The Mech Touch

Master Bouderon's revelations revealed a much messier side to the MTA than what outsiders thought about the powerful organization.

All of this was crucial information that already caused Ves to solve certain doubts and clarify ambiguous issues. He gained more insight into issues that previously remained unsolvable due to lack of context.

For example, the Supreme Sage's confidential research on life-prolonging treatment serum and the MTA's preferential treatment of the Vulcan Empire both made a lot more sense if Ves associated them with certain MTA factions.

One of the most important conclusions that Ves managed to draw from this lesson was that the MTA did not completely act as a single, unified entity.

Although most high-level decisions had to obtain a broad consensus from the galactic mech council in order to be passed, there were lots of areas where such massive attention wasn't warranted.

Individual factions could exert a lot more direct control over a select amount of regions. As long as no one else stepped onto their turf, the factions in charge could implement their own ideas with relatively little interference from above. This also explained the sometimes inconsistent behavior and policies of the MTA in different states and star sectors.

Ves had to be more aware of this in the future. He not only had to tread carefully in regions where hostile factions held sway, but also had to be careful not to upset other people's arrangements.

This was especially relevant to the Red Ocean, which had recently turned into a hotspot for the mechers. A lot of different major and minor factions must be extending their hands to the small but resource-rich dwarf galaxy.

If Ves hadn't received this lecture from Master Bouderon, he would have probably become entangled in one of the many great schemes hatched by these ambitious factions!

Once the bald MTA Master was done with setting the mentalities of young Journeymen straight, he finally introduced the remaining three major factions.

"Now that you have become more cognizant about the power dynamics within our Association, the existence of the following two factions will make more sense to you. While our highest leadership comes from all corners of the galaxy, there are two notable states that have been more successful than others in elevating their most excellent supporters."

"You're talking about the first-rate superstates, right?" Gloriana spoke.

"You are correct." Bouderon's expression turned a bit weary. "Outside of our organization, the Greater Terran United Confederation and the New Rubarth Empire are consistently successful at producing Star Designers. Their illustrious heritage, their deep foundation and their attractive visions has always earned them a significant amount of support from the human population, and it is no different among our people. There have always been two separate coalitions between galactic mech councilors and Star Designers that believe humanity must be ruled by the Terrans or the Rubarthans."

Ves raised his eyebrow when he heard that. "I thought the MTA was always hostile to the idea of letting the first-rate states regain their former glory."

"You can be thankful that there has always been a strong consensus to the idea that they should never get a second chance. The Terran Faction and the Rubarthan Faction have never succeeded in completing their primary purpose, but that does not mean they are nonfactors within our organization. They function as the nails of their respective loyalties and try to steer the decision-making in a direction that is more favorable to the first-rate superstates."

"I see. I take it that most mechers don't agree with that?"

"The Mech Trade Association stands for all of humanity, and the reality is that a significant proportion are either directly or indirectly tied to the Terran Confederation and the Rubarth Empire. Excluding them from the MTA is impossible as it would go against our mandate and our purpose. We can only make the least-bad decision and allow the two first-rate superstates to represent their interests within our own halls of power, which they have used to surprisingly good effect."

Master Bouderon sounded quite dejected at that. He clearly did not want the first-rate superstates to get their way, which was consistent with the MTA's overall stance.

"If the Terran Faction and Rubarthan Faction are so hated, why are they effective?"

"Because the other factions must always borrow enough support to advance their own agendas. The two state-bound factions mostly gain significance when other factions are still short of a majority. For example, in order for the Expansionist Faction to open up the Red Ocean for colonization, it had to agree to allow the Terrans and Rubarthans to enter the dwarf galaxy as well."

"I see. So they basically act like mercenaries. Their support can always be bought for a price. That's quite clever on their part."

Jovy chuckled at this analogy. "Mercenaries earn great profits but never enough respect."

Though Jovy sounded contemptuous, Ves wasn't sure he agreed with this stance. Profit was solid and concrete while respect was more invisible and easily lost.

It was a lot easier to cheat someone with the latter than the former! At least Ves would have a much easier time preventing others from ripping away his hard-earned rewards!

"What of the final major faction?" Gloriana asked. "Is this the one that holds your loyalties?"

Both Jovy and Master Bouderon nodded.

"I have saved our faction for last because it is not as extreme and single-issue as the prior factions. I believe you should have already gained an awareness that each of them seek to advance a specific cause above all else. The problem with that is that they tend to gather a large amount of like-minded people that begin to build their own echo chambers. Within their particular communities, they constantly reinforce their own biases and close themselves off to any reasonable doubt and critique from other perspectives. This is also the reason why a considerable number of Star Designers and other people have turned away from factional politics entirely."

Ves was no stranger to this. States like the Hexadric Hegemony, the Life Research Association, the Heavensword Association and the Vulcan Empire were strong examples where a single dominant culture became so full of themselves that nobody hit the brakes!

It was interesting that Master Bouderon brought up this particular point, though.

"And I suppose your particular faction is better than the rest in this regard?" Ves guessed.

Master Bouderon responded with a smile. "Our faction is not driven by a particular ideology. We offer room for a diverse group of supporters. Whether faction members believe that the MTA must intervene more in human affairs or maintain greater isolation, they can both find common ground in our circle. No matter whether anyone thinks we must take a left turn or a right turn to reach our destination, we are open to both options. Any solution will gain our support as long as we reach our target in the most efficient fashion."

That… sounded rather ambiguous, but also logical. Ves had the idea that this faction was a lot more moderate than the other ones. He only had one question, though.

"What is the common goal that this faction is striving towards?" He asked.

Both Master Bouderon and Jovy fell silent for a few seconds.

"Survival." The MTA Master eventually said. "Human survival."

"…That simple?"

"Don't take this goal for granted, Mr. Larkinson. Almost every child born in this age and the last has developed the myth that humanity has won the great struggle against every enemy that matters. They assume that our civilization has already gained the upper hand in our galaxy and that we have the luxury to enjoy the privileges of ascending to the throne."

"And that's wrong?"

"There are always threats, Larkinsons, both from within and from without." Bouderon seriously replied. "Just as how presidents and emperors can be toppled from power, so can human civilization lose all of its hard-won gains of the past. The members of our faction are of the opinion that humanity as a race has become too arrogant. Agendas such as freezing humanity's development in an attempt to perpetually sustain the current golden age or abolishing warships right away when they are still our primary means of protection against hostile alien empires are self-defeating ideologies. Our view is that our existence is always precarious and that we must always ready ourselves to fight against the next great threat."

"You guys sound like doomsday preppers." Ketis ungenerously stated.

That earned her a disapproving look from both MTA mech designers.

"We're not preppers. We are surrounded by enemies. The probability that any of them have the capital to destroy humanity is too great, if not now then at some point in the future." Jovy insisted. "Each of us acknowledges this danger, but that doesn't mean we are overtaken by our fears. Passively building strongholds so that we can last longer in the event our civilization collapses is not a real solution. What we are actually doing is taking measures to prevent us from falling in the first place."

Master Bouderon concurred with Jovy. "This is why we are referred to as the Survivalist Faction. Our only overarching goal is to ensure the continued existence of the human race. In the greater scheme of things, our faction is relatively moderate as we rarely go through extremes. We lend our support to the proposals of other factions as long as they align with our main priority. For ease of understanding, you can say that pragmatism is our main ideology. This is also the main reason why our faction has attracted the greatest amount of support among rational and less political mech designers."

The Survivalist Faction indeed sounded a lot more rational than the other factions. Whereas groups like the Longlifers and the Unbounders sounded as if they were a bunch of cultists, the Survivalist Faction sounded like an oasis of common sense!

Ves had to admit that this goal and outlook sounded highly attractive to him. Due to his past experiences, he had come in touch with secrets that caused him to become aware of several possible dangers that could threaten the current human order. He did not need to take the Survivalist Faction at their word!

The pragmatic attitude of the Survivalists also sounded attractive. It was the least extreme approach among the MTA factions that he had heard so far. As someone who was allergic to instances of fanaticism and blind belief, it was a great relief for Ves to be among people who actually retained their common sense!

The more he thought about it, the more he became inclined to throw his lot with these folk. They were just too suitable to him. The Survivalists didn't really mind whether their members were eccentric or held diverging opinions on many matters. As long as they were all able to agree that humanity's prosperity and dominance had to be preserved, then they had enough common ground to cooperate with each other!

Ves didn't bother to hide his internal deliberations. His expressions and emotions transmitted enough signals for Master Bouderon to know that he had caught a fish.

Someone as smart and competent as him must have planned this sequence of events from start to finish. It was too easy for an MTA Master to present information and steer a discussion to produce the desired outcome.

Everything that Bouderon said so far painted a considerable contrast between the Survivalist Faction and the other eleven factions.

Though Ves was sure that he was being manipulated and that some of the other factions shouldn't be as bad as he thought, he had already made his decision.

The fact that he aligned with the Survivalists wasn't the sole reason for that. Ves also needed help right away and only Master Willix and her buddies were willing to extend a hand to him at this time!

Therefore, even if Master Willix and Master Bouderon belonged to a bunch of crazies like the Unbounders and the Dissolutionists, Ves still would have joined their clubs if only to address his immediate problems!

Fortunately, the current situation was anything but bad. Although Ves was not a rational mech designer, there was no rule he had to be an emotionless bot in human form in order to agree with the idea that humanity must do more to ensure its survival.

Ves made a decisive move. "I would love to get closer to the Survivalist Faction."

Master Bouderon smiled wider. "Welcome aboard, Mr. Larkinson. Though it will take time for you to comprehend the wisdom of your choice, you have acted correctly."

"This is great, Ves!" Jovy happily exclaimed. "We can hang around more often now that you've become an associate of our faction! There are more ways for me to circumvent the restrictions that prevent me from cooperating with you. While I can't do anything right away, just wait. Maybe one day we can start collaborating sooner than we thought."

That… sounded like an interesting prospect. Ves had always held a great amount of interest in Jovy's dramatic probability manipulation specialty. How much stronger could a mech become if a mech with the power to control luck became alive?

Just the thought of designing such a mech sent a thrill of excitement through his spine!