After presenting her MW Carmine mech proposal to Master Willix and receiving her covert feedback, Veronica had set her mind to design the most unrestrained machine of her career up to date.
The new Carmine mech design project had a profound impact on her psyche.
The Cyborg Cat felt that the project broke so many taboos at the same time that she had taken a decisive step towards an unforgivable direction!
If Veronica hadn't committed other professional violations in the past, then she would scarcely be able to bring herself past this mental threshold!
While the cat believed she was doing the right thing in the end, it was still difficult for her to bear this feeble justification.
The incarnation shook her head. There was not much point in procrastinating over her decision. Her motivations were righteous and her logic was sound. She believed in her vision, and as long as that was the cause, she would still hold on to her creed as a mech designer.
Mech designers existed to serve mech pilots.
Veronica's work would still abide by this commandment, even though her work put them in much greater peril than before.
With at least 4 huge risk factors, she could not prevent her upcoming Carmine mechs from endangering her future customers as well as the people around them. Even if the probability of anything going wrong was less than 1 percent, the popularity and attraction of Carmine mechs was so high that they would undoubtedly take the Milky Way by storm!
When a huge number of Carmine mechs quickly got produced and sold to gullible norms that did not fully understand the risks, then a lot of people were bound to experience both joy and suffering.
Veronica had little control over what people would do with her machines. Perhaps she could program additional restrictions and refine the incentive structure of her MW Carmine mechs to a much greater degree, but it was not a good idea to overcomplicate the matter.
She even thought about constructing a more precise and well-defined incentive and punishment structure modeled after the Mech Designer System.
This new System would give both the Carmine mech pilots and their living partners clear rules and guidance on what they needed to do to maximize their growth. However, an overly complicated System might cause these pilots and their living mechs to become too dependent on guidance from a third party. If they ceased to
think by themselves, then the mech pilot would ultimately fail to develop the extraordinary willpower that was necessary for them to accomplish great deeds.
It was best to keep her design as simple as possible, especially when the Cyborg Cat already planned to incorporate a lot of new and experimental features.
Before Veronica concluded her initial discussion on her ambitious mech proposal, Master Willix asked an important question.
"What codename will you choose for this project of yours?"
The silvery cat paused in thought. "This mech... breaks almost every boundary set by the MTA and the mech industry of this galaxy. It allows norms to pilot mechs. It grants unprecedented autonomy to mechs. It partially merges the man and machine ahead of schedule. It encourages breakthroughs by forcing mech pilots to be more decisive. It also answers to the Red Kingdom as opposed to the Kingdom of Mechs. Since this singular project is associated with so many egregious violations... I'll just call it the Rule Breaker Project."
The name granted a definite 'bad boy vibe' to the mech design project. Anyone who heard this label would definitely make the assumption that the mech design implied nothing good!
This was exactly what Veronica wanted to achieve. She did not want to treat this mech design project as a routine job, but rather a massive deviation from her normal design process.
The mech designs that she would prepare for this highly illegal project ignored all of the laws and taboos of the Mech Trade Association.
The very existence of the Rule Breaker Project was nothing less than a giant middle finger towards the MTA!
Veronica briefly felt rather guilty about it. She had her complaints about the MTA, but that did not change the fact that she benefited a lot from its regime.
From providing a stable market and industry environment for destructive war machines, to keeping the peace in human civilization for over 4 centuries, the power superinstitution had undoubtedly done a lot of good for everyone.
The MTA's overall policies were highly slanted towards the weak and ordinary citizens of the human race.
Sure, the mechers also looked down on space peasants, but the former never egregiously mistreated the latter.
When Veronica used to be weak, the MTA was her savior.
Now that she had become stronger, she finally began to suffer under the MTA's
suppression of rival players.
No matter what, the Mech Trade Association was still a hegemonic power that did not tolerate any challengers to its authority other than the Common Fleet Alliance.
It was not just third parties such as the Oblivion Empress and the first-rate superstates that chafed under the reign of the Big Two.
The new guard within the ranks of the Association that got squeezed out of the true seats of power by the old guard also got treated like losers!
This created a faultline within the MTA that the Oblivion Gate Consortium sought to take advantage of. If this internal division did not exist, then Veronica believed her mother wouldn't be so bold as to plot the downfall of the Big Two.
Whatever the case, Veronica tried not to think too hard on how culpable she would be for all of the deeds that her mother and her fellow conspirators planned to commit. As far as the little Cyborg Cat was concerned, she was just a mech designer. Her only job was to fulfill her commission and present a set of Carmine mech designs. What people did after she handed over her work was none of her business. She had already satisfied her conscience by adding a basic incentive structure to discourage
unnecessary killing.
After the two mech designers discussed the preparations they needed to make in order to guarantee smooth progress after they formally embarked on the project, Master Willix gave one more word of advice to her junior.
"Our works are not merely products. They are also statements. The Carmine mechs that you and I are about to design for the countless norms that reside in the Milky Way have never been served by any mech designer in the past. We, but primarily you, will be the first to communicate to them with a level of respect usually afforded to mech pilots. This is a novel privilege to them, and I am certain that our message will leave a profound impression on their minds."
The Cyborg Cat tilted her feline head. "What are you trying to say, Master?"
"Our upcoming works are destined not to conform to the rules set by the MTA, but I hope that you will still do your best to ensure that your Carmine mechs uphold the honor and integrity of our profession. Do not get too absorbed by the power and possibilities of your Rule Breaker Project and treat your potential customers as test
subjects."
It just so happened that Veronica precisely began to regard the many future users of her upcoming Carmine mechs as test subjects.
It couldn't be helped as she planned to conduct multiple simultaneous live experiments on features that she had not yet tested in reality.
Veronica had done this so often in the past that this mindset came natural to her. It was not until Master Willix felt the need to give this reminder that the cat evaluated
her current attitude.
"I don't see a way to think about our customers as anything other than test subjects." The Cyborg Cat honestly admitted. "I mean, it is not as if I can reduce the scope of the Rule Breaker Project and design a watered down version that is safer but also has much less potential. We don't have the time to conduct safety studies. I can only put my trust in our design capabilities and hope that our end results satisfy our expectations without producing too many accidents."
The Master Mech Designer understood just as well as the cat how the circumstances did not permit a better process.
"Do the best you can, Veronica. You do not only represent yourself, but all of the mech
designers in both galaxies. Do not tarnish the reputation and dignity of our profession to the people of the Milky Way. As long as you remember that we are their servants as opposed to their masters, other mech designers will acknowledge your sincerity and try to forgive your many... transgressions. They may give you unexpected support when it matters, so do not dismiss the value of doing what is right."
The MTA did not stand for all of the mech designers of original humanity. There were far more professionals out there that did not have a good relationship with the overbearing superorganization.
This may include other Star Designers, many of whom carried a lot of political weight.