The Mech Touch novel Chapter 520

Chapter 520: Neural Interface

The gains and benefits of teaching took time to ferment . Right now, Ves felt like a farmer who just sowed his seeds . He needed to wait at least an entire season for the crops to grow ripe before he harvested the fruits of his labor .

Unexpectedly, an opportunity to practice his teaching came after they wrapped up the meeting . As soon as they returned to their office, Iris came up to his desk .

"Can you teach me?"

Ves blinked at the sudden request . Iris hadn't done anything to merit such a privilege . She had her own work to perform, so asking him to tutor him right now was highly inappropriate .

Still, he was never a stickler for rules . "As long as it doesn't affect your work too much, I'm fine if you want to receive some pointers . "

Iris put her hand on her hips and smirked . "I'm not expecting you to pass on your knowledge for nothing . Don't forget that I have my own strengths as a mech designer . My fundamentals aren't as solid as yours, but when it comes to neural interfaces, I dare say that even Professor Velten can't match the depth of my expertise!"

That was an extremely bold claim to make, and if Ves thought a little more highly of the old woman, he would have reprimanded his assistant .

"You shouldn't say such things out loud . " He responded mildly . "Also, the study of neural interfaces is severely restricted by the MTA . I need to obtain a permit from the Association before I'm allowed immerse myself in this field . "

"That's only important if you actually do something with your newly-gained knowledge, such as designing your own neural interfaces . The MTA will let it slide if I am just 'giving you some pointers' instead of trying to raise you up as a fully-fledged neural interface developer . I'm not allowed to pass on the core teachings of the Jupiter Family anyway . "

Ves mulled the proposition carefully . After committing a heinous war crime behind the MTA's back at the System's behest, his instinctive reverence towards the all-powerful organization had taken a significant hit . The idea of bending some of their rules to his advantage didn't sound as bad .

"Well, if you are sure they won't act, I'm open for an exchange . "

When Ves explained the Skills he was proficient in and revealed some of the extent of his depth in Physics, Iris looked very impressed at him . Somehow, her astonishment pleased him and spurred him on .

"It takes years of study and access to a lot of good textbooks to reach my level . However, I can grant you access to a handful of helpful titles to get you starting on shoring up your fundamentals . "

"That's great! I can't thank you enough! Still, I'll feel guilty if you gift me all of this help . I know I don't deserve it was I am right now . " Iris tapped her delicate chin . "How about this . Let me teach you more than a few pointers about neural interfaces . In fact, if you don't have anything urgent on the agenda, let's start right now!"

Ves recalled his current schedule and knew there was nothing on the agenda for today . "That's fine . I can determine whether it this topic fits with my interests . "

"From the Jupiter Family's perspective, a mech designer who neglects the importance of neural interfaces are stunted in their growth . In the eyes of my elders, the MTA has gone overboard in restricting the study and development of neural interfaces after the infamous Farund Affair . "

"Well, brainwashing through interfacing with your mech is a horrible nightmare that no sane person would wish to another . " Ves pointed out . "The sanctity of the mind is a core value for humanity . When your thoughts have become the property of others, our race will cease to flourish . "

"Hmph . " Iris huffed and waved her hand dismissively . "Neural interface technology can be abused just as much as laser weapon or power reactor technology . In the wrong hands, they can achieve an enormous amount of devastation, but you never hear any reactor developer getting arrested for designing exploding products, do you?"

"Abuse of other technologies are easy to spot and easier to prevent . The damage that neural interfaces do is often invisible and pernicious . The fear of the unknown is often scarier than the planet-cracking superweapons of the past . "

"Well, let's agree to disagree then . " Iris gave up on this argument . To her, Ves had hopelessly been affected by too much MTA propaganda . "The point I was trying to make is that while neural interfaces can do a lot of damage in the wrong hands, the flip side is also true . A well-designed neural interface that is geared towards specific mech pilots can boost their effective performance by the same margin!"

Ves had often heard these kinds of claims, but it sounded fantasy back then . "How is this possible? A mech has a defined level of performance . It's impossible to exceed the parameters of a spec sheet . "

"I'm not talking about breaking the specs . " Iris shook her head . "As a mech designer, do you believe that a mech is constantly pushing its performance to match the upper limit of the specs in the spec sheet?"

Ves paused at that question . Just because a mech exhibited a top speed of a hundred kilometers per hour didn't meant it ran at that speed all the time . Most of the time they would briskly walk to their destination, if only to minimize their energy consumption .

"The spec sheets only define the upper limits of the specs . Mechs don't push that far most of the times . "

"This is the where a good neural interface can make the difference . They smoothen and facilitate the man-machine connection so that the thoughts of a mech pilot will lead to more responsive performance from the mech . This enables the combination to switch between high and low states of their parameters on a whim . The best analogy that my Family came up with would be like comparing a rubble-filled street with a well-paved street . Mechs are able to walk through a cleared street much more easily than a street that suffered the aftermath of a destructive battle . "