The Mech Touch

Once Ves finished honoring his ancestors, he departed the garden platform and returned to his shuttle.

He still had a lot of more rituals to go through. Whether they were relevant to him or not didn't matter. The point was to show off what a good man he was and what a good spouse he would be. With how much publicity this wedding attracted, Ves and the Larkinsons had to appear at their very best in order to leave a favorable impression to the public.

In fact, Ves had to go above and beyond what was necessary to emphasize his virtues. This was because he had to compensate for the negative influence brought by the Hexers.

To this day, many outsiders were scratching their heads at the wedding. Why in the hell was Ves marrying a Hexer of all people?

Even Ves asked this question sometimes.

If he was being absolutely honest, he didn't have to marry Gloriana. His life would have taken a different turn if he hadn't followed his grandfather's advice to seek a girlfriend. He may not have developed to this point, but he had little doubt that he would have achieved at least some level of success even if he hooked up with Aisling or some other woman.

It was just that events progressed in a way that ruled out every other option except for Gloriana.

Granted, he wasn't unwilling. Despite her shenanigans and excesses, she truly possessed qualities to his liking. Ignoring everything else, the trust they shared with each other was enough for him to accept the prospect of partnering up with her for the rest of his life.

Questions such as whether he could have snagged a 'better' wife did not bother him. Objectively, Ves could have certainly found a more pleasant and compatible lover than Gloriana, but life wasn't about seeking the perfect outcome.

Life was about grasping opportunities within reach.

Ves took part in some other rituals.

For example, in order to honor his human heritage, the Larkinsons prepared a different floating platform.

Smaller than the last one, this platform simply simulated the pristine landscape of Old Earth. Every single plant and material completely conformed to Terran standard.

When Ves stepped foot on it, even the air kept in place by energy shields gained a distinct tang.

"So this is how Old Earth smells."

There were no actual Terrans or humans who were born on Old Earth to preside over this ceremony. Though they had the option of hiring an authentic Terran to preside over the ceremony via physical projection, the requirements were too onerous.

Instead, Ves decided to do without one. In any case, many other ceremonies of this nature eschewed involving actual Terrans as well. Not only did it cost a lot of money to gain their cooperation, they were also incredibly picky and prone to picking faults.

He walked forward with Lucky until he reached a small stable. Several objects were placed on it. Ves picked up a simple sapling and a small hand shovel.

He moved to his left and carefully bent down. He did not worry about staining or dirtying his elaborate outfit. It naturally resisted dirt and was able to clean itself to an extent.

Ves bent down and began to dig up a random patch of soil from the grassy surface. The soil was already treated so that it was especially loose. Ves hardly had to employ any strength at all to dig up a serviceable hole.

After just a couple of scoops, Ves carefully inserted the sapling so that its roots fully entered the hole. He used the shovel to put back the soil as best as possible.

Ves didn't speak a word throughout this event. The simple act of planting an earth-derived sapling into soil that simulated Old Earth's environment was entirely symbolic.

It was a silent message that stated that no matter how far humans had spread, their roots still resided on the planet that birthed their race.

With hundreds of thousands of light-years separating some humans from other humans, it was far too easy to become distant to each other. The citizens of the galactic center looked down at people who lived in the galactic rim. Those who were born in the most impoverished regions of human space practically considered those who enjoyed better births as different species.

While it was difficult to counteract these differences, people still needed to remember that they all shared a common origin.

The human race must never split. This was the wisdom that humanity acquired after passing through many ups and downs.

In the Age of Stars, humanity was made up of different nations that constantly contested against each other.

Yet when they first expanded into space, they encountered many powerful and superior aliens. Even the weakest alien empire back then was more than capable of ending the human race!

Humanity back then learned to set aside most of their differences and work together for the common good. If they still engaged in infighting, they would have never been able to accomplish the great feats that were necessary to solidify humanity's place in the galaxy!

This was the origin of what would eventually become the Greater Terran United Confederation, the first truly unified interstellar human nation!

Planting the sapling not only acknowledged his fealty to his humanity, but also honored the early Terrans who allowed the human race to survive its initial steps into space.

Ves rose up and approached the table again. He picked up some seeds and returned to the saplings.

He used the small shovel to dig up some small holes to plant his seeds. It didn't matter where he dug, but just to be sure, he planted the seeds in a perfect circle around the sapling.

This was a gesture that signalled that he took pride in humanity's successful expansion. It also served as a message that stated that he acknowledged that he was part of humanity's enormous diaspora.

As much as Old Earth was considered to be the cradle of humanity, their race had already outgrown it. If everyone wanted to live on the ancestral planet, then it would have been choked of all life due to the sheer amount of people it was forced to accommodate!

In order to preserve the original environment of their birth planet, many humans had to go out and seek life elsewhere. The seeds represented the fact that while a huge amount of humans had set out to find their way, they had not traveled to the extent they lost contact with Old Earth.

During the Age of Conquest, the Terrans expanded their empire aggressively. They competed against the local alien powers and somehow managed to expand without getting snuffed midway.

Any of the dominant alien empires could have snuffed human civilization out. However, they were so wary of their established rivals that they overlooked the emergent threat of humanity for a very long time.

When most aliens finally took humanity seriously, it was already too late. Through a combination of subterfuge, manipulation, cheating and breaking promises, the humans at that time rapidly accumulated strength in the dark. They only revealed just enough to accomplish their goals and always held back something in reserve in case of accidents.

This was how humanity amazingly managed to supplant every other alien power in the first half of the Age of Conquest. Even the successful rebellion of the New Rubarth Empire and many other upstart colonies did not diminish humanity's ascendancy.

It was only later on that divisions between nations and individual citizens deepened.

The reduction of external pressure in the form of enemy alien threats meant that humans increasingly turned against each other.

Ves stepped back. Seconds later, the patch of ground where he planted the sapling and seeds spontaneously erupted in flames.

The fire burned for a few seconds before automatically snuffing out by itself.

The burning only lasted a couple of seconds, but the damage was considerable. Smoke burned from the branches. None of its young leaves were left as they had long turned into ashes. Much of the grass on the patch of ground was blackened beyond recognition.

The waning years of the Age of Conquest was one of the biggest stains in humanity's history. Due to a combination of factors such as runaway genetic modification and the development of bigger and more destructive battleships, humans began to slaughter each other to fuel their delusional ambitions.

Ves had always doubted a couple of aspects about this dark time. Now that he learned about the existence of the Five Scrolls Compact and its supposed role in orchestrating humanity's rise, he began to suspect that the truth of this period was not what it seemed.

The history books were probably wrong. Much of humanity remained in the dark of what took place behind the curtain. The Five Scrolls Compact invested millenia into a goal, only for two emergent factions to launch a rebellion that eventually succeeded as well.

Ves grabbed two rods from the table and began to plant them into the blackened ground.

The rods began to project a small energy screen then enveloped the blackened ground.

Inside, some unknown processes took place that caused the blackened grass to make way for newer growths. Through some kind of rapid growth treatment, the artificially-modified grass shot up until they reached twice the height of the original!

In the Age of Mechs, the protective umbrella of the Big Two shielded and sheltered the broken pieces of the human race until it finally recovered.

At this time, something unusual happened a short distance away. The hazy form of a human materialized into place.

Jovy Armalon teleported onto the platform!

The young Journeyman held a serious expression. Not an inkling of his friendship with Ves was apparent from his appearance.

He came to represent the MTA instead of himself. The MTA mech designer strode forward in a precise cadence until he stopped right in front of the protective field.

His participation in this little ritual was a very welcome surprise. In fact, it would have been even better if Master Willix performed this role, but that was way too much to ask of such an august figure.

In fact, the Larkinson Clan wasn't even qualified to invite Jovy. He only came because he wanted to and because Master Willix bent some rules.

Jovy peered through the energy screen and witnessed the growth taking place inside. After half a minute, he looked at Ves.

"What does it mean to be a human?"

"Humans are unique. Each individual holds limitless potential. It is through our circumstances and our choices that we grow into the people we are today. Yet no matter how much we diverge from each other, we will always be tied by our species."

Ves answered from the heart instead of reading out a prepared answer. He didn't know which questions Jovy would ask.

"What is your place in human society?"

"I am a creator. I make products that other humans desire. I am a leader. I guide a growing clan to prosperity. I am a pioneer. I venture out into new and unknown space to expand humanity's domain."

Ves identified himself with all three roles, though the first one would always be his primary focus.

"What role does the Mech Trade Association play in your life?"

"The Mech Trade Association is the guardian of all of humanity, including myself. Everything I am and everything I accomplish is thanks to the benevolence of your protection. I am deeply grateful that the Mech Trade Association has saved humanity from its own darkness. Since I have dedicated myself to designing mechs, I have always shown my gratitude to the protectors of the human race and the patrons of the mech industry."

Naturally, Ves resorted to the Devil Tongue this time. If he had to issue his complete, unvarnished opinion, Jovy would have probably been compelled to shoot him down!

As it was, his false opinion passed the test. Jovy nodded in satisfaction.

"As a child of humanity and a citizen of the galaxy, the Mech Trade Association wishes you well. Never forget your place in our civilization."

Jovy teleported away, thereby ending this serious ritual.

Ves turned his back and left the platform.