The reporter continued. "As our regular viewers all know, we do a weekly segment on the legends of Mecha Development, and today we have not one but three of them here with us in person. All three of these heroes were at the Battle of Belmont, a turning point in the Kepler Rebellion."
The images of their three Mecha appeared behind them, and the three pilots gave a nostalgic smile for the scene. It was a long time since Max had seen Stalwart, which now lived in a museum in Comor, and the two Phalanx Class units had likewise been mothballed and put on display as show pieces of military history.
"I see that the mere sight of them brings back many memories. For our viewers, how long were you with those Mecha before moving on to retirement or, in the case of Commander Max, a new unit?"
General Yaakov gestured up at the image of his Mecha. "We were together for thirty-six years. Twenty-eight of those were spent on the battlefield, and the rest in reserve or in transit."
The reporter's awed gaze made the old General give her an indulgent smile. He had spent more time in combat after he had gotten a commission as a Phalanx Class Pilot than she had been alive for.
General Tennant gestured to the Shining Darkness. "We were together for almost a century before I retired. Do your readers know much of the history of the units?"
The reporter's head bounced like a bobble head doll as she nodded. "They do, we actually sent a team member to Comor to do a full history episode on the Shining Darkness. Stalwart as well, but unfortunately, there aren't any others available for public viewing."
"Tarith's Rage isn't open to the public?" Max asked.
The reporter shook her head. "It's visible, but it's got some sort of special coating on it that they don't want people to touch, so even with an investigative pass, our team wasn't allowed into its enclosure."
So that was what they meant. The reporters couldn't look inside of it, they could only see the outside and the public data, whereas with Stalwart and Shining Darkness, they had gotten the chance to actually touch it and look inside.
"Well, for all the legendary events that happened during that chaotic time, Stalwart and Tarith's Rage were only together for a few years before they were put back into the waiting reserve and finally transferred to the Comor Mecha Museum after the new generation of units was ready." Max shrugged.
"About that. There is a wear pattern on the console below the control sticks. Do you prefer to hold them low, with your fingers turned up, or did you have something resting under your hands?" The reporter asked, bringing up an image of the control panel behind them.
As expected of the Innu, they skipped straight to the point when they wanted to talk about Mecha. They weren't here for war stories, or detailed personal questions about the pilots' lives, they wanted to know about the Mecha. How they performed, how they were used, the little tips and tricks that made for a legendary Mecha pilot.
It was especially important to the Innu lately, as many of them were taking up Mecha piloting in the military or the planetary defence forces, and not just remaining as the service staff. The more that they could learn about the practical tips and tricks that weren't in the books, the more comprehensive their own style development could be.
The two Generals both smiled at the mark on the control panel. It was a bit too far from the stick to be the hand, unless you were holding it at some strange angle. What the mark was actually from was the stainless-steel Kepler military issue coffee cup.
Max laughed and gestured to the mark. "Do you see how it's oblong, and wide? While at first glance, that appears to be from a gloved hand moving against the painted console as the operator fought, the real answer is very different.
That particular mark is from the magnetic base of the steel coffee cups we are issued, as it slides back and forth with use. It takes thousands of cups of coffee to get that sort of wear pattern, that's months of tense waiting for the enemy to attack, while in a situation where you can't leave your Mecha.
The reporter's eyes lit up with joy. He had directly answered one of the most popular questions that their readers had.
"Why right there? There is a cupholder on the far-right side of the console, here." She gestured to a highlighted spot on the image.
General Tennant gave her a fatherly smile that made the reporter look even younger.
"There should be a similar one inside Creeping Darkness.You see, that spot is not only right in front of the pilot, so he doesn't have to look away from the display screens, but it is within arm's reach of the right control stick, so even if you are reaching for a drink when an emergency happens, you are actually improving your reaction times.
With the one on the side, which was placed there to protect the delicate electronics of the control panel from spilled coffee, you are out of position, the auto tensioner of the harness can't react as quickly, and your eyes are off the screen, so you might not see the enemy's position at all.
It is a utility versus safety tradeoff. While the spilled coffee drives the technicians insane, it is still the most practical spot for the cup."
"Doesn't the Kepler issued cup have a lid, though?" She asked.
"It does. But the hole is too small, you can only slowly sip through it. That's not how Mecha Pilots traditionally consume caffeine. It has to be hot, strong and now. I'm not sipping it for This interview was a great idea. They were not only going to have an excuse not to be in public, but they were also being asked decent questions from someone who actually cared about the answers.
