The Mech Touch

Ves carefully mulled over a matter that had grown bigger and more precarious by the hour.

The Everchanger had opened his mind by voicing desires that no one had ever thought that they would be relevant for mechs of any kind.

The Shield of Samar showed that mechs weren't content to be the powerless 'pets' of the Larkinson Clan anymore.

Since living mechs not only played an increasingly greater role in the clan, but also became a part of the family. This meant that there was an increasing argument to be made that they deserved to be treated as constituents in the Larkinson Clan's political system!

Just like how every human clansman was able to feel as if the people in charge got their back, the living mechs wanted to enjoy the same representation.

There was no clearer way to show that living mechs were true members of the clan by elevating one of their own to the core leadership of the Larkinson Clan!

The rank of minister carried a heavy weight among the Larkinsons. They were part of the true movers and shakers in the clan that possessed a wide latitude to make decisions and execute plans related to their ministerial office.

Ves could already foresee that he would trigger a figurative explosion in the clan if he complied with the Shield of Samar's request!

He was afraid that many clansmen would think he had gone utterly mad for appointing an 'inanimate' object to a position that was ordinarily reserved for actual humans!

The notion was as absurd as assigning Lucky to become the Minister of Production Resources Management!

As the Shield of Samar patiently waited for Ves to process his wild and chaotic thoughts on its proposal, a part of him wished he had gained the power to travel back in time by a single day.

The issues he had to deal with were much simpler at the time! If he didn't take the initiative to ask the Everchanger what it wanted, he would have never stepped on this political mine so soon!

Although Ves inwardly acknowledged that this issue would become a matter of grave concern sooner or later due to the emergence of more third order living mechs, at this time it was too soon for him to consider all of these profound questions!

Ves still hadn't forgotten about his actual mission and goals. He entered Purgatory for a reason, and placating the Shield of Samar's ambitious political ambitions was not one of them. How could he possibly agree to erecting an entirely new ministerial branch just because of the input of a single living mech?

This was a much more impactful issue that demanded serious discussion by multiple people in order to formulate a proper response.

However… not everyone understood living mechs as well as Ves. In fact, a lot of people were ignorant of what they could do, particularly the third order ones. Even if he explained the details to the other Larkinsons, they still wouldn't possess the necessary qualifications to issue proper verdicts on this contentious issue.

Ves had to take the lead this time. Only he was able to understand the perspective of his living mechs.

Though he sympathized with his third-order living mechs a lot, the suggestions made by the Shield of Samar were not as straightforward as they sounded.

There were vast implications to this move that went beyond the walls of his clan.

He let out a deep breath.

"I am sorry to say that appointing you as minister and putting you in charge of an important arm of our clan is a step too far. While you make a good argument for why the Living Mech Affairs Ministry is needed and how it is best if one among you is put in charge of it, I cannot agree to any decision that puts living mechs such as you in a position where you can make many decisions that can affect the lives of many clansmen."

His answer did not please the expert mech because its aura had become heavier and more turbulent all of a sudden!

WHAT IS YOUR REASON FOR DENYING ME, CREATOR? IS THERE A PROBLEM WITH RECOGNIZING THAT LIVING MECHS ARE VALUED MEMBERS OF THE CLAN? DO YOU BELIEVE THAT MECHS SHOULD NEVER HOLD OFFICE?

Ves quickly raised his palm. "It's not that! I am not against this notion. I believe that enough clansmen will learn to appreciate living mechs that are standing up for their own kind. I am more concerned with what outsiders think. Whatever our clansmen think is best may not be the case for other humans."

OTHER HUMANS?

"Yes, other humans. More specifically, I am referring to the most powerful among them. Each of them hold sway over something and are quite reluctant to share power with others. Imagine how the leaders of the Mech Trade Association would feel when they hear that we are elevating mechs from tools into actual decision makers? Will they welcome this development with open arms, do you think?"

It sort of made sense that the Shield of Samar had become more politically astute due to the influence of Venerable Jannzi. Out of all of the Larkinson expert pilots, only she had shown any significant desire and ambition to interfere with the running of the clan.

The Shield of Samar didn't come into contact with a lot of people. Aside from Qilanxo who used to be a leader figure in her previous life, much of the expert mech's perspective had been shaped by its strong-willed expert pilot!

Even so, the Shield of Samar's perspective was still too narrow, just like its human partner.

Ves was more in tune with the overall policies and principles of the MTA. He not only held discussions with high-ranking figures such as Master Willix and the Polymath, but also talked about transgalactic trends with Calabast and Minister Shederin.

Through these discussions, he rapidly made up for his ignorance in high-level trends and developments.

As a patriarch of a rising clan organization in the turbulent and fast-moving Red Ocean, it was essential for him to familiarize with these high-level topics. This was why he was deeply reluctant to accept the Shield of Samar's proposal despite his mech designer side being strongly in favor of his development.

Ves probably would have agreed to elevate the Shield of Samar or at least another third order living mech to the rank of minister if he lived in a more ideal reality.

Unfortunately, he was not the top dog in human space. Just like everyone else, he had to bend his head to the directives of the Big Two. There was no way the Mech Trade Association would hold back its opinion when it came to matters relating to mechs, and elevating living mechs into positions of actual power over humans crossed a sensitive line that was sure to generate a lot of controversy!

HUMANS… ON ONE HAND, YOUR CREATIVITY AND INGENUITY HAS LED TO THE RISE OF LIVING MECHS SUCH AS MYSELF. ON THE OTHER HAND, YOU ARE A JEALOUS, GREEDY RACE THAT ARE FAR TOO DEFENSIVE ABOUT THEIR OWN SUPREMACY.

Ves shrugged. "Strength and attitude matters. Human civilization would have never grown to this point if we are too soft-hearted towards ourselves and each other. While we live in the Age of Mechs, that is because we humans have developed and raised mechs as a more controllable and manageable weapon of war. The point of using them over warships is to remove the circumstances that have led to gratuitous violence and mass destruction. Do you understand how the elevation of living mechs into power threatens this status quo?

I THINK I GET THE POINT, CREATOR. BE THAT AS IT MAY, WE LIVING MECHS ARE NO THREAT TO THE HUMAN RACE. YOU MADE US TO SERVE AS YOUR COMPANIONS AND BATTLE PARTNERS AND THAT IS WHAT WE ALWAYS INTEND TO DO. WE CANNOT FIGHT AND REACH OUR FULL POTENTIAL WITHOUT THE POTENTIAL OF HUMANITY. ANYONE WHO THINKS THAT WE ARE PLOTTING TO OVERTHROW THE HUMAN RACE AND GAIN DOMINION OVER THE GALAXIES ARE SHORT-SIGHTED, OVERLY-PARANOID FOOLS.

Ves pressed his lips. "I am inclined to believe you, but you are just one living mech. Not every one of your kind will share the same sentiments as you. Your nature as individuals who can grow and develop in any way prevents that. While I am confident that the other third order living mechs in our clan will not hold any unruly ambitions, I cannot say so for the mechs that will rise up in the hands of other organizations. Sooner or later, the amount of third order living mechs in existence will explode, and with that your group will develop many different thoughts."

The Shield of Samar grew more active after hearing this. The living mech did not become discouraged in the slightest.

IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN IT IS ALL THE MORE IMPORTANT FOR US TO SET A GOOD EXAMPLE FOR OTHER LIVING MECHS. BAD APPLES WILL EMERGE EVENTUALLY, BUT IF OUR LARKINSON CLAN CAN DEMONSTRATE A MODEL OF SYMBIOSIS AND COEXISTENCE BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT RACES THAT MAKES US VASTLY MORE POWERFUL THAN NORMAL, THEN WE CAN COUNTERBALANCE ANY ADVERSE DEVELOPMENTS. WE WILL PROVE WITH OUR ACTIONS THAT LIVING MECHS HAVE MUCH MORE TO OFFER TO HUMANITY THAN NORMAL MECHS. AS LONG AS WE SUCCEED, THE MECH TRADE ASSOCIATION CANNOT POSSIBLY IGNORE THE TEMPTATION.

Ves raised his opinion of the Shield of Samar even further. The expert mech was quite clever. The little scheme it proposed happened to match with his own intentions.

One of the reasons why he founded the Larkinson Clan was to create an organization under his control that was willing and able to make the most out of living mechs.

Their existence was fairly new and unheard of to the rest of human space, so in the interests of promoting his products, he wanted the Larkinson Clan to show clear superiority in mech combat.

This would make other powers envious of the benefits that living mechs could provide!

The Larkinson Army of today already made a good start. The amazing performances of the Larkinson mechs in numerous different battles had already shown that Ves' products held a clear edge against ordinary opponents.

Of course, the customer base in the Red Ocean did not care too much about the means displayed by the Larkinson Clan in the galactic rim. The overall state of the mech industry was less developed in this impoverished region. Only a proper battle against a qualified mech force in the new frontier would show the locals that living mechs held an advantage against more powerful opponents as well!

All of this was just part of a long sequence of steps that Ves intended to make in order to push living mechs to the mainstream. The most important aspect of this plan was that he had always intended it to be a gradual process.

What the Shield of Samar was aiming for disrupted the pacing of his master plan!

Ves made a placating gesture towards the impatient expert mech.

"Look, I know you are eager to upgrade the status of living mechs in our clan, but you need to be more patient. People inside our clan may be more accepting, but our greater society is simply not ready for this development. We can work out a few ways where you living mechs such as yourself can undertake additional responsibility in our clan, but we need to keep it low-key in order to avoid controversy. Does that sound acceptable to you, Shield?"

HOW LONG WILL THAT TAKE? HOW LONG WILL LIVING MECHS ENJOY LESS CONTROL AND OBTAIN LESS RECOGNITION THAN THEY DESERVE?

"I can't give you a time frame. It all depends on how much I can develop my design philosophy and how far my products have penetrated the mech market. If you want living mechs to become more equal companions and partners of humans, then swaying a few MTA factions is a crucial process. To do that, we need to present ourselves in the best possible light. Do you understand why we must move cautiously for the time being?"

Though the Shield of Samar clearly wasn't happy with this situation, it was not stupid. Humans had the most say right now and far too many of them were still ignorant and likely to react adversely to living mechs that got too uppity for their own good!

VERY WELL. I WILL REMAIN PATIENT AND MAKE DO WITH LESS… FOR NOW.