The Mech Touch

Most people familiar with Gloriana probably wouldn\'t have raised an eyebrow if she was the one who presented this radical new proposal, but it just had to come from a mech designer who did not believe in the existence of \'gods\'!

The main reasons why people did not reject his ludicrous idea was because they were desperate for solutions and believed in his credibility.

Ves had a reputation for coming up with a lot of whacky ideas that somehow worked for one reason or another.

This was quite convenient as it directly dropped the resistance to his latest idea!

It also helped that the price of trying it out was not too great. The Golden Skull Alliance did not exactly like to broadcast its battles to the general public, but it was not entirely unfamiliar with exposing some of their stratagems and trump cards.

A lot of interested parties were actually interested to see whether Ves\' revolutionary new theory and combat application could actually work!

If any of his assumptions about the extraordinary power of a human collective actually had a basis in reality, then that would definitely change warfare forever!

Ves actually had to do a lot of talking in order to organize this massive undertaking.

The lessons he learned from developing battle formations and seeing them in action told him that it was crucially important for the collective to be as unified in thought as possible.

The effectiveness of this new approach might or might not work depending on whether the Hexers could align themselves to each other as close as possible.

While it was a lot easier to satisfy this demanding condition for a relatively homogenous group of people who also happened to share the same religious beliefs, it was a bit of a stretch to assume that billions of Hexers could sufficiently synchronize their thoughts at once!

It was unrealistic to believe that something outlandish like this could even happen. This was why Ves would already be happy if the Hexers who took part in this grand experiment kept their mind on Saintess Ulrika Vraken and the unfolding battle!

This was also why Ves found it crucial to broadcast the battle on the galactic net. Only by giving this massive audience a live view of their \'goddess\' in action would they be able to concentrate their collective power on Saintess Ulrika and her ace rifleman mech.

Ves initially thought that it would have taken a lot of effort to convince the leaders of the Hex Federation to go along with this massive undertaking.

However, it only took less than half an hour for him to receive definite confirmation that the entire colonial state would prepare and cooperate with his efforts at the appointed time!

"The council of matriarchs has unanimously approved of your proposal." The projection of Madame Constance Wodin declared with a satisfied grin. "You will have your chance to see whether our people can truly propel one of our Saintesses to greatness. So long as your methods can make even a minor positive difference, we can count on one more advantage against the Fridaymen!"

Ves wanted to roll his eyes. Of course the Hexers only cared about whether they would be able to get ahead of their old archrivals. He seriously doubted whether the council of matriarchs spent much thought about the greater implications to red humanity and all life as a whole.

After all, if humans were able to pull off this trick, then the aliens could potentially do the same!

It would truly be a disaster if the collective beliefs of the much larger populations of native aliens started to actively ramp up the power of their phase whales and phase lords!

However, Ves did not regard himself as a modern Pandora who happened to open a box that contained a force that could help the aliens destroy humanity.

This was because if he did not take the initiative to propose this idea, then another person would have done so eventually.

There were a lot of religious humans in the Red Ocean! Many of them were loyal adherents of many different faiths, and that meant that they would definitely be able to produce a similar result sooner or later!

Aside from that, the native alien races already possessed a strong collective habit of worshiping their ancient gods. This possible phenomenon could not be stopped.

However, Ves was not convinced that this form of collective empowerment was as easy to pull off as it sounded.

A lot of battles would have already changed course if that was the case!

The factor that Ves relied upon to make this work was the fact that the Hexers were secretly all connected to the Superior Mother.

Just as how the Golden Cat watched over the Larksinsons, the Hexers who believed in the Superior Mother were all tied to a kinship network that had always influenced their thinking for many years!

Ves theorized that he could repurpose this massive kinship network into a tool that could efficiently channel the collective spiritual feedback of the Hexer people and use all of that power to produce a focused result!

Naturally, it was essential for the Superior Mother herself to take part in this endeavor. She was the only one who regulated the kinship network centered around herself, and she was also the only one who possessed the extensive expertise required to shape all of energies and prevent it from scattering or running out of control.

"This is a ritual that allows every Hexer to gain a closer connection to the Superior Mother, is that correct?" Madame Constance eagerly asked.

Ves plainly nodded. "That is correct. She will be directing this ritual more or less. So long as your colonial state makes sure to inform all of its citizens that they follow the right instructions, the Superior Mother will make sure that their efforts will not be in vain. However, don\'t forget that this is about empowering Saintess Ulrika Vraken. She is the one that needs to borrow the support of your people." "Understood." Madame Constance grinned. "I will continue to maintain contact with the council of matriarchs and ensure that all of your requirements are met on our end. The Hex Federation shall not disappoint the expectations of the Superior Mother and her blessed boy."

He coughed when he heard that last bit. "I need to get back to my preparations. Please inform me or my staff if any complications have arisen in the Hex Federation."

Ves closed the communication channel before Gloriana\'s mother could spout any more nonsense.

He did not really want to talk or do business with her at all, but she was the only Hexer he knew that could directly communicate his plan and intentions to the higher ups of the Hex Federation.

As for Gloriana herself... "Let\'s not bother her right now. This battle is my business, not hers. She can keep watching over our children."

Everything was slowly coming together. Way more people became invested in this upcoming confrontation than he and the Golden Skullers initially assumed.

Though Ves was wary of attracting too much attention to himself and his clan due to this extravagant undertaking, he was not blind to all of the possible benefits that he could attain.

The more fame and glory he could earn from this battle, the easier it was for him to earn the respect of the movers and shakers of the higher ups of red humanity!

Success in this operation could provide him with a lot of long-term benefits, though Ves mainly cared about how he could immediately increase his standing in the short term.

First, the upcoming conference organized by the Survivalist Faction was about to start shortly after the events taking place in the Corellix System had come to a conclusion.

Ves saw an opportunity to acquaint himself with a lot of powerful new contacts, and also believed he could convince them to support his more radical initiatives. He just needed to gather enough hard proof that he could deliver on his claims!

Second, his first classes for the Eden Institute of Business & Technology were about to start even sooner.

In fact, a potential scheduling conflict might arise depending on the timing of the upcoming operation!

He originally intended to delay the timing of the impending clash so that he could calmly lecture in front of a class of Terrans without getting shot at by a bunch of alien warships.

He changed his mind now that he had chosen to broadcast this battle in front of the Hexers and everyone else for that matter.

"Why not use this broadcast to give a more practical lesson to my students?" He suddenly thought. "I doubt that any professor has ever taught them during an active military operation! I will definitely make an unforgettable impression in their eyes!"

It was hard to stand out as a professor in a first-class university. Ves readily recognized that his teaching qualifications were much poorer than his fellow colleagues. He could not overcome the fact that he was a second-class mech designer who never seriously worked with first-class mech designs in his career.

How could he possibly earn the genuine respect and approval of all of his Terran students when they constantly looked down on him because of his humble origins and lack of involvement in their higher community?

What Ves needed to do in order to break this adverse circumstance was to employ a powerful gimmick that went against their expectations.

Teaching these pampered kids while he and his troops were in the middle of battle would definitely turn him into an overnight legend within the school!

As long as he put up a good show, Ves was confident that he would never have to worry about losing the respect of all his students for the rest of the semester!

When Ves contacted his teaching assistant and shared his brilliant plan with her, the woman looked anything but comfortable with the idea!

"You cannot possibly do this, Professor Larkinson! Your request is highly unorthodox and likely violates a number of standing regulations of our school! The Eden Institute of Business & Technology cannot bear the liability of encouraging any of its professors and students to take part in classes on a live battlefield. You are not a mech instructor. You are a mech designer!"

"I understand your concerns, Miss Striker, but I have been doing this for a long time, remember? While I can understand that the Eden Institute probably prohibits stuff like this, I am the only one connected to the university that is subjected to any risk. I am teaching a virtual class, not a physical one. All of my students will remain safe and sound while sitting in the benches of your classrooms. Times have changed. If the school wants all of these Terran brats to toughen up, then it should rethink its existing rules and consider whether they are still appropriate in our new environment. Just bring up my request to Master Laila Devos and await her response, okay?"

"I... will do so, professor."

Ves eventually obtained the permission that he sought, just as he expected.

He already possessed a decent understanding of the dean of the Department of Humanoid Mech Design.

As a clever Master Mech Designer, Laila Devos could also figure out that everyone had to get accustomed to harder times. It was no longer a certainty that the Terrans would be able to live safe and comfortable lives anymore.

The Greater Terran United Confederation may have been bigshots back in the Milky Way, but the Terran Alliance was a lot weaker in the Red Ocean!

Only by regaining their spirit of ambition and conquest would the Terrans be able to rise again in this brand-new age!

As Ves ended his latest call, he steepled his fingers and grinned.

He no longer felt as uncertain about the upcoming battle as before. He had taken enough measures to strengthen his hand and increase the combat effectiveness of his troops in a short amount of time.

"It\'s all coming together."