The Mech Touch

Ves never held a discussion about his future ambitions to this extent with anyone.

Sure, he shared a few of his dreams and aspirations to his inner circle and his trusted companions. He told Gloriana plenty of fanciful-sounding hopes, and she always responded with a smile and a clap of her hands.

Though Ves could always count on his wife's unflinching support, she did not offer that much help when it came to questioning his assumptions and asking some critical questions.

She was a mech designer, just like him. While both of them could talk for many days about the strengths and weaknesses of any given mech design, statecraft and grand geopolitical shifts fell well beyond their area of expertise.

No one in his inner circle specialized in these vastly different fields because he never recruited anyone who was good at this to begin with. Perhaps it would have been a different story if he managed to rope in people like Senator Tovar or some fancy noble from the Sentinel Kingdom, but the recruitment priorities of the Larkinsons had always been aimed at mech pilots and mid-level professionals.

Though Ves always treated upper class snobs with contempt, he might have to revise his stance towards them. The rulers and shakers of a state had to be good at something in order to remain in power.

At the very least, their vision alone was worth keeping around. This was what separated people like Shederin from Calabast and everyone else in his clan that sounded smart.

"What is the point you are trying to make?" Ves frowned.

He decided not to answer the two questions posed by the former ambassador. He felt that they were very thorny because he had no clue how to answer them. They were too open-ended and subject to interpretation.

Shederin sighed. "You hold great responsibility as the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan. Now that you preside over an organization that encompasses more than 100,000 members, you cannot afford to view everything on a surface level. You must learn how to look deeper and grasp the truth that everyone else routinely overlooks."

"How can I do that?"

"There are no easy solutions, patriarch. Some are born and raised to rule. Others acquire the ability after long years of trial and error. This is a more uncertain path because any error can easily become fatal to you. This is your current path, and it is not advisable for you to continue in this direction. This is my preliminary judgement based on what I have learned about your clan and observed from your responses."

In other words, Shederin pretty much thought that Ves was no good as patriarch!

Ves curled his lips into a wry smile. "What is your solution?"

"You should leave this to the professionals. As a mech designer, you should not be forced to spend day and night on solving problems outside of your area of expertise. There are ways to maintain control over the clan without surrendering supreme authority. There are many possible people in your clan that can adequately govern and direct the clan on your behalf."

Of course, Shederin Purnesse was obliquely directing Ves to the members of the Purnesse Family. No one else in the Larkinson fleet came close to matching the sheer governing qualifications of a group of former officials!

Ves deferred this matter by waving his hand. "Let's not get too specific this early. Right now, I am wondering what suggestions you might have in order to increase our odds of survival in the Red Ocean. If it is anything like the crucible that you describe, how can we ensure we won't get eliminated in the coming struggle?"

"I cannot give you any specific solutions." The old man carefully replied. "That is your prerogative so long as you continue to hold your position as patriarch. I am also not sufficiently versed in the circumstances of your clan to formulate any specific advice. I can speak on general terms, however."

"Please share your wisdom."

"Very well. Let me begin with asking what you rather prefer. Do you want to surpass the majority of the pioneers in the Red Ocean and reach the other shore where you can be promoted from the status of pawn to a greater chess piece?"

Ves shrugged. "It sounds nice if we can move up from a pawn to a knight. I don't dare to ask for anything greater. My ambitions don't lie there. I don't think this is the best course of action, though. I don't want to treat the Red Ocean as a competition where I have to climb on top of the bodies of the losers. Why can't I just find my own niche and focus on my mech design and mech sales activities? My greatest priority is to become a Star Designer. Nothing else is comparable. As long as I become one of the best mech designers in human space, I will naturally be able to fulfill many other goals at that time."

"If your ambitions only stretch this far, then you will have to settle with the identity of a pawn for a long time. Considering how long it takes for mech designers to become a Master or Star Designer, you will not be able to elevate your role on the chessboard for the duration of this chess match."

"And that is bad?"

"Not necessarily. Some chess pieces are more valuable alive than dead. The Big Two and any other big players that can reluctantly take their place around the board do not have a habit of wasting their pieces at will."

"Are you referring to the first-rate superstates?"

Shederin nodded. "The Terrans and Rubarthans have made their own mark on this chess game by forming their respective alliances. If you believe that either of them have something to offer to you, then it is not a bad idea to shelter under their wing. Of course, the Red Ocean Promise issued by the Terrans is a rat race in itself. I do not believe you are interested in becoming a part of the Terran ruling group."

Ves vigorously shook his head. "I don't have any intentions to rule any states or bark on the orders of the Terrans. I already told you that I don't trust any states."

"Does that mean you are not in favor of joining the Rubarthan Pact either?"

"If it means taking orders from a stuffy Rubarthan prince, then forget about it. One of the attractions of the Red Ocean is that it was supposed to be devoid of entrenched powers. I don't want to escape the old power structure of the Milky Way just so that I can take part in its mirror version."

Shederin's expression twitched. "The two major alliances impose many restrictions and expectations upon its members, but the shelter they offer is quite substantial. If you reject them both, your future road will become a lot more arduous. The Red Ocean Union lacks too much cohesion. No matter how it develops in the future, it will never be able to turn into a monolithic entity. That is good if you want to maintain the independence of your clan, but that also means that it is just as vulnerable as before."

"Then what can we do to raise our chances of survival under these conditions?"

"You become a bigger, meaner pawn or you band together with other like-minded pawns." The ambassador loosely answered. "Right now, I favor the latter. I think that you can impart a greater meaning in the Golden Skull Alliance. For now, it sounds as if it mainly exists in order to split the cost of a beyonder ticket and share responsibilities once you read the Red Ocean. It can be more in my opinion."

"What are you trying to suggest?"

"Who says that you are not allowed to expand your alliance once you have planted your roots in the Red Ocean? Size matters. The larger your alliance, the more misgivings that enemies will have when they contemplate attacking you. Unlike the greater alliances led by the Terrans, Rubarthans and so on, a collective group led by you and your clan is much less conspicuous and much more controllable."

"We'll have to find trustworthy, useful and willing allies, though." Ves frowned. "We never had much success on that front."

Shederin responded with a confident smile. "Leave that to me and my team. Though I do not think highly of every aspect or your clan and alliance, I do think that they have the basis to become greater. Great enough to turn you into a strong and mostly-independent pawn that can survive on the chessboard long enough for the Big Two to obtain the results they want. Does that sound desirable in your ears?"

Ves nodded. "If you can deliver such an outcome, then I am willing to embrace your advice. It all sounds a bit too distant and complicated to me. If you didn't tell me all of this, I wouldn't have pictured myself and my clan as a dispensable pawn."

"Your dream of embarking on a grand expedition while earning your keep by designing and selling mechs as a neutral mech business is a pleasant illusion, but reality will not allow you to operate in this fashion." Shederin pointedly said. "The Red Ocean is much looser when it comes to competition. You cannot assume that everyone will behave as if they are taking part in a well-regulated mech market because the region is still far from reaching this level."

Ves lowered his head and rubbed his nose. Now that the former ambassador plainly pointed out the many flawed and overly-optimistic assumptions of his future plan, he felt like he was a child who had just received a reality check from an adult.

It was never pleasant to hear someone deconstruct his future aspirations, but Ves did not reject this brutal dose. His future and the future of his clan was at stake. It would be incredibly short-sighted to allow his pride to get the better of his good sense.

He plainly recognized that while he had the right to set his goals for the future, that did not necessarily mean he was the best person to realize them all! There were many other knowledgeable experts like Shederin Purnesse who could form much more comprehensive and secure plans.

Ves tiredly rubbed his face. "I get what you are saying. Your suggestion to expand the Golden Skull Alliance has merit, but a lot can go wrong if we go down this road. Let's do it like this. I will give you a couple of weeks to acclimatize to the Larkinson Clan, understand our exact conditions and perform a lot of research. Once you are ready, I'd like you to present a more thorough, detailed and rational plan on how my clan and I can survive and thrive in the Red Ocean. Whether you take the Golden Skull Alliance as a basis or not, I want a solution that is workable to us. Keep in mind that we can't do everything and that there are some measures that I will never take no matter what. For example, you can forget about trying to convince me to found a state."

"Understood." Shederin steadily smiled and nodded his head. "I shall endeavor to deliver a comprehensive roadmap to you within two or three weeks. It is not essential for you to follow the plan I lay out. As long as you become aware of all of the potential dangers of the Red Ocean and the intentions of those who have a stake in its development, you are better off than other pioneers who solely believe in their own strength."

In the former ambassador's opinion, the Larkinson Clan may possess a considerable amount of might, but it never even came close to matching the energy of the bigger players such as the Terran Confederation, Rubarth Empire, the Big Two and so on. Those were the true movers and shakers of the Red Ocean!

"I may be content to remain a pawn for now, but that won't remain true forever." Ves quietly vowed.

He did not have any realistic expectations of changing his current status. He was just a Journeyman and his clan did not possess the capital to leap above the heads of other pawns.

However… the situation might be different in a couple of centuries!

"Every pawn yearns to be promoted." Shederin affirmed.

He did not mention that most of them ended up discarded to the side over the course of a match.