The Mech Touch

The proposal to set up a ministry of the clan that was supposed to be headed by a living mech was radical, but also old news.

Ves had already evaluated it from many different angles with the help of his advisors and decided not to take the risk.

This was an exceedingly dangerous action and could antagonize a lot of people in the Red Ocean.

All of his relationships with the MTA wouldn't be able to prevent the enormous backlash against his clan.

This was because he was certain that there were a lot of factions within the Mech Trade Association that would be eager to make an example of his clan for daring to put intelligent machines in charge!

Ves had managed to deflect this issue by offering a compromise that would probably work out as long as he didn't make anything official. The living mechs could regulate each other as much as they wanted so long as they did it behind closed doors.

They would essentially set up a secret order of sorts that was only known by the living mechs themselves. No human aside from Ves, Venerable Joshua and a few other people should even know about this secretive group.

While Ves was happy with this outcome, the next proposal that Joshua brought up sounded just as troublesome!

"Are you seriously suggesting that we should allow living mechs to essentially 'pilot' human-like constructs so that they can mingle with our clansmen and enjoy the experiences that humans like us take for granted?"

"Uh, it's not me who is making this suggestion. It's the Everchanger and the other living mechs that are clamoring to get out of their shells."

Ves let out a deep breath as he pressed his fingers against his temple. It seemed that his recent sublimation had not rid himself of the weakness of headaches.

"You goddamn bastard. Do you know what you are asking of me?! It's not enough to insist on a change that would allow mechs to hold actual authority in our clan. Now you want me to turn reality upside down by making it possible for mechs to pilot humans. Do you know how crazy the public will become when they hear about this crazy plan?!"

Venerable Joshua lifted up his palms. "Hey, as I have said, it's your own creations who are asking for this, not me! Besides, they aren't looking to replace us humans. They merely want to have fun and enrich their lives. It's hard for them to do so when they can only experience them second-hand whenever they interface with their mech pilots. Don't you think they deserve more for their loyal service?"

Ves grimaced. "I have already told you that what is fair does not necessarily determine what should happen. Do you know the implications of this crazy proposal? It will essentially blur the line between humans and mechs! It is one thing for humans to try and become mechs in order to become more powerful. It is another thing to humanize our mechs so that they can live the same lives as us! Aside from all of the existential questions that this might provoke, this will most definitely be a slippery slope where machines like the Everchanger will request ever more human privileges. Who knows whether they want to gain the right to procreate one day!"

"Why shouldn't we allow them that right?" The expert pilot questioned. "They haven't added the ability to have children on their wishlist yet, but I am sure it will only be a matter of time before that happens."

"The mechers will nuke us all!" Ves despaired!

It took a while for him to calm down from his emotional reaction to this crazy proposal. Although Joshua sounded quite persuasive, Ves was way too jaded to allow his sympathy towards living mechs to sway his feelings.

He was a leader. He had to juggle between many different interests. This matter was way bigger than the Larkinson Clan. He could not allow his irrational impulses to put him on the path of destruction.

"No." He told Joshua. "I'm sorry to say this, but human society is simply not ready for this. It doesn't matter if we keep it within our clan. People from the outside will see a dangerous development and will preemptively plot to destroy us without giving us a chance to prove that our actions are safe."

"Give our living mechs a chance! I truly think that they need to experience what humanity is like. Not only will this make them happy, but building up their own experiences will also help with their growth. Isn't that what you always wanted to see? Maybe this is the secret to helping them evolve to the next stage."

That was an interesting theory and one that resonated with Ves. It may very well be true, but that didn't mean that all of his other considerations suddenly became invalid.

He had restrained the use of his transcendence glow and his other controversial inventions because of how much of a target they painted on his back.

This was no different in his opinion. Everything that threatened his life and career had to be restrained until he became strong enough to endure the backlash.

Ves firmly shook his head. "No means no. I have already issued my judgment on this matter. Even if you somehow manage to convince the chief ministers to go along with this insane plan, which I heavily doubt will be possible, I will veto the proposal. I am highly aware of what the mechers think about issues such as this. I made sure to study stuff like this in the past in case I inadvertently put my existence at risk with my initiatives. The MTA has always been clear that mechs are tools that exist for the benefit of mankind. It is best not to do anything that comes close to challenging this long-held stance."

The expert pilot looked frustrated. He found himself unable to articulate any arguments that would be convincing enough to work. This was not a surprise as he was not a trained diplomat or negotiator.

"Meow meow."

It was at this time that Lucky lazily flew over to Joshua and attempted to pull the pilot out of his depressed mood.

Joshua smiled and held the cat. He stroked Lucky's head as he thought of how he could return to the living mechs without crushing their dreams.

"Meowww…"

Lucky squinted in pleasure as the cat rolled around. His exterior metal plating smoothly brushed against Joshua's grasp.

The touch of all of that metal triggered a strange idea in his mind.

"Wait a second…"

Joshua looked down at Lucky and studied the gem cat with an appraising gaze.

"Meow…?"

"You're a genius, Lucky!"

"Meow?!"

"What are you on about, Joshua?"

"Look!" The expert pilot held out Lucky as if he was presenting a lion cub! "Instead of connecting living mechs to avatar machines that resemble humans like you and I, you can put them inside cat bodies instead! If mechs such as the Minerva and the Everchanger begin to hang out with clansmen in the form of mechanical cats like this, no one will be afraid that killer machines will seek to subvert humanity and take over our civilization. The mech cats will simply be too cute!"

"..."

Of all of the ridiculous ideas that Ves had heard as of late, this was certainly the most ludicrous of them all. There were so many holes in this altered proposal that he didn't know where to begin!

"No." Ves repeated his rejection. "A little change like this won't change anything. There is no way that the mechers would make such a simple mistake. Living mechs can still pose a great threat to human society no matter whether they interact with us through human avatars or cat avatars. In fact, you can even argue that the latter is more threatening because it is a more insidious means of infiltration! Cats are adored in every part of human space because they can be trusted to provide companionship without any ulterior motives. Trying to overturn this assumption is a really bad idea. I am not going to allow my living mechs to—"

—Nyaaaaaa!

Before Ves could finish his explanation, the Golden Cat abruptly manifested into existence!

The ancestral spirit's glow warmed up the room and made Lucky's eyes light up.

The gem cat left Joshua's embrace and greeted Goldie with a playful lick.

"Meow~"

Nyaaaa~

Ves looked annoyed at the interruption. "Why are you here, Goldie?"

The Golden Cat turned around and flew in front of Ves' face.

Nya nya nyaaaa.

"Are you being serious?!"

Nya!

"I am not changing my mind on this!" Ves replied. "We can wait before giving living mechs an opportunity to live among humans through the use of avatars. It's too early at this time."

Nyaaa nyaaaaa nyaaaaa!

"I know that! Joshua already told me that our living mechs are feeling constrained, but we cannot humanize them too quickly! Let's just wait a century or so. Once my products become popular enough, it will be easier to convince people to give them more rights. They won't fear living mechs as much as now because they have personally experienced that they are not as scary as they thought."

Nyaaaaaa!

"I can't go any faster! A century is already a generous estimate because it will take at least that much time for me to gain the influence necessary to nudge the direction of the mech industry as a whole. Even then, I still need to build a broad coalition of support in order to push any proposed changes through the intense opposition that we will no doubt encounter."

NYAAAA!

Goldie actually began to grow angry at Ves!

"Do I need to repeat my arguments? I already issued my judgment."

NYAAA NYAAA NYAAA!

"Hey! Stop that! What are you doing, Goldie!"

Ves had to lift up his arms to fend off an assault from the Golden Cat!

The furious ancestral spirit flew around Ves and smacked him with her paws, though mercifully she retracted her claws.

That didn't mean that Ves was enjoying the experience, though. Goldie kept hissing at Ves as if he ate cat meat for dinner!

NYAAA! NYAAA! NYAAA!

"I am not going to change my mind!"

NYAAAAAAA!

"Go away, Goldie! Go bother someone else!"

NYAAAA! NYAAAAAA!

"Okay, okay, I will do it, Goldie! I will give a chance for our best and most important living mechs to live among our clansmen in mechanical cat avatars, is that what you wanted to hear?!"

Nyaaaaa…

Goldie calmed down and retreated from her angry state as soon as she got what she wanted. She lifted her head in a smug manner as she basked in her victory over Ves.

"You are being very impudent, Goldie." Ves glowered at his own creation. "Our clan is supposed to be run by humans, not a spiritual entity who became too uppity for her own good."

Nyaaa nyaa nyaa.

"I know you are supposed to represent the will of our entire clan. That doesn't change the fact that letting an ignorant mob decide all of our policies is the height of folly!"

Nyaaaa!

"Don't worry! I'm not going back on my word. That doesn't mean I am going full throttle on this crazy plan, though. It is best if we limit the number of candidates and treat the initial attempt as a trial. More importantly, I also need to design cat avatars that can actually connect to our living mechs. I don't even know where to begin with developing a brand new control interface."

This was definitely a challenging side project, but a part of Ves was already interested to see what was possible.

Nyaa. Nyaaa. Nyaaa.

Ves waved his arm towards his active design interface. "Don't expect me to deliver a working project quickly. I still have lots of other projects to catch up to, and I haven't even completed all of the blessed weapon upgrades either. Give me time to think on how to design these cat avatars."

Nyaaa!

"What's in it for you, anyway? What is your agenda, Goldie?"

Nyaaa nyaaa.

"Oh, I see. So that's your angle. Very illuminating."