Aside from testing the initial prototypes of the clan-exclusive chs, the Larkinson Clan also began to field its new and unusual pri chs.
Every ti the pri chs deployed into space, the clan made sure to hide its performance by erecting enormous sensor-blocking screens around their practice zones.
It took hundreds of chs to erect these cumberso energy screens. They drained a lot of energy and forced many ch pilots to spend at least an hour of doing nothing while maintaining a constant position.
A lot of Larkinsons actually asked whether it was worth it to go through all of that effort to perform tests on individual custom chs.
However, once the clansn heard that the so-called pri chs were ant to be piloted by the expert pilots of the clan, most of the complaints disappeared.
The expert pilots enjoyed a high status among the Larkinsons. Now that they had received better chs, it was a given that they were entitled to practice with their new machines!
Along with the Valkyrie Pri, the expeditionary fleet quickly expanded its lineup of pri chs with the Bright Sword Pri, the Bright Spear Pri, the Bright Beam Pri, the Piranha Pri and the newly-overhauled Shield of Samar!
Each of the chs barring the Bright Beam Pri boasted considerable amounts of Unending alloy. While this incredibly tough material did not attract much attention at the start, seeing them withstand the full blows of Transcendent Punishers and Giant Killers with ease astonished the Larkinsons who were permitted to witness the capabilities of the new pri chs!
"Not even expert chs can withstand as much damage as your new pri chs!" Major Verle noted with surprise.
"That's not exactly true." Ves shook his head. "While Unending alloy is practically indestructible in second-class battles, the pri chs aren't necessarily impervious. For example, their shock-absorbing properties are relatively mundane, which ans that the pri chs cannot negate heavy impacts."
He called up the footage of an earlier test. It featured the Bright Sword Pri being bombarded by a handful of Transcendent Punishers.
The gauss rounds impacting the chs continually pushed it back. The positron beams scorching across the chest plating of the ch slowly heated up the entire machine. The staccato of energy pulses continually degraded the sensors and other vulnerable surface modules of Venerable Dise's new machine.
"As you can see, Unending alloy is not a panacea." Ves explained. "Our pri chs can still be beaten by overloading them with heat, mobbing it with lots of chs, physically pushing them away from the battlefield or disabling all of their surface components. Enemies can even launch a single, overpowering physical attack that can kill the ch pilot through lethal concussion!"
All of these limitations dampened the hype surrounding the pri chs. Their indestructible armor hardly ensured they could guarantee victory in every battle, especially when the enemy fielded lots of chs with powerful attacks.
Major Verle was clever enough to realize the implications.
"It's not possible for expert chs to defeat hundreds or thousands of chs by themselves. The best way to maximize the value of exceptional chs is to field them alongside other elents. Expert chs are best able to show their value when there are friendly units keeping the enemy occupied. We'll have to adopt a similar approach for our new pri chs."
"That's what I think as well. Two of our expert pilots, naly Venerable Joshua and Venerable Dise, can be integrated into battle formations."
The earlier tests had already proven that this was the case. The Penitent Sister and Swordmaiden battle formations perford so well with the Valkyrie Pri and the Bright Sword Pri that Ves did not even dare to repeat the tests any longer.
The battle formations were too cumberso!
Anyti they expended a huge amount of energy, the ch pilots that took part in the tests were basically done for the day. The intensity of repeated, daily attempts was so high that the ch pilots risked suffering chronic problems if this went on. Out of concern of their safety, it was best not to employ them too often.
Perhaps the story might be different if the ch pilots trained their ntal resilience and could bear a greater burden, but that was not going to happen anyti soon.
The Larkinson Clan had long recognized the importance of training the ntal resilience of its ch pilots. Every ch pilot regularly had to exercise their minds by subjecting them to the glow of the Doom Guard.
Ves already knew from his ti on Aeon Corona VII that such training programs provided a lot of benefits. Being able to bear the burden of a battle formation was just one of them. A more vital benefit was that ntally-strong ch pilots always persisted in battle. They never lost heart or gave up when they faced a powerful opponent!
As Ves briefly reviewed the performance of the Valkyrie Pri and the Bright Sword Pri, he regretted the fact that his other expert pilots weren't able to exhibit this kind of strength.
The Larkinson Clan only had three battle networks to begin with. Absolute strength did not determine whether a ch pilot was eligible to take part in a battle formation.
This ant that the Bright Spear Pri, the Bright Beam Pri, the Piranha Pri and the Shield of Samar had to rely on their individual strengths in order to impact the battlefield.
Fortunately, none of the remaining pri chs were weak. The Bright Spear Pri was a relatively normal spearman ch. If not for its Unending alloy armor system and its ability to induce pri resonance, it was easy to overlook its presence among other second-class chs!
The Piranha Pri was a bit more notable. Venerable Tusa did not like its glow. When Ves initially introduced him to his pri ch, the expert pilot imdiately grimaced.
"I don't need to rely on any gimmicks to overpower my enemies. This glow is just a distraction."
Ves placed his palm on his cousin's shoulder. "Don't be that way. Expert pilot or not, you're still vulnerable without an expert ch. This pri ch is ant to tide you over. Compared to a regular Ferocious Piranha, this pri version boasts much better armor and allows you to negate even more attacks by inducing pri resonance. We've also upgraded a number of its other components so that it flies even faster and hits even harder than the standard equivalent."
Venerable Tusa looked a little more pleased when he heard that. "It's.. fine, I suppose. I'll take it, not that I have much choice in the first place."
"Don't underestimate its glow. Just because it's not effective against expert pilots such as you doesn't an it is pointless against other enemies. The Ferocious Piranha's glow will ensure that you will always have a defense against getting mobbed."
"Buddy, a light ch never gets surrounded. As long as the ch pilot is good enough, it's impossible to end up in the situation that you've described!"
Well, at least Venerable Tusa did not lack confidence.
With the Piranha Pri in good hands, Ves directed his attention to the Bright Beam Pri and the Shield of Samar.
The two pri chs were the odd ones out. Due to a shortage of Unending alloy, Ves and Gloriana simply couldn't afford to lavish them with Unending alloy.
That was a bit difficult to stomach for Venerable Jannzi and Venerable Stark. When Ves invited both of them to et their new machines, they imdiately expressed their doubts.
"Are you punishing or sothing?" Venerable Jannzi confronted Ves. "The others get to fight with chs that are fully protected by this new superalloy of yours. Joshua's Valkyrie Pri even boasts a strengthened internal fra! Why is my Shield of Samar only reinforced at the front?"
"We didn't have enough Unending alloy left, that's why! If you want to grab more, then we should enter the Nyxian Gap. That's where I got it from in the first place."
"Tch." Jannzi scowled. "So this new material is essentially tainted with the blood of our clansn. No wonder you were so eager to fight all of those powerful pirate groups!"
"Hey! Don't misjudge ! I never knew that sothing like Unending alloy existed until recently. I just stumbled upon it after we defeated our opponents. Look, if you don't like this material, I can always strip it from the Shield of Samar and reprocess it so that I can put it onto the Bright Beam Pri."
The ntion of the rifleman ch prompted Venerable Davia Stark to voice her own objections.
"When I pledge to serve you for a century, I clearly demanded to be treated as equals to your Larkinson ch pilots. Why is my ch the only one that is devoid of better protection?"
Ves awkwardly coughed. "As I have stated earlier, we don't have enough Unending alloy to go around. We have to employ this material as rationally as possible. Logically speaking, our lee offensive chs need the protection the most considering they will be in the thick of battle. Your rifleman ch won't be doing all of that. It's more practical for your ch to hide behind cover. That is why we have focused on upgrading the offensive capabilities of the Bright Beam Pri. It's damage output is the only factor that matters."
"That does not conform to my fighting style." Venerable Stark frowned. "I prefer to be more active in battle."
"You can still do that, but just take into account that your ch is clad with Breyer alloy. While it is a good material, it doesn't make you invincible. I still recomnd you to keep the Bright Beam Pri behind solid cover. If you don't mind sticking close to our starships, you can place your ch in a bunker or just stick it behind a starship. If you want to gain better firing angles, then I suggest you cooperate with Venerable Jannzi. In fact, Gloriana and I pretty much designed the Bright Beam Pri and the latest revision of the Shield of Samar on the assumption that they will be fighting as a cohesive unit."
Both female expert pilots eyed each other. Neither of them were familiar with each other. They were just passing acquaintances as far as they were concerned. This was not enough for them to judge whether they would work well together.
Still, as expert pilots, they had their own confidence. Their professionalism did not allow them to make any judgents before they even attempted to cooperate.
"Just try it out." Ves waved his hand.
They did so. The Bright Beam Pri huddled closely behind the Shield of Samar as the oversized space knight flew into space.
After performing a few routine maneuvers, the two pri chs began to exhibit their strengths.
The Shield of Samar imdiately tested its powerful new shield generator. A spherical energy shield ford around the ch. While the bubble wasn't large enough to encompass other chs, its defensive capabilities were quite formidable!
What was even better was that the energy shield did not interfere with the pri resonance shield. Just like the Valkyrie Pri, the Shield of Samar was able to rely on multiple layers of protection to fend off attacks!
However, Ves didn't really pay attention to Jannzi's ch. The upgrades to the Shield of Samar were relatively simple and boring. Aside from increasing its defensive capabilities, it didn't gain any exceptional traits.
The Bright Beam Pri was different.
When Ves prepared this ch, he realized early on that its original design spirit wasn't suitable. Every other pri ch was piloted by a Larkinson. The Bright Beam Pri was the only exception!
Since this pri ch was originally derived from the rifleman ch configuration of the Bright Warrior Version B, the Golden Cat should have been its design spirit.
Obviously, that needed to be changed!
Ves had never switched out a design spirit of a ch that was practically designed to conform to it. He did not have a good idea of whether it was viable to pull out the Golden Cat and put another design spirit in its place. Would the Bright Beam Pri still be able to function normally?
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