The Mech Touch

5841 Question of Permission

Dread Captain Volkert Argile faced an extremely difficult choice.

The benefits mentioned by Ves sounded incredibly tempting.

No matter whether he was more interested in promoting his own power base or wished to contribute to red humanity as a whole, the creation of a powerful ancestral spirit could provide massive boons to everyone aside from cosmopolitans and native aliens!

However, the lack of direct control measures made this proposal deeply disconcerting. The fact that the Red Fleet would be unable to exert strong control over the entity made it questionable whether the fleeters would becthe ultimate beneficiaries of this gambit.

"You presentwith a difficult dilemma, Professor Larkinson." The dread captain eventually said after a few minutes of thought. "I must convey your answers to my father once again and wait for his reply. This matter has far exceeded my authority. It could even be argued that a decision as large as this should involve the mechers as well. I suppose questions of this nature fall under the jurisdiction of the Red Collective."

There was an unspoken message behind these words. Ves needed to offer the correct response in order to clear the way for the third plan.

"The Red Collective does not exist as of yet." He said. "You can either wait until it is formed in order to handle it in the proper fashion, or you can act in haste. You can argue that tis of the essence. The more preparations we make before the native aliens launch their inevitable offensive, the more humanity has drawn strength from an additional protector. Even though this entity will be harvesting the spiritual feedback of every red human, it will still start its life by being directly tied to the Dominion of Man. You can argue that it is mostly an affair of the Red Fleet. So long as the primary focus at the beginning lies in empowering your dreadnought, there is plenty of justification for you to act sooner rather than later."

These were good arguments. Ves could clearly tell that Dread Captain Argile received what he needed.

"I have one more question." Volkert Argile said as he leaned forward. "What do you seek to accomplish by enacting the third plan? Are you looking to expand your powerbase by having one of your creations serve a vital role in our civilization?"

Ves decided to be honest and smiled. "The thought has crossed my mind. I am under no illusion that I can control the thoughts and behavior of an entity that is on par with Star Designers in certain ways. However, I have found that many of my creations usually remember who granted them life in the first place. I think it will be quite helpful if I can trade favors with another powerful ancestral spirit. I am not looking to control our society through this creation. It's impossible forto control other independent life forms. I just think it is really helpful if our civilization has another True God on its side."

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"Aside from its predicted effects on the Dominion of Man, how will it be able to contribute in battle? Will it be able to manifest directly?"

"I don't know. I think it should be able to do so within a certain range of your dreadnought. I very much doubt it can appear anywhere else and destroy alien warships left and right. It won't be able to beat god pilots of the slevel. It is a lot more versatile, though. The fact that it can harvest the spiritual feedback and most probably the faith of practically every red human will allow its reach and awareness to extend everywhere. As long as people believe in human supremacy and do not actively reject the entity in question, they will be connected to it in a fashion."

That caused Dread Captain Argile to frown again. "That remindsof a description of your kinship networks. I believe that there are numerous leaders who wish to address this topic more extensively once the Red Collective has been formed."

"There are no rules that prohibitfrom making a new kinship network." Ves grinned. "I am sure the mechers might grow upset if we act without informing them first, but as long as you fleeters are willing to provide enough support, I am sure it will be okay. If it comes down to it, it is better to ask for forgiveness than permission."

That did not exactly inspire confidence.

The dread captain clearly did not receive the assurances he wanted to hear, so he was still left with a difficult choice.

However, his obvious struggles abruptly ceased. His posture grew firmer while his eyes blazed with determination.

Ves was surprised by how abruptly Volkert Argile cast aside all of his doubts.

"Fleet Admiral Argile will issue the final verdict. However, I will strongly recommend him to adopt your third plan, not because it will strengthen the Dominion of Man the most, but also because I genuinely believe it will serve red humanity best. I am not… entirely in favor of creating an artificial god for people to worship, but the estimates that I am privy to… makesthink that humans require the sustenance of faith in order to keep up their morale. It is much more beneficial to act preemptively when we still can. It will be too late if our people have given in to despair."

From the way that Argile talked, he probably had access to different future projections than Ves.

Nonetheless, both of them were in agreement that red humanity needed to do way more in order to increase their chances of survival. That was why neither Ves nor Volkert Argile preferred the safer options. They were too restrained and did not go far enough to drag their race out of the pit.

"One final question." The dread captain spoke. "Why are you so willing to go above and beyond our initial request and aid the Red Fleet? I am not questioning your goodwill, but I will need to provide an answer to the more skeptical advisors in my father's employ. The mechers will not be happy if you do this for us. Your relationship with them may be jeopardized. They may even consider your move to be an act of betrayal."

Ves leaned back in his chair. "It is a good thing that I am not a real mecher. I may be a mech designer, but it has always been the mechers who have tried to pullinto their organization. They never really gavea choice. While I am more than happy to cooperate with them on certain matters, I think it will be helpful to remind them that I am still my own person. Besides, once the Red Collective gets up and running, it is inevitable that I will occupy a high position within this new organization. There are many reasons forto support this initiative."

"Very well. I shall consult with Fleet Admiral Argile one more time. I think that he will either choose the second plan or the third plan. This should not take too long."

The dread captain was right. Ves and Sigrund only had to wait for one-and-a-half-hours before a pair of Dread Marines escorted them back to the soffice.

Compared to before, Volkert Argile looked a lot more tired than before.

"What is your father's verdict?"

"Refuge in audacity."

"Pardon?" Ves blinked.

"Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile is of the opinion that desperate times call for desperate measures. Despite the many problems and lack of broad support for this plan, he is convinced that the possible benefits are enough of a justification to proceed with your third plan. We are willing to put the future of the Dominion of Man as well as our personal careers at stake because you always deliver on your promises, more or less. We are making a highly atypical decision by putting our trust in you. We shall provide you with as much support as you need within reason to implement your most ambitious plan."

Ves felt both excited and relieved after he received this answer!

He successfully managed to hoodwink the Argiles in playing along with his crazy plan!

He resisted the urge to rub his hands like a greedy bastard and immediately thought about how he would pull off his mad scheme.

Fortunately, he did not waste all of his twhile he waited for the fleeters to make up their minds.

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"There are multiple components to my plan." Ves immediately explained. "The Brain Trust is the core. I will try to preserve its existing functions as best as possible, but I may have to borrow Captain Zonrad Reze's expertise as well as that of its current caretakers to implement a few targeted changes."

"That is not an issue. We have already taken this request into account."

"I also need slightly greater access to your Spark Reactor. Due to certain factors that I am not sure you understand or are aware of, I do not think it is a good idea to make extensive use of it. I will have to work around it instead and make sure to maintain enough separation."

"That is a more difficult request to fulfill, Professor Larkinson. I will see what I can do, but I can tell you that anything related to the Spark Reactor is much more difficult to arrange. Perhaps it is for the best that you do not rely on it too much."

Ves nodded in acceptance. "Furthermore, I will require the cooperation of as many people as possible. It is essential for the entire crew to earnestly follow my instructions no matter how weird it sounds. It is really helpful if other fleeters cooperate as well."

"What do you have in mind?"

"A ritual." Ves quickly raised his hand. "Now before you object, letexplain to you that a ritual is a powerful way to properly channel the energy of the masses to produce a powerful outcome. It is not essential, but it will definitely help to kickstart the Dominion of Man's transformation and set the ancestral spirit's priorities straight. I am aware that this is probably the most problematic request, but it will really help if a lot of fleeters play along."

"Almost every fleeter is a secularist."

"I know, captain. It's not important. It's the thought and the gesture that counts. It is already helpful as long as they possess an inkling of sincerity. I need to know how many people are willing to participate in a harmless but important ritual."

"Hmm. I am confident enough that I can command the entire crew of the Dominion of Man to participate in your ritual. I am reasonably certain that I can convince the majority of the crew serving aboard the rest of the warfleet in this star system to do the same. It is unlikely that more fleeters will participate in this operation of yours. What you are proposing is too controversial for the remainder of the Red Fleet. The probability of interference is too great. It is best if we can keep your plan as secret as possible just before you are ready to start the ritual."

"That's a good idea. Don't worry. The ritual doesn't have to be too complicated. I will need to make a few preparations beforehand, but as long as the spacers under your command remain obedient, I am sure we can pull it off. What matters is the intent, not the form."

"I shall keep that in mind. This is useful to know. Please givean overview of the sort of rituals that you have in mind. If any of it involves human sacrifice or other depraved acts, then do not expect us to agree."

Ves gave the dread captain a reassuring smile. "Don't worry. I may be descended from a cold-hearted mass-murdering cultivator who has drained the life out of entire planets in order to fuel her lust for power, but I am not my mother. I am a lot more modern compared to her. No one needs to get killed. It will be helpful if your crew is open to cutting open their bodies at the right time. There is power in lifeblood."

"..."