The Mech Touch

The ace rifleman mech was already a potent enough force on the battlefield when it was alone, but the powerful erosion effect generated by Menask Alloy made it even more useful when teaming up with other powerful assets! Its rapid-fire Hexfire Rifle could either weaken the defenses of a large number of enemy units, or break down the defenses of a more formidable opponent over time!

The Macharia Excelsia did not need a lot of babysitting as it possessed the mobility to reposition itself on the battlefield. It could either accompany other powerful assets or remain in the rear where it could offer adequate fire support without putting itself at risk.

"The transphasic flight system accelerates quickly and is good at evasion, but I am told that it cannot amplify the velocity of my machine as much as other models." Saintess Ulrika Vraken explained. "It is somewhat durable, but it is better if it does not get exposed to attacks."

Ves nodded in understanding. The Macharia Excelsia was more of a dancer and a short-term sprinter than a marathon runner.

"What about its defenses?" He asked as he took a closer look at the hexagon-patterned armor plating.

"The Frachta Armor is designed to be lightweight while still offering adequate protection. It can shrug off most weak attacks when it remains in a passive state, but it cannot tolerate too many strong attacks. I can stiffen its defenses as long as I allow my ace mech to overload the armor system with an abundance of energy. It can block much more powerful attacks in this state, but its electrical systems will quickly malfunction if I keep it up for too long."

Defense was the Macharia Excelsia's weak point. Its resonance shield and transpnasic armor system simply weren’t tnat good compared to tne defenses of many other ace mechs.

This was not that concerning when fighting against masses of weaker opponents, but it became a much greater concern when confronting enemy ace mechs and warships.

"Look, papa!" Andraste yelled as she pointed up at the large and technologically sophisticated sword mounted on the ace mech's side. "It's a sword! The ace mech has a sword!"

Saintess Ulrika broke her impassive facade as she gently patted her hand onto Andraste's hair. "You are correct. It is a transphasic plasma sword to be more precise. It can inflict heavy damage when it is fully powered, and it can also apply the erosion effect onto an adversary when I resonate with Menask Alloy. The attack power of this weapon is much higher than the Hexfire Rifle."

Though Andraste thought that the plasma sword was cool, her father held a slightly different opinion.

"This ace mech is a demanding machine." Ves noted with a frown. "Its weapons, its defenses and its flight system all demand a copious amount of energy in order to maximize their performance. How long can it last in battle?"

"Not too long compared to other aee mechs" She admitted "The Macharia Excelsia is not designed to continually participate in long, drawn-out battles. It is meant to shock the Fridaymen opposition and quickly breach their lines, either by eliminating a large quantity of ordinary mech units or prioritizing the downfall of an opposing ace mech or fortress. My ace mech is literally a troubleshooter."

"Mhmm."

Ves and Gloriana examined the ace mech even further while the Saintess continued to share her insights and piloting experiences.

"Meow-"

Lucky somehow managed to climb into her arms. The gem cat squinted his artificial eyes as Ulrika stroked his back in a surprisingly tender and gentle fashion.

"One of my life's regrets was that I never had the opportunity to fight against the Friday Coalition as an ace pilot." The Saintess spoke in a saddened tone. "I may not have been able to reverse the course of the last war, but I could have made the Fridaymen pay a much greater price in the process of claiming victory in the Komodo Star Sector. Instead, our matriarchal dynasty decided to transfer me to the Red Ocean in advance."

Gloriana looked sympathetic. "It takes too much time to design and fabricate an ace mech. Besides, you are much more useful to the Hexer people if you can guard them against attacks against their new neighbors in the Magair Middle Zone."

"I have already gotten over this regret." Ulrika Vraken said as she continued to play with Lucky in her arms. "My fellow Hexers and I have already established ourselves in the Hex Federation. The only blemish is that the Fridaymen have come as well. Their colonies must be destroyed if our people are to secure our foothold in this dwarf galaxy. That is one of the reasons why I have agreed to come. As long as my Macharia Exelcia can become 10 or 20 percent better at defeating the Fridaymen, I am more than willing to fight any aliens you may come across."

Ves smirked when he heard this "Oh, I can assure you that once I am done with overhauling your ace mech, its combat performance will increase by more than just 20 percent."

He had a good first talk with Saintess Ulrika Vraken. The woman was cooperative and open-minded enough to wholeheartedly agree with this entire venture. He could have hardly asked for a better guest ace pilot.

As much as Ves wanted to dive into the Macharia Exelcia right away and begin the long process of converting it into a powerful and versatile living mech, he still had many obligations.

His expeditionary fleet's departure was imminent.

The only hindrance that prevented the expanded Golden Skull Alliance from setting off was the absence of the Spirit of Bentheim.

The factory ship was due to arrive any day.

The visit soon came to an end. As Ves finally boarded their shuttle and departed from the Fist of the Maiden, he began to form a few plans on how he could quickly elevate the Hexer ace mech's combat power in the short term.

Once the shuttle returned to the Cat Nest, Gloriana led the children away while Ves and Lucky returned to the Royal Mansion.

Both Ves and his cat grew more subdued as they went upstairs and approached a spacious room situated in a quiet wing of the estate.

"Is he well enough to accept visitors?" Ves asked.

The honor guard paused for a moment. "Ten minutes."

"That is good enough, I suppose."

Ao Ves entered the large and calming bedroom, his steps slowed and became lighter as he neared the main window and balcony.

The light of the local star shone down on an empty chair.

Months ago, his grandfather regularly sat here in order to enjoy the warmth and reminisce about his long and fulfilling life.

That was no longer possible.

His body degraded to such an extent that he was no longer able to walk under his own power.

As Ves turned around and approached the large medical bed that was placed against a wall, he briefly studied the projected readings of the surrounding medical instruments.

His limited understanding of biotechnology told him that his grandfather's condition had grown even worse in a week.

The decline had accelerated. This implied that his grandfather's life was truly nearing its end.

Ves grew more emotional as he shifted his gaze to the frail and wrinkled old man that was lying feebly in the medical bed.

"Grandfather."

The older Larkinson wearily opened his eyes. "Ves... it has become harder for me to see you clearly. Come. Lean over. Let me... take a better look at you... before I lose my vision completely."

Ves did as instructed.

Pride and contentment radiated from his grandfather as he gazed up at his best descendant.

"Do not... feel sad for me. I accepted this outcome for many decades. I am already living on borrowed time ever since I retired from mech piloting. The cycle of life can never be stopped."

"You are right." Ves sighed. "The cycle of life can never be stopped, but it can be prolonged and delayed. Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson received a round of life-prolonging treatment, so he can easily live for another century."

Benjamin's eyes displayed no envy. "I am happy for Raymond. He can stay and continue to tie the older generations of Larkinsons with the newer ones that have just joined your clan."

"Meow..."

Lucky jumped onto the bed and softly pawed at Benjamin's hand.

"What is your cat saying, Ves?"

"Oh, Lucky wants to remind you that your ending is not set."

"What does a cat know about life and death?"

"You would be surprised." Ves responded. "That is why I have come to visit you, actually. I wanted to inform you about a new development that may allow you to reinvent your life."

Ves leaned over until his lips came close to one of his grandfather's ears.

He softly whispered a story to him that caused Benjamin's heart rate to soar!

"Calm down, please!" The younger Larkinson urged. "I know it sounds improbable, but I really do think that it can give you a chance to make up for past regrets!"

The medical instruments injected a small cocktail of chemicals into Benjamin's body. This helped to reduce his exertion, though it also caused him to lose a lot of lucidity.

His eyes became more clouded, but there was a trace of steel in them that was reminiscent of his time as an expert pilot.

"I... do not think there is any point to it anymore..."

"Why are you saying that, grandfather? Think about it. You don't need to enter the battlefield again. It is already enough to repair a part of yourself while prolonging your life. Our family needs you. Your granddaughters and grandson can still make more memories with you before your time is up. I do not know how effectively my proposal can return your vigor, but as long as you can persist for a decade, then my next three children that I am planning to have with my wife will still have an opportunity to know you in person. It would be much more cruel for them to grow up in the absence of one of their grandparents."

Benjamin obviously felt troubled and conflicted by his grandson's proposal. Though he did not know at all whether this 'Carmine System' would allow him to interface with a mech without relying on a neural interface that he could no longer utilize, he felt it was a subversion of all of his beliefs and assumptions.

"I think... you should let... it go, Ves. This is... what nature intended. I am ready to move on, and you must accept that. Death is not an adversary that should be fought with a mech. It is a relief that brings a timely end to the life of a simple grandparent."

Ves softly placed his hand on top of his grandfather's wrinkled palm. "Maybe you should think about this a little further. I will bring my grandchildren to you on our next visit. I hope by then you will be reminded of what a delight it is to accompany them as they go through their childhoods. There is so much more about life that you are still destined to enjoy. Let me do all of the work. I will quickly design and fabricate a stopgap machine that should give your broken will a chance to mend."

"No... stop, Ves. Don't do... this. Please... respect my decision... I am tired... so tired..."

As Benjamin slowly drifted off to sleep in order to preserve what little vitality he had left, Ves continued to stare at his frail grandfather before he strengthened his resolve.

"I am sorry, grandpa, but I won't do as you say. Blame me all you want, but I am not going to do nothing when I clearly have the power to make a difference. If you want to embrace your end, you can do so after I have restored your condition."