Chapter 7294: Mecher Control Learning about the Sidney Particle Cannons granted Ves a new form of respect towards the Sigma Drift. It sounded messy at first. Jovy's description made it sound as if a bunch of mad scientists had recklessly opened tunnels to random higher dimensions and let dangerous energies seep into the material realm. Whatever the case, the results astonished the mechers. By mixing and matching different particles and energies together, the Sidney Particle Cannons were able to launch attacks that defied conventional defenses. No matter whether they struck energy shields, armor or organic tissue, none of them remained unscathed! Even Jovy struggled to explain the mechanisms behind the new attacks. "The effects of these mixed particles are difficult to describe. They gain properties that allow for attacks to bypass existing defenses. Think of a two-dimensional battlefield where an attack suddenly makes use of the third dimension to bypass existing obstacles. We have already discovered multiple patterns that can enable attacks to bypass most energy shields. Aside from that, the mixed particles are also capable of producing violent new reactions. We can exploit that to make the particles more deadly and explosive. Type Sigma cannons particularly stand out for its effectiveness against nearly any kind of enemy." "It also sounds inefficient." Ves voiced his own thoughts. "Your description leaves me with little doubt about the threat posed by these Sidney Particle Cannons. What I am wondering is how efficient they are. I don't know what kind of superdimensional wizardry you pulled off, but I very much doubt that the systems responsible for generating it all can sustain this activity for long." The Sigma Drift was undoubtedly an energy-hungry machine. Its Spatial Disassociation Engine and its various weapon systems all demanded a lot of power, so much so that it was difficult to expand the arsenal of the custom mech. The Sidney Particle Cannons and Omega Laser weapons pretty much constituted the main offensive options of the Sigma Drift. Sure, the alien-like mech also possessed a pair of articulating hands that could carry all kinds of external equipment, but aside from that, the Sigma Drift was clearly designed around the use of its integrated energy weapon systems. Such a mech naturally demanded a lot of power. Jovy briefly elaborated on the energy systems of the Sigma Drift. "Energy management is a high priority for this machine. Its energy reserves are ample enough to support a short encounter at full strength. That said, it is better to maintain an active energy link between the Sigma Drift and a supporting starship to keep the mech active on the battlefield for a longer duration." The tech used for the power reactor and other related systems did not sound particularly noteworthy. The Red Association clearly held back from implementing too much experimental tech in this aspect. A wise decision. The Sigma Drift absolutely could not afford to suffer any problems related to its energy during intensive combat. It could still tolerate malfunctions to its fancy Omega Laser hardpoints and Sidney Particle Cannons. The mech carried multiple units of them after all. So long as they did not shut down all at once, the RA could tolerate a bit of instability. The same could not be said for its power reactor, which most certainly received a bunch of technological enhancements. "There was talk about installing a superdimensional power reactor into the Sigma Drift." Jovy casually mentioned. "However, it could not be called a true application of superdimensional tech. It merely incorporated small amounts of common superdimensional matter to strengthen the containment and heat tolerance of the most important components. This would have increased the fault tolerance and overload limitations of the reactor, but left its overall output virtually untouched. Master Frederick Roye eventually rejected this upgrade. This will leave room for a major upgrade in the future." Ves picked up an important implication from these words. "Will the Association retain control of the Sigma Drift?" "Naturally." Jovy looked at his friend as if he had asked a particularly dumb question. "Just because we are inviting you to participate in this experiment does not mean we are putting this machine in your care. Master Roye is still in charge of this machine, even if he can only upgrade it by remote. I will personally be taking care of any maintenance and upgrade tasks. I may invite you to help me complete these tasks, but only if I have permission." A part of Ves felt disappointed. He thought that he would gain more control over the Sigma Drift, especially now that it was effectively at his disposal. Jovy's words reminded Ves that the Bluejay Fleet was not in fact under his control. He could only influence it so long as the meckers, fleeters or collies did not object to his decisions. Possession of warships such as the Tarrasque and mechs such as the Sigma Drift still remained in the hands of the Red Association. Ves could not arbitrarily modify their structures or add any random upgrades. Jovy moved on to explaining the remaining functions of the custom mech. "There is nothing particularly special about the sensor systems, communication systems, flight systems and armor systems." He noted. "They are certainly high-end and designed to conform to the standards of an expert mech, but that is all. Part of their more advanced functions are locked so long as Major Jankowski has yet to advance to the rank of expert pilot. So long as the experiment is successful, we can easily remove the locks and grant him access to more advanced and intensive data and control functions." The Sigma Drift was clearly oriented towards offense and unconventional mobility. It excelled in mid-range combat but was no slouch at closer ranges as long as it carried a powerful melee weapon. Its integrated weapon systems did not particularly excel at longer ranges due to their lack of precision, but that was okay. "This is an excellent solution against the native aliens." Ves remarked. "I really feel sorry that it is being deployed against the native aliens. Its Spatial Disassociation Engine is not much use against the mutated voribugs. It is kind of a waste to test it out in this particular war theater." The Survivalist mech designer shrugged. "Destiny is fickle. Not every plan comes true. We can only adapt and adjust. There may be scenarios where the Spatial Disassociation Engine can be of use on this particular battlefield. The mutated voribugs have yet to make serious use of energy shields, but that can change at any day. The Goliath Hive is the most likely to replicate this function due to its attempts to mimic the organic functions of phase lords and phase whales." He may be right. The mutated voribugs evolved at a rapid rate. Ves had already witnessed this in person as he noted that each wave of alien insects became a little harder to defeat. The voribugs were anything but static. From their smallest cannon fodder to their largest Goliaths, every subspecies of this disgusting race continued to evolve. The solutions that worked today might not work so well tomorrow. For example, Ves already noted that the Goliath Hive had been tweaking the flesh composition of its Goliaths to increase their resistance to plasma weapons. While its progress had not been great so far, the trend was concerning. This was not the first time that red humanity fought against an enemy that recognized its own shortcomings and actively worked to improve its combat assets! As Ves worried about whether the mech industry's innovations could keep up with the rapid iterative improvements of the mutated voribugs, Jovy brought Ves into the cockpit of the brand-new machine. Ves curiously looked around. He found the style of the interior to be refreshingly different. "Come closer." Jovy gestured to his friend. "Let me unlock this panel. You can take a good look at the components of the high-tolerance neural interface." The neural interface did not look radically different from the safer versions that the mechers normally employed. While Ves noted that it looked a little larger, that was because the mechers implemented additional safeguards in case they were necessary. Other than that, it did not take too many changes in order to significantly change the piloting experience. "Are the changes to the neural interface predominantly hardware-based or software-based?" Ves inquired. "Definitely software based." Jovy said. "To be honest, the difference between a high-tolerance and low-tolerance neural interface can be as simple as changes to its safety settings. We implemented optional upgrades to the neural interface of the Sigma Drift in order to include additional safety cushions in the event of unforeseen accidents. We do not know whether they can make a difference, but it does not cost us much to implement additional insurance." It did not sound like these upgrades would be of much help. They probably wouldn't be able to prevent harmful accidents from occurring. At most, they could mitigate the damage and prevent Major Jankowski's condition from deteriorating any further. After Ves examined the individual parts of the new neural interface model for a couple of minutes, he gestured for Jovy to put them back. "So how do you want me to add the transcendence glow to this mech?" He asked. "Do you want me to modify its design and attempt to transform it into a living mech, or do you want me to install a totem nearby?" "The latter." Jovy answered. "We would like to retain full control over the design of the Sigma Drift. Letting you upgrade it would complicate our efforts to remain up-to-date on the actual state of the machine. As long as the initial experiment yields a successful result, we intend to continue to treat the Sigma Drift as an experimental platform. Its service in the Bluejay Fleet will ensure that it will see plenty of action under diverse circumstances. This will help us gather more interesting data and contribute to more systematic improvements." Ves nodded in understanding even as he regretted his lack of greater involvement in this project. "Fine. I will allocate a few hours in my workshop in order to whip up a suitable totem. Where will it be placed?" "Over here. There is an alcove to the side that is designed to accommodate your 'totem'. We can also mount it from the ceiling of this cockpit, but that is not as ideal." "Got it. I have already noted down the dimensions. The totem will not be particularly large, but that is okay since the distance is not too great. Lufa should be strong enough to make a substantial difference." Lufa had developed fairly well in the past few years. His normal glow remained very useful in the Age of Dawn due to its ability to suppress weak to moderate E energy fluctuations. Unfortunately, as much as Lufa had grown as of late, his development was still short of catching up to the likes of his more impressive peers. It lacked the extraordinary foundation of the Superior Mother and Gaia. It did not have an easy way of becoming a True God-level entity. Luía could only accumulate more energy over time while figuring out how to complete a more qualitative evolution of its own nature. Ves could provide little help in this regard. He may have brought Luía to life, but Ves did not really possess a deep understanding of energy-based life forms. He was a mech designer, after all. Maybe he might be able to implement more substantial upgrades if Luía was a living mech, but that was not the case. "I do not think that the transcendence glow will yield as much results for high-ranking mech pilots." Ves warned his friend. "It can still make a difference to ace pilot candidates under the right conditions, but the impact will not be as great. The pilot must consciously lower his guard to Lufa's glow, and that is a struggle in itself. In my opinion, it is just icing on the cake." "Understood." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)