The Mech Touch novel Chapter 570

Ves and Iris chatted about their lives for the rest of the evening. The Vesian guest designer got to hear how he won the Leemar Open Competition and became an apprentice to Master Olson. Ves got to learn that the MTA offered a staff position to Iris.

"That’s an incredible opportunity!" Ves remarked. "Anyone who receives an invitation from the MTA will surely experience the best of what humanity has to offer! Why did you turn it down?"

"The MTA is a neutral organization. It’s not a place for old loyalties. The MTA has made it abundantly clear that once you join their ranks, you’ll never be able to return to your state. Anyone who accepts their offers has to sign a lifetime contract with them. Every bond has to be severed. This not only includes your sentiments for your state, but also entails a clean break from your friends and family."

To a person who cherishes her bonds, such a condition was unacceptable. Though no organization was truly neutral, the MTA came darned close, but it was not without a price.

"I heard that the MTA often assigns its staff members all over human space. Those who are serving in the rim are transferred to the galactic heartland and galactic center. Those who originate from the galactic center are shuffled far away from their prosperous stars."

"That’s because it’s too easy for an official from the MTA to act on their biases. If one day you happen to be promoted to a position overlooking the entire Komodo Star Sector, can you resist the temptation to make things easier for the Bright Republic?"

Ves was no saint. "I don’t think anyone can remain neutral in that case."

"That’s why the best way to sort out this problem is to send every association member at least fifty-thousand light years away from their home state. This is more than enough distance for their people to become estranged to their former states. Even if you can remain in contact with your family through the galactic net, the distance is so vast that even your closest family members will become distance concerns after a few decades."

It was certainly a drastic measure in his eyes. If Ves received the same offer on day, he too wouldn’t be so eager to join their ranks. Although every member of the MTA had access to the best technologies, all of their work would one day become property of the MTA. There was no room for any individuality in their ranks.

"The Mech Trade Association is a great organization. They’re the only bunch in the galaxy besides the CFA who have managed to impose some sensible rules across all of human space. It’s just too bad that the Big Two haven’t been able to take the next step."

Iris chuckled at his words. "It’s been done before. The galaxy is way too big to be ruled by a single nation. It’s pure fantasy at this point."

"Well, the future is still in flux. There’s always a chance that humanity will one day unite under a single banner."

No state called themselves a country or a nation. This was because they lacked the confidence to proclaim their sovereignty over the territories they ruled.

It used to be different in the Age of Conquest. Various star nations all claimed to be the blessed stars of humanity and started to become conceited against other sovereign nations. The animosity that grew between the star nations eventually escalated from minor border conflicts into full-fledged wars, and from there these conflicts escalated into a race to extinction.

It was a good thing the MTA and CFA showed up at the end to smack some sense into the so-called star nations. Ever since then, the Big Two imposed a number of rules and taboos. Taking away the warships was especially fatal to the star nations. They could no longer hold themselves with their heads held high because without any warfleets to defend themselves against other warships, there were no longer capable of safeguarding their borders by themselves.

It was no wonder that people started referring to the emasculated nations as states.

"By the way, what was that about a gift earlier?"

"Ah, it almost slipped through my mind. I wanted to pass on a gift to you before you left. It’s just something to commemorate your time as a guest designer among our ranks."

Ves pulled up a small square gift box and passed it over to Iris across the table.

"What’s this?"

"Open it up." Ves encouraged her with a smile.

Iris eagerly opened up the box to reveal a strange gift. "What is this?"

"It’s a miniature mech."

Ves spent a couple of hours fabricating a miniaturized mech that resembled the Hellcat hybrid knight. He could have fabricated it within seconds if he wanted to produce a toy, but Ves went the extra mile and created a partially functional mech that was scaled down to the size of a hand.

It was an excellent example of craftsmanship to Ves. He not only infused the model with his understanding of the Hellcat model, he also spent a lot of thought in shrinking down the different components and finding substitutes for unworkable materials. While there wouldn’t be any human small enough to pilot the mech through the tiny cockpit, he did manage to incorporate a remote control feature into the tiny machine.

For some reason, Iris threw him a weird glance and shook her head. "It’s an amusing curiosity. I can see that’s it’s pretty functional."

"If you supply its miniaturized nail drivers and missile launchers with appropriately-sized ordnance, the mini Hellcat can actually fire them out. And you best be careful of its sword. It’s sharp enough to stab someone in the chest."

Though she initially treated the model casually, her eyebrows began to furrow as she studied it further. She rotated it carefully around her delicate fingers. "I recognize these materials. This is compressed armor! Did you waste exotics on this toy!?"

"How else will it be so authentic?"

She frowned a bit at that. "Won’t you get in trouble with the Flagrant Vandals for reproducing one of their signature designs?"

"Oh, It’s fine. The mini model isn’t a replica of the Hellcat. I don’t even have complete access to its design specifications. You can say it’s my own spin on its concept. The miniature is cosmetically similar to the Hellcat, but its internals looks completely differently. If it is scaled up to full size, its specs won’t be as good as the real deal."