[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 28: Preparation

"What happened after that?" Ves asked over the comm as he rested on the couch. Lucky curiously tried to paw Melinda's head projected by the comm.

"The juggernaut blasted half the walls of the military base apart. It set up a panic in our team. Frankly, the only reason why we lasted so long after the juggernaut entered the field was because its pilot went drunk with power. He destroyed half his team with all the collateral damage he caused."

The two spoke about the performance of the Marc Antony, and how Melinda found it to be a good mech despite its many faults. "It doesn't have a good place on the front lines due to its scattered strengths. It's not quite a knight, not quite a striker and its pitiful launchers don't give the mech a lot of long-ranged firepower."

"Well, I'm only working with the tools I have. Frankly, if I could replace the mace and shield with something sturdier, I'm sure the mech would perform just as well as the Caesar Augustus."

"Sadly, that's not an option if I want to keep costs and complexity under control." Ves shook his head. "I've anticipated most of the issues you've mentioned, but they're kind of built into the fundamental design of the mech. I'm not aiming to replace the Caesar Augustus. I just want to deliver an affordable variant that can perform well in smaller engagements."

Melinda nodded. "I'm certainly impressed with the mech. I kind of want to replace my patrol mech with it, but I know the pencil pushers in the Guard won't allow such a thing. It doesn't have the endurance."

After the conversation ended, Ves put the finishing touches on his second handmade mech and sent it off to be sold in the market.

"Let's see my progress so far."

[Status]

Name: Ves Larkinson

Profession: Novice Mech Designer

Specializations: None

Design Points: 235

—Attributes—

Strength: 0.7

Dexterity: 0.7

Endurance: 0.6

Intelligence: 1.2

Creativity: 1

Concentration: 1.2

Neural Aptitude: F

—Skills—

[Assembly]: Apprentice - [3D Printer Proficiency I] [Assembler Proficiency I]

[Business]: Apprentice

[Computer Science]: Incompetent

[Electrical Engineering]: Novice

[Mathematics]: Incompetent

[Mechanics]: Apprentice - [Jury Rigging I] [Speed Tuning I]

[Metallurgy]: Apprentice

[Metaphysics]: Incompetent

[Physics]: Novice - [Lightweight Armor Optimization I] [Mediumweight Armor Optimization I]

Evaluation: Almost reached the standards of an apprentice mech designer.

His stats hadn't changed much since the last time he viewed it. His concentration had gained 0.1 points again due to his single-minded focus in mastering the Marc Antony. Besides sleeping, eating, bathroom rituals and taking short breaks to reset his mood, he spent all his time fabricating the Marc Antony.