The final score abruptly widened to 4-2 in favor of Ves!
While the result was a bit predictable in hindsight, a lot of people still reacted negatively to this outco.
"Are they even Lifers? How could they choose a tal ch over a bioch!"
"It’s over for us if the ch pilots base their decisions on the win-loss records!"
"Traitors! Why didn’t they give the Faerie Stinger a chance? It’s clearly the better-looking of the two chs!"
"I need to see what the fuss is all about. Are the Ferocious Piranha’s truly special?"
The audience sounded more perplexed than angry for the mont. They never experienced the two chs up close, so they found it very difficult to understand why the Ferocious Piranha rited so much praise.
Only by coming close to the ch in question would they be able to learn why Rez Killigan and Katarina Volsimar kicked the Faerie Stinger to the curb!
Once the discontent voices died down a bit, the show resud.
Six ch pilots had issued their verdicts by now. Four still had to voice their opinions.
The likelihood of that happening seed very bleak, but Ves didn’t rule out any possibility. An upset might very well happen if the remaining ch pilots all misinterpreted their orders and used flawed logic to co up with their answers.
This was the problem with receiving any feedback from ch pilots. Their highly-specialized ch academy training turned them into great ch pilots but not much else. They didn’t learn any advanced sciences, learned nothing about culture and probably didn’t even know how their own governnt worked!
Many states believed that ch pilots had to be pure soldiers. Forcing them to learn non-combat subjects not only reduced the ti they spent on developing their fighting skills, but also inserted their minds with potentially-dangerous thoughts!
If ch pilots beca more political or assertive, then they might very well pose a threat to their states one day!
Therefore, the overall consensus throughout human space was that ch pilots had to be raised as grunts. If they were subjected to any intellectual courses, then they should purely be geared towards turning them into qualified officers, not great scientists or other professions that required great thought.
For this reason, many ch pilots weren’t exactly clever outside of battle. Unlike scientists and engineers who studied the scientific thod and learned how to anticipate and compensate for many different biases that were capable of skewing the results, ch pilots didn’t bother with all of that. They simply spoke what was on their mind regardless of whether their answer was related to the original question.
This was the accepted practice towards any study that involved ch pilots. Their initial answers were always the purest ones that best reflected their true feelings and thoughts.
Any attempt at coaching them or guiding them to answer a question more correctly would put undue influence on their judgent.
Therefore, despite all of the shortcomings related to the current approach, it was still considered better than the alternative.
"In my first match, I lost with Mr. Larkinson’s ch. In the second match, I lost with Dr. Navarro’s ch. My experiences with both the Valkyrie Redeer and the Frokyn could have been better. I.. I don’t know if I’m the right judge for this, but what I have gone through while losing with both chs is different."
The recently-graduated ch pilot looked quite bumd because of this. His two losses not only reflected poorly on his piloting skill, but also denied him the opportunity to experience the chs at their best.
At least there was a bright side to this outco. Carter Day displayed a sheepish smile.
"chs are supposed to win, but not every fight ends in your favor. What I have just gone through has taught that chs can make a huge difference when you are on the losing end. In this regard, I did not feel as if the Frokyn had my back. It failed to perform as well as in the first match, and that was a big letdown to . I know it was in a rather exhausted state when I got my hands on it, but I expected more."
The male ch pilot shrugged. "I heard a few stories about the Valkyrie Redeer model. It’s supposed to be a ch that is exclusive to Hexer won, though this particular ch was altered. I don’t know how the original version is supposed to work, but I think I know why Hexers fell in love with it. The Valkyrie Redeer is like a second partner to . Even though I lost badly against the Frokyn while I piloted it, I always felt as if my ch supported to the very end. It made fight harder and always kept company to the very end."
Carter Day then proceeded to voice his most devastating words.
"When I piloted the Frokyn.. I lacked all of that. The bioch was pretty much dead to . I was left on my own, and I can’t get over that. The only ch that is alive of the two is the Valkyrie Redeer. Hexer ch or not, the version I piloted is a p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e to use! I wish I was a woman, though. I could have gotten much more out of it if I wasn’t a man!"
His answer depressed the crowd even further. Carter Day’s argunts were much better thought out, and that left the Lifers with little ans to reject them. That left many people frustrated!
It didn’t help that the Frokyn hadn’t perford up to expectation during the second phase. The recency bias must have amplified his negative experience.
With five votes in total, it was impossible for him to lose the design duel at this point! The worst outco that was possible at this mont would be to lose the next three votes, thereby resulting in a tie.
There was no way that would happen! Ves didn’t believe that all of the remaining three ch pilots would choose to favor Dr. Navarro. Not when Ves’ chs achieved more wins than losses!
"As Mr. Day’s opponent, my ti with the Valkyrie Redeer and the Frokyn went differently." Mireilla Linschoten spoke when it was her turn to issue her verdict. "I piloted the Frokyn when it was at its best and I piloted the Valkyrie Redeer in a less-than-ideal state. Ordinarily, that should have given a better impression of the forr. I do have to admit that I think highly of the Frokyn’s combat ability. It is one of the finest biochs I’ve ever piloted. The ability to grow out all of that hair and use it to entangle and frustrate other lee chs is very useful."
She sighed. "The Valkyrie Redeer is better though. While I wish I had piloted it when it was at its best, what I managed to get is still convincing enough for to beco a fan of this model! While I’m not a Hexer, there’s sothing about this ch that just brings out the best of , not just as a ch pilot, but also as a woman. I think this is what a living ch should truly be like. No matter how powerful the Frokyn felt in my hands, the Valkyrie Redeer actively worked with to achieve victory, and I appreciate that. I think every ch pilot would feel better if their chs supported them in battle!"
Mireilla Linschoten dealt another heavy blow to Dr. Navarro and the Lifers who rooted for him! With the eight ch pilot speaking out, the total score turned to 6-2. With this kind of disparity, it was impossible for Dr. Navarro made a coback, and everyone was aware of this reality!
"Is this a mistake?"
"This can’t be!"
"Traitors! Hang them all! They’re no Lifers anymore. They’re working for the enemy!"
Although this outco was not an unanticipated one, Ves noticed that Dr. Navarro mournfully lowered his head. The bioch designer’s reaction showed that he had genuinely tried to achieve victory. He had just picked the wrong opponent.
Of course, this wasn’t enough for Ves to drop his suspicions towards Frederico Navarro. No matter how sincere he might have been, Navarro had to know that he was facing an uphill battle!
The show wasn’t over yet. Even though victory and defeat had basically been decided at this point, two more ch pilots were waiting to voice their opinions.
What they were about to say could either widen the disparity between the two ch designers further or offer so redemption to Dr. Navarro.
Gwineth Ulser slowly stepped forward. "I think highly of both the Transcendent Punisher and the Swarm Monarch. Both have their good points. The Transcendent Punisher is a powerful heavy artillery ch, and I managed to win with it. However, there was just sothing about it that always rubbed the wrong way. I felt as if I’m not the right ch pilot for it. I’m sure it’s a great ch, but if it holds back because it doesn’t like , then I’m not sure if I want to condone this kind of machine."
She smiled. "The Swarm Monarch is a lot different. It’s a bioch, and a multi-layered one at that. I think its features best represent the potential of biochs. Even if those saboteur beetles got hacked for so reason, I don’t hold it against the Swarm Monarch. In my opinion, a ch should be dependable and usable to every ch pilot with the right skills. If living chs are capable of rejecting their own ch pilots, then I don’t think that’s good. I would rather pilot a silent ch like the Swarm Monarch that responds exactly according to my intentions."
Her answer was confusing. On one hand, she acknowledged that the Transcendent Punisher was likely the one that was more qualified to be called a living ch.
On the other hand, she explained her misgivings about Ves’ interpretation of living chs. Her concerns were valid. If Ves had designed more chs, then he could have made use of more neutral ch models for this design duel, but because he was too young, he didn’t have much choice! Adapting the Transcendent Punisher to a foreign ch pilot was the best he could do to fill up the fifth slot of his dueling ch roster.
Since Gwineth Ulser’s reply wasn’t entirely clear, soone had to decide how to adjust the score.
Master Cline broke the silence.
"I will interpret Mada Ulser’s answer as a vote in favor of Dr. Navarro."
Everyone waited for the final ch pilot to issue her verdict. Ilse Lieberman had already listened to the answers of nine ch pilots. That caused her to approach this issue from multiple angles.
"I think the ch pilots who spoke before already touched upon many of the points I wanted to say. They all have a point. Mr. Larkinson’s chs are truly amazing. I can even see why they are called living chs. While I agree with what Ulser said about chs, I don’t see that as a reason to reject them. chs are our partners. As long as we treat them well, they will definitely return the favor when we need it most."
Her eyes turned a little dreamy. "I think that you need to develop a relationship with chs like these. I really wish I had months to do so with the Transcendent Punisher. I would have probably fought a lot better if I did! As for the Swarm Monarch... I’m sorry, Dr. Navarro, but I don’t see why it should be called alive. I know for certain that the ch will largely remain the sa even if I invest months into developing a relationship with it. No matter if it’s a bioch or a classical ch, nothing will co from befriending it as long as it’s not designed by Mr. Larkinson!"
Her answer was loud and clear. She voiced her support for Ves, thereby changing the final score to 7-3 in favor of Ves!
This score happened to mirror the outco of all of the matches!
Now that the ch pilots made their opinions known, the design duel had formally co to an end.
As much as Master Cline wanted a different outco, he had no choice but to recognize reality.
"Of the ten ch pilots, seven of them have voted in favor of Mr. Larkinson. Three have offered their support for Dr. Navarro. The outco is clear. Ves Larkinson... is the winner of this design duel."
A montary silence ensued. The Lifers already received a lot of forewarning, but when it finally happened, they were still stunned!
So of the conservative-leaning ch designers and officials imdiately began to get angry! "I object!"
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