The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1873

Chapter 1873 Presumptuous Gloriana

While Ves did not observe the prototype testing in person, he kept tabs of the entire process.

Each test pilot reported several unusual sensations when they piloted one of the four prototypes. Regardless if they piloted the rifleman mech configuration, the space knight configuration or the other two configurations, they all experienced a vague feeling that reminded them a lot of a glow!

He smiled at this response. His mech pilots were already becoming more sensitive to the X-Factor. After piloting his LMC mechs for such a long time, his men became more attuned to the intangible properties of his products.

This was an evolution that was long in coming. Even if his mech pilots didn't believe that his mechs were alive, unconsciously they were moving in this direction.

One day, more mech pilots like Joshua King would show up! Once his Avatars truly embodied this truth, their strength would likely reach a greater height!

Of course, it would probably take years for Ves to see a qualitative difference. Right now, the Avatars still awaited their promised mech.

As the prototypes started to deploy in space for the first time, Ves keenly paid attention to the responses of the test pilots.

Due to various reasons, none of them were familiar with the properties of the first iteration of the Larkinson mech. They hadn't even practiced with a virtual version of the mech!

As expected, the pilots all experienced difficulties in trying to control their respective prototypes.

The test pilot assigned to the space knight configuration had it easiest. Its relative simplicity combined with its plodding mobility meant that there wasn't much for its pilot to screw up. In fact, piloting a second-class space knight was not that much different from piloting a third-class version of the same mech type!

Of course, second-class often incorporated secondary armaments or auxiliary modules that increased their complexity.

To the Larkinson mech, that happened to come in the form of the low-profile shoulder-mounted missile launchers.

Their addition to the mech did not increase the complexity of the Larkinson mech all that much. Much of their workings were automated, so the mech pilot only had to designate a target and pull the trigger before turning his attention back to the primary capabilities of his mech!

Therefore, the main burden in piloting his Larkinson mech came in the form of trying to control its basic properties.

Many of the components such as the power reactor and the flight system were far more powerful than the mech pilots were used to. They incorporated many more options with the assumption that the mech pilots were able to cope with the added complexity.

Cheap components were often paired with weaker mech pilots!

Stronger mech pilots always demanded more out of their mechs!

Component developers therefore segregated the market in terms of budget and skill level. The two almost always went hand in hand because expensive mechs would just be a waste in the hands of awful mech pilots!

This made the piloting experience rather difficult for the test pilots. Aside from the space knight, all of the other mechs showed obvious signs of lack of control. From overcompensating the thrust of their flight systems, to an inability to coordinate their limbs when performing standard maneuvers, there was much to complain about!

It took time for the test pilots to get accustomed to the expanded power and functionality of the prototypes.

Fortunately, each of them already possessed prior experience in piloting the four second-class practice mechs. Lady Curver's mechs were far more powerful. The mech pilots could forget about controlling those mechs without a firm foundation in high-performance mechs!

Though no one, not even Joshua, managed to exert sufficient control over the practice mechs, the practice runs had already prepared the test pilots for what they had to deal with. This practice showed as the test pilots soon began to correct their mistakes.

It took a couple of days for their familiarity with the prototypes to reach a level that was good enough to put them through the actual tests!

Suffice to say, all four prototypes showed mismatches between their theoretical performance and their actual performance.

As Ves continued to observe the tests in the comfort of his design lab, he began to frown.

"The prototype testing isn't going well." Gloriana flatly noted. "Your mech pilots require far more time to draw out the potential of their mechs."

"This is actually by design." Ves calmly replied. "We designed the Larkinson mech to be more difficult to pilot than regular third-class mechs. The fact that our test pilots have failed to master their mechs in such a short time is proof that we succeeded in creating a bridge between third-class mechs and their second-class counterparts."

"You're right, but that only satisfies one of our goals. We still need to gather lots of data on how the configurations perform at their limits. Your mech pilots are simply too awful."

"Then what do you suggest?"

"Replace your mech pilots with my mech pilots. I've already asked the Glory Battalion to dispatch some pilots to the testing ground in order to take over from your inadequate test pilots."

"What?!"

"Don't give me that look, Ves. This is the best course of action and you know it. If you continue to stick to your own mech pilots, then we'll definitely miss our deadline!"

She was right. Though Ves felt a bit annoyed that she took action before she explained herself to him, he agreed with her choice.

"Don't do that."

"Do what, Ves?"

"Making a move before discussing your choice with me! This is my project as well as yours! We agreed that you should follow my lead with regards to our current project. At the very least, we should make a joint decision before we move any further!"

"You would have agreed anyway." Gloriana huffed and petted Clixie's fur. "Rather than waste time to get your agreement, I decided to skip this needless step. Don't you think that's more efficient?"

Her cat luxuriated in the attention. She directed a smug glance at Lucky, whose back was being utterly ignored by his owner!

"Miaow."

"Meow."

"Miaow miaow."

"Meow!"

Lucky began to bat his paws at Ves until he finally got his head scratches!

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