The Davute University of Technology and ZUTA University were both based in the Academic District of Kotor City. Despite their geographic proximity, they were pretty different in everything else. The DUT was a state-backed school that mainly hired the best mech designers with promises of huge research grants and the right to work on classified research projects. Another strong reason for mech designers to work for the DUT was to participate in the design and upgrade processes of the high-ranking mechs of the Federal Military. All of the expert pilots and ace pilots in the service of Davute needed to be assured that their mechs always kept up with the latest advancements in technology. Failing to do so would cause them to lose more battles against their Karlach counterparts than necessary! This was why the mech designers working for the DUT were so respected. They had been thoroughly vetted by the state and possessessed all sorts of useful expertise that could help in the design of military mechs and high-ranking mechs. The students who enrolled in the DUT also found it easier to receive job offers from a state institution or a high-tech development company that was engaged in sensitive research. In contrast to the Davute University of Technology, ZUTA University possessed a completely different focus. The latter was a private for-profit technical university that mainly catered to the needs of the commercial market. Although its prestige and funding was not as extravagant as the DUT, it made up for it by hiring more free-spirited professors and allowing students to gain preferential treatment by paying lots of additional money. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶 For example, a rather average mech design student who failed to pass the entry requirements of the DUT could easily get into ZUTA University and even receive light tutoring from one of its Masters by paying thousands of MTA credits! Not a lot of students could pay this kind of money, though. Many families could afford to enroll their descendents into better and more exclusive universities. Nonetheless, ZUTA University managed to stand out as a gathering of free spirited researchers as it collected a large variety of random and sometimes unconventional researchers. It generally did not impose too many demands on its professors, but the downside was that it could not offer too many government contracts and connections. However, ZUTA University managed to develop a lot of useful contacts in the private sector. Several of its most prominent Master Mech Designers even brought over their connections with large trans-galactic enterprises! Master Decimus Horst was one of them. In fact, he possessed a connection that was incredibly valuable but also deeply concerning. As Madame Reina Kernsk called up the intelligence reports that summarized the thorough background checks and investigations conducted by several Davutan spy agencies, her expression worsened. "Master Horst is hardly the ideal selection that we have in mind for a collaboration with Patriarch Ves Larkinson." The woman steadily said. "It is still a mystery why he has decided to come to Davute and take up a teaching position at ZUTA. He does not have any existing friends or contacts in our state, and what contacts he has made since he has arrived are not too intimate as far as we are aware of. He has no mech company under his name and has refused to establish one within our colonial state. He has not signed any extensive binding contracts with his current employer or our state, so he can easily abandon his current duties and leave this star system in an instant." The description of a fellow Master did not faze Hergard Elroy. He already had a good idea of what his fellow Master from another institution was like. "Master Horst may be a more transient visitor to Davute, but this can always change in the future. It may be that he has yet to receive the right offer from your side. Regardless of whether he intends to commit to our colonial state or not, you can at least be certain that he will not disgrace the identity of a Master Mech Designer. If he makes a promise, then he will abide by it. A Master without principles does not exist." "There are ways to get around promises. I do not believe that intelligent individuals such as yourself are unable to create loopholes." "There is no need to resort to such measures if there is no coercion or undesirable elements at play. You do not understand Masters such as ourselves as well as you think. I am willing to offer my guarantee that Master Decimus Horst will abide by a contract if you agree to let him collaborate with Patriarch Larkinson on a mech design commission." That was a heavy promise! The chief of staff might not have faith in the integrity of a transient Master working for ZUTA University, but she put a lot more stock in the words of a cooperating Master from the DUT! There was one more complication that held Reina Kernsk back, however. "Our investigation in Master Horst's background has revealed that he possesses unknown but non-trivial ties to the New Rubarth Empire. At the very least, he has past business dealings with one of its trans-galactic corporations." She explained. "The man is a second-class mech designer for the most part, but he differs from most of his peers in the same star system for mastering a greater amount of high technology than usual. He has also gained an understanding of phasewater technology remarkably quickly. All of these data points paint a concerning picture. Do you understand?" "Are you suggesting that he is a disguised Rubarthan Master Mech Designer, madame? I can assure you that he is not. His design philosophy is too narrow and his design style lacks the extravagance and excessive features that are more characteristic of first-class mech design." "This is not enough to rule out the possibility that he may be a plant or at the very least an exile from the New Rubarth Empire." Reina Kernsk said. "Do not forget that Davute falls within the umbrella of the Red Ocean Union. It is not preferable for us to maintain too many active ties with a first-rate superstate. We cannot afford to get embroiled in political conflicts at this level." Master Elroy deeply understood the need to maintain enough distance from the Terrans and Rubarthans. People who thought they could form connections with either of those two groups and uplift themselves to this level would often get in for a rude awakening. It was much more likely for these associations to turn gullible individuals into expendable assets. These unwitting cannon fodder would then be used to fight in all manner of shadow conflicts. If they managed to survive this gauntlet, then their Terran or Rubarthan patrons might like what they saw and extend the highest citizenship to an absolute talent. However, the more likely outcome was that they would eventually get chewed up and torn apart in the process of completing risky assignments! This was not a good way to become a first-rater as far as Master Hergard Elroy was concerned. He and many other intelligent Master Mech Designers understood that they needed to complete at least one grand research project and attain massive progress in order to appeal to the most powerful states in human space! In addition to that, second-class Master Mech Designers also had to develop design philosophies and applications that could substantially contribute to the strengthening of first-class multipurpose mechs. Master Elroy personally hated this classification, but the first-raters were exceedingly snobby about judging different design philosophies by their grades. Any mech designer with a rather boring design philosophy such as ablative armor or secure communications had no hope of getting accepted in the closed circle of first-class mech designers! This was why Master Elroy was convinced that Master Horst was not a Rubarthan in hiding. The latter's specialization was too mundane and low-grade to fit in with the snobby and elitist first-raters. Reina Kernsk and Master Elroy continued to discuss Master Horst's possible background, but in the end the former just had to believe in the assurances of the latter. "Our intelligence services are already strained with the need to spy on Karlach and engage in counterintelligence." She said. "We did not allocate as much resources into investigating his story as we could. That changes now that he has become the primary candidate to collaborate with Patriarch Larkinson first." "Despite what I have said, his background may not be entirely clean." Master Elroy cautioned. "The Red Ocean attracts a greater proportion of problematic individuals than usual for obvious reasons. Your colonial state has explicitly marketed itself as a refuge where people of all kinds can gather and start anew without prejudice and persecution. Do not be surprised when this immigration strategy delivers the sort of people that are attracted to your message." "We are not blind to this phenomenon. Let us pivot this conversation to another topic. How do you think Patriarch Ves Larkinson will fulfill his first mech design commission for us if he is able to gain the cooperation of Master Decimus Horst?" "That is an interesting question." Hergard Elroy answered with a bemused expression. Let me think for several minutes. The two mech designers in question diverged greatly in age, rank, experiences, completed mech designs and more. They possessed different design philosophies and developed distinctly different design styles. Although the overlap between Patriarch Larkinson and Master Horst was not that great, they could still develop interesting heavy artillery mechs that could outperform other mechs of the same archetype. "Are you familiar with the selling points of Master Horst's works?" Reina Kernsk nodded. "Our Federal Military employs several lines of heavy artillery mechs that bear his signature. His landbound heavy artillery mechs are well-regarded for the range and precision of their indirect cannons. We expect them to play a major role in sieging enemy strongholds and preventing enemy forces from doing the same." Master Horst's tended to adopt a utilitarian approach towards designing heavy artillery mechs. The mech designs might not pack the greatest punch, but they tended to be more efficient and more affordable. Their precision and higher muzzle velocities allows the heavy artillery mechs to do their jobs without wasting as much ammunition. This enabled them to shell more targets and get more work done per deployment. Their downside was that they usually weren't as deadly at closer ranges. They only truly excelled when angling their guns upwards and firing their projectiles at distant targets at a high arc. "One of the advantages of Master Horst's heavy artillery mechs is that they are capable of striking targets a hundred kilometers away or further." Master Elroy explained. "It is exceptionally difficult to deal effective damage to mechs at such distances. Moving targets will not remain in the same place to make it easy for them to get targeted. This is especially the case when they have received advance warning of incoming artillery strikes which is often the case. Furthermore, heavy jamming and other forms of interference prevent the effective use of guidance methods. It may not even be possible to confirm whether any of the shells or kinetic projectiles have struck the intended targets." Reina Kernsk already knew where this was going. "Patriarch Ves Larkinson has designed special ranged mechs in the past that enabled their pilots to gain an unerring sense of accuracy. Their effective hit rates have always reached far outside the bounds of normality when put into action. Are you thinking about combining the traits of the Larkinson Clan's famous Transcendent Punisher model with one of Master Horst's long-ranged heavy artillery mechs?" "That is correct, madame. I do not presume that this is the only viable option for the two mech designers. It may be the case that Patriarch Ves may have developed a better or more appropriate design solution as of late. Barring any of these exceptions, I do believe that designing an unusually accurate heavy artillery mech can become a substantial boon in any ground campaign." That attracted the president's confidante a lot.