The Mech Touch

The Statue War had engulfed the Vulcan Empire at a rapid pace.

Just a month ago, none of the Vulcanites expected their state to descend into all-out warfare.

How could they have known that one of their past actions came back to haunt them in the worst way possible?

To outside observers, the most confounding aspect about this man-made disaster was that the scheme wasn't even that well-hidden.

Anyone familiar with the Larkinson Clan's distinctive mechs could tell that the Vulcanites had been hoodwinked by one of their recent enemies!

It didn't even matter if a significant part of the population and leadership were aware that Patriarch Ves Larkinson was playing them like a musical instrument.

The most brilliant part about this devious scheme was that it worked even if its nefarious nature was exposed!

As long as the most extreme firebrands among the two different religions got ahold of the mysterious statues, their belief in Vulcan intensified to the point of becoming an absolute, unshakable conviction!

Even expert pilots weren't as intransigent as a believer who had personally encountered their deity!

Inside a grand meeting chamber built to provide the representatives of the Vulcan Empire with the illusion of grandeur, the mood had grown heavy.

Grand Regent Habidas Aaden, blood kin to the greatest hero of the dwarven revolution, looked tired.

The continual crises and challenges that had erupted in recent times had tested his patience beyond its limits.

He was tired.

Even though he delegated many crucial tasks to his capable friends and subordinates, the severity of the disasters unfolding in his empire demanded his attention day and night.

No matter how this turbulent time eventually came to a conclusion, Habidas Aaden did not want to be known as a ruler who slept behind the helm as his starship crashed into a moon!

"Regent…" An older friend who sat at his side whispered to him. "I fear that Vulcan's favor is not enough to shine a light on us today."

The bearded ruler could not bring himself to summon any optimism from his tired mind and body. "Let us wait until we have heard the verdict from the tribunal. We have made our case to the best of our abilities. The last thing the Mech Trade Association want is to create an incident where dwarves are being subjugated by humans. The optics look terrible."

The Grand Regent had no doubt that the representatives of the same organization could hear exactly what he was saying. By his reckoning, they had long known what he and his representatives would say before every meeting.

The correct procedures still had to be followed. They conveyed legitimacy, ensured that everyone was able to make themselves understood and allowed him to impart emotion into the arguments he thought were crucial.

Now, the time had come to see whether all of his efforts and the efforts of his staff yielded the desired result.

"Mr. Aaden." A stern-looking human spoke from the other end of the conference table. Four more humans like him hovered at his sides. "We have heard your arguments and conferred among ourselves on the merits of your pleas. We are aware that the lives of trillions of heavy gravity variant humans will be affected by our verdict. To ensure we come to the fairest conclusion, we have kept our silence for more weeks than necessary because we are inclined to give your people a chance to redeem themselves."

Habidas Aaden's heart sank when he heard those words.

"It is… regrettable… that your subjects have shown little redeeming features." The man announced with little emotion. "Your folk claim to be more superior than baseline humanity, yet their conduct reminds us of our worst traits. We have witnessed grand displays of ignorance, bigotry, racism, idolatry and further undesirable behavior. Though we recognize that many of your citizens are sufficiently enlightened, your state does not give them the voice they deserve. Instead, your Vulcan Empire gives voice to the loudest speakers who claim to fight for their particular interpretation of their god."

The man had not been kind in his description of the Vulcan people. It was all true, yet it obscured too much of the goodness the dwarves still possessed.

"If this were not the case, our conclusion may have taken a different direction. We have waited for more weeks than necessary to see whether there are any redeeming factors in your state and people. To our great disappointment, we have continually observed that your most regressive elements have been allowed to silence the dwindling amount of reasonable voices in your state. We judge that your state will only grow more beholden to extremist individuals who are inclined to abuse their authority to spread even more ignorance and bigotry."

The grand regent wanted to stand up and argue against the MTA representative's verdict, but his fear and despair kept him in place.

Habidas Aaden knew the character of the MTA. Once its representatives made up their mind, they were not open to any further persuasion.

Their authority was absolute, and their official declarations were final!

The MTA representative stared right into Habidas Aaden's eyes. "Our verdict is as follows. We revoke our confidential agreement to guarantee the independence of the Vulcan Empire. Our Association cannot in good conscience provide support to a state that has not only failed to guide its citizens to an enlightened future, but has instead brought them back to a past where humanity slew each other for the most illogical of justifications."

The dwarven delegation all looked defeated at the news. They had anticipated that this might happen, but they always held out hope that the mechers would give them a second chance.

"The founding mission of the Mech Trade Association is to promote the advancement of humankind." The imperious representative stated in a lecturing tone. "We have taken charge of a fractured species that has barely overcome its darkest time, and we have succeeded in repairing the damage wrought by runaway technology and power-hungry despots. We do not look kindly to any state or group that seeks to reverse the gains we have made in the past four centuries. Humanity in the Age of Mechs does not require the existence of the Vulcan Empire in its current form."

The Mech Trade Association emerged during the darkest days of the Age of Conquest to combat all of the scourges that threatened to make humanity undo itself. Despite the best efforts of Habidas Aaden and his fellow dwarves, they had failed to convince the extremists from gaining more influence in the state.

Too many dwarves didn't want to get saved by the MTA! The short-sighted fools who pledged their loyalty to Vulcan instead of their fellow citizens were utterly incorrigible and did not realize what kind of deals that leaders such as Habidas Aaden had made to preserve their dwarven utopia.

The MTA representatives did not provide any further clarification or any hint of remorse. To them, the galaxy was filled with so many different states and polities that the future of a single dwarven was only a mild curiosity to them. Each of these highborn dignitaries gave out the impression that their time was better spent on other matters.

Their forms shimmered as they teleported directly from the grand meeting room. The dwarves who sat on the other side of the long table looked desolate and defeated.

"Grand regent…"

"The MTA has spoken." Habidas Aaden slowly stood up from his short chair. "Yet their voice does not speak for our people. Remember who we are. We are dwarves, the sons of Vulcan and the undergods of the galaxy. Are we going to lay our feet at the judgement of the most high-handed tall folk in existence or are we going to fight and prove them wrong?!"

The dwarves around him perked up a bit as their leader roused them with his attitude.

Habidas Aaden tugged at his bushy blond beard. "Each of you must have thought I would have shaved my beard in shame by now, correct? Well you'll have to wait as I am not going to let this verdict put the nail in the coffin!"

"The Vulcan Empire shall exist forever!"

"Dwarvenkind must prove the tall folk wrong!"

"That's the spirit!" Habidas grinned. "Vulcan has not yet forsaken us. Though there are many dwarves who purport to speak for our great god, make no mistake. These enchanted and bedeviled fools are unknowingly tearing our society down. Exposing them and persuading them to see reason is our highest priority. We cannot defeat our militant citizens head-on. We must persuade them to lay down their arms on their own accord, whatever it takes. I want to hear plans. What suggestions do you have that we might yet employ?"

An advisor spoke up. "We must squash the Dwarven God Cult and stop their attempted coup. Though the adherents of the Vulcan Faith are not much better, they are on our side, at least. As long as we have defeated the heretical cultists who actively seek to start a war against the tall folk, the remaining traditional believers will slowly put down their weapons as there are no enemies left to fight."

Not everyone thought this was a good idea.

"The Dwarven God cultists are awful, but that doesn't mean our own side is without fault. We need to rein in our own loyalists and bring them under our command! Their violent acts and their disregard for civilian casualties is putting us in a bad light!"

"And how would you possibly rein in the militants by our side? They are being attacked on all fronts! Passive defense is not a solution. We must take the fight to the enemy and squash their powerbase before they can fully leverage their advantage in numbers."

Habidas grimly smiled. Though few of these suggestions sounded viable, at least his circle had shaken off their despair. There was still hope for the Vulcan Empire, though the window of opportunity was minimal.

He looked up at the high-vaulted ceilings and the decorative windows that depicted the greatest heroes of the Vulcan Empire fighting the great cause.

The dwarves of old operated in much more barren circumstances than today. The original rebels of Desala X had launched their first act of resistance with a band of ill-trained, ill-informed miners and with no mech in their possession.

Their awful battle wagons could barely fight against the local guard mechs while their sole mech pilot had to borrow a mech from the enemy in order to deliver the paltry resistance movement its first victory!

The stories told by the survivors of this desperate, foolhardy engagement were mixed and contradictory. None of the dwarves back then were academically-trained historians or chronicles and their educational development was frankly abysmal.

Yet their lack of existing constraints and their unique perspectives produced colorful stories that had turned into a collection of revered myths that guided the Vulcanites to this day.

The subject of Vulcan was one of the most oft-spoken elements in those first-hand accounts. Each of the rebels vouched for the dwarven deity's existence and descent. Habidas Aaden's grand-uncle was the first and only known dwarf to have served as a vessel to the God of Dwarves, Mechs and Craftsmanship. Solid proof of his enlightened creations and influence left no doubt to the Vulcanites that their patron and protector had once blessed their folk with his guiding hand!

Grand Regent Habidas Aaden closed his eyes and pressed his strong and meaty palms together in prayer.

"Lend us your aid, Vulcan. Grace us with your wisdom once again. I am wholeheartedly willing to sacrifice my body and soul so that you may descend upon me in our darkest hour. The future of dwarvenkind is at stake. Too many of your worshippers have gone mad with zeal due to a lack of guidance. If you can just appear before us once again and speak through a willing vessel such as myself, you can save the Vulcan Empire and every dwarf who reveres you as our guardian! Please give us a sign!"

The grand regent failed to obtain a response. Vulcan, it appeared, was deaf to his pleas.