The Mech Touch

Ves nodded as he petted his own companion spirit. "That sounds like a professional conference. Is this conference heavily slanted towards mech designers?"

"No. A large number of mech pilots, mech officers, scientists, developers, industrialists, business magnates, sociologists, politicians and so on will be attending as well. It is undeniable that mech designers occupy much of the agenda for the conference, but the enormous changes that have taken place in the Red Ocean makes it important to accept input from other experts as well. Many important decisions are about to be made. We must make certain that they are as informed and comprehensive as possible."

That caused Ves to frown. "It sounds like your faction has held off on making any big moves all of this time."

Jovy nodded. "I have heard rumors that certain key leaders wish to introduce several major proposals that will lead to drastic changes in our society if they are implemented. Since they supposedly run against many of our existing rules and customs, matters such as this can only be decided in person. While our faction does not have a sole voice in how our civilization is run, we still have great influence over the other factions. As long as all Survivalists agree to unite around a single plan, we can exert our full effort into promoting it and gaining acceptance from the other factions and groups."

"That sounds really political." Ves remarked. "Do the galactic mech councilors have any say?"

"No. Most of them were left behind in the Milky Way Galaxy. Very few of them visited the Red Ocean when the Great Severing occurred. According to the regulations of the Mech Trade Association, a quorum cannot be established if too few councilors are available to form a representative governing body. We have also instituted a form of martial law where all decision-making authority is equally divided between every Star Designer and god pilot. It is not the most ideal approach to govern our Association, but when total extinction is only a few steps away, we cannot afford to get slowed down by senseless politicking and inefficient bureaucratic processes."

That was an understandable decision, though Ves was not sure whether he liked it. The galactic mech councilors played an important moderating role during the Age of Mechs. They represented the interests of the general public and always made sure to balance the interests between every stakeholder.

Now that the mechers got rid of this inherent restraint, the Star Designers and god pilots faced less obstacles in their desire to reshape human civilization according to their own ideals!

Perhaps that was the point. Ves suspected that those extremely powerful mechers not only regarded this crisis as a threat, but also an opportunity to grab power and implement all of their suppressed ambitions!

Ves glanced directly at Jovy and his unnerving Eye of Providence. "You probably know more about what is in store, right? Can you give me a preview? I have heard a few stories about how the Polymath is attempting to push through drastic changes to the rules of a certain kingdom."

That immediately caused Jovy to wave his palm in concern. "Shh. Be careful about what you say. You never know how many ears are embedded in the bulkheads of this frigate. It is not our turn to have a say on Her Excellency's plans. Only the Masters and other upper leaders of our factions are allowed to provide their input on this matter. The implications are too enormous to allow unqualified or tainted voices to distort this vital debate."

Ves raised his eyebrow. "Is my voice unqualified or tainted?"

"Both." Jovy bluntly declared. "Do not forget your identity when you arrive at the conference. You are merely a second-class Senior Mech Designer who has been designated as our associate. Our Masters won't be inclined to take you seriously at all, especially given your youth and relative lack of experience. Furthermore, your ties with the Transhumanists and more recently the Terrans puts your trustworthiness and partiality under question. Even I am not allowed to divulge many pieces of information due to your... mercenary inclinations."

That disappointed Ves, though he accepted that it was more than fair for the Survivalists to keep him at arm's length.

If he had been more active in trying to ingratiate himself with the Survivalist Faction over every other choice, then Jovy might have invited him to become a proud member of the Red Association right at the start of this reunion!

Ves did not regret his choices, though. Whether it was called the Mech Trade Association or the Red Association, both of them instituted a lot of rules that grated on a free spirit like himself.

He also did not like to completely commit to any single side in case it turned into a crashing starship at one point in the future.

"I get it, Jovy. I will make sure to avoid pushing any boundaries at the conference. I know this is a sensitive topic, but can you give me a general overview of the political environment of the Survivalist Faction? I don't want to come in completely blind and ignorant of what is actually taking place."

This caused Jovy to remain silent for a few seconds. The Reality Trickster idly took hold of his companion spirit and squeezed it like a stress toy.

"I suppose you are correct. It would not do for you to unknowingly offend a mecher due to your lack of awareness. I have told you earlier that the Red Association is effectively led by the god pilots and Star Designers present in the Red Ocean. There are currently 8 of the former and 14 of the latter. What comes to mind when you think about how they make decisions, Ves?"

"They're not of the same mind." Ves immediately replied. "Each of them are strong-willed individuals who believe in their own vision the most, some more than others. If they want to get anything done, they will have to gain support from like-minded leaders."

"Exactly. Many but not all of the existing factions of the Milky Way are represented by qualified leaders in the Red Ocean. A few factions have already become a non-entity for that reason. The Preserving Order Faction is a notable example of this. It has no Star Designers or god pilots who can stand up for them in this dwarf galaxy. The relatively small number of Masters and other notable members of this faction have already begun to defect to other factions such as ours."

"That's handy."

"Reducing the number of factions indeed helps with improving the governance of the Red Association." Jovy agreed. "There are more issues, though. None of us saw the Great Severing coming. Our Association has always operated with the assumption that the Milky Way and the Red Ocean will remain interconnected. Every faction decided for themselves how many of their standard bearers they wanted to send over. This has led to an uneven distribution of manpower, assets and top-level leaders throughout the factions. For example, our Survivalist Faction is helmed by 2 Star Designers and 1 god pilot."

Ves nodded. The list of Star Designers and god pilots present in the Red Ocean was not a secret.

"I know. Aside from the Polymath, you guys also have the Xenotechnician and the Fist of Defiance."

Both of them were pretty famous old geezers. They had been a part of the scene much longer than the Polymath, who only rose up like a rocket relatively recently.

The Xenotechnician was more than 450 years old and had been born before the Age of Mechs had begun!

As an old relic who essentially lived through three ages up to this point, the Xenotechnician had invested much of his research into studying, reverse engineering, assimilating and improving upon alien technology!

For centuries, this old Star Designer had made countless contributions by picking apart the most complicated alien technologies that he could get his hands on and converting it to a format that humanity could understand and make use of without any hidden dangers!

As a very old mech designer who constantly spends his time fooling around with alien tech, it was inevitable for critics to accuse the Xenotechnician for agreeing with cosmopolitan ideals.

These accusations never gained ground. The MTA must have investigated this guy so many times that he would have long been censured if these accusations held any measure of truth.

The Fist of Defiance was a much more straightforward hero by comparison. He was only a little less than four centuries old, and his god mech was one of the most relentless assault machines in existence. He might not be able to blow up a planet with a single cannon discharge, but was definitely a terror against all champions once he got close enough to utilize his fists!

The original Survivalist Faction had several more top-level leaders among its ranks, but the current trifecta was all the Survivalists could count upon in this displaced dwarf galaxy.

Ves figured that each of the goals, ideas, principles and ambitions of these eminent figures would probably have an outsized effect on the conference.

He suddenly made another realization.

"If the amount of top-level leaders translates into voting power, then the faction with the highest count will have the most say."

Jovy responded with a rueful smile. "That is also correct. Our faction is not the most dominant in this regard. That honor goes to the Expansionist Faction that had invested much more in the invasion of the Red Ocean than the others. The Expansionists currently boast 4 Star Designers and 2 god pilots."

That was a lot! With 22 seats in the new council, that meant that the Expansionists essentially controlled a quarter of the entire Red Association!

"So if anyone wants to push through a plan, they have to gain the approval of the Expansionists."

"That is so. We cannot get around them, especially if they form a united front." Jovy shrugged. "This is not your concern. It is up to the leaders of our faction to negotiate with the Expansionists."

Jovy did not wish to say anything further about the division within the Red Association, so Ves tactfully changed the topic by asking another question.

"Where is the conference being held, anyway?"

"That is classified." Jovy spoke. "Not that it matters too much since the both of us will reach our destination soon enough. I still need to follow the rules, so you will have to be patient. I can tell you that the location is large and expansive enough to host a lot of invited guests. There are many different venues ranging from golf courses to mech arenas. Each of them provide opportunities for mechers and associates to come into contact with each other and establish new forms of cooperation. I highly suggest you visit these venues if you are unable to attend any of the closed conference sessions."

Ves received a few more pieces of advice on how he should make the best use of his time.

"Your degree of augmentation allows you to skip sleep for an extended amount of time, is that correct?" Jovy suddenly asked.

"That is correct. I don't normally skip my beauty sleep since there are many repercussions for doing it too frequently, but I can easily keep myself up for a whole week if necessary."

"If that is the case, then try to stay up throughout the entire conference. The gatherings do not end at night. Everyone who urgently seeks to advance their own interests will continue to find new opportunities to cooperate and advance their own work during this event. It will be years before we hold another conference, so all of the mechers will do their best to meet as many goals as possible in the starting years of the Age of Dawn."

That sounded exactly to Ves' liking. He did not want to attend a big conference only to sip martinis and complain about mundane affairs.

"I will take that into account. Thank you for reminding me of this. It sounds like there will be plenty for me to do during this conference."