It had been five hours since Samael took over control of the observation tower. Currently, he was standing in the centre of the room, sifting through variouse blueprints and schematics with obviouse frustration on his face.
Blisk in the corner slept soundly. His head leaned back on a cushoined rotating chair, having long since grown bored of Samaels complaints.
Behind Samael, a group of Hammond Robotics scientists stood silently. Draped in black and crimson robes, they watched with a mixture of nervousness and apprehension while their faces dimly lit by the pale blue glow of the holographic displays. Not a single Vincent Dynamics employee remained in sight after having had their assignments hastily redirected to designing a new voice module for Marvin units.
Of course, they resented this. This was a titan research and development facility, after all - but Samael had decided it was best for his company to claim all credit for meaningful innovation.
"Worthless. Worthless… and still worthless."
Multiple times per second, designs were tossed aside into a folder ominously labeled Trash, scheduled for immediate deletion. The reason was simple: none of them carried genuine innovation or displayed any form of unorthodox thinking. Minor adjustments in weapon placement, negligible tweaks in armor density - all equally useless.
At last, Samael sighed in exasperation. "This won't work. The current titans are too stubborn in design. If I want change, I'll have to build a completely new chassis from the ground up."
With the previous designs discarded, he opened a folder containing a program already installed in the system's core. It granted him near-limitless freedom to conceptualize and create, at least in theory. In essence, it was a digital forge and a virtual workshop where ideas could be shaped into something tangible. For now, it would suffice.
With a thought, he renamed the file: Ion.
'Alright then, Ion. The most versatile titan model ever constructed… at least until the Vanguard and Monarch-class titans rolled out after the Second Titanfall War.'
He began with the most vital component - the core reactor.
'Ion used a singular energy reserve, letting its pilot unleash any ability at will, as long as energy reserves were carefully managed. No cooldown periods like other titans, offering pure freedom of choice.'
Under the eager gaze of the gathered scientists, a mass of intricate mechanisms sparked to life within the holographic display. Tiny components shifted and clicked together in a storm of motion. To an untrained observer, it seemed like chaos, but to a discerning mind, every part was moved with a great care.
It was mesmerizing. A halo-like interface band rested over Samael's brow, allowing his thoughts to seamlessly translate into rapid assembly. Thousands of components moved into place in the span of a few minutes.
This was one of the reasons why technological advancement crawled at this facility - every other engineer was forced to manually adjust each part due to an inability to multitask, while Samael simply willed them into position.
Before him, a fist-sized sphere took shape, forged from virtual Tantilum Halfnuim Carbide, a metal boasting a melting point exceeding 4000 degrees Celsius. This was currently the compound with the highest heat resistance on the market, and could withstand the strain of ions demands.
Within its center glimmered a bulb-like device, designed to convert raw energy into searing, concentrated light.
Next, he constructed a towering 18.5-foot-tall titanium-alloy chassis, separated from the core. It took on a humanoid form, its thick limbs composed of layered plates and exposed motor joints, faintly glowing red through the gaps in its armor. The dim, clinical lighting of the observation room reflected in its sleek frame, giving the virtual titan a grim, predatory and post modern appeal.
On its faceplate, a hatch stood ready to open and close with smoothly, allowing a pilot to enter the cockpit inside and control this beutiful, majestic beast themselves. At the center of this faceplate, a hollowed-out socket awaited the placement of something critical.
Without hesitation, Samael lazily gestured. The tungsten sphere drifted forward and fit itself perfectly into the waiting cavity, as though it had always belonged there.
He then etched a small opening on the surface of the sphere and embedded a diamond crystal at its heart. Its purpose: to focus the light within the reactor into a single, devastatingly precise beam of raw energy.
A laser-based shoulder cannon soon followed, its connection to the core secured by a network of fine, virtual circuitry.
Lastly, he installed three power cells within the upper slots of the titan's armored hull, designed to flood the reactor with energy, sustaining the devastating output of its core.
The room behind him fell deathly silent.
One by one, the scientists' jaws dropped. The core at the titan's center pulsed with a menacing crimson glow. Though merely a virtual construct, it radiated the presence of something dangerous and something alive.
And yet - Samael hadn't even crafted Ion's primary weapon, the Splitter Rifle, and the prototype already exuded a fearsome aura.
"Sir," an elderly scientist adjusted his glasses, his voice trembling in admiration. "You're… remarkable. It's been barely thirty minutes, and you've achieved what would take us years."
The others nodded in agreement, unable to tear their eyes away from the shimmering titan.
Samael didn't turn to face them. Instead, he shook his head, dismayed. "Don't flatter me. You're all skilled enough to work at Hammond Robotics, meaning every one of you is capable of remarkable feats. What you lack isn't intelligence but it's vision. Next time… think bigger."
He wasn't merely trying to belittle them. Each scientist here represented the elite and the top one percent of graduates from prestigious Core World universities. They weren't fools. And Samael genuinely wanted them to improve, if only because their growth meant progress for the Core Worlds as a whole.
Progress with the core worlds was equal to progress in humanity. the frontier population, protected by the militia did not want to join the core worlds, and as such they were sub-human. Inferior until they surrended and reunited to unify humanity once more.
"I want a physical prototype of this Titan ready in one month," Samael ordered, his voice cutting through the silence like a blade. "Design a laser-based rifle for this unit, codenamed Ion, and integrate the Vortex Shield from previous Atlas models. Additionally, I want a tripwire utility, something energy-based - no physical mines."
The Vortex Shield was essential for Ion's survival. A device mounted in the titan's palm that could project an energy barrier capable of capturing incoming projectiles - from infantry rounds to titan-class artillery. The magnetic field would then hurl the captured ammunition back at its source so long as they were made of metal.
Ironic as it may be, the vortex shields weakness was ion himself. If two Ions fought eachover, the vortex shield would not be able to capture any of the energy based attacks of the ion opponent, thus not firing any of their projectiles back at them.
As a result, it would waste energy that could be used on the laser cannon or tripwire mines. However, this weakness only applied when fighting other ions, and no other titan would be able to handle it without actually waiting for the pilot to lower theor shield.
Samael clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze stern as he addressed the assembled team. "I expect results. If not, your continued employment at Hammond Robotics will be… reevaluated. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!" they chorused, fists clenched against their chests as they eagerly accepted the challenge.
Satisfied, Samael allowed himself a rare, predatory smile. He would leave the remaining design work to them. Though fully capable of finishing the titan himself, part of leadership meant giving subordinates the room to prove their worth. A company could only survive if its foundation remained strong in the leader's absence. If he didn't push them now, innovation would stagnate the moment he stepped away.
And stagnation, in Samael's eyes, was the same as death. The core systems were a fierce capatilistic society, one that actively thrived on merit and talent, but also the ability to be ruthless without remorse. At any moment, Hammonds competitors would snap at their position at the top of the corperate world and take their place as king.