The Mech Touch

hrugged.
”Well, he ’s not pleased with me for attempting to introduce a random Apprentice Mech Designer to him.
He ’s a very busy man, and he ’s involved in the middle of a major project.
He ’s not even willing to chat with an old student like me.
His attitude can be impatient and prickly at the best of times. ”

”That doesn ’t sound like good news. ” He frowned.

”Oh, you should see him when he ’s mad or when he ’s immersed in an important project.
He can shut himself off in his labs for months on end.
No amount of pleading can drag him away from his preoccupation.
I ’m lucky that I caught him at a good time. ”

”So what is his response? ”

”Well unfortunately, he ’s not willing to spend even a single minute of his time to talk to you.
You have to realize that many Novices and Apprentices in the frontier dream of obtaining his favor.
Even with my recommendation, he refuses to take the time to give you a chance to make an impression. ”

Ves didn ’t expect the Skull Architect to be so abrasive, but perhaps that came with the territory of being one of the few prominent mech designers in the Faris Star Region.

He wouldn ’t like it either if hundreds of Novice Mech Designers knocked on his door every day to obtain some advice or begged to be taken in as his student.
The higher one ’s position, the more people wanted to hug their thighs. 

”However, you ’re in luck. ” She quickly said.
”My mentor put forth an alternative.
Mech designers like us can communicate with words or with mech designs.
It takes hours or days for us to explain the specifications of a design, but it only takes a couple of seconds for my mentor to interpret a design from its design schematics.
Do you get it? ”

”I understand.
Your mentor wants to judge from my work whether I ’m worthy enough for him to take his time out for me.
However, I ’m not looking to be his student or anything.
If he can just share some of his research on stealth tech, I ’ll be more than happy with my gains. ”

Mayra shook her purple head.
”I ’ve already tried.
Stealth tech is too sensitive for him to give away.
Not even I ’m worthy enough in his eyes to receive this knowledge, so it ’s nothing strange for him to withhold it from you.
According to him, he ’ll draw many formidable enemies if he disseminates this knowledge too widely.
The handful of people who are in possession of stealth tech like to keep it to themselves. ”

”So the only other option is to earn his recognition. ” He sighed.
”This is not what I expected.
I wanted a way in.
Instead, you brought me to the door and left me there to fend for myself.
This exchange of favors really doesn ’t benefit me at all. ”

”Look, my recommendation at least got you a foot in the door.
That has to account for something! That he has agreed to take a look at your design at all is a major concession on his part.
Otherwise, he wouldn ’t waste his time on a junior of the profession.
Even if the frontier is barren of talent, he attracts many mech designers that are even more impressive than you. ”

Ves closed his eyes.
”Very well.
I understand what a supposed amazing opportunity this is to prove myself.
Let ’s get on to business then.
How does he intend to test me? ”

Mayra looked down at her comm and transferred some files to his account.
”I ’ve just sent you a couple of design schematics.
They are some of my mentor ’s old designs. ”

”Let me see. ” He opened up the files and saw they consisted of various mech types.
He quickly identified a major deficiency to the schematics.
”They ’re full of holes.
They ’re incomplete! ”

”That ’s going to be your test.
Pick a design you ’re comfortable with and fill in the blanks with the best of your ability. ”

Ves felt as if this entire situation was a little surreal.
A few days ago, he served a similar test to Ketis.
Now, the Skull Architect utilized a similar method to scope out his mech design ability.

This also highlighted the usefulness of this method.
Mech designers truly communicated better to each other through their designs than any flowery words.

”Am I allowed to modify the parts of the design that are already in place? ”

”No. ” She shook her head.
”The existing parts of the design is there to serve as your guide and your shackles.
Working around the limitations and making use of the possibilities embedded in the designs is the main component of this test.
The design choices you make and the design philosophy you impart in your solutions will say much about you.
Do you understand? ”

”I do.
It ’s quite a convenient way to test a mech designer ’s ability. ”

Ves actually found this test to be ingenious in its focus.
He should have subjected Ketis to the same kind of test instead of dropping a random mech design on her lap.
Not only did it take a lot of time to design a good variant, the total lack of structure and guidance meant that Ketis might focus too much on areas that Ves didn ’t really care about.

He would definitely steal this method and use it for his own ends.

The two discussed some of the parameters of the test.
The work he handed over needed to be a reflection of his own work.
He wasn ’t allowed to involve anyone else.

”He ’ll know if you attempt to cheat. ” That was all she said about the matter, and Ves believer her.
The truly skilled mech designers possessed an extremely high level of discernment.

”Is there a deadline? ”

”Not exactly.
He hasn ’t mentioned anything about time limits, but he was probably too distracted or something.
Taking too long will reflect badly on you, though, and you shouldn ’t forget about the communications blackout once our combined fleet crosses into the frontier. ”

That meant Ves had less than ten days to submit his attempt to impress the Senior Mech Designer.
According to the planning, Major Verle and Commander Lydia intended to stop by at Mancroft Independent Harbor for a day or two.
Once they loaded up their final supplies, they would formally cross over into the frontier.

At that point, access to the galactic net became a thing of the past.