The Mech Touch

hat exploded against its chest only managed to deal surface damage to the armor.
The internals remained entirely unaffected.

”I ’ve got more in store for you! ” Charlotte frustratingly yelled as she launched the rockets from her shoulders.

She actually fired them a bit further than optimal, but perhaps she figured it was better to make her move before Christopher changed his pattern.
The inaccurate but powerful rockets flew straight ahead, most hitting nothing but empty air or the arena ’s security screen.
What rockets did hit Christopher ’s mech spread out their damage, leaving the machine a bit disheveled but still fully intact.

Ves gaped at the sight.
It was one thing to treat a shield ’s armor, but to adjust the entire armor scheme of a mech in just half a day ’s time boggled the mind.
”This goes beyond the competence of a novice mech designer.
Edwin ’s at least a journeyman in the standards of the Bright Republic.
Perhaps he ’s even a master. ”

This was the first time he truly felt he was a frog in a well.
The galaxy possessed limitless wonder and countless treasures.
Though it irked him to admit his current capabilities could not even touch Edwin ’s shadow, he was confident the Mech Designer System could pull him up to the standards of the bigger and wider galaxy in time.

”I wonder how the System is doing.
It must be feeling a little cramped and lonely in my comm unit. ”

Though Bentheim welcomed every visitor with a smile, Ves was under no illusion that much of his actions were monitored.
Perhaps he might not warrant personal attention from an actual human, but he was sure there were dozens or hundreds of automated programs tracking him from cameras, microphones and countless other sensors.
Only in the safety of his workshop where he meticulously controlled his own workspace did he truly feel safe in activating the System.

”Keeping my System locked in my comm unit is tempting fate.
I should try and find a better solution to house the System once this ordeal is over. ”

In any case, Christopher reached his optimal range.
With one arm, he activated his flamethrower, and with the other he fired his stubby heat projector.
Waves of visible and invisible heat combined with each other to crash against Charlotte ’s practically immobile frame.
Much of the heat was absorbed by the shield, but due to its shoddy materials its forward facing layers already started to melt.

Christopher fired his weapons constantly from the same position, essentially battering the shield with heat.
Charlotte kept up firing her sole cannon, only to slowly peel off the chest armor layer by layer at a snail ’s pace.
It truly impressed the entire crowd how well Christopher ’s mech withstood the barrage.

Seeing that her shells got dispersed without effort, Charlotte grunted in frustration and tried to charge forward.
Unfortunately, the tower shield weighed down the Kirby too much, but even without the burden Christopher widened the distance with ease.
It was perverse how Christopher ’s mech boasted armor almost as good as Charlotte ’s but with only a fraction of the weight.

The match wound down as the Kirby suffered a slow death.
Charlotte ’s ballistic cannon finally malfunctioned due to the internal damage it accrued by all the heat cooking the mech from the inside.
It signalled the end of her chances of ever killing her opponent ’s mech.

”And we have a winner! The crowning champions of the Fusion Cup are Christopher Yang and Edwin McKinney! Congratulations to Larkinson and Hoffmeister for putting up a valiant struggle.
Please give it up for our hometown boy and girl. ”

Perhaps admitting that this competition ’s balance was grossly out of whack, the audience clapped appreciatively at Ves and Charlotte ’s efforts to fight to the very end.

Somehow, Ves felt most of his frustrations fade away.
He got over the unfairness of competing against a prodigy who studied at an elite institution and using his advanced knowledge to his advantage.

”Second place is good enough, especially since I never intended to compete to the very top in the first place. ”

From all the attention placed on him, Ves felt optimistic he could find a customer in the crowd.
While Edwin proved his overwhelming dominance in the local mech scene, he was too unapproachable.
Everyone could guess he was meant for greater things.
As someone who never left the Republic in his entire lifetime, Ves put up a respectable fight, overcoming two opponents with luck and skill.
Well, mostly skill.
You didn ’t get to reach the finals if you lacked the qualifications to work as a proper mech designer.

As the two teams met in the middle to shake each other ’s hands, the organizers set up an impromptu podium nearby.
They waited for the announcer to finish his spiel so that they could accept their awards.

”So, can you give me a hint on how you made Christopher ’s mech so durable? ”

The elite mech designer peered his eyes at Ves as if he was an unworthy bug.

”Okay, so you don ’t want to talk, hehe. ” Ves awkwardly remarked, and discretely pulled back.

In contrast to his frosty conversation, his partner had an amiable conversation with Christopher.
The young man wore a friendly smile as he explained the decisions he took in the battle, not that it required much effort on his part due to the overwhelming superiority of his mech.

The announcer first awarded the third place to the team that lost to Ves and Charlotte in the second round.
Though Alexander and Michael ’s mech had been crushed by the Kirby ’s incredible weight, the operational capability of the mech remained intact, if a bit battered.

Their opponents for the third place had lost against Christopher ’s devastating heat armament, which meant pretty much the entire mech was half-fried from the incredible heat.
Repairing such damage when it spread out to the entire mech was a nightmare, and Ves didn ’t begrudge the mech designer for losing.
Michael Dumont did a decent job fixing up Alexander ’s skirmisher to the point where it could wield a rifle.

”And now for the winners of the silver medallion.
Please welcome our young talents Ves Larkinson and Charlotte Hoffmeister! ”

A much louder applause met the two young graduates as they ascended the podium and accepted the silver medallion from the floating cases in front of them.
With smiles plastered to their faces, they both waved cheerfully at the crowd.
Ves found it wasn ’t bad being appreciated for once.
The celebration truly affected his mood for the better.

”In addition to receiving a commemorative medal to the first ever Fusion Cup held in the Republic, our two winners will also receive a cash prize of 200,000 credits each, along with preferable treatment akin to veteran status by the Bright Republic. ”

The cash prize was a nice surprise, but it was a drop in the bucket considering the immense cost of business Ves had to deal with.
It also clearly dwarfed the prize money of last year ’s mech design competition.
What surprised him was that the Republic actually handed out preferable treatment to the two of them.
Even Charlotte perked up significantly when she heard the words.
Normally, only the champions of Young Tigers Exhibition enjoyed preferable treatment.

”Damn, so I can strut around like a veteran now? ” She dreamingly asked.
Veterans and other notables enjoyed many small benefits as payment for their many years of service.
”Hah, everyone of my classmates will have to give me the right of way.
I can be among the first passengers to board a transit ship.
I even get to pimp my mech if I enter the Mech Corps this year. ”

Ves cared little for such social courtesies.
What he cared about more was that preferable treatment entitled him to looser regulations and more favorable treatment by the government in matters such as applying for permits or the right to manufacture live ammunition.
Though Ves wasn ’t about to run up to Cloudy Curtain ’s planetary government right now, he kept the details in mind for when he might need to expand his operations in the future.

Naturally, Ves wasn ’t actually a veteran, having contributed nothing to the Republic ’s defense.
While the special treatment might impress the hicks, the more distinguished people in the audience were hardly impressed.

”Any little bit helps. ” Ves muttered to himself as he already scanned the audience for a potential customer.
”I don ’t believe no one ’s impressed by my work. ”

His real struggle started now.
With only half a month left before the bank demanded their 5 million credit interest payment, Ves had to find a market for his mech.
The Marc Antony wasn ’t going to sell by itself.