Simonbob
Really? You don't say.
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That, and if you do much ortillery, the massive multi-galaxy wide super navy, or the massive multi-galaxy wide super mech army will squish you like a bug.
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That, and if you do much ortillery, the massive multi-galaxy wide super navy, or the massive multi-galaxy wide super mech army will squish you like a bug.
M-041-End Arc 1
New
lost star
Connoisseur.
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End of Arc 1
----
Victory was bittersweet. Bolt was glad they'd won. He now had a very nice chunk of change to his name. Enough to get everything for Ghoul, get something imported, and have enough for maybe another mech depending on the cost. He was also leaving, and likely going to land in a conflict of some sort once he returned. He was under no illusions as to what was waiting at home. Yet he could not stay. He would return despite the risks.
He could stay if he wanted. There were offers. He'd not found any interest in them. Even if it wasn't another leash, his family was back home, and they had a chance to make something there. This was pride talking. He wasn't ashamed to admit that. He did have it in select areas. Discussing that with his new friends was a bit hard. They didn't really understand.
"You're still going back there." Dai said holding up a beer and waving it in emphasis. "You're going back to something you admit is hell and possible death."
"It ain't the smart think I know." Bolt agreed easily.
They'd gone with a small party in an exclusive room at a local bar. Nothing elaborate or expensive. They had a few drinks, and a variety of fried foods, less than spicy. It was a college student's party but with less drinks according to his teammates.
"I don't get it." The young man eventually said.
Lilly shrugged. "It's home." She hadn't touched the alcohol. According to her one went straight to her head. Bolt had had one himself and that was it. "Ain't much ta say there."
"What about you all?" Bolt asked.
"I've managed to get accepted to a company working on making nanomachines more affordable for third rate states." Wu said immediately.
Everyone at the table stared at her in mild confusion. The girl had been working with boosters before. A switch seemed strange. Then Dai gave her a small toast with his drink. "Sounds good! Can't imagine it will go anywhere, but it sounds good!"
Wu nodded placidly. "I was inspired by the work we've done and have decided to change my focus."
"I've been accepted at one of the more premier mech designers here. I have a few years of low level work ahead of me, but am likely going to be tracked to a design lead after that." Ando gave his plans. "Conservative yes, but it will get me where I want with little risk."
"Can't say I would do that." Bolt observed.
"You'd burn the place down in a day." Lilly said with a grin.
After a moment of thought Bolt nodded. "Can't disagree with that either."
"Putting aside plans for arson, I'm still a bit up in the air." Dai took a sip of his drink and leaned back in his seat. "Got a few places I could try."
"You really should find something soon." Ando advised as he grabbed something fried.
"I have applied to places to get experience, but actual career wise I'm not sure. Doing just weapons might be too broad. Been starting to hurt my head trying to do everything." The young designer admitted.
Bolt opened his mouth to ask a question in mild confusion and got a few napkins thrown at him before he could even start.
"No." Wu scolded with a very small glare. "You're special there."
"Really." Ando added.
"You are going places, if you live." Dai gave his own input. "Not like us."
The evaluation was oddly flattering. "Don't sell yourself short." Bolt told them.
"I speak for all of us when I say we were average students given a chance of a lifetime to work with you on this." Ando said quietly. "Your assistance has helped, but we need to prove that we can do something on our own."
"Seriously." Dai nodded rapidly. "Now, other things before we start comparing ourselves inappropriately. Did you all see the news?"
"I avoid it on principle." Bolt muttered.
"Different topic then. You sure you don't want to stay?" Wu immediately changed the subject.
"Nah. What would I do? Be another military designer? Be Lilly's exclusive designer?" Bolt made a face.
Lilly gave him a hard poke in reply before she gave him a kiss and leaned into him. The three others watched them and then exchanged looks before shaking their heads simultaneously and going for the food. There was a bit of silence as they ate and drank.
"Now seems a good time I suppose." Bolt pulled out a few red tassels. "These are from Vermillion." He held them out. "Consider it a souvenir. Didn't seem right to have nothing left."
It really wasn't much. Just parts from the ponytail the mech had. It felt appropriate though. The entire event hadn't meant that much to him aside from the money, but it most certainly had helped everyone else. Bolt had achieved something with that. Even if he never saw them again he wanted to remember it.
Ando held his tassel with a complicated gaze. "That reminds me. That presence you managed when it was done. Can you talk about it?"
"Sure. Not sure what ta say though." Bolt looked off into the distance. "Forgive me for just putting my thoughts. It's hard to verbalize what I've been trying to identify. Lilly is considered sensitive. The MTA calls it some sort of psionic psychosomatic reaction to certain mechs. Ain't easy to explain or define, but most pilots tend ta lose it over time."
"Think that's cause they get used ta mechs that don't feel warm." Lilly gave her input with a sour expression.
The designer nodded along. "Yeah. I figured out early how to make that warmth. Was mostly by accident. First one barely had it. Second one had a bit more. I figured if I sort of make a theme and put a personality in the mech it starts to get that presence you noticed so I practiced it. You get compounding effects if you built it yourself too. With just the design and someone else building it, you get a little effect. If you build it, you can get what we felt."
"Seems strange." Ando mused.
"Is it useful?" Dai was more blunt and to the point. "It made the mech feel better, but that's useless alone."
"I believe ya can use it to sort of tweak the performance of things and make it feel better ta pilot with. I've seen another designer do it, so I'm pretty sure it's some sorta strange technique that ain't used for one reason or another. Now I don't know how he does it, or what's needed to get that effect. All I can do is make things feel better ta Lilly and give them that presence." Bolt heaved a soft breath and shrugged. "Can't say more than that."
"Wonder if we could do it?" Dai asked the others.
Wu gave an unladylike snort. "Bolt touched every part of the design and made sure that it aligned right. Half the changes didn't make much sense from a mechanical standpoint. Now that I know about it I see it, but we'd have to teach ourselves from just a description of stay in theme." She gestured vaguely in Bolt's direction.
The other two designers winced. "Maybe try to do just a part?" Dai mused.
"We'd need to test it, and based off Bolt's description it probably requires a lot of focused practice and concentration. If Lilly didn't feel it he wouldn't even have started on it." Ando said before frowning and shrugging. "We can try in Iron Spirit I suppose? There's some of that effect in there, which makes no sense at all."
"I wouldn't mind testing it fer you once or twice if ya wanna try." Lilly offered. "Not often tho, and don't abuse it."
Everyone nodded at that. None of the designers seemed inclined to try based on the look on their faces though, and the topic was dropped. Lilly was the next one to speak up after some more eating.
"What was that about a new design you were talking about in that interview?" She asked her fiance.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bolt immediately responded before he realized what she was speaking of. "Oh, you mean the design that'd fit you better?" He pulled out his comm and brought up a base outline. "Ain't nearly complete. Was thinking of it as something like Nosferatu or something like that, but I'm probably going to change that and half a dozen other things before I can say it's presentable."
Some noises of interest from the side had the designer roll his eyes and send them the design too. It wasn't nearly finished as he'd said. Taking the winged humanoid design from his Iron Spirit failure and refining it into something that worked was a serious work in progress. It was also one that he was taking his time on. His desire was to put every lesson he learned into making the best mech he could, but he was also trying to work past several roadblocks.
"Need somethin' better for the weapons and to do something with the hands. It's going to be a royal pain to pilot no matter what I do." Bolt explained.
Lilly didn't really read the specifications so much as look over the entire form with narrow eyes. "Looks confused."
"It is." The designer admitted.
"What are you trying to do with it?" Dai asked with a strangled tone.
"That's him asking 'are you crazy' politely." Wu said. "This is a mess."
"Of course it is, it ain't finished!" Bolt responded with a frustrated wave of his hands. It was a mess because he still didn't know what to do with it. "Plus it's gonna be something that could be upgraded into an expert mech. I can't do it fast. Just gotta do it right!"
"Like the wings at least." Lilly offered with a sympathetic pat on the shoulders. "Not sure if it'll work though."
"Wait till it's actually done." Bolt felt like he was repeating himself.
Snickers from the others made him grab the napkins that had been thrown at him and throw them back. It was a nice end of the day.
--
----
Victory was bittersweet. Bolt was glad they'd won. He now had a very nice chunk of change to his name. Enough to get everything for Ghoul, get something imported, and have enough for maybe another mech depending on the cost. He was also leaving, and likely going to land in a conflict of some sort once he returned. He was under no illusions as to what was waiting at home. Yet he could not stay. He would return despite the risks.
He could stay if he wanted. There were offers. He'd not found any interest in them. Even if it wasn't another leash, his family was back home, and they had a chance to make something there. This was pride talking. He wasn't ashamed to admit that. He did have it in select areas. Discussing that with his new friends was a bit hard. They didn't really understand.
"You're still going back there." Dai said holding up a beer and waving it in emphasis. "You're going back to something you admit is hell and possible death."
"It ain't the smart think I know." Bolt agreed easily.
They'd gone with a small party in an exclusive room at a local bar. Nothing elaborate or expensive. They had a few drinks, and a variety of fried foods, less than spicy. It was a college student's party but with less drinks according to his teammates.
"I don't get it." The young man eventually said.
Lilly shrugged. "It's home." She hadn't touched the alcohol. According to her one went straight to her head. Bolt had had one himself and that was it. "Ain't much ta say there."
"What about you all?" Bolt asked.
"I've managed to get accepted to a company working on making nanomachines more affordable for third rate states." Wu said immediately.
Everyone at the table stared at her in mild confusion. The girl had been working with boosters before. A switch seemed strange. Then Dai gave her a small toast with his drink. "Sounds good! Can't imagine it will go anywhere, but it sounds good!"
Wu nodded placidly. "I was inspired by the work we've done and have decided to change my focus."
"I've been accepted at one of the more premier mech designers here. I have a few years of low level work ahead of me, but am likely going to be tracked to a design lead after that." Ando gave his plans. "Conservative yes, but it will get me where I want with little risk."
"Can't say I would do that." Bolt observed.
"You'd burn the place down in a day." Lilly said with a grin.
After a moment of thought Bolt nodded. "Can't disagree with that either."
"Putting aside plans for arson, I'm still a bit up in the air." Dai took a sip of his drink and leaned back in his seat. "Got a few places I could try."
"You really should find something soon." Ando advised as he grabbed something fried.
"I have applied to places to get experience, but actual career wise I'm not sure. Doing just weapons might be too broad. Been starting to hurt my head trying to do everything." The young designer admitted.
Bolt opened his mouth to ask a question in mild confusion and got a few napkins thrown at him before he could even start.
"No." Wu scolded with a very small glare. "You're special there."
"Really." Ando added.
"You are going places, if you live." Dai gave his own input. "Not like us."
The evaluation was oddly flattering. "Don't sell yourself short." Bolt told them.
"I speak for all of us when I say we were average students given a chance of a lifetime to work with you on this." Ando said quietly. "Your assistance has helped, but we need to prove that we can do something on our own."
"Seriously." Dai nodded rapidly. "Now, other things before we start comparing ourselves inappropriately. Did you all see the news?"
"I avoid it on principle." Bolt muttered.
"Different topic then. You sure you don't want to stay?" Wu immediately changed the subject.
"Nah. What would I do? Be another military designer? Be Lilly's exclusive designer?" Bolt made a face.
Lilly gave him a hard poke in reply before she gave him a kiss and leaned into him. The three others watched them and then exchanged looks before shaking their heads simultaneously and going for the food. There was a bit of silence as they ate and drank.
"Now seems a good time I suppose." Bolt pulled out a few red tassels. "These are from Vermillion." He held them out. "Consider it a souvenir. Didn't seem right to have nothing left."
It really wasn't much. Just parts from the ponytail the mech had. It felt appropriate though. The entire event hadn't meant that much to him aside from the money, but it most certainly had helped everyone else. Bolt had achieved something with that. Even if he never saw them again he wanted to remember it.
Ando held his tassel with a complicated gaze. "That reminds me. That presence you managed when it was done. Can you talk about it?"
"Sure. Not sure what ta say though." Bolt looked off into the distance. "Forgive me for just putting my thoughts. It's hard to verbalize what I've been trying to identify. Lilly is considered sensitive. The MTA calls it some sort of psionic psychosomatic reaction to certain mechs. Ain't easy to explain or define, but most pilots tend ta lose it over time."
"Think that's cause they get used ta mechs that don't feel warm." Lilly gave her input with a sour expression.
The designer nodded along. "Yeah. I figured out early how to make that warmth. Was mostly by accident. First one barely had it. Second one had a bit more. I figured if I sort of make a theme and put a personality in the mech it starts to get that presence you noticed so I practiced it. You get compounding effects if you built it yourself too. With just the design and someone else building it, you get a little effect. If you build it, you can get what we felt."
"Seems strange." Ando mused.
"Is it useful?" Dai was more blunt and to the point. "It made the mech feel better, but that's useless alone."
"I believe ya can use it to sort of tweak the performance of things and make it feel better ta pilot with. I've seen another designer do it, so I'm pretty sure it's some sorta strange technique that ain't used for one reason or another. Now I don't know how he does it, or what's needed to get that effect. All I can do is make things feel better ta Lilly and give them that presence." Bolt heaved a soft breath and shrugged. "Can't say more than that."
"Wonder if we could do it?" Dai asked the others.
Wu gave an unladylike snort. "Bolt touched every part of the design and made sure that it aligned right. Half the changes didn't make much sense from a mechanical standpoint. Now that I know about it I see it, but we'd have to teach ourselves from just a description of stay in theme." She gestured vaguely in Bolt's direction.
The other two designers winced. "Maybe try to do just a part?" Dai mused.
"We'd need to test it, and based off Bolt's description it probably requires a lot of focused practice and concentration. If Lilly didn't feel it he wouldn't even have started on it." Ando said before frowning and shrugging. "We can try in Iron Spirit I suppose? There's some of that effect in there, which makes no sense at all."
"I wouldn't mind testing it fer you once or twice if ya wanna try." Lilly offered. "Not often tho, and don't abuse it."
Everyone nodded at that. None of the designers seemed inclined to try based on the look on their faces though, and the topic was dropped. Lilly was the next one to speak up after some more eating.
"What was that about a new design you were talking about in that interview?" She asked her fiance.
"I'm sorry, what?" Bolt immediately responded before he realized what she was speaking of. "Oh, you mean the design that'd fit you better?" He pulled out his comm and brought up a base outline. "Ain't nearly complete. Was thinking of it as something like Nosferatu or something like that, but I'm probably going to change that and half a dozen other things before I can say it's presentable."
Some noises of interest from the side had the designer roll his eyes and send them the design too. It wasn't nearly finished as he'd said. Taking the winged humanoid design from his Iron Spirit failure and refining it into something that worked was a serious work in progress. It was also one that he was taking his time on. His desire was to put every lesson he learned into making the best mech he could, but he was also trying to work past several roadblocks.
"Need somethin' better for the weapons and to do something with the hands. It's going to be a royal pain to pilot no matter what I do." Bolt explained.
Lilly didn't really read the specifications so much as look over the entire form with narrow eyes. "Looks confused."
"It is." The designer admitted.
"What are you trying to do with it?" Dai asked with a strangled tone.
"That's him asking 'are you crazy' politely." Wu said. "This is a mess."
"Of course it is, it ain't finished!" Bolt responded with a frustrated wave of his hands. It was a mess because he still didn't know what to do with it. "Plus it's gonna be something that could be upgraded into an expert mech. I can't do it fast. Just gotta do it right!"
"Like the wings at least." Lilly offered with a sympathetic pat on the shoulders. "Not sure if it'll work though."
"Wait till it's actually done." Bolt felt like he was repeating himself.
Snickers from the others made him grab the napkins that had been thrown at him and throw them back. It was a nice end of the day.
--
Here's Bolt's Rating if the system were evaluating him. I'll be listing standout skills. Assume the rest is at Adept if it's not mentioned. (Also feel free to let me know if I missed anything.)
Profession Adept Mech Designer
Specializations None
Evaluation A designer with untapped potential.
Attributes
Strength: 1.8
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: 1.7
Intelligence: 2.1
Creativity: 2.2
Concentration: 2.0
Neural Aptitude: F-
Skills:
Spiritual Construction - Novice
Exotic Weapons - Novice
First Rate Mech Design Basics - Novice
Laser Weapons- Adept
Melee Weapon Design - Adept
Assembly - Journeyman
Repair - Journeyman
Damage Control - Journeyman
Computer Programming - Journeyman
Internal Mech Configuration - Journeyman
Skeletal Structure and Mechanics - Journeyman
Salvaging - Senior
Aesthetic Design Concerns- Senior
The following are ratings if the system were to rate the designs. These are relative to others in the same tech level to make it easier on me.
Variant name: Zombie 5 star
Base model: Zombie
Weight Classification: Medium
Recommended Role: Front Line Fodder
Armor: B-
Carrying Capacity: C
Aesthetics: B-
Endurance: C+
Energy Efficiency: B+
Flexibility: D
Firepower: D+
Integrity: B-
Mobility: D
Spotting: D
X-Factor: D-
Overall Evaluation: A frontline mech with few redeeming factors aside from cost and durability. The head has been repurposed to be a false target and a one time missile. This gimmick is suitable for a surprise to those unfamiliar with the design, but provides little actual firepower increase due to being a single shot. The design and configuration is also highly deceptive and makes it difficult for even experienced combatants to evaluate the damage the mech has sustained.
Variant name: Dowry
Base model: Ghoul
Weight Classification: Light
Recommended Role: Deep Range Skirmisher
Armor: C
Carrying Capacity: C
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: A+
Energy Efficiency: A-
Flexibility: D
Firepower: C
Integrity: C+
Mobility: B+
Spotting: B+
X-Factor: C+
Overall Evaluation: A skirmisher with a focus on long operational time. The appearance and movement create an unusual terrorizing effect upon those with lesser will. This variant is capable of refueling and repairing from fallen enemies, and there is a unique interaction with the designer's budding specialty and its own x-factor that might cause unintended consequences.
Variant name: Drowned Man 5 stars
Base model: Drowned Man
Weight Classification: Medium
Recommended Role: Front Line Swordsman
Armor: B-
Carrying Capacity: C+
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: C (B- in rain)
Energy Efficiency: B
Flexibility: C
Firepower: B
Integrity: C+
Mobility: C-
Spotting: B-
X-Factor: D+
Overall Evaluation: A swordsman with a gimmick. The fog generation technology it is installed with is both out of date and a dead end technologically, but still provides some concealment even against modern sensors, giving the mech a noticeable presence on the battlefield when it is fielded. It is otherwise a fairly unremarkable swordsman with a one handed sword and hook used to off-balance or reel in enemies. The sensory systems are also unusual enough that some stealth systems can be mitigated.
Variant name: Undertaker 5 Stars
Base model: Undertaker
Weight Classification: Heavy
Recommended Role: Elite Group Support
Armor: B+
Carrying Capacity: C+
Aesthetics: B+
Endurance: C+
Energy Efficiency: C+
Flexibility: B+
Firepower: C-
Integrity: B
Mobility: D
Spotting: D (B with allies)
X-Factor: C-
Overall Evaluation: A heavy meant to straddle several roles. Its jamming technology combined with the communication suite are calibrated for smaller battlefields. This makes it useful where the forces have a limited tonnage or space, but in large wars it will be overshadowed by specialists. The focus on support and fog creation does make it surprisingly flexible and suited for a wider variety of compositions than would be expected. The gravestone jammers also provide a method to conceal the mech's position or demoralize enemies.
Variant name: Bloody Berserker 5 Stars
Base model: Bloody Berserker
Weight Classification: Heavy
Recommended Role: Line Breaker
Armor: A+
Carrying Capacity: B
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: C-
Energy Efficiency: D
Flexibility: D
Firepower: B
Integrity: A+
Mobility: D (C with armor off)
Spotting: D
X-Factor: C
Overall Evaluation: A heavy mech designed to break front line forces and survive doing it. In this regard the design has succeeded in its task. There are very few mechs in its weight class that can boast similar durability. However, the heavy focus on just these two aspects has left it rather limited in other areas. The X-factor involved heavily influences its role and may result in some reckless behavior. The armor detachment is a gimmick, but does allow for some flexibility in certain situations and can reduce the repair cost and time in certain situations.
Variant name: Shining Shrine Maiden
Base model: Shining Shrine Maiden
Weight Classification: Light
Recommended Role: Light Artillery
Armor: D-
Carrying Capacity: D
Aesthetics: A+
Endurance: D-
Energy Efficiency: C
Flexibility: C
Firepower: A
Integrity: C
Mobility: B-
Spotting: B
X-Factor: B-
Overall Evaluation: An artillery mech with several unusual and deliberate design choices. The specialized siege mode firing position combined with the disposable drones allow for angles of fire and endurance not typically found in laser based mechs. Of note is that the endurance can be increased significantly if there are spare drones available. This makes the mech more useful and dangerous in fortified areas with access to a manufacturing station that can repair or remake those drones.
This mech shows traces of a budding design specialization. It shows traces of three designers. The X-factor combined with the previous traits might have unintended consequences due to it being marketed towards shrines and religious sites.
Variant name: Vermillion
Base model: Vermillion
Weight Classification: Medium Light
Recommended Role: Duelist
Armor: C+
Carrying Capacity: F
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: F
Energy Efficiency: F
Flexibility: F
Firepower: C+
Integrity: A
Mobility: C+
Spotting: C
X-Factor: B-
Overall Evaluation: A pure duelist. This mech is clearly optimized for the very specific role of dueling mechs one on one in brief battles in any possible setting. Everything not useful to that very specific role has been removed. While this makes it optimal for quick fights, the design is fatally flawed in that its functional run time is measured in minutes. The X-Factor is surprisingly potent for a throwaway design, likely due to the clear care and dedication in creation and appearance.
Profession Adept Mech Designer
Specializations None
Evaluation A designer with untapped potential.
Attributes
Strength: 1.8
Dexterity: 1
Endurance: 1.7
Intelligence: 2.1
Creativity: 2.2
Concentration: 2.0
Neural Aptitude: F-
Skills:
Spiritual Construction - Novice
Exotic Weapons - Novice
First Rate Mech Design Basics - Novice
Laser Weapons- Adept
Melee Weapon Design - Adept
Assembly - Journeyman
Repair - Journeyman
Damage Control - Journeyman
Computer Programming - Journeyman
Internal Mech Configuration - Journeyman
Skeletal Structure and Mechanics - Journeyman
Salvaging - Senior
Aesthetic Design Concerns- Senior
The following are ratings if the system were to rate the designs. These are relative to others in the same tech level to make it easier on me.
Variant name: Zombie 5 star
Base model: Zombie
Weight Classification: Medium
Recommended Role: Front Line Fodder
Armor: B-
Carrying Capacity: C
Aesthetics: B-
Endurance: C+
Energy Efficiency: B+
Flexibility: D
Firepower: D+
Integrity: B-
Mobility: D
Spotting: D
X-Factor: D-
Overall Evaluation: A frontline mech with few redeeming factors aside from cost and durability. The head has been repurposed to be a false target and a one time missile. This gimmick is suitable for a surprise to those unfamiliar with the design, but provides little actual firepower increase due to being a single shot. The design and configuration is also highly deceptive and makes it difficult for even experienced combatants to evaluate the damage the mech has sustained.
Variant name: Dowry
Base model: Ghoul
Weight Classification: Light
Recommended Role: Deep Range Skirmisher
Armor: C
Carrying Capacity: C
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: A+
Energy Efficiency: A-
Flexibility: D
Firepower: C
Integrity: C+
Mobility: B+
Spotting: B+
X-Factor: C+
Overall Evaluation: A skirmisher with a focus on long operational time. The appearance and movement create an unusual terrorizing effect upon those with lesser will. This variant is capable of refueling and repairing from fallen enemies, and there is a unique interaction with the designer's budding specialty and its own x-factor that might cause unintended consequences.
Variant name: Drowned Man 5 stars
Base model: Drowned Man
Weight Classification: Medium
Recommended Role: Front Line Swordsman
Armor: B-
Carrying Capacity: C+
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: C (B- in rain)
Energy Efficiency: B
Flexibility: C
Firepower: B
Integrity: C+
Mobility: C-
Spotting: B-
X-Factor: D+
Overall Evaluation: A swordsman with a gimmick. The fog generation technology it is installed with is both out of date and a dead end technologically, but still provides some concealment even against modern sensors, giving the mech a noticeable presence on the battlefield when it is fielded. It is otherwise a fairly unremarkable swordsman with a one handed sword and hook used to off-balance or reel in enemies. The sensory systems are also unusual enough that some stealth systems can be mitigated.
Variant name: Undertaker 5 Stars
Base model: Undertaker
Weight Classification: Heavy
Recommended Role: Elite Group Support
Armor: B+
Carrying Capacity: C+
Aesthetics: B+
Endurance: C+
Energy Efficiency: C+
Flexibility: B+
Firepower: C-
Integrity: B
Mobility: D
Spotting: D (B with allies)
X-Factor: C-
Overall Evaluation: A heavy meant to straddle several roles. Its jamming technology combined with the communication suite are calibrated for smaller battlefields. This makes it useful where the forces have a limited tonnage or space, but in large wars it will be overshadowed by specialists. The focus on support and fog creation does make it surprisingly flexible and suited for a wider variety of compositions than would be expected. The gravestone jammers also provide a method to conceal the mech's position or demoralize enemies.
Variant name: Bloody Berserker 5 Stars
Base model: Bloody Berserker
Weight Classification: Heavy
Recommended Role: Line Breaker
Armor: A+
Carrying Capacity: B
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: C-
Energy Efficiency: D
Flexibility: D
Firepower: B
Integrity: A+
Mobility: D (C with armor off)
Spotting: D
X-Factor: C
Overall Evaluation: A heavy mech designed to break front line forces and survive doing it. In this regard the design has succeeded in its task. There are very few mechs in its weight class that can boast similar durability. However, the heavy focus on just these two aspects has left it rather limited in other areas. The X-factor involved heavily influences its role and may result in some reckless behavior. The armor detachment is a gimmick, but does allow for some flexibility in certain situations and can reduce the repair cost and time in certain situations.
Variant name: Shining Shrine Maiden
Base model: Shining Shrine Maiden
Weight Classification: Light
Recommended Role: Light Artillery
Armor: D-
Carrying Capacity: D
Aesthetics: A+
Endurance: D-
Energy Efficiency: C
Flexibility: C
Firepower: A
Integrity: C
Mobility: B-
Spotting: B
X-Factor: B-
Overall Evaluation: An artillery mech with several unusual and deliberate design choices. The specialized siege mode firing position combined with the disposable drones allow for angles of fire and endurance not typically found in laser based mechs. Of note is that the endurance can be increased significantly if there are spare drones available. This makes the mech more useful and dangerous in fortified areas with access to a manufacturing station that can repair or remake those drones.
This mech shows traces of a budding design specialization. It shows traces of three designers. The X-factor combined with the previous traits might have unintended consequences due to it being marketed towards shrines and religious sites.
Variant name: Vermillion
Base model: Vermillion
Weight Classification: Medium Light
Recommended Role: Duelist
Armor: C+
Carrying Capacity: F
Aesthetics: A
Endurance: F
Energy Efficiency: F
Flexibility: F
Firepower: C+
Integrity: A
Mobility: C+
Spotting: C
X-Factor: B-
Overall Evaluation: A pure duelist. This mech is clearly optimized for the very specific role of dueling mechs one on one in brief battles in any possible setting. Everything not useful to that very specific role has been removed. While this makes it optimal for quick fights, the design is fatally flawed in that its functional run time is measured in minutes. The X-Factor is surprisingly potent for a throwaway design, likely due to the clear care and dedication in creation and appearance.
Golgotha
The one that reads too much
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Thanks for the chapter! Wasn't 2.0 human limit for stats though? Or more likely, that was the original authors first idea and they changed it and/or forgot it like a lot of the other stuff? 
I'm still pretty early on, got distracted by another book.
I definitely agree that his stats are better than ves' at the same stage of development though.
Can't wait to see the next act!
Also... unintended consequences, budding design specialisations! I'm so keen to see them. So keen.
I'm still pretty early on, got distracted by another book.I definitely agree that his stats are better than ves' at the same stage of development though.
Can't wait to see the next act!
Also... unintended consequences, budding design specialisations! I'm so keen to see them. So keen.
Last edited:
eersc
Making the rounds.
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Aight, gonna be real Lost Star has taken 2 relatively niche fandoms and made them must reads for any fan of fiction. Can't wait for his first original fiction and let's be honest, "What's Junk" could be a unique Mech fiction with minor tweaks and it would have not lost much, fandom identity wise.
RandolphWill
Getting sticky.
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Surprise he doesn't have the Skill Jury Rig like Ves has.
lost star
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I've done a few already actually. Just don't advertise them. There's some on this site.
M042
New
lost star
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The return passed in a blur. They boarded the ship and were immediately on the way home. Jumping several times, through several hundred lightyears to home. Bolt was both anticipating things and dreading what was going to be needed. His mind was a wash in conflicting emotions, and he barely noticed when they arrived at the planet and was ferried down. He only really started paying attention when they landed. Mostly because the landing pad was far different than what he was used to. It was well made, which was so incongruous that he had to look around.
It took several long seconds before he actually realized where they were. They'd landed at the forward facing shop. He only recognized the place due to the landmarks nearby. The shop itself was completely different.
You couldn't even call it a shop anymore. This was an entire sales facility. Bolt could see several large warehouses and some open air bays that had mechs in them, right in the open. They were familiar mechs too. One of each of his designs, all of them in all their 'undead' glory.
"What in the world?" Bolt asked.
"Ya think this is nifty, wait till ya see home." The familiar voice of his father had Bolt look to the side. "Heyo boy, and girl." The man had a mask on, but they could hear his wink.
"Pa." Bolt said.
"Heyo!" Lilly waved with a trace of awkwardness.
"I seem ta recall saying that you can call me pa too. Don't let a few days make you a stranger." The man said and gestured. "We got a trolley setup to bring us home. Can talk on the way. Don't want ta rush but needs must, and we got a lotta need."
Both of them exchanged looks and nodded. They made their way to a large and surprisingly well armored small train that they boarded. It started up soundlessly, and then they started to move along an almost hidden track. Shortly thereafter they were enveloped by fog. Which was a bit strange because Bolt knew for a fact that fog wasn't particularly common. Especially not this thick.
"We've got a sorta defense in depth going on. Ain't going to deter a big attack, but quick strikes ain't gonna be happy." Bolt's father explained as he settled down on one of the trolley seats. "Will send an outline later, but got about a hundred pilots and a few surprises here and there. Been moving up on the world as you could guess."
"One hundred pilots, with mechs too?" Bolt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Bout half that, most of em your zombies. Got three Shrine Maidens though." Pa responded as he pulled off his mask and grinned at them. "Like I said, ain't gonna stop an army, but raids ain't gonna be happy."
"An army is gonna be the big problem though and that's what we're worried about." Lilly noted with cold eyes.
"Yeah." The man's humor dropped and he looked the young woman in the eye. "I hate that I gotta do this, but we ain't got time for anything delicate. Before we do anything though, Lilly, what is it you want for the future? Right now you're most valuable player on the field, and the only reason we don't have three armies trying to just destroy this place right now. Your opinion is the only one that matters. I ain't saying you're the leader, cause I'm sure you don't want that yet, but I do need your input."
The expert candidate looked away and towards the fogged window. "I want to say I don't know, but that's me trying to avoid things." She let out a long sigh. "What I want is to stay free. Been pondering it all the time I was away, and nothing I could think of would let me do that. Everyone wants me to join up because I'm special." She sounded defeated.
"Yep. We got three big boys trying to put a leash on you with the only difference being what color it is." The man stated the obvious before grinning slightly. "What do ya know about the history of my little shop?"
"Not much." Lilly replied with a shake of her head.
Bolt made to open his mouth and got a held up by his father's hand as the man explained. "Let me tell it boyo, I'll be quick, and more importantly relevant to this. Most Wrench Rats hold up in some dirty hole in the ground and scrounge. Some get too big and then get caught by someone hungry. It's more common than dirt. Yet me and my family actually had a shop. Ever wonder why?"
"Did a bit." Lilly admitted. "Saw you didn't have pilots, and was wondering why poppa didn't just take everything when I first visited."
"He knew better. We're not shy about the reason why. Two reasons. One was favors to a half dozen other biters that meant if one guy tried to attack us the others would gang up on him. The other was that I wasn't afraid to blow up everything to make a point." Pa said with a shrug. "Still ain't. You aren't the first one to want freedom. We're both gunning for the same things. Freedom and more than squabbling in the dirt. There's been a lot of groundwork been happening over the past few years for something more and you could potentially help us get more than that. In fact, if ya wanna risk it, we could get everything we want."
"I am if you are." Bolt said before Lilly could look his way and the girl nodded slowly.
That served as a cue for his father to start. "We just gotta take cues from my older days." The man explained eagerly. "We need two things. We gotta make it valuable ta keep us around as is, and we gotta make it very apparent that them trying to strongarm us won't get what they want."
"That doesn't seem like it would work." Bolt gave his opinion.
His father nodded at the words. "It would be if it were any other place or time. You both have gotten us just enough leverage to make something possible, and the other nations aren't inclined to push at the moment. Vesia is winding down from a war, and the Empties and Serenes have just finished theirs. Fighting on a planet like this over a candidate that doesn't like em ain't quite palatable right now." He leaned forward and gave Lilly a look. "It'll all hinge on you though. You still up for the marriage in a few months? My boy treatin you right?"
"That's one thing I don't wanna compromise." Lilly said immediately and with gratifying enthusiasm.
"So, you'll be the one to convince them that it's not worth the pain of changing your mind. Then we need a few bribes." Pa turned to Bolt. "Can I have yer authorization and help to sell the Shining Shrine Maiden?"
"Of course." Bolt immediately responded with a nod.
"Ok, we change some of the looks for the Maiden and sell it to the Empties. We use that ta get some specific licenses from them once we get that going. The Vesians have been eyeing the hellfire missiles from the Empties. You use that ta make a mech and sell." The older man explained. "That'll be enough to grease the wheels with those two. The Serenes are already liking ya for some reason, so they'll be easy. Let your old Pa do the negotiating and we can get some good trades going."
"I'm missing how we do the first bit." Lilly immediately pointed out.
"This is why I asked fer your commitment and why it will hinge on you." The man admitted and got to his feet to pace around the trolley interior. "We need some big contest that everyone thinks they can win, and where the prize will be your service. It has to be something that will let you show off too. If you're dramatic, and more importantly, fussy enough, they will back off some. Then I can negotiate things on the back end with the bribes. It'll be messy, but it's possible."
"Kinda wish we could just do a junk mech tournament." Bolt observed.
"It would be funny watching them roll around in the muck, but none of the three groups big boys would agree with that even if it were an option." Pa said with a half smile.
"Is Ghoul fixed up?" Lilly asked with an intent look as the possibility of freedom loomed.
"We have the parts, but we'll need Bolt to help. Remodeling a mech from the parts we had her in is going to be an undertaking. Be easier to remake it completely, but that'd be your call." The man said with a gesture to Bolt.
"Wait till I see what I have to work with." Bolt responded. "I will get it running quick."
"Once she's made I got an idea. We need something they think they can win? Then let them try to catch me in Ghoul." Lilly said with a dark look on her face. "Give em a month. Give em an army even. Let them chase me through the countryside and I'll make sure they bleed and never win."
Bolt wasn't sure if that was the best solution. His father though, the man seemed to think it merited thought. He stared at the entrance of the trolley for a long moment as he ran some calculations. He then gave a nod.
"That'll work. Mind you we still need to work out details, but it will work." The old man gave Bolt a look. "Think those specs you noted in the blueprint will hold up?"
"Haven't tested it in the real world, but they should." Bolt replied.
That seemed to be all he needed. The older man found his seat again and they began to really plan. It was Bolt's big crash course in politics, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He still needed it.
Key to the entire plan seemed to be establishing both a mercenary company and an independent manufacturer. Since the planet was unclaimed and they weren't technically citizens of anyone, it functioned as a sort of loophole legally in a lot of areas. They could in essence become an unofficial relay for back alley deals. It would not be easy, or very safe. It would offer unparalleled freedom, assuming they could get the agreement of everyone else. This was a big ask understandably, but not impossible.
It took several long seconds before he actually realized where they were. They'd landed at the forward facing shop. He only recognized the place due to the landmarks nearby. The shop itself was completely different.
You couldn't even call it a shop anymore. This was an entire sales facility. Bolt could see several large warehouses and some open air bays that had mechs in them, right in the open. They were familiar mechs too. One of each of his designs, all of them in all their 'undead' glory.
"What in the world?" Bolt asked.
"Ya think this is nifty, wait till ya see home." The familiar voice of his father had Bolt look to the side. "Heyo boy, and girl." The man had a mask on, but they could hear his wink.
"Pa." Bolt said.
"Heyo!" Lilly waved with a trace of awkwardness.
"I seem ta recall saying that you can call me pa too. Don't let a few days make you a stranger." The man said and gestured. "We got a trolley setup to bring us home. Can talk on the way. Don't want ta rush but needs must, and we got a lotta need."
Both of them exchanged looks and nodded. They made their way to a large and surprisingly well armored small train that they boarded. It started up soundlessly, and then they started to move along an almost hidden track. Shortly thereafter they were enveloped by fog. Which was a bit strange because Bolt knew for a fact that fog wasn't particularly common. Especially not this thick.
"We've got a sorta defense in depth going on. Ain't going to deter a big attack, but quick strikes ain't gonna be happy." Bolt's father explained as he settled down on one of the trolley seats. "Will send an outline later, but got about a hundred pilots and a few surprises here and there. Been moving up on the world as you could guess."
"One hundred pilots, with mechs too?" Bolt asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Bout half that, most of em your zombies. Got three Shrine Maidens though." Pa responded as he pulled off his mask and grinned at them. "Like I said, ain't gonna stop an army, but raids ain't gonna be happy."
"An army is gonna be the big problem though and that's what we're worried about." Lilly noted with cold eyes.
"Yeah." The man's humor dropped and he looked the young woman in the eye. "I hate that I gotta do this, but we ain't got time for anything delicate. Before we do anything though, Lilly, what is it you want for the future? Right now you're most valuable player on the field, and the only reason we don't have three armies trying to just destroy this place right now. Your opinion is the only one that matters. I ain't saying you're the leader, cause I'm sure you don't want that yet, but I do need your input."
The expert candidate looked away and towards the fogged window. "I want to say I don't know, but that's me trying to avoid things." She let out a long sigh. "What I want is to stay free. Been pondering it all the time I was away, and nothing I could think of would let me do that. Everyone wants me to join up because I'm special." She sounded defeated.
"Yep. We got three big boys trying to put a leash on you with the only difference being what color it is." The man stated the obvious before grinning slightly. "What do ya know about the history of my little shop?"
"Not much." Lilly replied with a shake of her head.
Bolt made to open his mouth and got a held up by his father's hand as the man explained. "Let me tell it boyo, I'll be quick, and more importantly relevant to this. Most Wrench Rats hold up in some dirty hole in the ground and scrounge. Some get too big and then get caught by someone hungry. It's more common than dirt. Yet me and my family actually had a shop. Ever wonder why?"
"Did a bit." Lilly admitted. "Saw you didn't have pilots, and was wondering why poppa didn't just take everything when I first visited."
"He knew better. We're not shy about the reason why. Two reasons. One was favors to a half dozen other biters that meant if one guy tried to attack us the others would gang up on him. The other was that I wasn't afraid to blow up everything to make a point." Pa said with a shrug. "Still ain't. You aren't the first one to want freedom. We're both gunning for the same things. Freedom and more than squabbling in the dirt. There's been a lot of groundwork been happening over the past few years for something more and you could potentially help us get more than that. In fact, if ya wanna risk it, we could get everything we want."
"I am if you are." Bolt said before Lilly could look his way and the girl nodded slowly.
That served as a cue for his father to start. "We just gotta take cues from my older days." The man explained eagerly. "We need two things. We gotta make it valuable ta keep us around as is, and we gotta make it very apparent that them trying to strongarm us won't get what they want."
"That doesn't seem like it would work." Bolt gave his opinion.
His father nodded at the words. "It would be if it were any other place or time. You both have gotten us just enough leverage to make something possible, and the other nations aren't inclined to push at the moment. Vesia is winding down from a war, and the Empties and Serenes have just finished theirs. Fighting on a planet like this over a candidate that doesn't like em ain't quite palatable right now." He leaned forward and gave Lilly a look. "It'll all hinge on you though. You still up for the marriage in a few months? My boy treatin you right?"
"That's one thing I don't wanna compromise." Lilly said immediately and with gratifying enthusiasm.
"So, you'll be the one to convince them that it's not worth the pain of changing your mind. Then we need a few bribes." Pa turned to Bolt. "Can I have yer authorization and help to sell the Shining Shrine Maiden?"
"Of course." Bolt immediately responded with a nod.
"Ok, we change some of the looks for the Maiden and sell it to the Empties. We use that ta get some specific licenses from them once we get that going. The Vesians have been eyeing the hellfire missiles from the Empties. You use that ta make a mech and sell." The older man explained. "That'll be enough to grease the wheels with those two. The Serenes are already liking ya for some reason, so they'll be easy. Let your old Pa do the negotiating and we can get some good trades going."
"I'm missing how we do the first bit." Lilly immediately pointed out.
"This is why I asked fer your commitment and why it will hinge on you." The man admitted and got to his feet to pace around the trolley interior. "We need some big contest that everyone thinks they can win, and where the prize will be your service. It has to be something that will let you show off too. If you're dramatic, and more importantly, fussy enough, they will back off some. Then I can negotiate things on the back end with the bribes. It'll be messy, but it's possible."
"Kinda wish we could just do a junk mech tournament." Bolt observed.
"It would be funny watching them roll around in the muck, but none of the three groups big boys would agree with that even if it were an option." Pa said with a half smile.
"Is Ghoul fixed up?" Lilly asked with an intent look as the possibility of freedom loomed.
"We have the parts, but we'll need Bolt to help. Remodeling a mech from the parts we had her in is going to be an undertaking. Be easier to remake it completely, but that'd be your call." The man said with a gesture to Bolt.
"Wait till I see what I have to work with." Bolt responded. "I will get it running quick."
"Once she's made I got an idea. We need something they think they can win? Then let them try to catch me in Ghoul." Lilly said with a dark look on her face. "Give em a month. Give em an army even. Let them chase me through the countryside and I'll make sure they bleed and never win."
Bolt wasn't sure if that was the best solution. His father though, the man seemed to think it merited thought. He stared at the entrance of the trolley for a long moment as he ran some calculations. He then gave a nod.
"That'll work. Mind you we still need to work out details, but it will work." The old man gave Bolt a look. "Think those specs you noted in the blueprint will hold up?"
"Haven't tested it in the real world, but they should." Bolt replied.
That seemed to be all he needed. The older man found his seat again and they began to really plan. It was Bolt's big crash course in politics, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He still needed it.
Key to the entire plan seemed to be establishing both a mercenary company and an independent manufacturer. Since the planet was unclaimed and they weren't technically citizens of anyone, it functioned as a sort of loophole legally in a lot of areas. They could in essence become an unofficial relay for back alley deals. It would not be easy, or very safe. It would offer unparalleled freedom, assuming they could get the agreement of everyone else. This was a big ask understandably, but not impossible.
M043
New
lost star
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All of the planning in the world didn't mean anything without Ghoul, or Dowry as they were calling her now up and running. That part was Bolt's job, and it needed to be done as soon as possible. Fortunately he had help and better tools now.
The remodeling they'd gotten from payment for the masterwork had been significant. Their forward base's rework had only been the tip of the iceberg. The home base was a massive fortress now. There were enough rooms and areas cut into the mountain to make it look like a small city. They had four separate industrial printers, one specialized tiny printer, and enough supporting devices to both secure and supply the entire place. All of it was the peak of third rate technology. The base could theoretically put out and support a small army if they had the bodies. (IF they had the bodies. Right now maybe a tenth of the area was being used.)
Relevant to Bolt's needs, he had an entire bay with state of the art tools just for himself. This included cameras meant to trawl through a mech's innards, cranes that worked, and enough power tools and aids that he could theoretically repair Dowry alone. It was a large step up.
Even with all of this, it would probably be more feasible to just scrap the mech and start a new one. It was easier to list what didn't need to be replaced rather than what did. Bolt didn't want to do that though. Not only did it feel a bit disrespectful, he was a frugal Wrench Rat who didn't want to waste a damned drop of material if he could help it!
He began by stripping off the armor. That part went into the recycler with no qualms. They were going with a new alloy, and would have have Dowry lose some weight so the armor wouldn't fit anymore anyway. She'd soon be slim and absolutely gorgeous. The muscles were pulled out next, and then Bolt removed the mouth and hands. These parts just needed some touchups and some replacements here and there to tune them right.
Since he had a few dozen lackies willing to help, he put them to work then. The internal power structure needed to be realigned and the generator needed to be cleaned and reseated in a new position. Both of these were usually skipped in a typical remodel, but Bolt wanted this mech to be pristine. His techs were veterans of their craft with incentive too, so they were going to go above and beyond.
After a few minutes of watching their enthusiasm Bolt added another pair of tasks to their plate. These were right up his assistant's alley. The refinery part of the 'digestion' was mostly just a stripped down recycler. The nanomachines were the only really complicated part and that was all programming. They could do the physical part without direction. The arms and legs also needed to be redone to fit her new gait as well, which was just a matter of pulling out the parts at the joints, recycling the metal and refitting the new limbs. It was something frequently done during repairs so it was pretty familiar to his people.
While that was happening Bolt worked on the hands and claws. These were the most important parts of the mech. It was functionally useless without a weapon. The claws were tipped with trace exotics, and the hands had to be able to handle some extreme pressure. This required a dedicated effort to do, and he wanted it done beyond right. Each joint was taken apart, cleaned, reinforced, and only then put back together. Then Dowry got her manicure. The claws looked properly dangerous once he was finished, and would certainly rip things apart without trouble.
In fact, most of the mech had a very slight increase over the simulated statistics once they started testing things. This was both surprising and not. Simulations frequently didn't account for one or two minor things. You almost always got at least a percentage point of deviance according to his lessons. There was a reason advanced designers made their own simulators. They were doing tweaks as they went too, which would skew the results. They weren't slaved to a blueprint for this project. If something was needed, they would and could do it. Bolt was very glad for his extended family. They weren't designers, but they knew mechs. They needed every single bit of added performance they could pull from this girl.
The nanomachines were almost anti-climactic once they got to them. Neither the container, nor the actual materials were much to look at. Just a grey liquid. They weren't even that spectacular when in use. They were in a container where the stomach would be on a person. Plain and unassuming. You wouldn't know how expensive they were when looking at them.
Bolt did have to say that he was proud of his fellows though. His time outside the planet had given him a small feel of how others worked. His people weren't the most educated, but they knew their way around mechs in a physical level that only experience could give you. They were so familiar with those mechanics that they'd even identified several errors that needed to be addressed. They'd found a flaw with the way Dowry would swallow for instance. It wasn't like the mech could choke, but getting something jammed in that position would have been awkward. Fixing it was just a matter of shifting the throat and adjusting the swallowing mechanism slightly. It was a trivial fix that wouldn't have been caught by another group.
After all of that, all that was left was to redo the armor and clean up the head. The techs got to the armor while Bolt refined and improved the sensors in the head. Then he redid the mouth and jaws so that they could work as a weapon. This was mostly just carefully checking how the mouth could close and how much force it could handle. The teeth were remade with a better alloy, and the jaw needed reinforcement so it could handle the forces involved. This was nothing special mechanically, just updates to the structure so that it would work as required.
It took two days to do all of this work, including testing, double checking, and adjusting certain armor parts so that they didn't match the blueprint in Iron Spirit. No one was under any illusion as to what would happen if this mech failed. At best they'd just get pressed into service under an nation. At worst, everyone would decide that the mountain and it's people were too valuable to let anyone else have it. There was a good reason the planet was barren. Nations could be very spiteful. Every rat knew that in their bones.
While all of this was happening, Bolt's father and Lilly were attempting to pull off a different miracle. The MTA had departed with very little fanfare, and as expected all three nations had landed people on the planet. Skirmishes were already happening, and tensions were flaring high.
Lilly's proposed contest had given that tension focus. The terms had been relatively simple. She'd head out in Dowry with supplies, and a few days later everyone else could attempt to hunt her. They were limited to one hundred mechs and pilots, no experts, any number of support personnel and they could not resupply. The battlefield was a rather large area right next to their mountain.
It was as utterly lopsided as it could get as a contest. Even the reward if she won wasn't that spectacular. If Lilly was not caught within thirty days, they would get a few concessions in the form of licenses and authorizations to operate in various areas independently as a mercenary group and mech salesmen. It wouldn't be freedom, but it would open up the path to that. She just had to win and win in a way that made the right impression.
She had a chance to win despite the fact she was against over three hundred people. It was a small chance, but still a chance. This was because of several clauses. One was that the nations could fight one another. The other was that they could hide things in various spots to help Lilly. Bolt could even theoretically head out and repair her if he wanted to because there was explicitly no rule against it. (There was even a rule for capturing him, scary!) This made it possible to win.
At least according to her.
Bolt left that decision to her. Him heading out and helping was a given at some point, but it would have to be done very carefully. He also had a different job to do as well.
On paper it was pretty simple. Bolt had to buy a license from the Empties once they'd become comfortable enough with his family's business and authorized it. The Hellfire Missiles were a specialized weapon group that used a proprietary compound to create a very caustic and disrupting napalm blast. The Vesians wanted that due to their missile affinity, but were too proud to try to buy it from a rival nation even if it was up for sale. His people were not part of the Empties. Therefore the Vesians would have no problem buying from him, if he packaged those missiles with a valid mech design.
Honestly it seemed so incredulous to Bolt that this was all possible. There was a bit of precedent though. Having a 'neutral' group made up of a leading expert pilot was surprisingly common in the galaxy elsewhere. Only time would tell if they could get that to apply to them too.
The remodeling they'd gotten from payment for the masterwork had been significant. Their forward base's rework had only been the tip of the iceberg. The home base was a massive fortress now. There were enough rooms and areas cut into the mountain to make it look like a small city. They had four separate industrial printers, one specialized tiny printer, and enough supporting devices to both secure and supply the entire place. All of it was the peak of third rate technology. The base could theoretically put out and support a small army if they had the bodies. (IF they had the bodies. Right now maybe a tenth of the area was being used.)
Relevant to Bolt's needs, he had an entire bay with state of the art tools just for himself. This included cameras meant to trawl through a mech's innards, cranes that worked, and enough power tools and aids that he could theoretically repair Dowry alone. It was a large step up.
Even with all of this, it would probably be more feasible to just scrap the mech and start a new one. It was easier to list what didn't need to be replaced rather than what did. Bolt didn't want to do that though. Not only did it feel a bit disrespectful, he was a frugal Wrench Rat who didn't want to waste a damned drop of material if he could help it!
He began by stripping off the armor. That part went into the recycler with no qualms. They were going with a new alloy, and would have have Dowry lose some weight so the armor wouldn't fit anymore anyway. She'd soon be slim and absolutely gorgeous. The muscles were pulled out next, and then Bolt removed the mouth and hands. These parts just needed some touchups and some replacements here and there to tune them right.
Since he had a few dozen lackies willing to help, he put them to work then. The internal power structure needed to be realigned and the generator needed to be cleaned and reseated in a new position. Both of these were usually skipped in a typical remodel, but Bolt wanted this mech to be pristine. His techs were veterans of their craft with incentive too, so they were going to go above and beyond.
After a few minutes of watching their enthusiasm Bolt added another pair of tasks to their plate. These were right up his assistant's alley. The refinery part of the 'digestion' was mostly just a stripped down recycler. The nanomachines were the only really complicated part and that was all programming. They could do the physical part without direction. The arms and legs also needed to be redone to fit her new gait as well, which was just a matter of pulling out the parts at the joints, recycling the metal and refitting the new limbs. It was something frequently done during repairs so it was pretty familiar to his people.
While that was happening Bolt worked on the hands and claws. These were the most important parts of the mech. It was functionally useless without a weapon. The claws were tipped with trace exotics, and the hands had to be able to handle some extreme pressure. This required a dedicated effort to do, and he wanted it done beyond right. Each joint was taken apart, cleaned, reinforced, and only then put back together. Then Dowry got her manicure. The claws looked properly dangerous once he was finished, and would certainly rip things apart without trouble.
In fact, most of the mech had a very slight increase over the simulated statistics once they started testing things. This was both surprising and not. Simulations frequently didn't account for one or two minor things. You almost always got at least a percentage point of deviance according to his lessons. There was a reason advanced designers made their own simulators. They were doing tweaks as they went too, which would skew the results. They weren't slaved to a blueprint for this project. If something was needed, they would and could do it. Bolt was very glad for his extended family. They weren't designers, but they knew mechs. They needed every single bit of added performance they could pull from this girl.
The nanomachines were almost anti-climactic once they got to them. Neither the container, nor the actual materials were much to look at. Just a grey liquid. They weren't even that spectacular when in use. They were in a container where the stomach would be on a person. Plain and unassuming. You wouldn't know how expensive they were when looking at them.
Bolt did have to say that he was proud of his fellows though. His time outside the planet had given him a small feel of how others worked. His people weren't the most educated, but they knew their way around mechs in a physical level that only experience could give you. They were so familiar with those mechanics that they'd even identified several errors that needed to be addressed. They'd found a flaw with the way Dowry would swallow for instance. It wasn't like the mech could choke, but getting something jammed in that position would have been awkward. Fixing it was just a matter of shifting the throat and adjusting the swallowing mechanism slightly. It was a trivial fix that wouldn't have been caught by another group.
After all of that, all that was left was to redo the armor and clean up the head. The techs got to the armor while Bolt refined and improved the sensors in the head. Then he redid the mouth and jaws so that they could work as a weapon. This was mostly just carefully checking how the mouth could close and how much force it could handle. The teeth were remade with a better alloy, and the jaw needed reinforcement so it could handle the forces involved. This was nothing special mechanically, just updates to the structure so that it would work as required.
It took two days to do all of this work, including testing, double checking, and adjusting certain armor parts so that they didn't match the blueprint in Iron Spirit. No one was under any illusion as to what would happen if this mech failed. At best they'd just get pressed into service under an nation. At worst, everyone would decide that the mountain and it's people were too valuable to let anyone else have it. There was a good reason the planet was barren. Nations could be very spiteful. Every rat knew that in their bones.
While all of this was happening, Bolt's father and Lilly were attempting to pull off a different miracle. The MTA had departed with very little fanfare, and as expected all three nations had landed people on the planet. Skirmishes were already happening, and tensions were flaring high.
Lilly's proposed contest had given that tension focus. The terms had been relatively simple. She'd head out in Dowry with supplies, and a few days later everyone else could attempt to hunt her. They were limited to one hundred mechs and pilots, no experts, any number of support personnel and they could not resupply. The battlefield was a rather large area right next to their mountain.
It was as utterly lopsided as it could get as a contest. Even the reward if she won wasn't that spectacular. If Lilly was not caught within thirty days, they would get a few concessions in the form of licenses and authorizations to operate in various areas independently as a mercenary group and mech salesmen. It wouldn't be freedom, but it would open up the path to that. She just had to win and win in a way that made the right impression.
She had a chance to win despite the fact she was against over three hundred people. It was a small chance, but still a chance. This was because of several clauses. One was that the nations could fight one another. The other was that they could hide things in various spots to help Lilly. Bolt could even theoretically head out and repair her if he wanted to because there was explicitly no rule against it. (There was even a rule for capturing him, scary!) This made it possible to win.
At least according to her.
Bolt left that decision to her. Him heading out and helping was a given at some point, but it would have to be done very carefully. He also had a different job to do as well.
On paper it was pretty simple. Bolt had to buy a license from the Empties once they'd become comfortable enough with his family's business and authorized it. The Hellfire Missiles were a specialized weapon group that used a proprietary compound to create a very caustic and disrupting napalm blast. The Vesians wanted that due to their missile affinity, but were too proud to try to buy it from a rival nation even if it was up for sale. His people were not part of the Empties. Therefore the Vesians would have no problem buying from him, if he packaged those missiles with a valid mech design.
Honestly it seemed so incredulous to Bolt that this was all possible. There was a bit of precedent though. Having a 'neutral' group made up of a leading expert pilot was surprisingly common in the galaxy elsewhere. Only time would tell if they could get that to apply to them too.
Pollyamorous
Please be patient, I'm horny.
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So Bolt is upgrading Dowry with some extra fire, er, claw-power, and in the meantime they also managed to blunt the open warfare that could cause the most damage to both sides into a single constrained contest that's lopsided but could restrict the damage they'd take overall.
It's lucky the terms were able to be set at all, but it means that almost everything is going to be dependant on Lilly's skills as a pilot, and how well the Rats are going to be able to sneak past three different military groups who all have a strong motivation to lethally stop any help towards her.
Lilly's good in straight tactical battles, but this is going to be a month long strategic contest where her best bet is to purposefully draw each nation to each other and manage the balance while trying to get into fights with the correct people in the most contested locations at the perfect times. And while she can surprise people with how clever she can be, this is going to require quite a bit more than "clever."
It's lucky the terms were able to be set at all, but it means that almost everything is going to be dependant on Lilly's skills as a pilot, and how well the Rats are going to be able to sneak past three different military groups who all have a strong motivation to lethally stop any help towards her.
Lilly's good in straight tactical battles, but this is going to be a month long strategic contest where her best bet is to purposefully draw each nation to each other and manage the balance while trying to get into fights with the correct people in the most contested locations at the perfect times. And while she can surprise people with how clever she can be, this is going to require quite a bit more than "clever."
Simonbob
Really? You don't say.
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Yup.
And, her rep as a potential elite is, in many ways, their main tool for pushing this whole scheme. If they can pull it off, however, it'll be useful for the nations surrounding/invading them, and that is the best reason why each nation will think about how hard they want to win.
That's the most likely reason for Lily's win, I think.