The 24th Gamma Scorchers Warfleet definitively proved why they earned their name. Their main armaments all consisted of gamma laser beam weapons. This enabled them to channel a lot more energy through their weapon systems than normal. Combined with a few other advantages such as persistent beam technology, the mechs and warships armed with these armaments could inflict so much damage that even phase lords could not resist their concentrated might! "You seem to have a strong opinion about this demonstration of energy weapon supremacy." Gloriana remarked. "I do." Ves said as he continued to think about the seemingly simple but profound tech demonstration. "Gamma laser beam weapons are like the premium deluxe versions of regular laser beam weapons. It is kind of frustrating that we already possess the basic knowhow to develop and produce graser weapons, but we are prohibited from doing so because the mechers and fleeters think that gamma rays go too far while destructive positron beams and deadly hot laser beams are somehow okay." A third-class gamma laser weapon could easily be outmatched by a first-class laser weapon. Yet the RA and the RF deemed the former illegal and the latter a weapon system that is very safe to use. Gloriana sardonically smiled. "Everyone knows that the rules that govern which weapons are allowed and which are prohibited are not entirely logical. They just do not mention it because their objections are either useless or invite punishment. Besides, it is easier for gamma laser weapons to inflict collateral damage to people. That does not change the fact that the main reason to object to the use of gamma laser weapons is largely due to abuses that took place in the past." People prohibited the use of gamma laser weapons in the past. That stigma lasted for thousands of years and continued to be upheld by the RA and RF due to inertia and inherited fear. The Cybernetic Empire evidently thought differently on the subject of gamma laser weapons. The Polymath adopted a completely objective perspective on this matter and concluded that there was no reason to abide by the taboo against the use of graser weapons. Not only did she remove this prohibition for her empire, she also raised a warfleet that was specifically set up to specialize in this previously forbidden weapon system! Unlike the safer and more controllable energy weapons that many people had grown accustomed to using, the graser weapons were new, powerful and above all exciting. Many viewers who had tuned into the broadcast of the Gamma Scorchers all admired the exceptional damage output of the graser weapons on display. They too began to wonder why the Red Two still bothered to uphold the ban on graser weapons. The rule still made a little sense during the Age of Mechs. Back then, the MTA and the CFA had removed all external sources of conflict, leaving states with little choice but to go to war against each other. Naturally, since these were all human-to-human conflicts, the fighting had to be controlled in order to prevent the ignorant space peasants from repeating the mistakes of the dark days of the Age of Conquest. However, the current period was nothing like that. The Red War was a genuine war for survival to red humanity. How could they possibly abide by rules that would only cause them to abandon a highly effective weapon system and spare the aliens the suffering caused by graser beams? Slowly but surely, more and more people questioned the taboo against gamma laser weapon technology. "Why can't we be like the Gamma Scorchers? Our old laser weapons are weak and inflict almost no damage against alien energy shields. Since we aren't rich enough to obtain transphasic weapons, why don't we try and get our hands on gamma laser weapons instead?" Arguments like these became more and more common. The second-raters and third-raters especially desired to make use of graser weapons as they did not have any other superior options available. The vast majority of these people worked for parties that did not have the power or funding to arm their mechs with transphasic weapons. The difficulty of fighting against and defeating the native alien forces became much harder if the humans did not employ transphasic weapons themselves! Groups such as the Larkinson Clan may have grown wealthy and pampered enough to readily hand out transphasic weapons and even entire mechs to all of its soldiers, but there were many more that could not afford such an extravagant treatment! Most of the time, only the leaders or a small elite detachment received the privilege of utilizing transphasic weapons or mechs. It was not economical to extend this treatment to the rest of a mech force. In fact, it was much more common for these soldiers to rely on outnumbering the native aliens by 5 to 1, 10 to 1 or even 20 to 1 in order to overcome the vast disparity in tech and resources. This was not a sustainable approach. Soldiers were dying in droves and settlements kept getting wiped out by the native aliens just because of the lack of availability of phasewater. Each of them looked at the performance of the gamma laser weapons freely utilized by the Cybernetic Empire and grew envious. Even if the non-transphasic version of graser weapons would not be able to produce results as good as shown in the live feed, it should at least be a lot better than their bog-standard laser weapons, right? "What a devious ploy. As expected of the Polymath." As Ves thought about the implications of the use of graser weapons by the Gamma Scorchers, he realized that this display killed multiple birds with one stone. Not only did it show off the superior might and technological prowess of the Cybernetic Empire, but it also sowed further doubt and division among the people who had always abided by the rules set by the mechers and fleeters without question. The first step to convincing them to break away from the old human order was to question why it was necessary in the first place. Through a simple demonstration of 'taboo' technology and showing how much good it could do on the battlefield, the Red Association and the Red Fleet suddenly became confronted with another crisis. Even if this controversy was not big enough to spark their downfall, it would definitely distract them and keep them occupied for a long time. They may even have to initiate even more reforms in order to satisfy the changing demands of the public. "Ves." "Yes, honey?" "Do you want to equip our mechs with graser weapons?" "Uh, why do you ask?" "Come on. Just look at yourself. Ever since you witnessed the Gamma Scorchers in action, you became as excited as an eager puppy. You love the power of gamma laser weapons. Do not deny it. You want to master the tech behind these powerful energy weapons." Ves gave her a sheepish smile. "You caught me. You're right. I have been thinking about adopting them and incorporating them into my mech designs if the Red Two decides to change their policies. However, I am not sure whether it is practical to combine gamma laser technology with luminar crystal technology. I know it is possible, but I also know that it will produce a lot of new challenges and complications. I don't have the time or interest to solve all of these problems." "You do not have to do everything yourself these days." Gloriana rolled her eyes. "There are other mech designers and R&D personnel in our clan that can undertake this project. If we do not have the right people, then we can hire them. Luminar crystal technology is not that well known, but I am sure that there are plenty of energy weapon specialists that are willing to branch out into alien technology so long as they are given the right incentives." 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶 Ves thought about it for a few seconds. "You can start the prep work for this, but don't go on an immediate hiring spree. We should wait and see how the Red Two react to this development. It might be that they will insist on restricting the use of gamma laser weapons." "Why would they do that after this?" Gloriana frowned. "The mechers and the fleeters should know better than to issue a rule that will never be obeyed. The Cybernetic Empire's flagrant disregard for the taboos has already broken a dam. I am sure that the Terrans and the Rubarthans will roll out their own versions of graser weapons as well. Since you have always desired our clan to become a sovereign power, there is no reason for us to abide by the pedantic taboos of the Red Two." Ves stared at his wife. As expected, she even fell victim to the Polymath's conspiracy. "What you just said is not wrong, but you are missing the bigger picture. The Larkinson Clan is only independent as so far the other major human powers allow it to be. They are tolerating us and indulging in our whims because we are useful to them and we have never violated their bottom line. If we start to do the latter, our relationships with them will not break right away, but they will become a lot more strained." Gloriana frowned deeper. "I know you have a good relationship with the mechers. I do as well. However, there is no doubt that the Red Association is in decline. Even if there are many more Star Designers on its side than with the Cybernetic Empire, the fact remains that the Polymath had many more years to complete her research than the others. Perhaps the mechers will be able to make a comeback after a decade or two, but who knows whether the Star Designers will still agree to remain part of the same club." "You've noticed that?" "I have my own channels, Ves. They may not be as extensive as yours, but there are still people who are willing to tell me certain things that take place behind the scenes." Ves slightly narrowed his eyes after he heard that. He imagined that these contacts did not volunteer this information out of the goodness of their heart. The only way for Gloriana to obtain such information was to volunteer valuable intelligence in return. However, he had no reason to suspect that she was leaking secrets that were not meant to be divulged. After his latest deep discussion with her, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. It was not healthy for him to maintain his distrust towards his wife for so long. He actually felt much closer to her now that he had invited his wife to become the latest user of the Mech Designer System. If his wife had actually exposed the existence of the Mech Designer System to outsiders, then that was his fault for making an erroneous judgment. "It is dangerous to make too many assumptions about Star Designers." Ves vaguely said. "They have transcended their mortality and transformed into energy-based life forms. They are still marked by the vestiges of their humanity, but they have acquired so much more that it is difficult to judge them by human standards. The Polymath is already a confounding individual, and all of the other Star Designers are just as complex. None of them are simple figures." Whether the Star Designers decided to split up and go their own way had massive implications. Nobody dared to make too many assumptions about them, but that did not stop them from wondering about possible futures. Ves was no exception to this. He personally could not understand the logic of breaking up a superorganization that united the strength of multiple god pilots and Star Designers. However, the fact of the matter was that the Polymath and the Huntsman had already taken steps to disassociate themselves from the RA. If this was the case, then how many more of their peers dreamt of going independent but never had an opportunity to do so until today?