Chapter 7292: The Sigma Drift

After Jovy Armalon exposed the intention to test the Pilot Breakthrough Elixir in the upcoming decisive battle, he brought Ves down to the mech workshop where a brand-new mech had been placed.

Ves had seen his fair share of RA mechs. They came in numerous different shapes and sizes, but often conformed to a set of common standards per product and quality tier.

The mech that Jovy's supply fleet had delivered to the Bluejay Fleet was clearly a cut above a regular RA first- class multipurpose mech.

The mech technicians surrounding the advanced machine behaved as if they received a great privilege. Their fanatical expressions and their slow but deliberate actions made it seem as if they were paying tribute to an excellent creation.

They had good reasons to behave in this manner.

"A masterwork." Ves uttered.

He was no stranger to masterwork mechs, but he did not have that much exposure to high-quality works of other mech designers.

Every creator possessed his or her own style. Whoever designed and fabricated the RA mech before him clearly possessed a certain flair.

The mech possessed a predominantly yellow coloring and maintained a relatively sleek but elegant appearance.

The limbs looked a little disturbing. The machine surprisingly possessed four legs.

Ves wondered why there was a need for them when a single pair of legs could do the job.

Ves hesitated to call it a true quadruped mech. Its lower limbs were shaped like flexible segmented tentacles. None of them appeared to be particularly thick. Its movement on a surface may cause people to develop odd ideas.

What was important to note was that the legs did not appear to be designed for locomotion alone. Ves could spot energy weapon hardpoints near their ends. This should enable the mech to flexibly launch energy attacks in every direction.

The arms possessed their own quirks. They were longer and thicker. They could probably exert a lot more force. They looked ideal for wielding melee weapons, but they could also be used to carry a big cannon.

The only problem was that the limbs did not appear to be designed according to human dimensions.

The unconventional limb structure and proportions imposed an unnecessary burden on the mech pilot. No average individual would be able to pilot this monstrosity. Even first-class mech pilots who possessed excellent genetic aptitudes and had undergone rigorous training and augmentations would struggle to harness the power of this custom mech.

Yes, Ves recognized that this masterwork mech had clearly been designed to cater to a single specific mech pilot.

Even if he was only able to peek at its exterior, Ves had worked alongside Gloriana long enough to detect hundreds of small design choices that usually spoke to designing a mech for an individual rather than a broad audience. The differences were extremely obvious to a mech designer who could distinguish these details.

Ves continued his visual inspection. The convex and almost triangular-shaped torso also possessed its own inhuman quirks. It was clearly designed to support the unusual limb structure and likely possessed multiple smaller mech engines as opposed to a single big one. It was also designed to accommodate the 3 energy weapon hardpoints in its chest.

He was not able to recognize the specific energy weapon type, but he could clearly see that they were likely particle weapons rather than directed energy weapons. They did not appear to be plasma weapons, but rather a more exotic weapon system.

The head topped off the inhuman machine. It did not look remotely human. Not only did it possess a strange pyramid shape, a large eye-like sensor system covered each of its sides!

Furthermore, the top of the head also sprouted 9 proportionately thick tentacles, making it seem as if the pyramid- head possessed a ponytail-like hairstyle.

Even when the yellow mech remained dormant, the tentacles still showed signs of activity. They not only refused to bend to the Tarrasque's artificial gravity, they also swayed as if they were performing a mesmerising dance!

All in all, the mech already made an unforgettable first impression on Ves. The entire masterwork mech conveyed an impression that was inhuman from the ground up. It was as if the mech designer not only deviated from the humanoid template, but felt proud about this design choice!

"What... what is this mech?" Ves finally asked.

Jovy's expression turned slightly proud as he responded.

"This is the Sigma Drift. It is designed by Master Frederick Timpassa Roye, a disciple of the Xenotechnician. The Sigma Drift is designed by combining exotic alien tech with cutting-edge human tech, most notably superdimensional technology."

What?!

"The RA designed a standard mech that incorporates superdimensional technology?!"

That sounded too extravagant!

"It is worth it." Jovy coyly said. "First, you should understand that the Sigma Drift does not contain any high-grade superdimensional alloy. It only contains small and controlled amounts of common superdimensional matter, and most of them are concentrated in the weapon systems in order to produce highly specialized effects. Second, the Sigma Drift is designed for Major Simon Jankowski."

Ves widened his eyes in realization. "The expert candidate? If it is him... then he may barely be able to master the difficult art of piloting this machine in a short amount of time."

The selection of Major Jankowski as the client of this custom mech made a lot of sense. He was an expert candidate who broke through during the early phase of the Age of Dawn.

In the time that had passed, Major Jankowski continued to polish his skills and accrue more combat experience whenever possible.

While he and his first-class multipurpose mech did not stand out too much, his performance had remained absolutely solid.

The only shortcoming was that he had yet to trigger his apotheosis. As far as expert candidates went, it was not unusual for them to wait years or even decades to make the next step.

Of course, expert candidates who took more than a decade to make any substantial progress most likely suffered from fundamental issues.

Major Jankowski still had a number of years to go before people would begin to question his competence.

"Are you sure you want to subject Major Jankowski to an experiment?" Ves hesitantly asked. "He does not fall into the optimal range of candidates. He is not young anymore, and he is also a mech officer."

"Rest assured that Master Roye has already taken these conditions into account. It is exactly because the success rate is not too high that this experiment will have meaning. What we are looking for is whether your transcendence glow can make a difference. It is much better to observe its effects in a slightly more flawed scenario."

As the pair of mech designers moved closer, they gained a better appreciation of the Sigma Drift.

The machine was made out of unknown alloys and materials. Ves did not recognize any of them, but he could tell that there was no trace of superdimensional alloy on the surface.

Even the RA was not mad enough to clad a standard mech with superdimensional armor.

"Why the design?" Ves eventually asked. "What is the point of all of these... tentacles?"

"That is because the mech is designed around its Experimental Spatial Disassociation Engine."

"Spatial... Disassociation Engine?"

Jovy nodded with a smile. "This is cutting-edge superdimensional technology that is still very much in development. Despite how little time is spent since we became introduced to the concept, our specialists have made remarkable progress with the help of our Star Designers. The experimental version incorporated in the current iteration of the Sigma Drift is not too powerful, but should be stable enough to cooperate in reality."

That quickly? Ves never expected the RA to develop a working example of superdimensional technology that was more advanced than formulating simple alloys. The mechers even stuffed it in a standard mech, meaning that it was not extravagant enough that it could only be integrated in high-ranking mechs!

"What does it do? The name sounds like it allows the mech to mess with the fabric of space."

"You are correct, Ves. The Spatial Disassociation Engine indeed interacts with space. I cannot explain the working principles of this experimental tech with you, but I think you are at least somewhat familiar with its effects. One of your previous works has already been able to perform this feat, though the methods are different."

"Huh?"

In order to clarify his answer, Jovy activated a projection that showed a few clips of the Dark Zephyr.

The masterwork ace light skirmisher was a sight to behold. The sleek, swift and agile ace light skirmisher danced across the battlefield, evading lots of damaging attacks with unnatural ease.

Yet what was impressive about the Dark Zephyr Mark III was not his evasive capabilities, but his ability to bypass enemy spatial barriers and azure energy shields!

This was one of the signature abilities of Saint Tusa. He was able to rely on his affinities and willpower to bend reality and transform an impassable corridor into a clear road!

Ves widened his eyes as he connected the dots together. "Wait. Can the Spatial Disassociation Engine... replicate Saint Tusa's ability?"

"It depends on how you define replication." Jovy answered. "The differences do not matter. The working principles may be different, but the effects are roughly the same. The Sigma Drift is named like this for two reasons. The Drift part refers to how the mech is figuratively able to 'drift' across the higher dimensions, if only briefly. The effect is

undeniable"

Ves did not know what to think. He had always considered Saint Tusa's ability to bypass any obstacle to be his exclusive strength.

Perhaps there were other high-ranking mech pilots in the old galaxy that could perform a similar feat. There were too many of them over there. At least Tusa remained the only person to be able to treat the spatial barriers of enemy phase leaders as if they were made of paper.

To learn that the Dark Zephyr Mark III would no longer be able to maintain exclusivity over this ability, but that it could also be replicated with a piece of technology made Ves sick!

There had to be a flaw!

"What are the downsides of using this tech? It is experimental, right? That means it has to have a number of

problems."

Jovy did not deny this guess. "The Spatial Disassociation Engine is expensive. This cannot be denied. Aside from the use of small amounts of mid-grade superdimensional matter, the experimental engine also demands the use of superior exotics and hypers in order to fulfill its primary purpose and prevent it from blowing up. Furthermore, its energy requirements are extremely high. The Sigma Drift has a strong power reactor and ample energy reserves for this reason. Even then, the SDE should not be abused. It is best if the mech only activates it a handful of times. Every subsequent activation after the first one will cause the device to degrade further. There is a risk that it will explode if activated too many times during a single engagement."

That meant that the SDE could not only be activated a handful of times, but also require serious maintenance after

the battle!

Ves relaxed for a bit. Though the Spatial Disassociation Engine still threatened to put Saint Tusa out of a job, its efficiency was still low. The flaws meant that it was still too far from maturity.

Of course, the need for mid-grade superdimensional alloy also guaranteed that it was unlikely to be installed in too many low-ranking mechs.

"Can high-ranking mech pilots limit the degradation?"

"Yes." Jovy said. "An expert pilot or ace pilot can empower the SDE with true resonance. This can significantly

reduce the wear and tear of the device. This can also allow the mech to keep it active for longer periods of time, though there is not much reason to do so. It is still best to keep its activation time as short as possible." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)

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