The time had come for the Bluejay Fleet to separate from the Premier Fleet. The two fleets had only fought alongside each other for a relatively short amount of time, but it had been a fruitful period. The Battle of Screed Tanner VI-F enabled the guard forces assigned to escort a VIP to confront a powerful native alien force in battle and earn a decisive victory. The mechers, fleeters and collies all gained opportunities to test their skills and any new methods that they might have in a realistic environment. They were all grateful to the Larkinsons for giving them the opportunity to do so under the protection and support of two powerful ace pilots. Fighting under the command of Saint Commander Casella Ingvar was an unforgettable experience to the mech pilots and other personnel. They might not be able to enjoy this luxury in the future, so not everyone was eager to depart from the Premier Fleet. However, Ves needed to pursue his own goals. He needed to travel to Yernstall and subsequently to the Rubarthan Pact no matter what. If the Bluejay Fleet refused to accompany him, then he would set off by himself and a smaller escort force split away from the Premier Fleet. That was unacceptable for a mech designer whose status exceeded that of a typical tier 3 galactic citizen. His departure evoked a lot of mixed reactions from the clansmen. The members of the Premier Fleet were sorry to see him go. While the Saint Commander was one of the greatest contributors of their most recent victory, Ves had long earned a reputation for being able to sniff out lucrative opportunities and deliver miracles on the battlefield. He had become a totemic existence as far as the Larkinsons were concerned. It was not as if his absence suddenly caused the Larkinsons to lose everything that made them strong and capable. They just lacked a central figure whose extreme decisions subjected them to a lot of good luck as well as bad luck. The expeditionary fleet for example had become a lot more stable after Ves departed from it. Ketis may have chosen to stay behind, but her leadership was nowhere near as extreme as that of her former teacher. The Larkinsons under her supervision therefore did not stumble into particularly extreme circumstances for this reason. That was both good and bad. Abnormal scenarios usually tested mech pilots more than most. These were the kind of situations that were most conducive to breakthroughs. However, too much excitement was not necessarily good. The Larkinsons needed time to adapt to new mechs, develop better tactics and train their fundamental skills. The steady defensive battles that the expeditionary fought at Davute and other locations enabled the Larkinsons to polish their combat acumen and gain a lot of experience. War was the ultimate crucible. Any flaws or mistakes could easily lead to death and significant material losses. Many forces that thought themselves ready had already turned into history, yet other forces such as the expeditionary fleet of the Golden Skull Alliance continued to persevere. In any case, once Ves left the Premier Fleet, the Saint Commander would be able to cement her leadership over the first-class Larkinsons without any concerns about split authority. This would do her a lot of good, both as the commander of the Premier Fleet as well as the matriarch of the Larkinson Clan. On the day of departure, most of the mech designers of the Design Department had already transferred to the Tarrasque. The RA heavy cruiser quickly managed to charm the guests with her advanced technologies and facilities. From ultra-modern design suites to state-of-the-art laboratory instruments, the vessel offered much more substantial amenities to mech designers. While the Tarrasque lacked the RF-developed smart AIs and powerful processor clusters, her processor banks were still fairly powerful enough to reluctantly meet their needs. It would be nice to get an upgrade, though. "The Red Association is developing its own version of smart AIs, but we are admittedly behind on this front." Jovy mentioned to Ves shortly after the Larkinsons settled in the flagship of the Bluejay Fleet. "You have to understand that we are not looking to compete with the Red Fleet in this area. Our investment in the field of artificial intelligence is only a fraction compared to what the fleeters have spent in funding, resources and manpower. Rather than try to match this extravagance, we are more than happy to let the fleeters be the first-movers. Anything they develop, our own R&D personnel would be happy to reverse engineer and imitate for just a fraction of the cost." That sounded like a sensible approach. The mechers made the most rational decision by leaving AI development to the group that most relied upon this field to run all of its warships. However, this decision also meant that the mechers would always be late to adopt the latest innovations. Compared to the modern processor clusters with embedded smart AIs that practically turned into the second brain of the Tortuous Scream, the processor banks of the Tarrasque felt much more primitive in comparison. Oh well. Ves would manage. "I think the Cybernetic Empire may have overtaken the RF on this front." Ves threw out a guess. "The Living Machine Tower had over 50 years to figure out how to turn processors alive and make sure newborn smart AIs can continually get better at their jobs. When it comes down to it, creating smart AIs shouldn't be too difficult to anyone who is capable of designing a living mech. The bigger challenge is to restrain the behavior of the smart AIs and make sure they do not go rogue." Joshua sighed. No mecher liked it when they got reminded that they were no longer the most technologically advanced organization in the Red Ocean anymore. The Mech Trade Association had not only managed to retain its technological dominance during the Age of Mechs, but also managed to increase it with every passing year. Controlling vast parts of human space in the Milky Way along with welcoming an increasing number of Star Designers had caused the MTA to produce more results when pushing the forefront of science. Promising new fields of science emerged with every new mech generation while armies of clever mech designers found new ways to exploit the possibilities of existing tech. "The Cybernetic Empire has definitely made a great contribution to red humanity by developing so many new technologies during its Time of Isolation." Jovy diplomatically said. "However, the Polymath is just one Star Designer, and she has never been able to do much with hyper technology and E-technology aside from conducting thought experiments. In my humble opinion, the CE's head start is only temporary. The more time passes by, the more the others will catch up, either because they have exchanged or stolen CE tech, or because they have worked hard to innovate in other fields." He was right, but only if the Red Association stayed cohesive enough. If it broke apart, then many of the Star Designers would probably be reduced to working alone or in small groups. That was bound to affect their productivity and their ability to develop complex multi-disciplinary innovations. The pair of mech designers speculated a bit more about how long it would take for the Red Association to regain its technological lead. They also discussed a few other matters such as the usage rights of the Tarrasque's workshops and their itinerary once they arrived at Yernstall. Once Jovy left in order to take care of other matters, Ves sought out Venerable Rosa Orfan in order to make sure she settled in nicely. She looked rather forlorn when he visited her new guest stateroom. "How are you doing, Rosa?" "I am alright." She said, though she clearly did not look okay. "I am just being impatient. Every day that passes by without entering the cockpit of my Riot feels like a waste. I am not able to do my daily training or challenge myself in battle. Others such as Tusa, Stark and Dise are improving by leaps and bounds with their flashy ace mechs, yet my machine is still in junk condition. I feel I am being left behind by everyone." High-ranking mech pilots were known to be unflappable. Their extraordinary willpower enabled them to withstand extreme hardships and help them do the impossible. Expert pilots, ace pilots and god pilots had a reputation of never giving up and never compromising on anything. However, Ves had spent enough time among them to know better. These human champions indeed deserved their reputations for the most part, but they were still human in many ways. That meant that they could still experience fear, doubt, hesitation and other negative moods. This was not a weakness per se. Ves merely considered these low points to be an indispensable part of an expert pilot or ace pilot's growth journey. "The Riot Mark III Project may be delayed by another month depending on how much work Gloriana needs to undertake in order to merge superdimensional technology with archetech." Ves admitted to the frustrated expert pilot. "Such things take time. More extensive changes will force us to redesign large parts of the mech frame in order to account for the new properties and variables. There is no other choice. We can either do this properly or do a rush job, but my wife will never tolerate the latter." Venerable Orfan grimaced further when she heard that it may take two months for her to be able to pilot her new machine. Ves last told her that it would take less than a month. Such a massive change to the timeline made her grow angry. It took all of her willpower to bottle up her mounting frustration and stop herself from making a scene. She knew quite well that having a temper tantrum would change nothing. "Look on the bright side, Rosa. The Dark Zephyr Mark III, the Amaranto Mark III and the Minerva Mark III are all good in their own ways, but they are already outdated by our current standards. Your Riot Mark III will not suffer from this problem. So long as everything goes right, your new machine will be a genuine full superdimensional archemech. Not only that, he will also gain other powerful advantages, though it will be a little difficult to predict the final outcome. Another way to look at it is to consider the previous mechs as prototypes that lead up to your Riot Mark III. It is only with this machine that my wife and I will be able to combine the stuff that we have been working on in a single mech frame." As long as they managed to pull off their plans, the Riot Mark III may very well be the first high-ranking mech that could start a new generation of expert mechs and ace mechs of the Larkinson Clan. Rosa reluctantly nodded. "I know that I have a lot to look forward to, but there comes a point where I would rather settle for less than accept another delay. The Red War is still taking place and the voribugs need to be taught a lesson as well. I am not doing anything useful before I get my mech back." "If you are getting bored, then try to improve yourself in other ways." Ves suggested. "There are many mecher soldiers aboard this ship and the other ships of the Bluejay Fleet. You can spar with them or learn from them. You can access any library and read a few books on tactics or weapon handling. You can even contact the Terrans and ask for guidance on how to wield a Destroyer weapon. The more you prepare, the better the results once you have finally delivered your new and improved Riot." The expert pilot nodded. "I suppose I cannot wallow in my misery. I will try and do that, Ves. These mechers have already invited me to take part in their non-mech training sessions."