Chapter 2693: Value of a Mech Designer (1/2)

Lady Aisling Curver almost couldn't believe her last-minute plan had worked.

Task Force Umbra initially set out to kill Ves Larkinson. The Fridaymen arrived with the force of thunder and made it clear that they did not intend to show any leniency towards their target.

It would have been great if they won, but the reality was crueler.

By now, almost every member of Task Force Umbra was dead. In fact, discounting the scattered Fridayman mech pilots who were stuck in derelict mechs, she might be the sole survivor left!

That frightened her on a profound level. How many servicemen had taken part in Operation Head Crusher? The Auralis alone was home to at least 20,000 crew members and the other fleet carriers definitely brought at least 15,000 people each depending on their size.

Now that all of those valuable fleet carriers blew up in order to prevent their enemies from deriving any value out of them, there was no way that any of those people made it out alive.

Surrender wasn't an option. The hatred went deep on both sides.

Aisling lowered her head as she sat on a comfortable chair in some kind of ready room. She brushed her hand over her tangled hair.

As soon as the Larkinsons brought back the spare cockpit ejected from the Eager Condemnation back to the Spirit of Bentheim, a team of security officers roughly pulled her out and stripped her of her hazard suit as well as all of her gear. While they had been generous enough to give her a comfortable jumpsuit, she felt terribly out of place.

She normally wore fashionable outfits or perfectly-fitted uniforms when she went about her day. She wasn't used to losing control.

”Well, at least the Larkinsons haven't treated me too poorly.”

From what she could tell, the Larkinsons considered her to be a security risk, but that was all. They attempted to make her feel more at ease. She expected to be dragged to a cell or an interrogation room, but instead she was put into a ready room meant to keep pilots comfortable while they remained on standby.

That was probably the best treatment she could receive if Ves accepted the deal she offered.

”The data is all safe inside my head.” She smiled.

As the administrator and supervisor of Unit L, she possessed extensive access to how the Charlemagne and the Scarra worked. While some of the data was still stuck behind very thorough encryption, it was still possible to gain access to it in time.

Her gift did not just encompass asymmetrical neural networks. She also possessed extensive resources that would allow anyone knowledgeable in neural interfaces to set up a basic neural network. This was the core crystallization of Master Toqueman Huron's lifelong pursuit. It was so refined and optimized that its applicability and ease of use was significantly greater than when the Master Mech Designer initially realized his design philosophy!

”Ves doesn't have any mech designer who specializes in neural interface technology.” Aisling muttered.

This was the greatest source of confidence to her. As someone who tracked Ves' life as best as possible, she knew about every single mech designer who worked under the man she loved more than anyone else in the cosmos.

Not a single mech designer in the Larkinson Clan could harness the considerable amount of research data in her head!

The only one who qualified was Aisling herself! Even if Ves brought in an outsider with a background in neural interfaces, he or she would never be able to master Master Huron's proprietary trade secrets.

Only someone who specialized and dedicated her design philosophy to neural networks were best able to work in this specific field!

Considering what she heard about Ves, Aisling knew that she possessed a good chance to preserve her life and gain the acceptance of her crush if she showed her value.

Ves had proven that he was not completely in the grip of his wife by forcibly elevating Juliet Stameros to the position of lead designer.

”I'm definitely more useful than this Hexer mech designer!” Aisling confidently asserted.

Ves was sorely lacking a specialty like hers in his design teams. She was one of the few mech designers who were permitted to design custom neural interfaces. This was very useful to any mech design projects because she could optimize a neural interface to any specific design, thereby facilitating a smoother piloting experience.

This was especially relevant when it came to designing expert mechs! Neural interface specialists played an essential role in their design because most resonance-empowered abilities required custom neural interface programming and configuration in order to be activated and controlled.

While it was possible to design an expert mech without a custom neural interface, the efficiency of such a machine would definitely be impaired!

”Expert pilots are too different from normal humans. If the neural interface isn't expanded to accommodate their distinct properties, then they will always be held back from displaying their full might!”

Aside from this, Aisling was also a great mech designer in other aspects. She was fairly well-rounded and possessed a very broad and solid foundation. She was able to design mechs independently or lead mech design projects on her own. Her addition would definitely alleviate the manpower shortages at the LMC's Design Department.

The entrance slid open without warning, startling Aisling out of her considerations.

She quickly straightened her back and adopted a slightly soft and vulnerable demeanor.

This was not a situation where she could afford to throw her weight around. If she wanted to get past this hurdle, she needed to gain Ves' sympathy.

A pair of powerful suited forms entered the ready room. Ves, still clad in his sealed Unending Regalia, strode forward while his dashing cape fluttered in the air. His tall and heavily-armored bodyguard followed closely behind.

No one else entered the room, which quietly made Aisling feel relieved.

She was afraid that Ves would bring Gloriana. If she wasn't here, this meant that Ves clearly wanted to deal with the situation himself. That meant she had a chance!

”Hello, Ves.” She started simply and plainly.

She made sure to restrain herself from saying anything more. She had to be very careful with how she presented herself. She carefully controlled her posture, her demeanor, her pitch and her phrasing according to the training she received.

”Hello, Aisling.” Ves eventually replied.