Sara Voiken possessed a powerful defensive specialty. While it was a disappointnt that she could not offer that much protection against energy attacks, her ability to strengthen machines against physical damage was impressive!
Ves and Ketis personally experienced how difficult it was to defeat one of her works. The Thornbearer that she designed in cooperation with her brother had withstood considerably greater damage than other lee chs.
If Sara hadn't been involved with the design of this competition ch, the Heart of Victor would have been able to defeat the Thornbearer at least three tis faster!
And that was just a competition ch that she developed in just 3 days.
How much tougher would her ch model beco if she spent 3 months on its design?
What about 6 months? 9 months? 12 months?
The potential improvents that she could implent in all of the Larkinson ch designs were great!
What was even better about Sara Voiken was that she possessed a well-rounded skillset that encompassed more than just designing tougher armor systems. Ves recalled that the Thornbearer was able to endure for quite a long ti even after its armor plating had been breached.
This ant that Sara could also toughen up the internals of a ch design!
All of this sounded as if she was born to maximize the defenses of a lee ch. All machines that benefited from her specialty would practically turn into moving walls once they confronted an enemy force. A lot of swords and spears would break in front of all of this unbreakable mass!
There were a few caveats, though. Aside from Sara's lack of solutions against energy attacks, she also ca with another form of baggage.
"Miss Sara, how much control do you need in order to apply your defensive thods to a ch design?" Gloriana pointedly asked.
The woman's expression grew a little more strained. "I need broad control over the design. My design philosophy becos more effective if I am able to define the configuration of a ch design."
Ves looked more critical towards Sara Voiken. His wife noticed sothing important that might complicate their collaboration with the defensive specialist.
From what it sounded like, a ch design project had to be designed with high defenses in mind in order for Sara to do her best.
Her specialty beca a lot more constrained if she had to apply her thods to an offensive ch design that didn't excel in defense!
To put it in simpler terms, Sara Voiken was able to design excellent knight chs but was considerably less effective at designing light chs!
Another potential problem was that her specific solutions might crowd out those of other ch designers. This was especially problematic to Gloriana who always demanded a lot of control over the physical structure of any collaborative ch design project!
Ves frowned as he thought this situation over. Though Sara Voiken's specialization was still an enormous attraction to him, it was not as indispensable as he previously thought.
Even so, a defensive specialist that excelled in defending against physical attacks was still a rare and valuable treasure. As long as Sara and his wife ca to an understanding, their design philosophies might not necessarily conflict with each other.
It would take a lot of ti and effort to find the right balance, though. That might take months or even years of frequent cooperation.
Once everyone learned enough about Sara Voiken, they were all impressed by what she could bring to the Larkinson Clan.
However, she wasn't the only Voiken in the room today. There was also her brother.
Dulo Voiken had remained quiet throughout all of this ti. His posture was a little lower than that of his sister. This indicated that he clearly understood his own position, which was that of a rather less crucial asset to the Larkinson Clan.
"Mr. Dulo Voiken." Ves addressed the man. "Let be honest. Our Larkinson Clan already possesses a premier specialist in offensive chs. Ketis Larkinson has proven her ability to design swordsman chs plenty of tis. She is the main reason why Team Larkinson won the Wild Brawl Bowl. Even with the help of your sister, the Thornbearer that you have undoubtedly poured a lot of effort into designing ultimately lost the Heart of Victor."
"He's not that bad, Ves." Ketis surprisingly spoke up for Dulo. "The Thornbearer is an excellent spearman ch that displays a lot of insight and understanding on how spear-wielding chs should fight. Dulo is truly dedicated to designing strong spearman chs that especially excel at stabbing."
"I can design more versatile spearman chs if needed." Dulo Voiken stated. "My specialty indeed focuses on maximizing the stabbing potential of a spearman ch, but I can also design spearman chs that are good at charging or better at flanking. I can design a decent lancer ch and I think I can do a lot to improve your existing Riot and Valkyrie Redeer designs. There is always a use for a spear-wielding chs in every ch force."
The man wasn't wrong. Spears were long and could be employed in several different contexts. The Valkyrie Redeer was an excellent example of that. The extrely successful Hexer ch model would never have beco as effective in battle if it wielded a sword instead of a spear!
The latter weapon allowed the Valkyrie Redeer to perform its powerful all-out charges that had overrun a lot of static enemy formations.
It was unthinkable for Ves to replace the Valkyrie Redeer's spear for a sword just because Ketis was the Larkinson Clan's only lee ch specialist!
Juliet Staros gained a greater interest in the man. "Mr. Voiken, since you're familiar with our Valkyrie Redeer design, let give you a little test. If you were in charge of designing its next iteration, what would you improve?"
The Valkyrie Redeer was not only a celebrated ch model in the Hex Army, but also served as one of the signature models of the Penitent Sister ch Legion!
There was no way the Larkinson Clan would phase out the Valkyrie Redeer line. It was just too useful and effective to give up. It was far more than just a simple marauder ch. The combination of all of its features produced a ch that was able to harass or thunder through vulnerable enemy units with great effectiveness!
As a Penitent Sister, Juliet harbored a lot of admiration towards the Valkyrie Redeer and its variants. She regretted that she hadn't joined the Design Departnt until the Miracle Couple had already finished its design!
Fortunately, Ves made no secret of his intention to update the Valkyrie Redeer design. He not only wanted to bring it on par with a heartland-level ch design, he also wanted to incorporate the resources and solutions available in the Red Ocean.
This was an excellent opportunity for Juliet to upgrade its mobility!
However, if Dulo Voiken was able to strengthen the Valkyrie Redeer even further, then he would look much more favorable towards his addition to the Larkinson Clan.
The ch designer in question understood that this was his mont to prove his worth in front of the panel of Larkinson ch designers.
He did not open up his mouth imdiately but instead spent ten seconds sorting out his thoughts and formulating his argunt.
"The Valkyrie Redeer is an impressive marauder ch that is able to switch from operating as a harasser ch to operating as a lancer ch." Dulo began. "What is important to recognize here is that the Valkyrie Redeer is actually not that strong when it is locked in a lee brawl."
Gloriana frowned. "The Valkyrie Redeer is never supposed to fight against lee chs at close range. It is ant to maintain its distance and kite pursuing lee chs while using their carbines to whittle down their enemies. Its spear should only be employed against ranged chs or other opponents that can't properly defend against lee attackers."
"Reality rarely allows the Valkyrie Redeer to fight under ideal circumstances." Dulo replied. He beca more confident now that he was talking about his area of expertise. "I have studied a lot of public footage of the Valkyrie Redeer and its variants in action. The Hex Army, which is the biggest user of the Valkyrie ch line, actually employs the most charges against hardened Fridayman ch formations."
"That's because the Fridayman ch militaries have already adjusted their positioning in order to minimize their vulnerability against ambushes."
"That is correct, and this illustrates why the Valkyrie Redeer should not neglect the need to fight standing battles. The situation on the battlefield is rarely conducive to its use. A proper ch force always provides proper escort chs to its ranged units. The Valkyrie Redeers must defeat them first before they can crush the enemy ch rifleman chs. I can optimize their dueling capabilities even if their ch pilots are not good at spearmanship. By strengthening and optimizing their stabbing ability, they can beco a lot more threatening at close range without increasing their skill floor."
Ves could see how that could be useful. He began to view Dulo Voiken more favorably than before.
He recalled his own plan to design a lancer ch for the Eye of Ylvaine. The success of Pontifical Lance in his first tournant proved that this design concept had a lot of potential!
Though spearman chs were significantly different from lancer chs, they shared a lot of commonalities as well.
"If you are tasked with designing a lancer ch, how would you go about it?" Ves asked.
"I have already designed several different lancer chs in my career. My preferred approach is to design a lancer ch that can perform good charges but can also fight as a more conventional lee ch if it is ever cornered or if charges cannot play any role. While I am not able to amplify the charging potential of a lancer ch, I can significantly increase its versatility, thereby making it more useful in many different situations."
That was a good approach, though Ves generally preferred to emphasize the strong points of his ch designs.
The Larkinson Clan could already turn to the Bright Warrior model for flexibility and versatility. What Ves sought for the Eye of Ylvaine was a ch that could perform the most powerful and impactful charges that could break through any defensive formation no matter the difficulty!
Improving the standing battle capabilities of such a lancer ch was nothing more than a ans to compensate for a failed charge. A truly successful lancer ch unit should never stop charging unless it had expended all of its weapons!
After quizzing Dulo a few more tis, the Larkinsons finished their questions.
"You can wait in the other room now." Ves announced to the applicants. "We will deliberate amongst ourselves and share our verdict with you in fifteen minutes."
Once Team Destiny and Team Voiken left the current chamber, Ves turned to his fellow colleagues.
"Well?"
"Both pairs of Journeyn are useful to us." Ketis spoke up first. "I really like Pellier and Coslone. They can increase the killing efficiency of all of our lee chs. I also like the Voikens. If Sara Voiken joins our clan, she can not only improve the defenses of all of our existing chs, but also provide the ch legions with new and highly effective defensive chs."
It was difficult to choose between the different package deals. They all ca with their own pros and cons and it was difficult to make an objective determination of which one would benefit the Larkinson Clan more.
Juliet already voiced her preference. "I think we should prioritize the Voikens over the other two. It's much harder to estimate how Pellier and Coslone can improve our chs."
"I don't know, Juliet." Ketis said. "I think Pellier and Coslone are considerably more valuable to us. It's not difficult for us to find ch designers who specialize in defensive systems or spearman chs, but it is a lot harder for us to co across Journeyn that can strengthen ch designs in such a useful way!"
Everyone made good points today. The argunts of his fellow colleagues did not make it any easier for Ves to make up his mind!
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