The Mech Touch novel Chapter 246

The System declined to provide an explanation on the nature of Masteries. The lack of description surrounding the various Mastery Sub-Skills roused his interests, especially since they seem to be advanced skills. The amount of DP required to learn the subsequent levels of a particular Mastery rose to a ridiculous figure.

Ves found it prudent to take a step back and find out more about this mysterious set of Sub-Skills. He browsed the galactic net, finding plenty of references, but nothing solid. It appeared the mech industry treated it like a trade secret that should only be kept within their circle.

"Interesting."

Fortunately, he found an introduction on the matter when he logged into the Clifford Society’s online portal. He played a brief recording of a Star Designer lecturing in front of a conference of Masters over a hundred-and-fifty years ago.

"Mechs. We design them. We build them. We sell them. But do we understand them?" The elderly woman started. Despite her frail stature, her identity as one of the best mech designers in the galaxy shone through the brilliance of her eyes.

The audience remained silent. Despite their eminent status, the woman standing on the podium in front of them could easily beat them black and blue in any direct comparison.

"How many of you have ever piloted a mech? Simulations don’t count."

A few hands rose up, but by and large, over ninety percent of the crowd had never truly piloted a real mech.

The old lady smirked. "Ah, you may think it doesn’t matter. It certainly hasn’t stopped me from reaching this height. It is a common understanding among our profession that you can only fully dedicate your life to pilot a mech or design them. No one among us has managed to advance to a Master Mech Designer while simultaneously becoming an ace pilot. It can’t be done."

Everyone nodded in agreement at that statement. It took an extraordinary effort for professional mech pilots to progress from advanced pilot to expert pilot, from expert pilot to ace pilot, and from ace pilot to the exalted rank of god pilot. The latter of which enjoyed so much worship that they even exceeded the status of Star Designer.

"Yet how can we design mechs for the best pilots in the galaxy if we don’t understand their perspective? Our individual design process is riddled with our own biases that we’ve formed through our own studies. Perhaps at the start of our careers, our shallow understanding of the piloting profession won’t affect our designs that much, since our customer base is largely composed of regular pilots or advanced pilots at most. Yet will that superficial understanding of what mech pilots are going through be sufficient when you become a Journeyman or a Senior?"

Among the crowd, a hand rose up. "In my entire career of designing mechs, I’ve never stepped foot inside a cockpit. But I’ve always listened closely to my customers and my in-house test pilots. I’ve never received any complaints about incompatibilities of severe discomforts about my products."

"Ah, but these are ignorant pilots who don’t know any better. Just because they are unable to perceive any flaws doesn’t mean they don’t exist. If you compare a mech designed by you to a similar mech designed by someone who understands, the difference will be very apparent."

Everyone looked confused. What did she mean by understanding?

"Understanding means knowing what a mech pilot is going through when he pilots your mechs!" She exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "It is not enough to read a memoir or two. You need to understand their thought processes, their reflexes, their skills, their reaction time and more! The best way to understand a mech pilot is to become one!"

"But we just found out that most of us lack the aptitude to become a mech pilot."

"I just told you it’s the best way, not the only way!" The lady snapped back. "Think outside the box for a moment! To design better mechs, we must understand the people who will use them. So your neural aptitude makes you unsuitable to pilot a mech, big deal. If we can’t interface with a machine, why not interface with the mech pilots themselves?"

The revelation came as a bombshell. The neural interface had been developed many years ago as a way for neurologists to investigate the minds of their patients. Mind-to-mind connections quickly proved exceedingly dangerous as many instances of improper use led to permanent brain damage among the observer and the recipient.

The technology had only been salvaged four-hundred years ago when a genius had the bright idea of connecting a person to a mech to solve its complicated control issues. The dangers proved much less substantial as the mind of a mech was nonexistent compared to the mind of a person.

"It is not the Age of Stars or the Age of Conquest! Technology has advanced! We understand much more about the neural interface now that it has proliferated with the help of our profession. There are many experts in the field of neurology who have taken the neural interface and made it into a safer device to connect with another human’s mind."

"Have you... have you actually interfaced with a pilot?"

"I did." She smiled, to the stupefaction of the crowd. Even if she claimed that the technology had become safer, the Masters hadn’t gotten rid of their doubts. "I am still alive, as you can see. I can count to ten without stuttering and I can still go to the toilet without assistance. As long as you take the necessary precautions, there are many benefits to be gained by interfacing with a skilled mech pilot!"

"What do you get out of interfacing with a mech pilot? Is this a way to become a mech pilot ourselves?"

"Don’t talk nonsense." The Star Designer shook her head. "Interfacing is not a way to copy another person’s efforts the way you can copy a file from one data pad to another. Each human is unique. It’s impossible for us to copy a mech pilot’s skills, as much of it is embedded in his reflexes, muscle memory and other properties that are exclusive to his body."

Then what benefits did she obtain to make the risky venture pay off?

"I can’t explain to you how wondrous it feels to connect your mind with another. The connection goes both ways, and while it is possible to block sensitive memories from your partner, it will destabilize the connection if you go too far. So up to a certain extent, it is best to interface with someone you trust."

She went on the describe the advantage of interfacing with a pilot. The Star Designer did not set out to steal a mech pilot’s memories, but merely wanted to experience the sensations of piloting a mech first-hand.