To be honest, designing the Bright Warrior Mark II was rather boring to Ves. As soone who enjoyed coming up with unique and creative visions for his ch designs, this design project felt too much like a retread.
He was adopting many of the sa design choices as before. While there were plenty of challenges in trying to design a second-class version of the Bright Warrior, none of them were particularly stimulating to him.
It was as if designing the original was a rehearsal for the current project. Since Ves and his partner already overca most hurdles, they didn't have to spend as much effort in jumping through the sa hoops.
Even though the passage of ti slowly pulled him out of his low state, his creative juices simply weren't flowing. His passion remained cold as he approached this project with the mindset of going through the motions.
It was too hard to get excited for an achievent that he had already accomplished. Designing the original Bright Warrior stimulated him a lot. It took quite a lot of thinking and ingenuity to design a base platform that was compatible with four different ch types.
Now that he had solved these interesting problems, there was nothing left to maintain his interest. His passion for the Bright Warrior Mark II Project never lit up beyond the size of a candle fla for this reason.
Was this bad? In so ways yes.
Was this enough of a reason to scrap or overhaul the project? No.
"Even if designing this ch is a chore, it's still necessary for the Larkinson Clan to obtain a versatile ch platform."
Designing the Bright Warrior Mark II was the sa as designing four different chs at once. Of course, the downside was that the four chs in question were destined to be boring, diocre and lacking in features.
It even lost the main redeeming feature of the original, which was its class-transcending armor plating. There was no way Ves was willing to clad the Mark II with Unending alloy or other first-class materials. Fabricating just a couple of chs would probably bankrupt him outright!
"I need to save all of the best materials for my upcoming expert ch designs."
That was another area that Ves needed to address. Since he had started up six design projects, there was no room for any expert ch design projects.
Master Willix had to call him in person about the delay.
"The longer your expert pilots go without an expert ch, the longer they stagnate. It is very difficult to sustain their progression if they are continually constrained by their chs."
Ves looked helplessly at her physical projection. The Darkbreak module continued to serve as his private channel to his new patron within the MTA.
"I want to do it right the first ti, and that takes ti." He answered. "I am not confident yet in my ability to design high-performing second-class chs. I need more practice in order to beco proficient in all of the quirks surrounding these kinds of chs. Also, I have to obtain more high-quality materials first. Due to their rarity and difficulty in procuring them, I don't think it is wise to design an expert ch first. Who knows if we end up with a design that I can never build."
Master Willix actually looked approvingly at Ves. "You are quite prudent. This is good. My earlier words are still valid, however. When an expert pilot erges, there is a certain window of ti where they continue to grow their resonance strength. This will continue for a year or a couple years depending on the genetic aptitude and the potency released by the breakthrough. However, once this natural growth runs out…"
"The expert pilot can no longer grow that easily." Ves answered. "I'm familiar with this rule."
"Then you should know that your expert pilots are on the clock."
"Six months. Please give half a year. I am confident that my team and I are ready to begin with designing not one, but multiple expert chs."
This was quite a lot of ti, but not too much considering the current situation. Master Willix carefully weighed his answer and faintly nodded.
"Very well then, Mr. Larkinson. Six months it is. Please be ready to take part by that ti. My ti is limited and I should not be at your beck and call. The sooner I complete my obligation, the better."
If Ves was in her place, he would feel annoyed as well. He wouldn't think about making life difficult for her if she was a faceless Master from the MTA, but it was different now. While they weren't quite friends, they were bound by mutual interests. She was not going to break their deal just because he wanted to delay his howork.
They began to discuss so preliminary matters about their upcoming expert ch design projects. She pointed out so areas that he needed to pay special attention to such as the need to include resonating materials.
Since Ves was already talking to a Master, he felt he might as well take advantage of the situation. While Master Willix was fairly open as a teacher, her patience wasn't endless. He rapidly thought over the questions that he might want to ask. He selected two which he really wanted to hear an answer from soone high in the hierarchy of the MTA.
"Excuse , ma'am, but if it isn't too much trouble, can I ask you whether the MTA has ever succeeded in developing a thod that allows standard chs to defeat expert chs?"
Though Master Willix's deanor and posture hadn't changed, Ves instinctively felt more pressure from her projection. As soone who was very sensitive to life, he guessed he must have touched a nerve.
"What an interesting question to ask." She slowly drawled. "Are you asking this question because you wish to develop a solution to the Hexadric Hegemony's predicant in the Komodo War?"
Ves coughed. "I know it is unlikely that I will be able to succeed in designing a ch that can cause significant harm to an expert ch, but I'd like to know what others have accomplished."
Master Willix frowned. "First off, while we have extensively explored these ideas, I cannot tell you the results. Such research is highly confidential. You are welco to perform your own original research, but don't think about obtaining any tips from us. Secondly, too many ch designers have tried to accomplish this. I think you know quite well how little they achieved. The only feasible way to defeat an expert ch without one yourself is to field a ch of a higher class."
A first-class multipurpose ch could easily demolish a third-class expert ch. There was absolutely no doubt about this outco. As for smaller gaps, the answer was still in the air. It depended on the strength of the chs and the strength of the ch pilots.
Her answer and attitude fell in line with his expectations. The MTA certainly poured a lot of research in this subject. Whether they succeeded or not, they did not want these thods to spread. The importance of high-ranking ch pilots to the Association was too great!
As for allowing Ves to research this topic on his own, this was only because Master Willix held no confidence in his ability to find a solution. Even if he sohow did, Ves bet that the MTA would co knocking on his doors to take away his research data and forbidding him from disseminating his results.
Even after receiving the answer he expected, he wasn't done yet. Ves asked a follow-up question.
"What if I take a step back. Instead of threatening an expert ch, what if there is a way to hinder or inconvenience them. For example, if it takes an extra second for them to destroy an enemy ch, then that can already change the results of the battlefield!"
"There are proven thods that can hinder expert chs." Master Willix relaxed. It seed that Ves had steered her towards a safer subject. "There are ch designers with abnormal specialties that can develop products that minutely affect so of the functioning of powerful machines. There are very abnormal exotics that can be used to disturb or weaken so of the functions of expert chs. There are even a number of universal approaches that any ch designer can employ."
"Can you give a specific example?"
"You will have to figure this out for yourself, Mr. Larkinson. I have already revealed too much. If you cannot extrapolate a viable thod given the information I provided to you, then perhaps I overestimated your ingenuity."
Damn!
The communication session ended soon after that. Once Master Willix's projection disappeared, the Darkbreak module went dormant again.
Ves turned around and returned to the design lab. He ignored his assistants and fellow lead designers. They were all absorbed in their own work anyway.
Once he sat down behind his own terminal, he began to call up a docunt that contained all of the specifications for his second ch design project.
Since the Bright Warrior Mark II Project was such an uninspiring chore, Ves hoped that his other project might infla his passion. He did not want to spend the next half year like a zombie!
"Let's see. How can I design a Hexer ch that can materially hinder the performance of an expert ch?"
He wracked his brains for ideas. None of them sounded very good. For example, he had already witnessed what would happen if he designed a ch that was ant to dogpile an expert ch to the ground.
"The designers of expert chs have already taken these common situations into account. I need to find a trickier angle!"
Several minutes went by as he tried and failed to co up with a good angle.
Eventually, a different idea ca to mind.
"Wait a minute. Why do I need to do all of the thinking myself? The galactic net must have considered this question a lot! There are bound to be so good suggestions!"
Though he despised gaining inspiration from the galactic net, he allowed it this ti.
The key here was to find the right platform and source to gain his information. The galactic net united an unimaginably huge amount of humans, but that simply ant they uploaded an unimaginably huge amount of nonsense every day!
Ves first needed to identify a channel for quality information. It had to co from verified and reputable sources such as other ch designers.
"Browsing Commbook doesn't cut it." He muttered.
He ca up with two different choices.
First, he could enter a closed club that gathered a lot of ch designers such as the Rim Exchange.
Second, he could browse the forums frequented by ch fanatics.
"Let's go with the latter for a change." He chuckled.
Aside from ch designers, ch fanatics knew the most about chs. These nerds and fans of chs could recite entire spec sheets by mory and boast about viewing hundreds of thousands of different chs in person.
The ch fanbase was indisputably the biggest collective in human space!
Forget about religion. Forget about states. Forget about ideologies. No matter whether soone was a Rubarthan or a Brighter, chances were both of them shared the sa passion for chs!
As was usual with fans like these, they tended to talk endlessly about their love for chs. They also ca up with a lot of theories and swapped very odd ideas with their fellow compatriots.
Due to their lack of technical and engineering knowledge, most of these ideas were too unrealistic or impractical.
However, that also ant that ch fanatics were free from the ntal blocks that constrained the thinking of actual ch designers.
Since they didn't know what was possible, ch fanatics simply sprayed out all of their ideas no matter how stupid they sounded!
As Ves frequented a random forum, it didn't take long for him to co across a viable idea!
[Expert chs are much more powerful than normal chs. Every part and every material is better. However, have you ever considered that the leap in performance is different for every elent? Take defense for example. Expert chs are notoriously hard to kill because their makers stuff them with the toughest materials they have. Can any other aspect be improved as much? No! Think about the specs that can't be improved that much, such as limb strength, power throughput, heat managent and so on. In order to debilitate a ch, target these weaker aspects.]
[Pix or it didn't happen!]
[You fool! You fail to comprehend the majesty of expert chs! They are invincible and inviolable. No mortal can ever hope to defeat a demigod!]
[You can blind them! Unless the expert ch utilizes sensors that are an entire class higher, they're not so easy to harden and improve. The resonance shields of expert chs can negate a lot of attacks, but I doubt it can do much to stop against ECM attacks!]
Ves sat up straight in his chair. "That's it! ECM!"
In other words, the answer he might be looking for was to blind the enemy expert chs!
His enthusiasm suddenly faded.
"It can't be that easy."
If so random ch fanatic could think about it, then the designers of all of those expert chs could co up with the sa possibility. They would definitely do everything possible to equip the best possible sensor systems onto their expert ch designs!
Was there a way for him to accomplish this feat without designing the most expensive electronic warfare ch in the star sector?
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