In one instance, it grew out a kilometers-long bone spike from its spine and launched it at a cluster of mechs!
The gigantic kinetic projectile launched forth with the power to trigger an extinction on a life-bearing planet, yet the same energy shields generated with the help of shield link technology kept all of the MTA mechs undamaged!
The same happened when the super whale tried to be more creative. Its enormous surface shook and bubbled as fish-whale after fish-whale spontaneously formed from its flesh and subsequently launched themselves at the surrounding mechs!
Since the fish-whales had separated themselves from the main body, their spatial abilities were no longer inhibited to the same degree.
This allowed them to accelerate forward by warping the space around their own bodies and launching all kinds of attacks on the mechs.
However, not even this clever measure was able to shake the defenses provided by the battlecarrier.
The fish-whales were nowhere near as strong as their source, so the mechs quickly shredded them down before they could do anymore damage.
As the super whale continued to launch different forms of attack, the mechs began to get more serious as well!
The most obvious sign of this was when the mechers took their linking capabilities to the next level!
Ves became amazed when he saw that the mechs and battlecarrier began to form multiple different kinds of linkages.
They formed data links that completely pooled the data and the processing power of the mechs and battlecarrier.
Mechs were no longer limited in their ability to analyze their opponents and the environment by relying on their own software, sensor systems and processing capabilities.
By pooling these capabilities together with other mechs as well as borrowing a portion of the enormous capabilities of their mothership, the MTA mechs gained a huge boost in analysis and threat assessment!
As a consequence, the mech pilots knew exactly where to attack, which weapons they should employ and so on. The support provided by abundant data allowed each of the affected mechs to fight a lot more effectively than before!
"What's even more perverse is the energy link technology."
The MTA used this function a bit more sparingly because the demands on the mechs were higher.
Nonetheless, Ves noted that specific first-class multipurpose mechs with high demand for energy all possessed receiver arrays that could directly receive the energy streams beamed by the Paracelsus Optimus.
With such an abundant power source available to them, the mechs in question did not have to worry about running out of juice at all as they fired their power-hungry weapons!
Although these mechs were slightly constrained by the huge amount of waste heat generated by their systems, the MTA had done their best to mitigate this by making use of dimensional heatsinks as well as highly efficient parts.
The use of data link, shield link and energy link technologies essentially endowed all of the compatible and affected mechs with the powerful performance parameters of the Paracelsus Optimus.
The super whale wasn't necessarily fighting against a lot of mechs.
It was actually fighting against the Paracelsus Optimus! The 3000 mechs deployed by the battlecarrier were an extension of herself rather than independent weapon platforms.
Ves was absolutely fascinated by this combined approach to mech combat!
Although it was not as effective and efficient as relying on ordinary warship-grade weapons to defeat powerful opponents, it was still a method that solved many of the shortcomings of mechs!
The most prevalent criticisms of mechs as a weapon system was that their limited size and scale made them too weak and too fragile to fight against the most formidable enemies of human civilization.
Given that a single battlecarrier succeeded in suppressing a powerful alien entity that was possibly the Flesh Conqueror reborn, Ves could readily conclude that the MTA had already made great strides in addressing these long-standing weaknesses!
"It's still a form of cheating, though."
Though the kid inside Ves was really enthusiastic about the effectiveness of linking technology, his mech designer side was more skeptical.
"The tech is too advanced for second-class mechs."
The high technology was not only too complicated and expensive for the current Larkinson Clan, it also happened to be taboo!
When Ves quickly searched for more information about linking technology on the galactic net, he immediately learned that most forms of linking technology were prohibited by the MTA.
His face quickly turned sour.
"Data linking is still okay, but shield linking and energy linking is apparently a step too far for space peasants."
The reason why this was the case was that the latter forms of linking essentially allowed mechs to possess destructive potential that far exceeded what they should possess.
Linking a ranged mech with the energy output of a starship was no different from plugging it into the power network of the same vessel!
If these measures became widespread, then ranged mechs would quickly obtain the power to inflict mass destruction!
Since this was what the MTA expressly tried to prevent, the organization prohibited both forms of linking, which meant that Ves and the Larkinsons wouldn't be able to use these handy features anytime soon.
"A pity…"
It was so painful to see the MTA making great use of linking technology in front of his eyes but not being able to use the same means himself!
As Ves lamented the MTA's restrictive regulations once again, he suddenly paused.
"Wait a minute… haven't I developed my own forms of linking technology already?"