The Mech Touch

5834 The Dominion of Man

The lengthy journey from the primary hangar bay to the interior of the Dominion of Man did not end at the compartment that held the legendary Spark Reactor.

Much to Ves' disappointment, the floater platform stopped and lowered itself to the deck just before an incredibly expansive command center.

He seriously doubted that the massive compartment where hundreds officers and specialists manned different stations served as the main bridge.

Regardless, the space clearly served as a vital control center that monitored and directed a lot of different functions of the huge dreadnought.

The commander center was not only notable for its size. The grand artworks that decorated the tall bulkheads also captured his attention.

The masterwork did not depict an armada of warships.

It did not show the portraits of the grand admirals who founded the Common Fleet Alliance.

It displayed no violence of any kind.

Instead, the fleeters had brought together the absolute best painters, sculptors and gemstone cutters that they were able to muster and tasked them to work together to create a magnificent vista of hope and inspiration.

The centerpiece consisted of a family of humans wearing the most exquisite garments.

None of the figures wore any fleeters uniforms or possessed any military bearings, but each of them clearly exemplified different aspects of the human race.

The father was tall, athletic and unquestionably masculine. The way he looked forward with his broad chin and his unwavering eyes made it seem as if he was driven by endless ambition.

The mother looked incredibly beautiful and matronly. She exemplified the feminine and more gentle side of humanity. Her expression conveyed a fantastic balance between thoughtfulness and affection.

The two children that stood before their parents conveyed a strong sense of progress and potential.

The boy still possessed the immaturity of youth. Yet his age did not prevent him from taking pride in his species. He looked ready to step into the footsteps of his father and continue his dream once he could go no further.

The younger daughter possessed a precocious appearance that emphasized her youth. She looked so cute and adorable that no doll ever created could exceed her cuteness. Her innocence was so striking that she was able to evoke the protective instincts of any human individual.

Together, this model of a human family stood on a piece of idyllic land that displayed farms, grasslands, cattle and crops.

Nothing looked out of place. Everything looked just right no matter the subject.

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Each and every element was carefully designed to fit into an aesthetic masterpiece that somehow made everything fit together.

This included what lay below the lands. Hidden from the sight of the humans standing above the ground, a huge amount of decaying corpses and broken skeletons of many different alien species rested down at the bottom.

Many of the species happened to be recognizable. The Seven Apex Races along with the thirteen major races of the Red Ocean all featured prominently among the dead and buried bodies. The huge phase whale skeleton looked especially prominent among all of the smaller remains!

All in all, the artwork conveyed a very clear meaning and theme. There were many subtle touches that Ves could spend days on analyzing, but on the surface the inspirational piece exemplified the values of human superiority.

Nobody who saw this magnificent work would fail to caway with a renewed drive to expand human space and defeat the aliens that sought to engineer the downfall of human civilization.

Even though there was not an explicit spiritual component to this magnificent artwork, a part of Ves couldn't help but resonate with the overall message and aspirations conveyed by the artists.

"What… what is it called?"

"The Dominion of Man." A firm male voice sounded from behind.

Ves turned around and faced one of the most decorated fleeter officers he had ever seen.

The gilded uniform not only looked highly ceremonial, but was also cut in a way to convey absolute authority over the hull. Nobody would be able to mistake him as anyone less than the master of one of humanity's dreadnoughts!

The tall and broad-shouldered man looked like he was in the prof his life.

That was an illusion as Ves could clearly sense plenty of signs that he had lived for at least a couple of centuries.

Regardless, the man truly looked as if he did his exalted position justice. He wore his uniform like he was born to it. He held his arms behind his back in a posture that looked as if he was always ready and composed for anything.

The only feature that looked off-putting was the very obvious external module attached to the side of his skull. A part of his neatly groomed brown hair had to be shaved away in order to accommodate this sizable expansion to his undoubtedly powerful cranial implant.

As Ves beheld the Dread Captain of the Dominion of Man, the powerful fleeter in question took a good look at the legendary Devil Tongue and all-around troublemaker of the mech industry.

Captain Reze took a single step forward and tactfully introduced the two men to each other.

"Professor, you have the honor of meeting Dread Captain Volkert Argile. He is the appointed sovereign of the Dominion of Man. He is the first born son of Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile. He is also an elder of the Argile Spaceborn Clan. Having witnessed over 280 standard years, he has continually refused further promotions that would have propelled him into flag rank in order to excel in all aspects related to single warship command. The Fleet has recognized his unending dedication and granted him the privilege of commanding one of its eminent dreadnoughts."

Well, that was definitely an imposing introduction.

Ves did not know what sort of protocol he should follow, so he defaulted to making a short bow.

"I am pleased to meet you, Dread Captain Argile. Your warship is the most magnificent spacefaring construct that I ever had the pleasure to board. I am grateful for the opportunity to witness sof the best that the Red Fleet has made. This dreadnought is a priceless asset that will definitely help to cement our civilization's dominance in the Red Ocean."

The Dread Captain liked what he heard. He demonstrated that he wasn't a stuck-up bastard by slightly relaxing his posture while showing the barest hint of a smile.

"Introductions are not necessary on your part. I know who you are, or as much as the Red Fleet knows of you. I am aware that your interactions with our current and predecessor organizations have not been universally positive. Letreassure you that we have invited you to one of our crown jewels in good faith. I will not tolerate any instances of provocation or impropriety from our crew towards our guests. I hope that you have not seen any cause to issue any complaints during your brief stay aboard our dreadnought up to this point."

"Your crew has been a model of professionalism. I do not feel unwelcin the slightest."

That was mostly because every spacer and Dread Marine was preoccupied with their own tasks. They hardly had the tto gawk at the visitor who clearly wore a different outfit from the other fleeters.

The Dread Captain gestured Ves to follow before turning around. "As much as I wish to explore your opinions on the Red Collective and other integral subjects, tis at a premium. Let us head inside one of my offices."

They crossed the huge command center and entered a large and exceedingly opulent office compartment.

The Dread Captain had definitely personalized it to his taste. Paintings of past and present Argile flag offices hung on the bulkheads. Hunting trophies of fierce and deadly mutated beasts were spread out here and there. Exquisitely crafted scale models of all of the warships that Volkert Argile had the privilege of commanding proudly occupied an entire display case.

It was a pity that Ves hardly had any tto admire all of the pieces. He and Sigrund sat on one end of a large and thick wooden desk while the Dread Captain sat on the other side.

The master of the Dominion of Man soon retrieved a secure data pad and slid it over towards Ves.

"Captain Zonrad Reze of the Babylon Excavator has already signed the confidentiality agreements, but you have yet to do so. Please read through the documents and sign them as promptly as possible. Our discussion cannot proceed any further unless you agree to all of the terms."

Ves picked up the data pad and rapidly scanned through all of the NDAs. While the punishment of violating the agreements were harsh, the terms were pretty normal otherwise. The fleeters just wanted to make sure that he remained silent on the secrets that made the Dominion of Man so powerful.

Once he signed the contracts, Dread Captain Argile did not delay in explaining why the Red Fleet invited Ves to this dreadnought.

"We need your assistance."

Ves blinked at that. "Really? Ah, my apologies for being direct, but from what I have seen the Dominion of Man is a warship that has been designed and built to near perfection. She is the most powerful vessel that I have stepped aboard and nothing that I have seen suggests that anything is less than optimal."

The exalted captain smiled with pride when he heard that. "We have indeed gone above and beyond to ensure the Dominion of Man deserves to be regarded as a pillar of red humanity. It is regrettable that my dreadnought is being tormented by unexpected… issues that debilitate her performance. We have tried our best to compensate for these complications, but I am afraid our best scientists and engineers have failed to adequately solve the problems that affect the very root of my ship."

This was a much bigger deal than Ves expected!

He found it difficult to believe that the fleeters struggled to handle their own creation. The Dominion of Man was one of their finest creations. Surely they had the knowledge and the competence to bring the Dominion of Man back in line.

However, given that Dread Captain Argile did not hesitate to make a humiliation admission in front of a mech designer, it was clear that the issues that plagued the Dominion of Man fell outside the Red Fleet's expertise.

Ves had a few ideas why the fleeters looked forward to his visit.

Perhaps this was why it had been easier than expected for Ves to negotiate a deal with the Red Fleet.

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If not for the Dominion of Man's predicament, it would have been a lot harder for Ves to visit one of the most valuable warships in the Red Fleet's possession!

"I am not opposed to lending you my expertise, captain." Ves carefully said. "However, I cannot promise that I can solve your problems."

"We are aware that you are subject to limitations. We do not ask you to do the impossible. We only ask you to do your best, professor."

"I will try." Ves responded with a smile that did not look all that confident. "Can you tellthe nature of your dreadnought's problems?"

"It is best if I show you first. The agreements that you have just made with us should permit you to view the center of our concerns."

Everyone rose to their feet and left the office.

They all boarded a much more ornate floater platform and rode it for a time.

They passed through several checkpoints, each of which grew successfully stronger and better defended.

Once they passed through the final set of blast doors, they entered a space that was not too far from the incredibly powerful Spark Reactor.

The place looked like an immense data processing chamber at first. The fleeters installed so many crystalline processing banks that Ves could almost feel the sheer force of their calculations.

Yet the potent processors paled in comparison to the immense force of calculation that took place inside a mech-

sized sphere of solid metal!

This was more than just a processor array or an amazingly powerful AI core. It radiated extraordinary power that felt both familiar but also disturbingly mutated in many ways.

A squad of Dread Marines standing before the huge sphere manually enacted the process of creating an opening.

Once a gate slid open, the Dread Captain gestured for Ves to follow him inside.

"Be careful and do not make any special actions. Just look and see."

As Ves, Sigrund and Volkert Argile passed through the gate, they all stopped and looked around the hollow interior.

What they saw caused the expressions of the two visitors to grow pale and shocked!

"Are those… brains in vats?!" Ves asked in shock as he temporarily lost all decorum! "No wait… these aren't normal human brains. I've seen so many of them that I can distinguish a few of their characteristics. None of them are cloned. I don't think any of them are less than a century old. What is more, their ability to receive, process and transmit data is clearly way above the norm."

His eyes suddenly widened as he made a shocking conclusion.

"Have you guessed the truth, professor?" Dread Captain Argile asked.

"These brains… are taken from potentates. What… what are their genetic aptitudes?"

"A- and higher. We only employ the best for our experimental organic AI core array."