtle. I want a ch that moves!"
"Okay." Gloriana nodded and noted it down. "So right now we have a knight ch that possesses enough mobility to keep up with most offensive actions. What else?"
Ves rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. He recalled the battle footage he had seen and tried to identify the most glaring difficulties the Hexers experienced when they resisted the Fridayn.
"From what I can gather, Hexers are better in shock tactics while the Fridayn are more proficient in attrition warfare, isn't that right?"
Gloriana imdiately glowered. "We're not that incompetent! We can last in lengthy battles just fine!"
Ves ignored her objection. "I think our Hexer ch should be adapted to the rigors of attrition warfare. This also happens to be one of my strong points. Unlike almost every ch designer, I actually lived through several battles. Even if second-class chs are fancier than the machines I'm used to working with, they are still subject to the sa challenges. Am I right?"
She reluctantly nodded. "There are so differences."
"Whatever. Second-class chs are energy-hungry machines, right? What if I base our Hexer ch around energy collection, storage and distribution?"
Gloriana shook her head. "A support ch can fulfill that function better."
"In the frontlines? At the tip of the spear? I bet that any support ch will get targeted by the enemy right away! Taking out the source of replenishnt and resupply is always useful, especially when they aren't designed to take hit! Our ch will be different! Not only can it function as a source of rapid resupply, it can also make use of all of that energy to empower its own capabilities, all the while advancing to the thick of the fighting!"
This ti, his argunt took hold. Gloriana looked a lot more intrigued than before!
User Comments
0 comments from readers