The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5759 Recess

Tying cultivation to the existing mech community helped a lot.

While a lot of people from that very same community might not appreciate what he was doing, it was difficult to deny a truth that seemed abundantly obvious in hindsight.

Ves found it rather funny that pretty much every human had been living alongside mechs and all of the crazy stuff that came with them, but never actually acknowledged that this was weird!

People all thought that the amazing stuff that high-ranking mechs and mech pilots could accomplish were the result of special scientific breakthroughs and such.

Even though it was a bit weird that mech pilots had to put an immense amount of effort in order to trigger 'breakthroughs' and evolve to higher life states, few if any people regarded this phenomenon as magic or mysticism.

It was quite simple for anyone to pop this illusionary bubble.

The issue was that everyone that possessed this capability refrained from doing so. For at least four centuries, neither the current human overlords or the former rulers that had been driven to the shadows had ever dared to expose the hidden truth.

This led to an abnormal circumstance where clear and obvious instances of cultivation clearly paraded in front of people's eyes, yet no one understood the true significance of mech pilots and mech designers.

Ves actually felt grateful towards Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson.

Whether she acted upon orders or not, she had finally been the one to take this daring step, freeing Ves and other people from the burden they had to bear for many years.

Of course, Astrid Jameson's radical move had undeniably derailed a lot of plans.

Ves was not the only person who had to change his strategy on the spot.

He had been paying close attention to the speakers of the opposition.

The subtle signs of unrest and disarray showed that Astrid Jameson never kept the other scattered groups in the loop.

This forced the Mech Supremacists, the Chabrans, the Rubarthans from the Smokestack Principality and others to figure out how to handle this rapidly evolving situation.

The lack of unity and consensus from all of these people made it a lot more difficult for them to agree to a new approach. The speakers had their own opinions, but they also needed to represent the will of their superiors or their constituents.

All of that meant that the opposing parties needed a lot of time to sort out their mess.

Ves was not complaining.

The more his opponents fell into disarray, the easier it was for him to gain the upper hand in this public inquiry!

After an extended speaking turn, Ves finally felt that he had managed to put out all of the immediate fires.

The opinions of the crowd in the Dragon King's Palace swing in multiple directions throughout the session. The public did not quite know what to believe anymore. Even if Ves did his best to portray cultivation in a more positive light, it was still difficult for many people to determine whether he was still a credible speaker.

Seeing that the opposition still hadn't sorted out their confusion, Planetary Governor Rod Mergan-Castelaus stood up from his pearl throne once again.

"Given the magnitude of the revelations made by the speakers, I am calling for a recess in order to give the participants time to revise their arguments."

A long break commenced as the repercussions of the public inquiry continued to shake the foundation of red humanity.

The two sides retreated from the speaking pit and retreated to side chambers where they could strategize and take stock of the situation in private.

"Okay." Ves said after he and his entourage fell out of the public eye. "Jovy, tell me what is happening. How are people reacting to Astrid's revelations?"

"The people are taking it well, all considered." Jovy said. "Many of them are being engulfed by a deluge of speculation and misinformation. None of the major powers are prepared to offer corrections. The Red Two have already decided to provide clarification after the end of the public inquiry. Nobody else dares to supersede them by publishing relevant information in advance."

Ves frowned. "That is dangerous, you know that? A lot of people are running around like headless chickens. Accidents are bound to happen."

"We know, but this is a consequence that we will have to bear. We only have one chance to make this right. The subject is so important to us all that we cannot afford to act in haste. Every piece of information that we disclose must be true and factual. Our credibility on this matter may suffer a permanent blow if we make any mistakes."

"Do you know where the mechers are leaning?"

"No." Jovy helplessly shook his head. "You know as well as I do that our Association is a divided organization. The information that I have received so far suggests that most mech designers are generally in favor of cultivation. This is not a surprise as their work is largely connected to related phenomena. However, opinions are mixed on how extensively cultivation must be regulated. This is a debate that has just reached its inception."

"I see."

"There is no need for you to be overly concerned about this issue." Vector Loban spoke from the other side. "Our Transhumanist Faction has been preparing for this contingency for a long time. We have already formulated many different proposals on how to introduce cultivation to our society at large. The Evolution Witch is especially keen on turning it into an essential component in people's lives."

"I imagine that there are many people who disagree with her stance."

"That is correct." The Transhumanist sighed. "Our faction is the strongest proponents of cultivation, while the Fifth Enforcement Fleet is diametrically opposed to our stance. Every other faction falls between this spectrum. The major powers will most likely settle on a middle ground solution if nothing else happens. The details have yet to be determined, though. This is where the different powers will fight hard to push their own vision."

A lot was happening behind the scenes. Ves had no access to these high-level talks, but he imagined that a lot of powerful people were scrambling to contain the fallout.

"Tell me about the Mech Supremacists." He said. "Given their strong focus on mechs and mech pilots, how are they handling the revelations?"

Jovy chuckled. "Opinions among them are mixed, as you can imagine. There are many Mech Supremacists who have never been initiated into this secret. The revelations have caught them by surprise and are causing them to question everything they know about mechs. However, don't think that they will stop their opposition towards your living mechs. Their fundamental concerns are still valid, although you should have more ways to counter their arguments. The interests of mech pilots remain paramount to this faction. They do not really care about other forms of cultivation at the moment."

"I see. What about the fleeters? How are they responding to this mess?"

"I do not have strong connections with the fleeters, so I can only base my judgment on second-hand information. From what I have heard, the fleeters are also thrown into disarray. The difference is that their confusion is largely based on ignorance. Due to their strong bias against human mutation and distortion, it is unlikely that fleeters will ever embrace cultivation wholeheartedly. They will at least attempt to cling to their existing patterns so long as they remain competitive."

"I bet that if the fleeters start to fall behind due to their continued rejection of cultivation in all forms, they will probably come up with an excuse to reverse their previous policies. There is no way that the Red Fleet wants to fade into irrelevance due their pigheadedness."

There was a possibility that this might not even be necessary given that ARCHIE had already started to transform the fleeters on a gradual basis.

Professor Vector Loban informed Ves of another interesting development.

"The Fifth Enforcement Fleet is currently subjected to a large amount of criticism. Many leading figures resent this fleet for disclosing secrets prematurely and without any coordination. However, the Fifth Fleet has also attracted a large amount of support from both the fleeters and other people. There are substantial segments of the population that are afraid of how cultivation will threaten our current civilization. They fear that we will regress to a more primitive society where might makes right. The fact that it has happened in the past does not bode well for the future."

"We'll have to address that." Ves muttered. "In my opinion, it is best to continue to tie cultivation to the mech community. People fear what they do not know. If we want to melt their opposition, then we should talk about cultivation from the lens of mech design and mech piloting."

"Good idea, Ves. It is not a complete solution, but it will serve as an adequate stopgap. Do not forget about your living mechs, though. It is not necessarily your responsibility to defend cultivation, although it may be useful to do so in order to squash any doubts regarding your heritage. Are you confident that you will be able to accomplish your original purpose in light of all of these changes?"

"Don't worry." Ves grinned. "I already know how to present my living mechs in a better light now that the cat is out of the bag. The basis of my design philosophy is Mutual Growth. If there is anything people like the most, it is gaining more power. I just need to assuage their concerns that their living mechs will not inadvertently go out of control."

They continued to strategize and share information over the next hour.

Ves did not receive any direct information transmissions from the outside galaxy, but he did gain a lot of information through other means.

Vulcan was able to monitor a lot of changes through his connections with the Vulcanites and lots of craftsmen spread throughout human-occupied space.

Goldie closely monitored the reactions from the Larkinsons. It did not surprise Ves all that much that the clansmen did not really exhibit any strong reactions. They had lived alongside Ves' many crazy inventions for a long time that they had already acclimated to the cultivation phenomenon.

Ves grew reassured that none of the Larkinsons went crazy because of this mess. Despite his strong involvement on this issue, his subordinates admired him and looked up to him like before.

He had consistently tried to take care of his clansmen. He rewarded them for their loyalty and did not hesitate to channel a large proportion of his massive income into enormous investments for his clan.

The Larkinsons recognized the trust and generosity from their patriarch, so they naturally reciprocated when he had need of their support.

This was true loyalty.

There was one other major interest group that Ves needed to please.

"How is my customer base reacting to this development?" Ves asked. "Mr. Ampatoch, you have strong connections with the people working at Isthmus Manufacturing. What have they noticed?"

The Rubarthan mech designer did not look very confident at the moment. "It is too early to tell. A small proportion of customers have canceled their orders in panic. The rest have adopted a wait-and-see attitude. You need to explain that amidst all of the upheaval brought by change, living mechs can serve as a source of stability to their owners and users. Try your best to demystify their existence and emphasize the benefits they bring. It would be especially helpful if you can redefine their roles in a society where cultivation has become more prevalent among the public."

"Hmm… those are good suggestions. I already know what to do. Thank you, Kelsey."

By the time the recess had come to an end, Ves stepped back into the grand hall with an air of confidence.

He had formulated numerous new responses towards the issues that just started to weigh on people's minds.

The only question now was how the fractured and divided opposition intended to deal with this situation.