The Mech Touch

Ves and Gloriana regarded the NuMan biomech in a completely different light once they listened to its backstory. Even their two cats had stopped playing around.

The NuMan was not a mech at all! The as-of-yet-unnamed designer who developed this abomination did not have mech pilots in mind at all. Instead, he willfully ignored the rules of his profession and broke all kinds of taboos in a bid to preserve his life!

Ves couldn't imagine what kind of mindset a highly-accomplished biomech designer adopted to bring himself to come up with such an extreme plan. Apparently, it wasn't enough to develop a clone. The biomech designer in question wanted to fashion a body that towered over people just like other mechs!

"Do you think the designer of the NuMan is crazy?" Master Werther Cline looked straight into the NuMan's dull eyes. "Do you think that the rest of the biomech industry hasn't thought about transplanting their minds in similar bodies?"

From the way the Master phrased his question, Ves couldn't help but let his imagination go loose.

Gloriana also gained some suspicions. "Are you hinting that.. the NuMan isn't the first attempt by biomech designers to create new bodies for themselves?"

"It is not that much of a secret in our circle, young miss. You are indeed correct to think that the NuMan is hardly the first attempt of such. The only difference here is that its designer is the most accomplished from the Life Research Association. This 'biomech' is more refined and advanced than the rough and rudimentary attempts by others. It had the greatest chance to succeed."

"How so? What makes the NuMan better than the other examples?"

"I've combed over the data and research notes in detail." The old man generously answered. "The NuMan incorporates many brilliant innovations that should have solved several problems relating to mind and consciousness transfers. Despite its size, its human-like organs are almost identical to his old body. The genetic and physical resemblance of the NuMan and the designer's original body is quite high, which should theoretically lower the chance of rejection to an acceptable level. What is even more absurd is that the NuMan also attained immortality!"

"How?" Gloriana widened her eyes.

The Master gave her a regretful smile. "I cannot go into the details. I can only tell you that the NuMan is a unique product that is cultivated from tissue samples harvested from a unique alien organism that is extremely rare. It is a miracle in itself that my old friend succeeded in transforming the alien cells into NuMan cells. There are probably only two or three biomech designers in the LRA that can replicate this feat."

There were too many secrets behind the development of the NuMan. Master Cline only scratched the surface of what had been done to make the NuMan as great as possible.

"What does immortal mean in this context?" Ves asked. "Is the NuMan impervious to damage? Is it able to regenerate endlessly?"

"This organic body is not so fantastical. Its cells are endlessly replicable, courtesy of their alien origin. As long as they are supplied with energy and matter, the body cells will continue to renew themselves after they start to decay."

"If this biomech designer was able to create an immortal biomech, why not apply it on a more human-sized level?"

The older man grew grim.

"The answer is complicated, but to put it in the simplest possible terms, the human body is too small to contain so much power. Why do we wage war with machines the size of mechs? Why do we not opt to deploy armies of cheaper and less c.u.mbersome infantry?"

"The amount of equipment and firepower that infantry can bring to bear is too limited." Ves supplied the standard answer he learned at school. "The ratio of human body to machine is too high. Since the latter is mostly a weakness, that means the overall package is inefficient on a volume basis. The equipment itself is also weaker due to constraints on size and mass. A single mech can easily trample hundred heavily-armed infantrymen with ease."

Master Cline nodded. "That is true. Now extend this concept to our current situation. What do you think about my old friend's attempt to continue his life in a new body?"

Gloriana's eyes lit up. "I see! All of the stories on the galactic net about dying people futilely attempting to live a new life by transferring their mind and consciousness into clones of themselves never mentioned a single success. There's something terribly flawed about this process. If the clone is too weak or limited, then maybe you'll be able to succeed with a larger and more powerful body!"

"There are indeed many biotech researchers who ascribe to this unsupported theory. Biomech designers are highly proficient at developing massive organic machines that are packed with more power than any normal human body can bear. Since humanoid biomechs closely resemble bodies like ours, it is easy to draw the conclusion that such a creation can also serve as a superior replacement body for our race. Nobody has ever proven that this theory has any merit, but when you are desperate, you don't tend to stop at these questions."

Ves understood this approach. He adopted it many times when he was also driven to proceed with his reckless experiments. Who cared about scientific rigor when the barbarians were at the gates?

"I take it that none of these wild experiments have succeeded."

"That is a given. If it was possible to transfer your consciousness to another medium, whether it is a processor, an identical clone, a biomech or any other physical shell. If it was that easy for individuals to stave off death in this manner, we'd be living in a radically different society."

That was true. There would be way more undying bastards around. Accomplished people wouldn't work so hard to make accomplishments, and upwards mobility would become a lot more limited as the existing rulers had no intention of making way for the next generation.

For better or worse, human society was made of mortal lives. Every single individual was subject to the cycle of life and death. Ves could not imagine how messed up it would be if lots of people succeeded in attaining immortality.

"I think I understand now why the NuMan is put on display." Ves said after a moment of thought. "Biomech designers are both biotech experts and mech designers. One of these professions is already dangerous on its own. Combining the two in a single individual opens up a lot more possibilities, but not all of them are proper to pursue."

The Master nodded gravely. "You cannot imagine how many mech designers lose sight of this truth, Mr. Larkinson. We have great power at our disposal. Our knowledge and expertise affords us the choice to create mechs, but they could also be used to create other terrible creations. While there are rules in place to limit what we can do, these are invisible shackles that can easily be ignored. As long as one of us has no scruples, we can easily develop weapons of mass destruction and other harmful inventions behind everyone's backs."

Ves knew this more than everyone else. He once developed a gamma laser rifle. He also modified a doom crawler design so that it was able to accommodate taboo weapons. The latter went on to nuke a lot of cities on a random planet, thereby killing billions of innocent civilians.

While Ves never felt he was culpable of these misdeeds, he wished he had been a little more discerning about who he entered business with. He didn't care what others did with his products, but he didn't want to be judged guilty by association by the MTA!

"If classical mech designers such as the two of you are already capable of developing weapons that can inflict untold devastation to human society, then biomech designers can invent even greater horrors. I am not talking about purely destructive inventions such as viruses that can depopulate entire planets."

"Then what are you referring to, sir?" Gloriana asked.

The Master looked more weary than ever. "The Age of Conquest has taught us that humanity's worst aspect isn't our savagery. While it is true that there is a beast behind every civilized facade, we have moved beyond living on our instincts. What we should actually be afraid of is our greed."

"Greed?"

"Correct. Greed, d.e.s.i.r.e, yearning, ambition. No matter how you choose to interpret it, greed is a terrible force. While every human must possess a measure of greed in order to propel them forward, greed can easily lead to catastrophe if taken too far. The power-mad admirals of the Age of Conquest let their greed run wild and committed genocide on a galactic scale in order to attain the unattainable."

"The Age of Conquest is over." Ves remarked. "We live in an age of moderation. Mechs are much weaker than warsh.i.p.s, so the channels in which we can vent our d.e.s.i.r.es only allow for a limited degree of destruction."

"Is that what you think, Mr. Larkinson?"

"Well.. maybe there are mechs that cross the line."

"There are." The highly-accomplished biomech designer firmly said. "They are not what you think, however. Destructive potential is not the only criteria we use to judge dangerous mechs. The NuMan over here is actually quite weak against other mechs. While it can wear a suit of armor and wield a handheld weapon, the Numan essentially suffers the same weakness as other infantry."

"Then.. what is the true danger?"

"Temptation. Any invention that can tempt individuals to abandon their support for the current order is a threat to human civilization. Just imagine if my old friend succeeded in transferring his consciousness to the NuMan. If it becomes known that an ailing human that approaches his last years is able to gain an unlimited lifespan as a giant humanoid aberration, then what do you think will happen?"

It only took a second for Ves to plot out the frightening chain reaction.

"Our society would be upended. A lot of wealthy and powerful people would definitely jump at the chance to live forever, even if they have to leave their humanity behind!"

"Exactly. The human body is weak. Compared to other human races, we are smaller, shorter-lived and possess limited potential. Our only saving grace is our relatively high population growth, but for those with greater greed and ambitions, this is no advantage at all."

"It is exactly because of our relative weaknesses that our race has succeeded in dominating the galaxy." Ves pointed out.

"That is a high-minded view." Master Cline responded. "In my long years as a biomech designer, I have met many colleagues and other individuals who are incapable of comprehending the bigger picture. They are so consumed by their own ambitions that they never think about the consequences of their own actions. Many people would abandon their humanity and consign others to damnation if they are able to transfer to a more powerful form."

This conversation was already way too profound for Ves. "We're far from that point, I think. No one has ever succeeded in accomplishing what you've described. Our race still has a lot of breathing room."

"I disagree, Mr. Larkinson. You cannot imagine the sheer amount of ingenuity that my old friend has put into the NuMan. Even I derived some useful methods from studying its design. Yet I would rather not be given this opportunity in the first place. The NuMan is a monument of my old friend's folly. I force myself to visit this biomech every month in order to remind myself why limits are there. Just because I can, doesn't mean I should. Mech designers exist to serve mech pilots, nothing more. Despite our industry's attempts to hammer this lesson home, there are still colleagues who have abandoned this principle."

"What sad people." Ves commented.