Road Of Advancement

It did not take long after handing in his assignment to miss Green for him to be called to her office. Professors would skim to the logs, run some simple simulations, drop it into an intense stress test and would then verify the results with their personal judgement based on the model that the student had delivered.

Professors were much more advanced in their respective fields. The design of cadets, especially first years weren't too complicated. They would eat those designs raw for breakfast and it wouldn't even fill up the gaps between their teeth.

Theodore dreaded this moment. He knew he had grown attached to his design. In any design occupation, growing attached was a taboo! You had to be able to separate yourself from the design and objectively judge your creation. The day you would be called in to 'discuss' your design was also known as 'Judgement day' or 'hells trial' among students.

A professor would casually ask questions and then roast your decision making on the spot. The roast would grow more intense every time you failed to come up with a solid explanation for a design choice. He still vividly remembered his first project that got trashed. The burns were everywhere, just thinking back made him shudder.

Professors would often encourage them after the 'judgement' in order to blow a little life back in their sorry souls.

Theodore had been so shocked the first time, as his design was publicly thrashed for all to see that he researched why this practice was so common among design-schools. The only reason why he didn't give up there and then was because every single other student was grilled at least as hard.

Apparently the goal was to create a proper mindset during designing. A (mech) designer must be able to justify all his choices and be able to reason against another practitioner. Every little design choice must be deliberate and have a purpose. If your design was shallow it would crack, as some professors would say.

The second reason was to prepare students for life after graduating. A design would always be criticised to pieces. It was a market that was saturated and demanding. Pilots put their lives at stake in these war machines. The market would simply crush you if your design was shallow.

If you're attached to your design, you will not see it's flawed. Good design comes forth from reason. Another reason would be your personal health - if you're attached to a design that gets eaten alive and critiqued to death you will feel hurt personally.

Many mech designers would actually suicide after having their first design flop. The harsh critique, the debts... Many mech designers had it rough in their start-up years. Toughening up your mind was part of the curriculum as much as designing was.

Theodore opened the door to see the ever-familiar, miss Greene sitting behind her desk studying a model. This time Theodore did not even have to look closer to know what the projection that hovered over the table was. It was HIS Indominus.

"Welcome, mister Thompson." She smiled at his arrival. "You seem to have learned a thing or two since the last time we spoke. Please take a seat." She gestured to the seat in front of her. Theodore meekly seated in the assigned seat and waited for her to continue.

A few seconds of silence passed.

"Alright. Present me your work." She pointed at the design that still hovered over the table.

Theodore nodded "Sure."

"This is the Indominus, my latest mech design."He couldn't help but smile after having the projection start rotating. He liked the added dramatic effect.

"The Indominus is a high powered ranged mech that relies on heavy bursts of accurate laser strikes. It's based on the Black Raptor design by Emilia Clarke. I've had the p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e of piloting it and have treasured the lessons that were in her design." Theodore tapped his com and lit up a projection of the Black Raptor.

"As you can see it takes quite a bit to his 'little brother. However, the Indominus is much more a predator than the Black Raptor. The Raptor lacks the burst power to take on most medium mechs in a short time. The Indominus is a predator that will take out strong foes, whereas the Black Raptor is more of a scavenger. The Black Raptor with its higher agility would do great in less spacious encounters and can pick off damaged or less armoured mechs easily. The Indominus has great speed and acceleration, but less agility than its counterpart."

"The Indominus is meant as a general on the battlefield. A champion mech of sorts. It works best at mid- to long-range. It can take a beating and deal out even more. As a backliner it would take out the greatest threats on the battlefield. It has dropped a little in agility, in range of motion but has gained in top speed, linear acceleration and firepower. I designed it thinking of an apex predator and I believe it lives up to its moniker. It's dominant, it's powerful and deadly." Theodore ended his speech with a nod, as he then sat down and awaited the round of questioning.

"Alright, at least you have a sense for theatrics. Let us discuss your design. In what environment would you deploy this mech?" Miss Greene asked.

"It's configured for standard G's. It would perform best in open fields or places where he has great protection and a wide field of view." Theodore answered honestly.

"That is correct. It is not suited for urban sites or jungles. With its high power and lack of agility, it would be more of a liability than help in urban warfare. Like most ranged mechs, they perform badly in jungle territory. The lack of sight and in your case also agility makes them less of an asset. They can easily be surprised and done in a close range."

"Your armour makes up for its vulnerability a bit. But at least you understand the drawbacks of your design. This was an easy question. But don't worry, I have plenty more challenging left." She smiled as she continued. " Since it relies so much on its armour and weapon as standouts, let's discuss these in detail."

Theodore shuddered, here comes the grilling!

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