[401-600] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 421: Like Pirates

After a number of transfers, Ves entered an old-model transport ship. While large number of bots filled up the ship's cargo hold with containers of supplies, Ves and two other mech designers entered a nearly-empty passenger compartment.

The compartment offered enough space for thirty passengers, though space was at a premium and the amenities left much to be desired. The yellowing white-paneled corridors and the faded and worn furniture made it clear that the vessel wasn't well-maintained.

"This is where you mech designers will stay for the time being." A crewman assigned to guide them said as he chewed some sort of stimulant that would have seen him cashiered aboard a properly-run ship. "Once you enter, the main hatch here will lock, so you won't wander off and disturb the rest of the crew."

"We have to stay here for the entire duration of the trip!?" The only female mech designer among them spoke out. "There's barely anything inside!"

"You can always stay within your bunks and go back to sleep. There's a cabinet of nutrient packs along with a food recombinator, so you won't starve. If you want some distraction, we left you some data chips that contains some of the games we play in our off time."

Ordinarily, Ves could at least browse the galactic net if he wanted a distraction. However, ever since he received his military-issued comm, he started to get around the fact that the Mech Corps would never let someone like him with a sliver of access to the rest of the galaxy. The local networks plainly refused to let his comm access the galactic net.

The spacer quickly went through some obligatory safety instructions before letting the mech designers stew inside their empty but cramped abodes.

A couple of seconds passed by as the three looked at each other awkwardly.

"Let's claim our bunks before the others arrive."

"Good idea." The young woman nodded.

They each split up and entered some of the available cabins to claim their preferred sleeping spots. Ves stayed within the cabin and started to rearrange his thoughts. Ever since he learned he would be joining the design team of the 6th Flagrant Vandals, he dredged up every piece of knowledge that pertained to spaceborn mechs.

While spaceborn mechs didn't look very different from aerial mechs, they actually operated under very different circumstances. An aerial mech could operate in space in a pinch, but would only be able to express eighty-or-so percent of their strength.

Spaceborn mechs on he other fared much worse in atmospheric conditions. Some didn't even carry a strong-enough flight system to let their mechs remain aloft under standard gravity conditions.

Compared to landbound mechs, spaceborn mechs predominantly carried a notch less mass around. This was because it took a lot of energy to move these mechs around in space. The heavier the mech, the more energy it took to get it to move and make it come to a halt once it reached its destination.

Therefore, spaceborn mechs consisted of a much higher proportion of light mechs, though plenty of medium mechs existed as well. Besides the space knight mechs, every other medium spaceborn mech tended to mass at the lighter end of the medium weight class.

The decreased mass allowed these mechs to accelerate and decelerate rather quickly with more efficient but less powerful flight systems. It wasn't unheard of for spaceborn mechs to be able to last an entire standard day in space.

"They're smaller and lighter, but they're also more fragile."

The emphasis on speed and agility and the vast room for maneuvering in space shifted the design of spaceborn mechs away from a reliance on armor. While the existence of Space Knights and the like still proved that armor played a role, in space, speed, or rather acceleration was king.