THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 6862  Bright Warrior Mark IV

The Bright Warrior.

The quintessential Larkinson mech.

If there was any mech model that defined the Larkinson Clan, it was the humble but practical Bright Warrior.

It had always been designed with versatility and modularity in mind. The Mark III edition expanded upon this modularity, allowing for a wide range of customization and personalisation.

Bright Warriors therefore came in all shapes and sizes. Mech pilots became accustomed to accessing shopping lists where they could exchange their accumulated Larkinson merits on better armor, new swords, shoulder-mounted missile launchers or jamming-resistant sensor modules.

Their inherent versatility and flexibility allowed many Larkinson mech pilots to adjust their configurations to match different roles.

Some Larkinsons preferred to turn them into defensive bulwarks. These Bright Warriors featured thicker armor systems, stronger azure shield generators and thick physical tower shields.

Other Larkinsons wanted to turn their machines into fire support platforms. The Bright Warriors carried luminar crystal cannons that possessed modest sieging capabilities while external energy cell packs became attached to their mech frames. Upgraded sensors and targeting systems enabled them to launch accurate fire at longer ranges on a busy battlefield.

There were also stripped-down Bright Warriors that featured less armor but stronger flight systems. These machines carried no armaments aside from a sword or a pair of knives. These were duelists and interceptors who were slower than Ferocious Piranhas but much more capable of beating enemy phasefighters in a direct confrontation.

Then there were the Bright Warriors that eschewed damage entirely and converted into support mechs. Even if they carried a pistol or rifle for self-defense, they rarely made use of them as they were far too busy with using remote shield generators to cover ejected escape pods. They also took up the responsibility of countering hostile ECM or conducting field repairs on damaged equipment.

It was through the expansive degree of customization and variation that the Bright Warrior had taken root in the heart of the Larkinson Army.

The Bright Warrior might not excel at a single role in comparison to a specialized mech design, but it was available and convenient.

It reduced the demand for mech designs that fulfilled roles that the existing mech roster failed to address.

Many low-ranking mech designers of the Larkinson Clan had made a career out of designing custom or standard modular parts and equipment for the Bright Warrior platform.

The Bright Warrior also happened to be the mech line that was least prone to becoming obsolete.

When the Hyper Generation kicked off, many Larkinson mech designers had already begun to explore the potential of hyper technology. They developed increasingly more sophisticated and mature hyper modules that could easily be slotted into the Bright Warrior platform.

These days, practically every Bright Warrior mech had already turned into de-facto hyper mechs due to this modularity. That should have lowered the priority to designing the Mark IV edition of this iconic Larkinson mech platform, yet Ves still insisted on including it in the first batch.

He had his reasons for prioritizing the Bright Warrior Mark IV. Making it available first would allow the Larkinsons to immediately fulfill multiple roles much better than before.

The existing Bright Warrior Mark III's could be upgraded into Mark IV's while demanding only modest updates and adjustments to their modular equipment.

The performance increase wouldn't be as big as with the Ferocious Piranha Mark IV or the Valkyrie Redeemer Mark IV, but it would still make a considerable difference over many battles.

"As you can see, the Bright Warrior Mark IV is a straightforward iterative update of the Mark III." Alexa Streon explained to the Saint Commander. "Similar to the previous projects, we have tried to keep the underlying mech frame as unchanging as possible to facilitate affordable and convenient upgrades. The Mark IV is therefore not completely optimized for the Hyper Generation, but we consider this to be an acceptable tradeoff. It is more important to elevate the existing Mark III's to the current generation with minimal delays and complications."

The Bright Warrior was among the oldest and most established staple mechs of the Larkinson Clan. A significant proportion of them originally came to life as Mark I's or Mark II's. The had multiple years of growth under their belt and had grown into considerably capable third order living mechs.

All of that accumulation needed to be preserved. The longer they remained as Mark III's, the more their outdated tech, materials and architecture worked against them. None of the Bright Warrior Mark III's had been designed to fight against alien phasefighters and alien warships.

The Mark IV was not that much better in this regard, but it at least made an earnest attempt to do better.

The native features of seventh generation living mechs and the much better integration of phasewater technology should enable it to survive more battles and defeat more enemies.

"If necessary, the expeditionary fleet can fight by relying on Bright Warrior Mark IV's alone." Saint Commander Casella recognized one of the most important benefits of upgrading this mech model first. "The Avatars of Myth and the other mech legions can easily configure them into space knights, rifleman mechs, swordsman mechs or support mechs as needed. This will greatly alleviate the need for updated mech models."

Ves nodded. "The first batch is meant to address the most urgent needs of our clan and our dependents. The Ferocious Piranhas are best at intercepting alien phasefighters. The Valkyrie Redeemer is widely used by the Hex Army. The Bright Warrior is the default mech of the Larkinson Army. Once these Mark IV's show up on the battlefield, everyone will gain a lot of confidence in the new machines. The morale boost should be very welcome to the soldiers."

Casella agreed. The Red Tide Offensive had taken a toll on everyone's mentality. The war killed many people, but even the survivors came away with mental scars.

The significance of the Bright Warrior line had grown due to the stress induced by fighting frequent life-threatening battles.

With the Golden Cat as their design spirit, the Bright Warriors never failed to warm the hearts of every member of the Larkinson Clan.

The strong focus on kinship was not just a means to bind the clansmen together. It also helped to give the soldiers purpose and succor. It reminded them what they were fighting for and that they always enjoyed the support of family.

The Bright Warrior mech line was one of the secret weapons of the Larkinson Clan. Outsiders simply did not understand its full value. The Golden Cat was not a useless design spirit.

In an age where human civilization was beginning to collapse around them, a mech that embodied the heart of the Larkinson Clan provided a critical anchor of support and stability.

Alexa continued to introduce the merits of the Bright Warrior Mark IV to the Saint Commander.

"The Bright Warrior Mark IV possesses many of the updates applied to the other two mech lines. It has also integrated the Battle Skirt System, so any mech pilot can flexibly add or remove a surplus of modular armor plating at their choosing. What is truly special about the Bright Warrior is its Ultimate Module."

One of the projections that depicted the Bright Warrior Mark IV zoomed in on a schematic before highlighting a strange sphere embedded into the chest of the modular mech platform.

"This is the Mechanical Heart." Ves said. "It is made out of mid-grade or high-grade life-attributed hyper materials. Its only function is to grant the Second Wind Ultimate Ability to the Bright Warrior Mark IV. When activated, the mech will receive a focused infusion of life energy that is directed towards damaged or failing parts. The hope is that this emergency infusion of life energy will control the damage and prevent the compromised components from deteriorating any further."

Casella raised her eyebrows. "That sounds familiar. Will the Bright Warrior Mark IV's be able to regenerate the damage they incur in the same way as the Everchanger?"

"Probably not." Ves shook his head. "The Everchanger is able to regenerate himself to an absurd degree because of true resonance. In other words, Venerable Joshua is the source behind this reality-defying phenomenon. The Bright Warrior Mark IV's do not enjoy this particular luxury. They have to make do with whatever cultivation the mech pilots have attained along with the growth of the Mechanical Heart. I suppose it is possible that years of struggle and accumulation will spur the development of this Ultimate Module to the point where it can replicate a fraction of the miracle of the Everchanger's regeneration. However, I do not expect anything drastic to happen unless there is outside intervention."

His answer disappointed the Saint Commander. It sounded too good to be true for the Mechanical Heart to possess mystical regeneration properties. Hyper technology and E-technology may have opened up a lot of possibilities, but they still had many limits.

"Is that it?" Casella asked.

"Pretty much. There are other nuances, but they are not that big of a deal. The Bright Warrior Mark IV is an evolution, not a revolution. I think we can save that for the Mark V."

"Understood. While I am no longer able to command the expeditionary fleet, I am pleased that my former subordinates finally have access to better solutions. I just wish that they came out half a year earlier."

"Me too, but there is only so much we can do in so little time."

"Are there any other Mark IV's that the two of you are ready to present?"

"No. That is the extent of the first batch." Alexa responded. "The second batch is at least a month away from completion. The Stingripper Mark III, the Redaxe Mark II and most importantly the Transcendent Punisher Mark IV are being brought up to the Hyper Generation."

These were excellent choices.

The importance of the Transcendent Punisher mech line could not be overstated. Although their numbers were limited, the formidable guns and scarily accurate targeting of the Transcendent Punishers enabled them to inflict disproportionate damage from the rear.

The Stingripper synergized well with the Ferocious Piranha Mark and excelled at whittling down alien phasefighters.

The Redaxe was too slow to chase after most alien phasefighters, but their powerful axes inflicted disproportionate amounts of damage onto fixed targets such as the azure energy shields of energy warships.

There were many other staples that deserved an update as well. The Redlance, the Rigid Wall and the Pacifier could all use updates.

Then there were mech lines that became a lot less relevant in the Age of Dawn. Casella was not quite sure whether it was worthwhile to update the Lucid Rage, the Rigid Spine or the Second Eye.

It was up to Ves and the Design Department to make these decisions. All Casella could do was to share her own perspective on what the soldiers needed.

"So what do you think about the first batch, Casella?"

"They are good, I suppose, but… none of these works are relevant to the Premier Branch." She said. "Is it possible for you to design first-class versions of the Mark IV's? From my understanding, they are already designed as quasi-first-class mechs. How easy would it be for you to remove the 'quasi' word and turn them into true first-class mechs?"

"That… is a good question." Ves said as he put serious thought on the matter.

He and Alexa exchanged another glance before they formulated their own ideas on the subject.

"What you proposed holds serious merit." Alexa, who was far more familiar with first-class mechs than Ves, stated her professional opinion. "However, turning them into proper first-class mechs is not as simple as swapping their power reactors. The Ferocious Piranha, the Valkyrie Redeemer and the Bright Warrior are all mech concepts that are derived from the realities of third-class or second-class mech combat. I am afraid that their barebones configurations will not lend themselves well in the harsh realities of first-class combat. This requires a more thorough consideration."

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