"So this is what other people call a living sword, huh?"
Ves did not look impressed at all. He was bewildered more than anything.
As Ves and Master Benedict Cortez studied the scanning data of the plasma sword, they found it was a well-designed product of high technology.
Though the principles of plasma technology were rather clear, it was not that easy to weaponize it in a way to make it functional in ch combat.
Plasma was hot. It could lt through all kinds of alloys if it was applied to a target long enough, but no ch pilot was stupid enough to allow a plasma blade to lt through his ch with impunity.
Therefore, plasma blades needed to possess a high degree of output, but that introduced all kinds of technical challenges.
How to maximize output, how to prevent the internals from frying, how to manage the extre heat generation and how to stuff it all in a package that was small enough to be usable in ch combat were all requirents that had to be t in order to make a plasma weapon viable in a combat setting.
The high thresholds of military plasma technology ultimately ant that it was mostly common in first-class chs.
Though it was definitely possible to equip second-class chs with plasma weapons if the client was willing to commit more funding and resources, it simply didn't make sense most of the ti.
The Neo Amadeus was different. As an ace ch, its design budget was so high that previously unattainable technology beca a lot more viable all of a sudden.
Ves was not surprised at all that the Gauge Dynasty was willing to invest in a plasma sword as well as other weapons such as an anti-resonance sword and a transphasic sword for a new ace ch.
Saint Jeremiah Gauge definitely possessed the strength to make good use of these armants!
The leadership of the dynasty must feel extrely pained right now. Not only did they lose a relatively young ace pilot that could have gone on to guard the Gaugers for at least a century, but they also lost all of the investnt they poured into the developnt of an ace ch that only participated in one actual battle.
The estimated production cost of the Neo Amadeus and all of its armants definitely amounted to millions of MTA credits!
Ves wouldn't be surprised if the total cost, which included the amount of hours that Master ch Designers and other personnel worked on the design project, exceeded 10 million MTA credits!
No other kind of second-class ch could co close to this extravagance. Spending at this level was mostly associated with first-class chs more than anything.
Now, all of this value had fallen into the hands of the Cross Clan. Master Benedict would probably be able to derive an enormous amount of gains from studying the fra of the Neo Amadeus.
Even though he was largely responsible for designing the initial version of the Mars and upgrading it to ace ch standards, it was undeniable that he wasn't exactly the most qualified person to fulfill these responsibilities.
The forr Skull Architect only realized his design philosophy a few years ago and could still be considered a baby among Master ch Designers.
This ant that there were huge and profound differences between the Mars and the Neo Amadeus.
Though the forr actually possessed more phasewater and high-grade exotics than the latter, Ves actually found that the Neo Amadeus possessed a clear and decisive edge in technological sophistication.
This should not be a surprise.
Several Masters contributed to its design, and the fad Multi-Ard Designer himself led the design project.
Not only that, but the Gauge Dynasty was able to mobilize its best and most accomplished R&D institutions to develop all kinds of custom high-end ch parts and ch systems for the ace ch, making it so that nothing about its design consisted of stock components.
Though Ves hadn't been able to study the fra of the Neo Amadeus in detail as of yet, its plasma sword ought to be a good representation of the entire package.
Master Benedict grew curious at what the younger ch designer could pick up from the plasma sword.
"Leaving aside the abnormally hidden deep within the structure of this weapon, what is your impression of the overall design style and direction of the plasma sword?"
Ves understood that this was probably a teaching mont. He did not mind being patronized because his experience with design work at this level was severely deficient.
A forr Fridayman ch designer and newly-advanced Master most certainly knew more how works like the Neo Amadeus and its luxurious equipnt ca about!
Since Ves did not want to sound too incompetent, he took his ti to evaluable the plasma sword and formulate a proper answer.
"The sword is… a collaborative work." Ves spoke as he drew from his own experiences. "I can tell that soone with a good understanding of swords and swordsman chs took charge of the design of this weapon. Every aspect about the design lines up with a single and coherent design concept. Though its performance is incredibly high, it is not extre to the point of compromising its robustness and structural integrity. It is truly a powerful and reliable plasma sword that won't easily malfunction during ace ch combat, and that is the most important requirent."
Fragile products had no place in ace chs. Saints pushed their machines harder than any expert pilot by a huge margin. This pretty much made it impossible to equip halfgods with cheap and shambling ace chs.
"Do you think it is a good weapon?"
Ves shrugged. "I'm sure the Multi-Ard Designer wouldn't have allowed it to exist if it didn't complent Saint Jeremiah and the Neo Amadeus. The existence of this weapon provides the Neo Amadeus with the crucial capability to deal thermal energy damage, thereby adding more diversity to the ace ch's damage profile. The only major shortcoming is that this plasma sword is a power hog. It can't be utilized for longer periods of ti because the burden to its energy reserves is just too big."
"Are you suggesting that the plasma sword is incongruous to the total package?"
"It is fine if it is regarded as a contingency option." Ves answered. "The cost of using it is too high under normal circumstances, so there is no reason for Saint Jeremiah to employ it unless he encounters an enemy that is highly resistant to physical damage or has used up his other two swords, which was the case during the previous duel."
Master Benedict nodded in agreent. "Those are my thoughts as well. The plasma sword is a luxury option. Its inclusion ans that the Gauge Dynasty has spent rather generously to equip the Neo Amadeus with the weapons it needs to tackle both human and alien threats. Now, what do you make of its abnormal feature?"
The design of the plasma sword was completely logical and in harmony aside from only one glaring addition.
Ves turned his gaze back to the secret chamber that had been built inside the weapon.
"This 'thing' looks like it was jamd into the plasma sword after it was already designed. There are clear signs that the designers had to resize and shift around a lot of components in order to make room for this last-minute demand. While the people who worked on the design have done an excellent job in integrating this chamber without sacrificing too much performance, there is still a clear incongruity in design style and intention."
Master Benedict smirked. "Do you think it is worth it for the Gaugers to jam this extra elent into the plasma sword? After all, it was only added to the weapon during a later phase of the design process. ch designers ordinarily try to avoid feature creep as much as possible."
This was the tricky part about the abnormality. Ves didn't think that Saint Jeremiah Gauge requested such a change. It was simply too macabre to be associated with an ace pilot who developed a reputation for being noble and upright.
"It depends on who is in charge and who is setting the goals." Ves eventually said. "Normally, the ace pilot should be the person that ultimately dictates what should be put into his machine. The lead designer is the person responsible for translating the demands of the ace pilot into concrete design work. However, this weird attempt to turn the plasma sword into a living weapon looks like it is an attempt to perform an experint. If I didn't know any better, then I would have accused Master Toqueman Huron for misusing the Neo Amadeus for his own ends. He has coopted his design to pursue his personal goals and ambitions."
Master Benedict sighed and shook his head.
"You think too simply, Ves. Ace chs are literally life savers to a state. The Gauge Dynasty is only capable of fielding an extrely limited amount of these powerful machines, so the design of each of them is subject to rigorous political oversight in order to ensure that none of them are found wanting."
Ves furrowed his eyebrows. "Too much ddling from leaders rarely leads to good results. Don't those Gaugers know their actions are counterproductive?"
"Maybe yes, maybe no. Whatever the case, it is impossible for Master Huron to fool around with the design of the Neo Amadeus. For him to be able to make this drastic change to not just the plasma sword but also the other two main armants of the ace ch ans that he has most definitely convinced the leaders of the Gauge Dynasty to allow this experint to proceed. This is an exceptional result considering how radical and unorthodox it is to insert the decapitated head of a living expert pilot inside a ch sword."
Ves finally realized how unusual it was for such an abnormality to exist.
"Wait a minute… what about the MTA? Isn't it taboo to desecrate expert pilots by using them as test subjects in sick human experints? Why haven't the chers arrested Master Huron and worked harder to prevent this travesty from happening?"
Didn't the older man standing next to Ves get in trouble in the past because he committed a comparable cri in the past?
Master Benedict remained silent for a few seconds.
"I have a theory on that, but I think that you can deduce one as well. You know what has happened. You know that the MTA apparently hasn't sanctioned Master Huron despite knowing that he is responsible for conducting an egregious form of human experintation. What does that tell you, Ves?"
Nurous thoughts began to well up in Ves' mind. Many of them could stir a lot of controversy and condemnation if he tried to publicize his ideas.
"It tells that… the MTA or a faction of it is likely complicit in this taboo experint." Ves ultimately concluded. "The MTA monitors everything and there is no way the Association would miss the fact that the Fridayn committed this act not once, but thrice. Three different expert pilots have lived a tortured life while locked inside the massive structure of different ace ch weapons. The only explanation that makes sense is that Master Huron has either received the active support of a powerful MTA faction or that he has been permitted to conduct his experint with the implicit approval of a bunch of bigwigs in the MTA."
"Why would the chers support this experint or permit it from happening?"
Ves frowned deeper as a number of unsettling answers ca to mind.
"Because… there is at least one group of chers that may be jealous at my living chs. So far, I enjoy a monopoly on living chs. It is becoming increasingly more known that my contributions to the ch industry are extrely helpful. My best comrcial offerings have beco the market leaders in their respective categories. The competition is bound to hate my work. The only ways to cope with my increasing success is to ban my work or find a way to develop a superior alternative to the value proposition of my specialty."
"In other words, Master Huron is but the first among many ch designers who are seeking to replace 'your' living chs with their own versions. That is probably not a surprise to you. What is truly important this ti is that we have obtained proof that those ch designers are pursuing their goal with the implicit or explicit approval of a portion of the MTA. That is much more significant news."
Ves understood exactly how scary it was to receive so much 'care' and 'attention' from the MTA!
He was being targeted!
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