The Mech Touch

Of all of the possible events that might happen during this conference, Ves did not expect the Polymath to beg for his assistance!

Perhaps 'beg' was too exaggerated of a word.

Nonetheless, it was undeniable that she had taken valuable time from her schedule to meet with Ves in person. This was a clear sign of how much importance she placed on his kinship networks.

From what it looked like, the Polymath valued his kinship networks over any other benefit he could provide.

Nothing could boost her plan more than the support of a kinship network that could bring all of red humanity together.

It would be best if she became the nexus of this network!

Not only would she be able to gain the highest authority over this spiritual network, but she could also ensure that no one else would be able to abuse this extremely powerful tool!

If anything, only the Polymath herself would be able to abuse this kinship network to her advantage.

Her chances of reinforcing and cementing her ambitious rule as the sovereign of red humanity were bound to receive a huge boost once she was able to reign over people like a literal god!

This sounded like a nightmare to Ves. Though there were probably plenty of ways for spiritually powerful individuals such as himself to tamper with their connections to the kinship network, it was nonetheless a distressing development to those that valued their own sovereignty.

The Terrans and the Rubarthans would absolutely grow livid about this. They had the greatest reason to oppose the Polymath's attempt to crown herself as the empress of red humanity.

Even if she managed to push through her takeover, other people still had a chance of defying her rule so long as she was only able to maintain control through conventional means.

It would be a different story if she was able to monitor every single human being connected to the kinship network centered around herself!

Everyone would have no choice but to trust her to wield this power responsibly and refrain from abusing it in an egregious manner.

Though the Polymath gave off the impression that she was working for the good of human civilization all of this time, who knew what she would actually do once she had cast off all of her restraints.

Ves had an inkling that the Polymath had her eye on his kinship network for a longer time. It might explain why he received an invitation to this conference and received so much help and attention from the likes of Jovy and Master Goldstein.

As Ves tried his best to calm himself down and take stock of his situation, he recognized that he actually held leverage over the famous Star Designer!

The Polymath clearly did not possess the ability to create her own kinship network that was adequate enough to support her ambitions.

No one in her orbit was able to give her what she needed either.

The only chance she had of getting what she wanted was to obtain the cooperation of a quirky second-class Senior Mech Designer!

Ves would have felt a lot more flattered if not for thinking about what sort of monster he might unleash upon his fellow humans!

While he did not consider the Polymath to be an evil or even an adverse influence on red humanity, he was not comfortable with the idea of putting her in charge of... everything.

The Polymath clearly sensed his reluctance. Her eyes grew brighter and more aware as she raised the priority of this conversation.

Perhaps sensing that he would likely deny her request if she pressed too hard, she shifted her strategy and adopted a less insistent approach.

"Your assistance is contingent on the passing of the Unity Plan. If our cadre sees fit to vote on my vision to unlock red humanity's true potential, then I would like to invite you to lend your services to my new administration. Your kinship networks as well as your other inventions can significantly increase our chances to save our race by removing many obstacles that stand in the way of unity. By removing distrust and providing greater incentives to form a united front, we can resolve the threat of the native aliens and prepare our civilization for contact with the much more concerning aliens of Messier 87."

Her mention of the unknown but presumably powerful aliens of the nearby supergiant galaxy broke through Ves' concerns.

For all of his fears about letting the Polymath have the final say over everything, none of this mattered if the aliens of Messier 87 eventually came and steamrolled everyone in the Red Ocean!

"Can you offer further clarification about the possible threats originating from Messier 87?" Ves tentatively asked.

The Star Designer immediately shook her head. "You are not permitted to know this information. Only tier 1 galactic citizens and a select group of specialists can receive our most up to date intelligence on distant alien civilizations. Mr. S. may join this select group as long as he agrees to lend his services to us, but since he is indisposed, he will not be able to benefit from this arrangement."

"Wait." Ves suddenly had a strange idea. "If I assist you in setting up a kinship network, will I be able to access this information?"

The woman responded with a slight smile.

"If your contribution to our cause is as high as I project, then you can request this benefit in exchange for a reduction in other rewards. I am not opposed to giving you access to this information in advance, but you will mainly need to convince the other members of our select research group that you have earned this privilege. I can ensure that this will not be an issue."

This was a major concession!

Even though it looked as if nobody would have anything to do with Messier 87 given the huge distance between the two galaxies, Ves did not think it would take nearly as long for the powerful aliens to arrive in the Red Ocean.

It would be a lot better if he learned about the much more powerful native threats of Messier 87 far in advance. He would at least obtain enough time to make preparations in advance and reduce any possible losses that he and his clan might incur once the extragalactic invaders finally arrived.

Ves felt a lot less opposed to the Polymath's deal. His misgivings over the Star Designer's plan and intentions did not disappear, but they seemed trivial in the face of the greater threats from beyond.

Perhaps that was why the faction leaders proposed such extreme plans. Their insider knowledge on the looming danger presented by Messier 87 caused them to disregard so many taboos.

It would have been nice for Ves to know exactly what they were all afraid of and whether all of these radical actions were justified.

The meeting with the Polymath did not last much longer after that. The woman was not one for small talk. Now that she had fulfilled her objective, she did not impose on Ves any longer.

"Think carefully on what you should do with the power that you command." She spoke as her transcendent eyes kept staring at him. "Mech designers and creators such as ourselves exist to serve mech pilots as well as the rest of humanity. That grants us power to influence and shape the development of our civilization."

The Polymath looked wistful for a tiny instant.

"The better our creations, the greater our power. This progression adds weight to all of our decisions. Now that you have become competent enough to put yourself on the galactic map, you must consider carefully on how to wield your power responsibly. When the lives of trillions of red humans are at stake, you cannot afford to let your feelings dictate your decisions. Only logic and good sense can allow us to thread the needle and ensure our survival. Think of your children. They will not have a future if our entire society collapses after getting overwhelmed on multiple fronts."

Mentioning his children reminded him that there was more at stake than his personal interests.

He deeply wished for Aurelia, Andraste and Marvaine to grow up in a large and vibrant human society, not a scattered remnant that had been forced to hide in the cracks of the new frontier for fear of allowing the hostile aliens to finish the job!

"I shall keep that in mind." Ves said in a noncommittal tone.

He soon got teleported out of her luxurious office compartment.

His next meeting was scheduled to begin fifteen minutes later. This gave Ves a sufficient amount of time to catch his breath and figure out what just happened.

He felt that he acquitted himself fairly well. He did not cave in to the Polymath's demands, nor gave away any obvious clues that exposed the fraudulent nature of Mr. S.

Ves did feel puzzled why the Polymath sought Mr. S.'s assistance. What project was she working on that she couldn't take care of herself? Why would she reach out to a complete stranger and an unknown factor rather than one of her many buddies such as the Xenotechnician or one of the many other Star Designers that remained stuck in the old galaxy?

Whatever the case, it had nothing to do with Ves.

What did matter to Ves was that he had not made any solid commitments with regards to helping the Polymath obtain a kinship network.

This entire subject and all of its implications screamed danger to Ves!

There was no way that such a controversial subject could be implemented without opposition.

Perhaps this was why the Polymath stepped back so easily and made his contribution contingent on whether the Survivalists voted for her Unity Plan.

If the Polymath ever won the vote and managed to obtain the support of the majority of red humanity, then she could rightfully crown herself as the ruler of their entire civilization.

At that point, there was no further need for her to build a consensus or gather support for this initiative. She could use her unquestionable authority to issue a directive that Ves had no choice but to obey!

Any act of disobedience would be regarded as an act of rebellion against the rightful ruler of red humanity!

This was why the Polymath did not bother to press Ves harder. His opinions and his support became dispensable as long as she was able to implement her plan.

The vote on the 7th day gained a lot more significance because of this. The will of the leadership of the Survivalist Faction would directly determine whether the Polymath became their god and empress at the same time!

Fifteen minutes passed by remarkably quickly.

Ves soon found himself teleported to an entirely different venue from before.

Instead of a large and opulent office, Ves found himself in the middle of a strange but highly advanced research lab.

Pieces of archemetal were strewn on a work table.

Loose components from a puelmer computing system had been thrown into a nearby crate.

Several vats filled with mysterious liquids kept a bunch of comatose orven bodies in a healthyh state.

It did not take much guessing that Ves had ended up in one one of the workplaces of the famous and infamous Xenotechnician!

The old man himself was hunched over another work table. He carefully hovered over a completely unknown alien device that looked like a half-melted egg that consisted entirely of exotic circuitry.

"Professor Larkinson." The aged and dignified voice of one of the oldest living humans spoke up. "You do not appear to be as shaken and awed by the prospect of meeting with a Star Designer, let alone two of them. I see that you are not a stranger to finding yourself in the company of individuals such as myself. Perhaps your mother has assisted you with this. No matter. Please sit down. My younger colleague is hardly the only one who has developed an interest in you and your work. Let us talk."