The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1653

Chapter 1653 Lasponge Module

"You're in doubt." Gloriana cleverly observed as they nearly completed the first iteration of the Adonis Colossus. "Do you have second thought on the defensive augments we've chosen?"

Ves wrapped his arm around Gloriana's taut waist and took in her presence. There was just something about her scent that made her even more alluring.

He never got tired of how she smelled. Every so often, she switched up her perfumes, giving his nose yet another delight that he inevitably associated with his girlfriend.

He had a sense that Gloriana was training him to adore her by keying him with her distinctive perfumes!

Was this one of the devious, underhanded ways that Hexer women kept their boys in line?

If so, Ves understood how effective the women had been in staying in charge!

"Hello?" Gloriana snapped her fingers in front of his eyes. "I'm speaking here!"

He quickly recovered. "Ah, sorry. I was just caught up in how lucky I am to be with you."

Gloriana's face bloomed with warmth. She partially melted in his embrace. "Aww. I love you too, Ves, but this isn't the time to get all lovey-dovey with each other. We're almost done with the initial version of the Adonis Colossus and I don't want anything marring our first proper custom mech!"

"Isn't the Resentful Soldier our first custom mech?"

She scowled. "That's not a proper custom mech! From my perspective, it's merely a variant that is heavily customized to accommodate a specific mech pilot. We were working against the constraints and design choices meant to serve the general public."

"And it's different this time?"

"Yup. Our Adonis Colossus is completely designed for Vincent Ricklin from the ground up. Its mech concept, its vision, the selection of component designs and the design choices we've made along the way are all geared towards designing the perfect vessel for Vincent or close to it. The fact that two Journeymen and a small design team spent over a month on this project is a considerable investment that is very extravagant service for any mech pilot! I normally charge several billion hex credits to design a custom mech from the ground up, you know!"

Ves widened his eyes!

Whereas most mech designers struggled to earn a few scraps, Gloriana could easily bag herself the equivalent of the price of a modern second-class corvette like the Barracuda!

Of course, Gloriana was a Journeyman with a reputation for designing custom mechs. Not every mech designer from the Hegemony received the same offers.

She earned a lot, and for good reason. Ves knew better than almost anyone how much her mother and her dynasty invested in her upbringing. If she wasn't competent in designing custom mechs, she would have never been able to run a business regardless of her background.

"Mechs designed this way can't be adapted into a commercial mech because they are too narrow in focus by their nature." She continued. ??In mech design, if you want something done right, you have to do so right at the start."

He agreed. "Variants are most appropriate to design when you need to fulfill a similar but slightly different role."

"Anyway, back to the topic, do you have any questions about the Lasponge module?"

"Hmm.. not that much. I admit that it's an appropriate augment considering the likely battles our Adonis Colossus is about to face."

"It's just right for a man who loves himself more than anyone else." Gloriana affirmed.

Out of every possible defensive augment they could have picked, they went with something that offered temporary but supreme defense against lasers.

The so-called Lasponge module was a defensive system integrated in the frame of the mech. Ordinarily, it remained dormant, but when the mech received critical damage or upon the command of the mech pilot, the module activated, causing a lot of foam or liquid to pour out of special cavities in the frame.

This foam or liquid substance would quickly harden in seconds, forming a large shield-like obstacle that the mech could hide behind. _{ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com}

As its name suggested, the Lasponge shield absorbed laser beams and many other types of energy weapons like a sponge. It was extremely effective in shielding the mech behind it from a considerable amount of damage!

This sounded very great, but there was a reason why this wasn't a common defensive augment among mechs.

First, the Lasponge system spent money like running water. Every Lasponge substance had to be good enough to mitigate a substantial amount of laser fire, and that could not be obtained on the cheap.

For the Lasponge system that Ves and Gloriana selected for the Adonis Colossus, it cost as much as a single budget mech to replenish enough Lasponge substance to sustain a single activation!

Second, Lasponge was not as effective as genuine armor in withstanding enemy fire. It was formed out of foam or liquid that hardened in seconds, and this made it inherently more unstable.

Third, it took quite a lot of room to store the module and the containers necessary to store all of the Lasponge. The Adonis Colossus didn't have any room left once Ves and Gloriana integrated the system into the beefy mech.

While all of these disadvantages sounded bad, Ves thought it was worth it due to the importance of preserving Vincent's life.

It was an addition tailor-made for Vincent's inclinations and his importance to the Bright Republic. So what if using Lasponge was expensive? Vincent's life was much more valuable in comparison as long as he did what the government wanted!

Ves expressed his doubts. "From a technical standpoint, our mech design is functionally and mechanically sound. I doubt any mech designer would begrudge our design choices too much, at least if stylistic concerns are taken out of the picture. I'm quite proud of what we managed to accomplish. Mostly."