Lance Reid massaged the spot between his eyebrows. The short-haired man flipped and rotated the hologram image of his blueprint so many times. But he still wasn't satisfied.
The aliens who attacked the planet AX-287 colony have high agility. The planet's military barely won. So they asked Titanmachina Intergalactic Corp—the company where Lance Reid works — to make more agile mechs. They are concerned the aliens may strike once more.
Mechs. Everyone needs it in this era of space exploration.
It all started after humans created intergalactic warp technology years ago. They discovered many new planets that they could colonize, met alien races both friendly and hostile, as well as discovered many valuable natural resources.
New colonies are formed. People are divided into factions with their own interests and ideologies.
Furthermore, the aliens resent the humans for colonizing their land and depleting their resources.
Wars are inevitable. Regular weapons and fighter planes are no longer adequate. They need tools with great maneuverability, extraordinary destructive power, and high endurance.
Mechs are the answer. Starting from powered armor to colossal robots. They become the most effective weapons in the war against fellow humans or aliens.
Those ongoing wars triggers competition to create the best mechs. The technology was developing rapidly, and at the forefront was Titanmachina Intergalactic Corp.
As their best designer, Lance Reid has an enormous responsibility to produce the most superior machines. Not only for fighting, but for carrying out dangerous exploration missions, mining for resources, and even for professional sports.
Lance never failed to meet those expectations. He is a genius who graduated from the best engineering school in the entire galaxy. Many new mech technologies have been born from his brilliant mind.
But from time to time, Lance gets stuck like this. Days had gone by, but he could not finish the new mech yet.
He took a deep breath, then dismantled the mech blueprint into several parts. Should he thin out the parts of its booster to reduce weight? But that means he requires a new, powerful material to handle the booster's pressure. Otherwise, that thing will explode.
He sorted the mech into smaller parts. Maybe there are overlooked sections that need trimming to reach the desired weight.
Hearing high-heeled footsteps, Lance sighed. "You should have come home a long time ago, Monica."
The brown-haired woman smiled, untied her bun to let her hair down, then sat at Lance's desk. "You should have gone home, too. Five hours ago."
"I have to finish this as soon as possible." Lance felt irritated because his secretary's butt was covering the hologram image on his desk. "But they asked for something ridiculous. I know they want a more agile mech, so they asked me to shrink some parts to reduce weight… Ah, there's no point in complaining."
Lance leaned back in his chair. The top officials of this company will not care about his troubles. They want their demands to be met no matter what.
"You always fulfill our superiors' demands. In fact, you often go beyond that because of your brilliant ideas. So, you can solve this." Monica crossed her legs. "But you've worked hard the past few days. No one would blame you for taking a long break."
Monica's gestures and words were unprofessional. Even so, Lance will not report her. She was someone who can carry out Lance's orders fast and without many questions.
"Long break, huh?" Lance looked at his office ceiling. "But I don't like vacations."
"You don't need to go anywhere." The secretary shrugged. "Just being at home and taking everything easy will also help you relax more. You once said, you always thinking about work even in weekend. Don't do that... Just... Do what everyone else is doing. Enjoy your rest time. Live in peace, even for a little while."
A question popped into Lance's head. Has he ever really relaxed? Since childhood, he spent many times studying because of his parents' demands. They are geniuses in their respective fields. So, they don't want their son to embarrass the family.
Even after getting this job, he has no time to connect with others or have fun. He was so immersed in his work.
Maybe getting away from various pressures would be nice? He can enjoy his life more. But does he deserve something like that? He has become one of the most influential people in the entire galaxy. The mechs he makes determine a party's victory or defeat. He must always do his best because the company's name is on his shoulders.
"You don't owe this company anything." Monica got off the table. "Please, think for yourself more, sir." She patted her superior on the shoulder. "I'll go home. You go home too. This is for your sake. Bye."
Lance was silent while Monica's footsteps faded. The woman's words made him think. He chose this field because of his admiration for mechs and their sophisticated technology. But does he design mechs for his own satisfaction or to please others?
Could it be that he had lost sight of his own dream?
"F*ck it." Lance saved his work, then brought up a hologram screen on his desk. He emailed his boss that he would be taking time off.
They wouldn't be able to force him to keep working. The higher-ups couldn't threaten to fire him. They were the ones who needed Lance, not he who needed them.
"Bye." Lance stood up from the chair, and at that moment, he grabbed his left chest. His mouth opened wide, and he held onto the table to maintain his balance.
He had never experienced such intense pain in his left chest before. It felt like someone exerted pressure on that area, and the sensation extended to his arms.
He was also having difficulty breathing, his vision was diminishing, and his consciousness was fading fast. A second later, he collapsed.