Godhand

A by Teh_Az

This is an essay exploring the concept of mechs.

Godhand

This is basically an idea that has approached me when I was made to realize the inefficiency and massive stupidity of reasoning behind having a vehicle with several articulation joints as a machine of war. It has been proven to me that simplicity of design is always better, even to the point that something so medieval a concept as a tank would still be more powerful than a sophisticated system of technologies making up a standard fighting vehicle made in humanoid or other creature-facsimile form. Thus it has led me to question why does the Mech exist in most literature that glorify so called hard science over a Tolkien-esque world where magic over physic reigns supreme or common.

It is because of this question that I have thought of an idea that maybe we are trying to transfer the vulnerability of flesh into a form invincibility so often asserted by science and metal. To us, metal and science seem to go hand in hand in acquiring immortality—Godhood. It has led me to believe that maybe the Mech, especially in common humanoid forms, not only presents our wish to lengthen our short and mortal lives, but also serves as a yearned platform or medium for ruling everything the eye could see without the consequence of harsh punishment often required by grave and heavy dreams. In effect, we wish to be the pilots that control our own destinies, able to shield ourselves from the harsh environment such a choice implies and throws at us, and thus move to proclaim that we are ruler of this dirt we stand on. The Pilot, the mortal human being, becomes a God within a shell of impregnable metal given the power to rule by incredible force and thought. That is the Mech, the product of Dreams made when we are awake.

In my world, in this world I’ve made up of thought over reality, I’ve come to think that the Mech does belong here not because it is effective, for truly it isn’t, but because of the concepts it embodies concerning what may or may not be human nature. Thus, I will limit the definition of what is mech into two different categories.

The First Category is that of The Knight. Powered Armor is the issue and the only limitation it has as of now concerning development is the fact that finding a power source for it is a nightmare. Thus, keeping in mind that the technological setting will be a hundred years into the future from now, it should be estimated that a suitable power source should be in place to meet this demand. This brings up the idea of ASIMO the Honda Robot. Inspired by that template of a power source serving as a back pack, it should prove a deadly weakness yet proper armor or shielding from situation specific kinds of projectile should keep the Balance of Mobility and Power for the Army Personnel. Here, what we have now given birth to is The Heavy Infantry Unit, the military issue soldier that wields massive amounts of firepower and resilience at an Infantry Scale of operations in conjunction of use along with Mechanized Assault Infantry and General Infantry. Modular forms of this Armor Type should include specializations into Anti-Vehicle Weapon Systems, Long Range Accuracy Weapon systems, and the much smaller and lesser powered variant of the Special Actions Weapon and Equipment systems.

Just because the backpack is the only fielded version of a power source available to most armies, there is no reason to doubt that much more effective and compact forms of energy sources are steadily being researched into and developed for both Civilian and Military use. Expect that there could be sleeker and more streamlined designs out there that are either in the prototype stages of development or are now being issued as expensive and special equipment. Military usage of said types would include classified designs and operations that use said designs.

The Second Category is that of the Godhand. The Godhand is the pinnacle of vehicle design. It includes any vehicle that is no smaller than forty meters and usually adheres to humanoid forms. However, there could be allowances for other forms, but in common there is only one element. The Godhand is an ideological symbol that is made concrete to fulfill the purpose of asserting a certain ideologies power of others. Thus, the design here does not matter. Yes, it may matter to the people that inhabit the world, but for the creator, the writer, it does not. What should matter would be the thoughts that the Godhand represents, for that is its purpose. The God Hand is the Hand of God and he is there to fulfill the objectives of The God Head. The God Head here is in the form of the ideology represented by the Godhand.

The only requirement here though—for the definition of Godhand to be achieved—is that the Godhand must and can only be operated by a sentient being from within the machine. The purpose of the Godhand is to present the providence of Godhood upon a mortal being because the Godhand was built to supply the mortal with a facsimile of Godhood.

Now, for the technology behind these designs and their various components, it would all depend on the factions that developed these machines. That is what they are, machines, tools, the means and method to an end. With that in mind, the issue of technology should be specific to the factions in question. For this, I will be writing a separate article on that; articles that are on the Factions and Technologies rather than articles on the designs themselves.

Also, to further differentiate the Knight from the Godhand, the technology used for the production of Godhand must and will always render the Godhand more powerful than the Knight. Thus, for a Godhand to be under the definition of Godhand, it must be technologically more powerful than a Knight. This is because the Knight is merely the better shielding of a mortal from external threats. It will not allow him the power and symbolism given to Godhands. Thus, if a small Knight is given the capabilities to overwhelm a Godhand in both power and symbolism, the Knight is not a Knight but a Godhand, while the Godhand is taken down from its definition to the title of Knight.

In Canon, the banner I will include all my settings under, I will include the thoughts mentioned here within the There is only One specific-setting. Incorporated into this will be a host of other possibilities in future technologies. In totality, this will serve as a device that pushes up the scenario to the surface, not the game world. This is because; the overall thought behind this work would be that it is the story that matters most rather than the setting or the mechanics that run the game. Thus, everything that does not add anything integral to the story is merely stuff, and anything that supports the project is a plot device. Here, the concept of Godhand, Knight, and MECH in general will all serve as plot devices, not the point of the world.