The Mech Touch

Barlow Rakovshchik and Idni Zenokon did not fully comprehend the depth of how the Auto Heretic mech line violated the most central precepts of the Mech Trade Association.

Even if they did, their choices would have remained the same.

This was because the significance of being able to pilot a mech was too great.

Individuals who were over a century old and had labored for many years for a solution to the genetic aptitude problem were far more excited at this precious opportunity than the average mech enthusiast.

The longer their dream had been denied from them, the more they yearned for it to come true!

Now that they discovered that a strange mech designer who originated from the galactic rim not only managed to achieve a critical breakthrough in this research, but also translated his galaxy-shaking innovation into real reproducible mechs, how could the two leaders of the NMRI possibly resist?

From the moment Radagast had brought them into this warehouse, the outcome had already been set in stone!

The two mech-obsessed idiots did not even care whether they could potentially become enemies of the MTA as a consequence.

Just like many other people, they initially looked up to the Mech Trade Association for becoming the holy land for all matters related to mechs.

It was only after they suffered repeated setbacks and discovered that the MTA only truly looked out for its own interests that it had lost its aura of righteousness and

Benevolence in their eyes.

Of course, that alone was not enough for Barrow and Idni to make a decision that would have made most mechers furious.

In the end, it all came down to the chance to become a real mech pilot.

While the two could argue about the semantics of whether a Carmine mech should still be considered a 'mech, they frankly didn't care whether the former had left the scope of the latter.

If a Carmine mech not only looked like a mech, but also had to be controlled in a similar enough way, then that was good enough in their opinion!

How could they possibly ask for more!

It helped that the two had developed a deep and searing hatred of neural interface technology.

Neural interfaces made mechs possible. No one could doubt that the tech opened up a

New mode of warfare that had fascinated humans since the start of the Age of Mechs. However, the fact that only 3.5 percent of the human population could use it to pilot mechs had always served as a source of pain to the other 96.5 percent!

Therefore, even if neural interfaces defined mechs, norms truly did not actually possess much attachment for this control system!

Even so, most of the researchers over at the NMRI continued to research ways to expand the pool of eligible users because they did not know any better.

All research into developing alternative control systems had yielded no better results. This led many mech enthusiasts to conclude that the only way to realistically open up mech piloting was to achieve a breakthrough in neural interface technology.

Truth to be told, they just did not know any better. They also associated mechs with neural interface technology so much that their cognition was unable to separate the two from each other anymore.

If a Senior Mech Designer who was a complete unknown to the vast majority of original humanity like Ves Larkinson had not randomly developed and released the Carmine System, then researchers such as Chief Scientist Idni Zenokon would have continued to research neural interface technology in vain.

Ves Larkinson had proven to everyone in this sphere wrong!

He showed through his own works that the true way to open up mech piloting was by developing an alternate control system all along!

In an instant, the sacred and inviolable position that neural interface technology occupied in the hearts of Barrow and Idni had collapsed.

The significance of this change in attitude was profound. For the first time in centuries, a new category of mechs had arrived that did not even include a neural interface in the

Cockpit!

Although the extensive manual that came along the mech templates stated that Carmine Systems could be used concurrently alongside neural interfaces, that was of no relevance to norms such as Barrow and Idni.

The pair already got over their disappointment at the many limitations of an early generation Carmine System.

This was because it was a million times more benign compared to the extremely harsh requirements for using neural interfaces!

With this mindset, the two leaders of the NMRI entered the cockpits of the Carmine mechs that Radagast had prepared for their use.

When Barrow was about to sit down on the strange and slightly intimidating cockpit scat, he took a moment to glimpse at the emblem that was proudly applied to one of the interior walls.

The image of a downward-facing drop of blood enveloping a mech evoked a lot of

Different emotions.

What did it mean?

Was it a direct reference to the Carmine System that essentially defined the Auto Heretic line?

Was it a dedication that signified that many humans had shed real blood in order for Professor Ves Larkinson to invent his radically different control system?

Or was it a prophecy that foretold that Carmine mechs like the Auto Heretic would directly and indirectly trigger bloodshed on an unprecedented scale since the start of the Age of Mechs?

As a CEO of a large first-class industrial enterprise, Barrow's vision was not small.

Although his overwhelming desire to pilot a mech had caused him to override all other concerns, that did not mean he had blinded himself to the many implications of the release and proliferation of the Auto Heretic models.

He could already foresee that if many more people suddenly gained control over their own war platforms, they would inevitably gain the urge to make use of their new

Possessions.

Since Carmine mechs like the Auto Heretic were mainly designed for combat, even a fool could foresee that a lot of fights would break out in the near future!

This was especially the case if the Auto Heretic was as autonomous as Radagast and the manual suggested.

The lower the threshold to controlling a Carmine mech to an acceptable degree, the faster a new owner would feel tempted to take it out for a spin and fight another mech!

Without the years of training, experience and guidance that produced highly professional and disciplined mech pilots, many new users of Carmine mechs would

This may be another important reason why the MTA would prefer to suppress the

Definitely turn into a menace to society!

Spread of Carmine mechs.

Barrow sneered. "So what?"

At this point, he was not about to let anyone stop him from piloting his own personal

Mech!

The deterrence of the Big Two no longer held any significance to him anymore!

He would gladly pilot a Carmine mech, and he would try to make it his mission to share

This opportunity to as many norms as possible.

This was because he could understand other people's pain of being unable to pilot a

Mech as well!

Barrow took one last look at the emblem of the Carmine mech. The image evoked a sense of forbidden glee inside his heart. It was as if piloting this mech would damn him

In the eyes of those who benefited from the status quo.

"If piloting this Carmine mech means that I will become a heretic, then I shall accept my

New identity with open arms!"

The man performed a solemn salute to the symbol.

He would have preferred to make this gesture of respect to the inventor of the Carmine System in person, but he was stuck in the wrong galaxy.

Once he was ready, he took his seat and immediately felt as if his machine was trying to

Analyze his body.

"Before you can interface with your Auto Heretic for the first time, it will first scan your physiology and blood type before changing its own organic makeup to increase its compatibility." Radagast explained over a transmission. "This process can take 5 to 10 minutes for most people. There is not much need to worry. One of the differences between an Auto Heretic Version A and the lesser editions is that the Carmine System is much more capable of replicating many of the common augmented blood configurations that are popular today. It can't reproduce every variation, but it is designed in a way that knowledgeable experts can easily modify the Carmine System to accommodate more exotic and unusual blood variations."

The designers of the Auto Heretic did not have to worry about this problem as much when they developed Carmine mechs for the third-class and second-class mech markets, but the first-class market was a different story!

The more prosperous the state, the more common

A multitude of genetic treatments!

Became for humans to benefit from

Finally the initial adaptation process came to an end. Just as expected, neither Barrow nor Idni had augmented themselves to an extreme, so the first-class Carmine System was easily able to adapt to their physiques.

The two Auto Heretics that still remained mostly dormant had begun to produce a faint

Noise.

That was the Carmine System at work. It was already synthesizing the special blood variations that should be a lot more compatible with the physiques of their respective pilots. It would do no good to anyone if the Auto Heretic accidentally killed its own pilot due to blood poisoning!

One of the screens inside the cockpit provided a helpful checklist. Once the last item got ticked, Barrow and Idni knew that there was nothing stopping them from activating

Their machines.

"You are clear to go and activate your new Auto Heretics. Go ahead. Introduce yourselves to your new partners for life. It will change you forever"

When Barrow slowly pressed the button, the entire cockpit began to light up. It was as if

Dawn had finally arrived on a continent that had been struggling in the dark for multiple

Centuries.

As the main systems of the Auto Heretic slowly entered a more active state, Barrow uttered a soft gasp as a multitude of needles stuck into his body and precisely

Connected to his blood veins.

Soon enough, he could feel the forced extraction of his own blood, only for the artificial

Blood produced by the Carmine System to fill the gap.

This was a deeply uncomfortable physical experience!

Barrow felt so much terror and discomfort that he even felt tempted to jump out of his cockpit seat and tear out all of the blood channels!

It was a good thing that the straps kept him in place. He couldn't do anything aside from letting the Carmine System exchange his blood with his mech.

As human and machine began to exchange each other's blood, they gradually began to

Feel each other's presence.

Barrow could not describe the sensation of getting into contact with a completely different but intelligent life form.

He understood a lot better what a living mech actually meant.

"Wonderful,"

The contact started off shallow, but steadily grew stronger and more intimate.

Both sides had already begun to introduce themselves and feel each other out. Neither

Of them encountered anything that could stop them from forming a permanent bond

With each other.

In fact, they liked each other right away!

Barrow was more than willing to partner up with any Carmine mech even if it performed like a third-class machine!

The Auto Heretic already exceeded his expectations as far as he was concerned. Though young and new, the Auto Heretic already started out as a second order living

Mech.

That granted the Carmine mech enough awareness and understanding of its own existence, purpose and mission.

It was a blessing for a Carmine mech to be able to partner up with a wealthy and capable

Man, even if he was a little too old to become a soldier!

The Blood Pact formed without any issues or complications. The strong desire between

The pair to prosper and fall together had sped up its formation and caused it to start off a lot more solid than in most cases!

Shortly after the pact came into force, Barrow immediately became flooded by a wealth

Of data.

He could feel the mech and the surrounding environment with much greater detail than

His augmented human senses!

"So this is what it is like to pilot a mech!"

Although his overwhelming experience with interfacing with the Carmine mech for the first time did not entirely match the descriptions on how neural interfaces worked, Barrow figured that this was by far the most superior control method!

This was because the Blood Pact gave him much of the data that was relevant to piloting

His Auto Heretic, but did not exert any excessive load on his brain!

Somehow, the Blood Pact was directly able to dump data and information into his mind without exerting excessive strain on his brain cells! "How is this possible!?"

Barrow was not a neural interface specialist like his friend, so he soon set this question

Aside.

Instead of trying to figure out how the Blood Pact even worked, it was much more important for him to enjoy the actual experience of controlling a mech like it was his own body, but on a much larger scale!

"At least this part matches the descriptions!"

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