Chapter 13: Basic Lessons
Ever since the first mech appeared, mechs soon became popular. Faster and survival better than infantry, better armor and more flexible than tanks, better mobility and heavier fire power than artillery, harder to take down and more destructive than aircraft. Yet with all those superior performance, mechs' logistical needs are only a fraction of other conventional army. That ensured mechs became the mainstay weapons in every conflicts, and with that begun the rise of the Mech Trade Association.
As the organization that forefront the developing of Mechs, the MTA soon set standard for anything mechs related, they also monopolized many advanced technologies, poached many talent mech designers and pilots from other states and organizations. Just like that, the MTA together with the Common Fleet Alliance also monopolized the use of war ships and weapons of mass destruction while banned other from doing the same. They would crush anyone that didn't follow their policies which they proclaimed that is to ensure the survival of human race.
They did have their merit too. Without war ships which could easily destroy planets and massacre billions life with few orbital strikes, the warmongers can't no longer wantonly wake wars as they want. With that, the next best weapons - Mechs, became even more widely used and marked the end of the Age of Conquest and so begun the Age of Mechs.
In the Age of Mechs, with their monopolization of human race's most powerful weapons and the most advanced technologies, the MTA and the CFA soon became the overlords of entire human race as they are now called The Big Two. While the CFA take on themselves the rights to developed war ships and guard humanity against alien races, the MTA became the sole authority about everything related to Mechs. The MTA set up standards and regulations, from the codes of conduct for mech designers to the technology standards to define mech generations, the authentications and distributions of mechs and most of all, the privileges of mech pilots, particular high ranking ones.
High ranking mech pilots were revered and worshiped by the mass, they are even deified and called demigods. Expert Mech pilots are honored as Venerable, Ace Mech pilots worshiped as Saints and when they advanced to even higher rank they will be known as God Pilots. The MTA bestowed on high rank mech pilots many protections like how they are treated as prisoners of war or protections from assassinations and politicking.
To the MTA, the life of a high ranking mech pilot is even more precious than the head of state. Crimes against high ranking mech pilots especially outside of battles are usually met with furious responses from the MTA, sometime even entire state and billions of life would be wiped out. But the MTA will look away if they died in battles though, as researches proved that pilots can only achieve break though to higher ranks with battles, there maybe other ways to have apotheosis but they are hardly replicable to mass procure high ranking pilots. So to create more high ranking pilots the MTA even encourage states to go to war with each others, unbeknownst to them though.
With such endorsement from the MTA, become a mech pilot is a dream of almost all of mankind, yet as research pointed out, there is only 3.5 percent of human populations possess the genetic aptitude to interface with the neural interface that is needed to operate mechs. Yet even among those privileges not all can smoothly pilot a mech.
Scientists from the MTA further classified the aptitude for piloting mech to different grades from A to F. F are those without the aptitudes, in other word a norm, fated to never step foot into a mech cockpit and if they are stubborn enough to try interface with the neural interface then their brains will fired. E are those with limited ability to interface with the simplest mechs yet can hardy move them, that make them not much different from the norms. D are those that can start piloting mechs albeit the simplest of them like mining and agriculture mechs, they are mostly reserved as last resort in case of wars. If a state ever reach the need to enlist grade D potentates then that mean they are already facing their end.
C are the main forces of all 3rd rate states yet rarely used in 1st rate states and the more advanced 2nd rate states. Some 1st rate super states like The Greater Terran Federation or The New Rubarth Empire even eschew using those with grade C aptitude and lower, as only those with grade B and higher are qualified to pilot the more advanced and powerful 1st rate mechs. While grade B potentates only set the standard in 1st rate mech forces, they are considered treasures for the 3rd rate states and valuable resource for the 2nd rate states.
There is not much to discuss about those with grade A aptitude, they would be the treasure all states and even The Big Two would spare no expense to secure. Their talent are so great that it take them not much effort to master the most advanced machines.
Only those that went through apotheosis and taken the first stepped into the ranks of demigods like the expert candidate and higher ranking pilots, would have greater learning capacity than those with grade A. Though going through apotheosis is not easy, and would be the dream of all mech pilots. As statistic showed, among millions of pilots their would only be few can make the first step to become an expert candidate, yet few could take the next steps to advance to expert pilot. A typical 3rd rate states would have dozen of expert pilots and one or two ace pilots as most. While God pilots are so rare they became myths to majority of humanity, there were only less than hundred God pilots ever recorded in history.
Ever since their first appearance, mechs went through many evolutions, they came in all shapes and sizes. From some humanoid appearance to animal and insect look alike. From small, light and simple civilian mechs to huge and destructive titanic machines. The strategic and tactical needs also further give birth to even more types of mechs. After many debates, everyone came to consensus of classified mechs according to their weight and arch types, and then further break down to other types of mech.
Light weight mechs are fast, highly mobile yet lightly armors and lightly armed and usually have the roles of scout, skirmisher and stealthy assassin.
Medium weight mechs are better armored, decent speed and mobility, can carry many type of weapons and fit in many roles, they are also the mostly used weight class.
Heavy weight mechs are well armored, heavily armed with great energy reserve yet slow and low mobility, they mostly used as artillery or stationary defenders.
There are also dreadnaught mechs that is so huge and powerful that their destructive power could be compared to war ships, yet their prohibit costs and the huge demanding of maintenance made them unsustainable even for the 1st rate super states.
Technology disparities, economic constraints and the scarcities of materials and exotics the farther it is from galactic center also further diverse mech types and performance. A 1st class light mech maybe tougher and more powerful than a 2nd class heavy mech yet still light and faster than the fastest 2nd class light mech.
Also due to the limitations of technologies and materials, the 3rd rate mech markets are where mechs diverse the most as a single mech can hardly do more than its primary roles. The 3rd rate states and organizations also lack the technologies to better train their pilots as the learning curves for better performance mechs simply too high.
A 3rd pilot usually settled with a single mech type in their carrier, though during their trainee time they would have to learn to pilot some basic archetypes before they found their specialization.
Such are basic lessons that are drilled into all 3rd rate potentates.
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