Gloriana did not make the decision to develop a minor specialization in plasma weapon technology on a whim. Not only was she trying to take advantage of an enlightenment fruit that could kickstart her entry in this field, she also intended to take advantage of the local environment to boost her studies further. The Rubarthan Pact invested a lot in plasma weapon technology in order to compensate for the absence of Terran Destroyer technology. The rise of the Plasma Shaper was one of the greatest successes from this national effort. Through her works, the Rubarthans gained access to more refined and advanced plasma weapon technologies that were not as easy to replicate. “What aspect about plasma weapon technologies are you interested in particular?" Ves asked his wife. "There are many variations that all possess their own strengths and weaknesses." “I have yet to make a decision on that." His wife replied. “I am still a newcomer in this field. There will be plenty of time for me to choose whether to pursue an existing design application or develop my own in cooperation with you or other Larkinsons. The only decision that I am certain of is that I want to become proficient in developing up-scaled plasma weapons. I can already foresee a demand for them in the future. Not only will I be able to design a suitable giant-scaled weapon for your other self, I also want to design warship-grade plasma weapons for the warships that Aurelia will command in the future.” Ves raised his eyebrows. His wife certainly harbored big ambitions. “You don't necessarily have to design the weapon systems for warships. The Red Fleet and other major groups have plenty of engineers that can take care of that. The Larkinson Clan can also gain this capability by investing more into its shipbuilding facilities and R&D institutions. As a tier 2 galactic citizen, it is much easier for me to gain access to the right tech and hire the right personnel.” Gloriana sighed. "I know that, but I want to reserve the best for our daughter. Even if we are mech designers, we will have to expand our horizons and design other products sooner or later. You have already started to do this early, and it is time for me to think about engaging in similar activities." “That only truly becomes important once you become a Star Designer." Ves flatly responded. "You don't need to take this too seriously for now. Well, it is your business. I have no right to tell you what you should spend your time on. In my opinion, you can do a lot more with plasma weapons if you focus on mech-grade weapons. Do not forget that we are mech designers first. Designing arms for Ascended Giants and warships comes second.” "Do not worry. I will not neglect our mechs. Many of our future first-class multipurpose mechs will probably be armed with plasma weapons due to their wide applicability. With my new minor specialization, we do not have to depend on external experts to develop good plasma weapons for them. Even if we collaborate with outsiders, my expertise will help with speeding up our progress and ensuring that the third parties have not intentionally left behind any backdoors or vulnerabilities.” This was a serious risk that weighed increasingly more on their minds. In the past few years, they had drastically expanded their collaboration projects with third parties. Collaborating with the mechers, Terrans and so on was pretty nice as they brought an abundance of high technology and competent experts to the table. However, it also caused the Miracle Couple to understand their works less due to the prevalence of complicated tech that fell outside of their area of expertise. This was not a particularly bad development. The practice of collaborating with renowned specialists became increasingly more prevalent at the higher levels of the mech industry. The problem was that it would be hard to find substitutes if their original partners no longer decided to cooperate. If they became too dependent on third parties to supply their mech designs with advanced tech, the Larkinson Clan would get in big trouble if its partners suddenly ended their support. This was why the clan never ceased to invest in its own capabilities. It may be young and far behind compared to the major players, but that might change one day. Unfortunately, all of this took a long time to accumulate. Ves roughly estimated that the Larkinson Clan would not be able to get close to matching the technological prowess of a first-class sun nation until his children all graduated from their schools and were ready to begin their professional careers. Before that happened, Ves needed to make sure he played nice with all of the major players. “I miss her." Gloriana sighed. it did not take much guessing who she was referring to. Ves moved closer and embraced her shoulder. "It's okay. I miss her as well, honey. We can't hug her anymore now that she is gone.” "Do you think that she will be happy once she starts her classes at the Erwin Kiobucar Naval Academy? This will be the first time she spends time away from her parents and any other Larkinsons. She will be all alone. Will she be okay?" "She will" Ves confidently replied. "You know what she is capable of. Her genes and supernatural qualifications put her ahead of all other children. She was the top-ranked student of her class back at the Joan Devos Elementary School. I have no doubt that she can triumph over those spaceborn cadets. As for any potential mistreatment, the fleeters would be stupid to bully her just because she is an outsider. She might not be as combative as her younger sister, but she is anything but harmless. Her safety is also high. Aside from the protection promised by the fleeters, she carries some of the best protective gear that a little girl can ask for. With Marigold by her side and the Radiant Medallion on her neck, anyone who thinks about targeting her in order to get to me will learn a painful lesson." His eldest daughter's enrollment at the naval academy was not a matter that both sides took lightly. The identity of a child of a rapidly rising tier 2 galactic citizen forced the Red Fleet to take this matter seriously. The security risks alone forced the fleeters to upgrade the defenses of Erwin Klobucar and the rest of the planet in advance. All of this ate into the RF's dwindling budget, but it was a necessary expense in order to maintain good relations with the Larkinsons. "Sending one child away is enough.” Gloriana said. "Let us keep Andraste and Marvaine by our side or at least within our clan. We do not have to send them to a distant academy. Andraste can learn how to fight from the Larkinsons just fine, and Marvaine can learn from us directly." "No." Ves shook his head. "I don't think that is a good idea, honey. Our children can't hide behind our legs for the rest of their lives. They need to develop a more assertive and independent mindset. They won't be able to do that if they stay too close to us. As a graduate of a top Hexer university, you should understand the benefits of systematic education. I think our children can become much more rounded individuals if they spend time in a social structure that is different from ours.” “But. "Do you want them to remain your babies, or do you want to see them grow up and make a name for themselves?" He pressed. Gloriana knew that in order to be a good mother, she had to raise her children to get ready to tackle the challenges of the future. However, there was still a part of her that wanted her children to remain small and cute. It was very hard for her to let go of this fantasy and acknowledge that their children eventually had to move away from their parents in order to truly flap their wings and fly. “It would be easier for us to spend more years with them if we settled down on a large and prosperous planet.” Ves admitted. "However, that is not the life I have chosen for myself. As a tier 2 galactic citizen, I have an obligation to serve red humanity, and I can do that far better if I travel around. Besides, the Dark Apostle will grow restless and upset if I stay away from enemies. Peace is not my thing." She knew that very well. “Let us get back to more relevant work, Ves. We need to look for compatible ace mech- grade resonating materials for the Promethea Mark Il. Which criteria should we prioritize the most this time? The previous resonating material we used for the Mark I is ARB-34, which enabled Isobel to imbue her energy attacks with flaming properties. This is clearly a redundant feature to Saint Isobel. Even if we substitute ARB-34 with an equivalent resonating material suited for ace mechs, I do not believe that Isobel will gain much benefits.” “I agree.” Ves nodded. "Now that I understand more and more about how stuff works, I am increasingly more convinced that resonating materials are a crutch. They can enable high-ranking mech pilots to do stuff that they are normally incapable of. A good expert pilot or ace pilot will not be happy with this, and try their best to replicate the methods that can produce an extraordinary result without trying to resonate with the special materials. Saint Isobel Kotin has clearly succeeded in this, so we need to give her a new resonating ability to learn and master." Gloriana already had a few suggestions in mind. “What do you think about choosing ChargeMate? If Saint Isobel is compatible with it, then it is a good choice to extend the staying power of the Promethea Mark Il. We are already familiar with it since we last implemented it in the Amaranto Mark IL." "No." Ves immediately shook his head. "I do not think that they are a good fit. The Promethea Mark Il will make use of more advanced tech and energy sources. The availability of energy link technology also makes it easier to top up the Promethea Mark II's energy reserves during a lengthy engagement. While there may be situations where the ability to generate electrical power from true resonance can be handy, it doesn't actually increase the ace mech's firepower. I think that a solution that can increase the potency of her flames may be more useful." They sought out a few alternatives, but it was hard to know whether they were valid choices without testing their compatibility with Saint Isobel Koti. “We need to bring our ace pilot to an industrialized sun system and have her test her compatibility with a large collection of samples.” Gloriana said. "We can make a shortlist of favorites, but there is a chance that the results of the compatibility test will render most of them invalid." Ves nodded in agreement. "We can do that as soon as we are done in the Philaster Crestia System. We should at least make sure to conduct the test sometime after we have implanted Artificial Fire Heart inside her body. I have a suspicion that her compatibility scores will change after the conclusion of this life-changing transformation.” “Shouldn't we conduct this test twice, then? I imagine that the Red Association harbors a strong interest in making a direct before-and-after comparison.” "Maybe, but then we will have to send Saint Isobel away by herself. The Bluejay Fleet cannot afford to depart from this sun system at the moment. If the mechers want to conduct studies on this, then they can do it themselves." Ves did not believe that Saint Isobel Kotin was the only ace pilot who ended up in this state. The RA or its predecessor organization should have conducted similar studies already. (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)