The Mech Touch novel Chapter 658

Once Ves gave up trying to discover any loopholes to this comm arrangement, he stepped inside a chamber immediately next to the one that held the giant Tzianti crystal. Ignoring its beautiful facets and cut, Ves instead directed his gaze towards the much less impressive looking hardware console.

"The interface is made as simple and basic as possible." The clerk explained with the tone of a practiced spiel. "Old technology is used whenever possible, making it extremely obvious if anything untoward is added to the machinery. You can consult the technical diagrams marked on the wall over there if you want to double-check the guts of the console."

"Do I have to pay more K-coins for that?"

"No. It is already covered by the previous fee you paid."

"Then don’t mind if I do."

Though Ves felt tempted to skip the troublesome chore, he fought back his complacency and diligently scanned the entire interface. The low-tech communication device only had one goal, and that was to translate the input and output pouring through the enclosed cable connected to the heart of the Tzianti crystal.

This meant that the Tzianti crystal did all the heavy lifting of establishing real-time communication across many light-years. The hardware interface acted like a translator that processed the signals emanated by the crystal and converted them into a visual and auditory projection.

A mere projection hardly required the latest tech. By building the interface with the oldest and most reliable technical standards, Ves found it easy to understand the entire machine. It virtually possessed no depth at all! _{fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm}

Everything about the primitive arrangement was completely standard, but despite his expectations, Ves found nothing out of place.

Well, he wasn’t exactly being forthright with that. While he may not have discovered anything amiss, his multiscanner did find traces of that a microscopic patch of something had been affixed next to the processors responsible for amplifying the Tzianti crystal’s raw input.

According to his multiscanner, this incredibly tiny bug had been dissolved into trace elements mere minutes since he first arrived in this chamber. The only reason his scanner detected these traces was because it was a several months-old copy of the latest model of multiscanners from the Mech Corps.

His mouth curled into a minute grimace. If Ves hadn’t been paranoid enough to make a detailed inspection, the comm center wouldn’t have wiped out this irregularity. A third party would have been able to listen to his dirty dealings with the Skull Architect.

Ves really wanted to activate his jamming device right now, but he left it hanging on his toolbelt. Not only would the interference block the primitive and non sufficient shielded consoles, but the rules also prohibited the activation of a whole laundry list of devices.

He tried hard to withhold his anger. His logic and his desires dictated that he really did not want to cause any trouble. That might spark a conflict with the Bosey Clan, and pissing off the rulers of the space station meant the Vandals and the Swordmaidens might encounter resistance in their attempts at procuring some last-minute supplies.

"I’m satisfied with these arrangements." He finally declared, showing no hint that he observed any aborted mischief.

The clerk made a theatrical bow in front of Ves. "Then I leave you to your private session. Have a good day."

Both the clerk and his guards stepped outside the chamber. After Ves performed one last expedited sweep, he became confident that the chambers contained no more unexpected surprises, at least without bringing in a massive man-sized scanner normally used to identify traces of damage through a mech’s exterior.

"There’s no way I can delay this any further."

A creeping dread crawled up his back as he faced the console which had already loaded in the communication protocols by the clerk. Only a single press of a button awaited his impending conversation with one of the upper-level figures of the Faris Star Region.

Ves created a strong impression of the Skull Architect in his mind. A Senior Mech Designer, a driven researcher, an ambitious explorer, a strong-willed fugitive, a perfectionist in pursuit of efficiency, a cunning trapper, an impatient madman, what else could he add to the complex sides of the man that managed to survive and thrive in the lawless frontier?

The more he dove into the Skull Architect’s story, the more Ves became sympathetic to his cause and drive. Though Ves tried hard to steel his mind and resist this mental contamination, he hadn’t entirely succeeded, considering the direction of his recent thoughts.

His disgust at the criminal mech designer’s misdeeds became less severe. His sympathy for the man’s largely fruitless attempt to impose an impossible level of efficiency in his designs caused Ves to contemplate giving out a hint or two about the X-Factor.

"What am I thinking?!" He shook his head. "These thoughts are dangerous!"

He refocused his mentality and tried to regain clarity in his mind. This was really hard because Ves identified strongly with the Skull Architect. They shared so many traits in common that Ves saw his future self with the older man!

"The design philosophy I’m forming is too radical. Nothing can hide forever. Once I inevitably go public with it, the principles I’m espousing will undoubtedly clash against the sensibilities of the more conservative and heartless mech designers. Will I be driven out from civilized space as well? What if my discoveries and advancements are actively suppressed by my peers?"

This might be his eventual fate in the next couple of hundred years!

Ves snorted in admonishment to himself. "There are still differences! For one, if I am to attract opposition, it will be on the debate floor and on the mech market. The MTA won’t send their Compliance Department against me anytime soon. The second difference is that Mr. Jimenez butchered thousands of mech pilots, while the most I"ll be guilty of is offending the sensibilities of close-minded mech designers."