Chapter 1074
Sponsored Content
Mech companies occupied a unique position within human society . Technically, they were arms manufacturers .
Some arms manufacturers sold infantry weapons . Other arms manufacturers sold turret installations .
Yet even though mech companies sold mechs, they were treated differently from other arms manufacturers .
This was because the designers and developers of those armaments were mostly anonymous faces . It didn't really matter to the vast majority of the market which person designed a specific weapon model . The company brand stood for the entire company rather than a couple of notable weapon designers .
Due to the prominence of mechs in the Age of Mechs, mech companies enjoyed a very different situation . Mech designers enjoyed a lot of attention and publicity to the point where their personal fame often overpowered the brand of the company where they worked at! A mech company was just a hollow shell without a notable mech designer taking the lead!
This unique condition along with the custom of mech designers founding and leading their own mech companies in person came with vast implications .
The most important one was that mech companies served as an extension of the lead designer's design philosophies . When it came to core principles, nothing was more important to a mech designer than the principles espoused by their deeply personal design philosophies .
Since the good ones often started their own businesses or took over existing ones, it made sense if they shaped the identities of their companies to accommodate their own beliefs .
The equation was slightly different when it came to mech companies that employed multiple mech designers . Even so, there would always be a small number of lead designers who took charge of the overall direction of the mech company .
The example of the KNG came to mind, though Ves admitted it was not the most stellar example of how a company should be run .
The Living Mech Corporation centered around Ves Larkinson, the mech designer . By that, he meant that the company should strongly be aligned to his own design philosophy . Even though no one but Ves himself could realize his design philosophy to its full potential, that didn't mean that his subordinates should just do their own thing!
A mech corporation that did not follow through with their lead designer's design philosophy would only hamper both in the future .
The mech designer wouldn't be able to progress as much as the mechs being produced and sold by their companies failed to fully realize their mech designs .
The mech company therefore suffered as well as their lead designer's stalling progress meant that it didn't enjoy as much success as it ought to have .
Sponsored Content
Each were dependent on each other . This was why Ves put his full attention on this issue . If his own company did not match him in lockstep, then he could forget about spreading the influence of his design philosophy across the galaxy!
"It starts with a motto . " Ves muttered .
No one else could help him set a motto for his company . As the lead designer of the LMC, only he could shape its principles . Even the System couldn't help him solve this important hurdle .
Right now, Ves stared out of the high windows of his penthouse office, overlooking the darkening cloudy skies as evening set in . Most of the office workers as well as the day shift of mech technicians ended their work for the day and returned to their homes .
Thousands of workers filed out of the headquarters or the underground portion of the Mech Nursery . Company-provided transit shuttles and aircars waited at the vastly-expanded landing zone at the far end of the company premises . His workers entered them in an orderly fashion and took them all the way back to Freslin or one of its many suburbs .
"These people all rely on me to lead the company to prosperity . "
It was a daunting thought . The wrong decision could not only ruin his own career, but also destroy the livelihoods of many of his workers .
Right now, he felt like he was leading his own miniature state . It was an apt analogy of the power he wielded and the responsibility that came with it . He no longer worked on his own but instead received the assistance of thousands of employees, all of whom shared in his fortune and misfortune .
"Meow . "
Lucky idly floated down on his lap and demanded to be petted . Ves interrupted his reverie in order to lavish some attention to his pet .
As he looked at Lucky's mechanical form and sensed the spark of spirituality deep inside, Ves couldn't help but think if more machines could be like his cat .
What would a mech look like that possessed Lucky's breath of life and spirit?
"It wouldn't be a mech anymore . " He muttered and shook his head . "A mech that has gained full autonomy is not really a mech anymore . It would be an entirely new sentient machine race . "
Sponsored Content
A mech was a large war machine that operated along the direction of a mech pilot . Ves needed to remind himself to stick with this definition . While Ves wanted to make his mech more alive in a spiritual sense, he did not intend to go the full mile and make an entire race of Sigrund-like sentient AIs inhabiting mech-like bodies!
"The living mechs that I aim to design are not alive in a literal sense . It's sufficient for them to be alive in spirit . "
Mechs should remain inanimate when no one actively piloted them . Whatever Ves might aspire for mechs, he wasn't extreme enough to think that they should be controlled by anything other than humans .
"Even if I believe that mechs should have more value and be more appreciated, it remains a fact that they are also tools who are meant to be used in the purpose they were designed for . In this case, mechs are designed to wage war . "
It was very dangerous for humans to outsource the capacity to wage war on to easily exploitable AIs or other vulnerable entities . Humanity long learned that they needed to take charge of their own endeavors and Ves did not intend to upset that principle .
However, that did not mean his design philosophy was impossible to fulfill .
"It depends on my definition of living mech . " He muttered as he stroked Lucky's back . "How can I define this term so that it recognizes the value I bring to mechs without sowing more confusion?"
Some mech designers adhered to very direct design philosophies . They wanted to design the most resilient mechs or the most enduring mechs . Anyone could easily explain their main design focus in a couple of seconds .
For example, under his guidance, Ketis managed to formulate her own design philosophy, which was to design swordsman mechs who wielded the sharpest swords .
"It's a simple ambition, but it fits her very well . "
Her design philosophy came from her heart . The groundwork for it had slowly took on its shape after many years of running with the Swordmaidens .
As it was a sincere design philosophy that truly fit Ketis well, Ves did not stop her from adopting her greatest ambition as her design philosophy .
Sadly, Ves adopted a much more abstract design philosophy . This expanded his options but also raised the difficulty of fulfilling the aspirations of his design philosophy .
His main problem which hampered his ability to communicate his principles effectively was that he was burdened by the need to keep his advantages secret .
Sponsored Content
If he ever exposed what he learned about the X-Factor to the mech industry and the wider galaxy, he would not only lose his greatest competitive advantage, but also painted a huge target on his back!
The MTA, CFA and Five Scrolls Compact would fight to take him into their custody . Ves already possessed one reason for them to covet him, as he ostensibly held the identity of a Holy Son of the Five Scrolls Compact .
He did not feel like compounding his own value to these powerful trans-galactic organizations .
"I have to define living mechs in a way that isn't too direct but isn't too vague either . "
How could he possibly straddle the line? With the handicap of not being able to reference spirituality or the X-Factor directly, Ves could not come up with an easy answer to this problem .
"Maybe I should start from the perspective of mech pilots . "
As the principal users of his products, mech pilots served as the focal point of every mech company . While those with money and those with the power to decide which mechs they should purchase were not always mech pilots, their opinions still exerted a huge influence in the purchasing decisions .
A mech pilot's fit with a certain mech model was vitally important to the functioning of a mech force .
Did Ves aim to please every mech pilot?
"No . " He shook his head . "I can't possibly design a mech that can satisfy everyone . That's just an impossibility . "
Ves did not even dream of selling the most mechs or capturing a huge share of the mech market . Instead, he cared more about accommodating the needs of mech pilots who stood to benefit most from his products .
"My mechs are more than commodities . "
Ves repeated this specific phrase for a reason . It encapsulated what he thought was wrong with the current mech market . The vast majority of mech designers and mech pilots did not treat their mechs with sufficient respect .
He detested this careless attitude towards mechs . It encouraged neglect and sloppiness . Even if mechs were tools to be used in war, many lives depended on how well they were treated .
"My mechs are designed to meet the needs of those who care about their mechs . I want to reward good behavior by having the mech repay the care and attention it received . "
In other words, he wanted to portray his living mechs as loyal partners to their mech pilots .
Inspiration suddenly struck Ves . He spontaneously muttered a short phrase that neatly encapsulated his design philosophy .
"Living mechs . Partners for life . "
It sounded like how a motto ought to sound like . Even though it was just a couple of words strung together, their combination expressed a very clear and distinct set of meaning .
The only problem with this motto was that it still possessed a very abstract quality that made it difficult to imagine what a living mech actually looked like . While the strong X-Factors of his mechs helped convey the unique quality of his mechs to his customers, it was difficult to recognize it as a concrete asset when nobody except Ves could fully explain their uniqueness!
Still, Ves liked the motto he came up with . He didn't feel the need to come up with another motto that strayed away from his design philosophy in the name of dumbing down its abstract nature .
The motto served as a starting point to the principles that the LMC should abide by, but it wasn't enough . Just these words alone would never be able to align his entire workforce due to how wide it could be interpreted .
How could Ves describe the motto succinctly?
"Living mechs are mechs that are responsive to their mech pilots . We describe them as partners for life because all of our mechs are designed to accompany their mech pilots in as many battles as possible for as long as they can . Our mechs are partners for life because are designed to adapt to their owners!"
Perhaps it was a bit of an exaggeration to describe his mechs as partners for life . A typical mech career piloted mechs until they reached old age where their mental agility no longer kept up with their mechs . From start to finish, this typically took fifty to sixty years .
That was enough time for mech pilots to use at least three different mechs . As older mechs aged and became obsolete, they came under stronger pressure to change to a newer mech model .
Under those practical circumstances, it was unheard of for mech pilots to stick with a single mech for the entirety of their careers .
Yet Ves did not intend to change his motto despite this inaccuracy . Who knew if conditions changed in the future and the rate of advancement slowed to a point where mechs remained relevant for sixty years instead of wearing out within just ten years .