The Mech Touch

The MTA didn't appear to be in a hurry to summon Ves for a good discussion, so he spent quite a few hours on additional preparations.

He mostly asked for advice from his wife, Calabast and Minister Shederin.

Each of them gave him a lot of ideas and recommendations that further prepared him for whatever stratagems the mechers might present.

Of course, Ves did not ignore the fact that the mechers tracked all of his preparations and could adjust their own approach based on what they learned.

This was a game that Ves was bound to lose. At the very least, he aimed to limit his losses as much as possible. He did not want the MTA to roll over him without worrying about encountering any resistance!

"To be honest, I believe you are painting your upcoming talks with the MTA in a far more adversarial light than is warranted." Minister Shederin gently told him. "You are the goose that lays the golden eggs. What the mechers want to see the most is seeing you continue to lay more eggs. The best way to do that is to cater to your needs and make you feel as comfortable as possible."

"I'd like to believe that, Shederin, but my prior experiences with the MTA haven't exactly been as pleasant as you described, you know. I mean, they basically browbeat me into giving up 90 percent of my spoils from the Royal Tomb, although I don't think the original deal extends to my spoils from Purgatory. They're two separate places."

Shederin cast a dubious look towards Ves, but did not comment on this matter any further. He instead returned to his original point.

"The Ves they talked to before is different from the Ves that is currently sitting before me. Your value and significance has undergone a transformation, much as how those 27 mech pilots completed their own transformations. Just as how our clan provides completely different treatment to expert pilots, the MTA will also revise its treatment towards you. Pay close attention to who the mechers will send and what tone they will adopt towards you. If they approach you with an official attitude, then your suspicions may be right, but if they take the effort to greet you with a friendly attitude that is part of a purposeful effort to make you feel at ease, then you should not hold too many unreasonable thoughts."

"I guess it depends on which part of the MTA is in charge here." Ves stated. "The Association is not a monolithic group. I hope that whowever is handling my situation belongs to one of the friendlier camps."

Time passed as Ves constantly guessed which face of the MTA he would meet today. Even a friendly personality was not easy to deal with. No matter how much he aligned with the mechers, he would always be considered an outsider to their close-knit bunch.

Soon enough, Ves received another notification. He had already changed out of his Unending Regalia and donned his formal patriarch outfit, sans cape, in preparation for his upcoming meeting.

"Well, wish me luck, honey."

"You'll do fine, Ves." Gloriana said while holding their daughter in her arms.

Ves grinned as he leaned in to plant a kiss on his baby's head.

"Hihihihi!"

His entire form teleported out of the Spirit of Bentheim shortly afterwards.

He quickly reappeared in a familiar lounge compartment on the Simile Halifax.

The small frigate had warped all the way from the inner system to the coordinates of the expeditionary fleet to fetch their invited guest!

Just as expected, Jovy Armalon was ready to greet Ves first.

"Hello again, Ves. I knew you would make gains inside that pocket space, but I never imagined that your actions were so great that you successfully caught the notice of our top figures. You've caused quite the stir within our circle, to say the least."

Ves could already figure this out on his own. He needed to learn more information, though.

"By top figures, do you mean the Galactic Mech Council, or do you mean the head of your little clique?"

Jovy snorted and chuckled. "Do you think it is that easy to get on the agenda of the highest governing body of the MTA? You wish! The galactic mech councilors only convene and discuss matters of grave import such as the decision to invade the Red Ocean or allowing indigenous human populations to build their own minidrives. The Association isn't as centralized as you think it is. The vast majority of issues are handled by sector branches, planetary branches and so on. You are in friendly company right now, or otherwise we wouldn't have called over the Paracelsus Optimus."

The MTA Journeyman effectively conveyed the most crucial information that Ves wanted to know.

He already relaxed a bit after he interpreted the hints he received in a positive light.

"What is special about the Paracelsus Optimus?" He asked.

"You must have noticed her specialized configuration. Officially, the new battlecarrier operates as part of the 307th Pacification Fleet of the MTA that is headquartered in Krakatoa, and is currently assigned on a roving patrol and cruise through the hinterland of occupied space."

"And unofficially?" Ves raised his eyebrow.

"Unofficially, the Paracelsus Optimus is mostly a private initiative of a high-ranking mecher who possesses a great degree of fascination towards the biotechnology and unique racial strengths of the phase whale race. He is of the opinion that humanity can make further revolutionary technological advances by studying and absorbing everything the phase whales have ever learned and created. You can imagine that he is immensely pleased with the phase whale enclave and what came out of it. You have given him a pleasing gift."

This bigshot must have a lot of clout in the Association for him to organize and use a well-equipped battlecarrier as his personal research lab or exploration arm!

"Does this great figure hail from the Survivalists or another faction?" Ves carefully asked.

Jovy shook his head. "He's not a part of us, but we have had numerous dealings with him. We share many interests and have developed a good relationship over the years. He will introduce himself to you in person soon enough, so I will refrain from saying too much. I can only tell you that he is part of the Transhumanist Faction."

"I see…"

The Transhumanist Faction!

This was probably one of the factions that was most relevant to Ves! After all, much of his work emphasized the growth and evolution of the users of his products. This happened to conform with the main aim of this influential faction!

Jovy threw a scrutinizing glance towards Ves. "Do you remember what we told you about the Transhumanists?"

"They're the people in the MTA who are most obsessed with evolving into a higher state of humanity." Ves answered. "They're responsible for driving many of the advancements in human augmentation. They are also highly involved in matters relating to high-ranking mech pilots and mech designers. While mechs are still important to them, they are seen as a vessel to achieve human evolution rather than a tool for war."

"That is an accurate explanation, but not a complete one. There are many nuances to the Transhumanists that you will surely learn more about in the future. Not only will you be meeting with the man who is in charge of the Paracelsus Optimus, you will also be working more closely with his faction in the foreseeable future."

"Oh? Why would you say that?"

"Do you remember one of the requests you made a number of months ago?" Jovy asked. "You sought our help in finding a trustworthy and qualified director as well as any additional specialists that we can spare to man your new T Institute. Well, they're all aboard the Paracelsus Optimus. It took a lot of negotiations and preparation work to make all of the arrangements, but now that the battlecarrier has arrived, we can finally move forward again."

The importance of this trip was greater than he thought!

Perhaps the Paracelsus Optimus was already on her way to Garimel System before the mutations in the phase whale enclave ever became known.

The Cerebral King's forced entry into the Royal Tomb and the instability detected at Auralis merely hastened the battlecarrier's arrival.

"I think you will like the people that the Transhumanists have gathered." Jovy smiled. "Anyway, before it is time to deliver you to the Paracelsus Optimus, can you tell me what it is like for a mech designer to experience a rousing battle in the cockpit of a mech? I have never met anyone of our profession that was willing to go to this extent to learn more about mechs. Were you ever afraid of suffering an accident?"

"There are always risks to everything. I have never denied this. I was confident in the Everchanger, though. It is one of my best works and a mech that I am more than willing to entrust my life to. If you aren't willing to make the same decision when you stand in front of your own best works, then I think there is something seriously wrong."

"Anything can happen in combat. Even an ace mech such as the Margenna can meet its doom one day. Most mech designers do not think it is worthwhile to take any risks with their lives. It is not necessary for them to do so in the first place."

"That's fine. I don't blame them for making the smart choice. They will most definitely be able to live longer as a result of their prudent choices."

"Are you indirectly calling yourself stupid?"

Ves smirked. "Nope. I just have my own ideas on what I want. I would rather live a shorter but fuller life than a long but boring existence."

What the fish-whale race had gone through in Purgatory strengthened his resolve on this even further.

For all of the years the king fishes had lived, their pace of advancement was agonizingly slow!

The Cerebral King may have learned a lot and upgraded its body extensively over the course of a million years, but a more brilliant individual from a more developed race would have been able to make similar achievements in a fraction of the time!

There was no way that Ves wanted to emulate the Cerebral King and try to bide his time. He was too impatient to wait so long!

He needed to improve faster and increase his capabilities so that he could solve his latent problems that were always looming over his head like a Sword of Damocles.

As Ves and Jovy continued to talk about topics that carefully kept a distance from the more serious subject matters, the Simile Halifax quickly returned to the side of the Paracelsus Optimus.

Jovy stood up and straightened his posture.

"We've arrived. We will teleport you over to the battlecarrier any second now. Remember my instructions and try your best to leave a positive impression behind. The head figure that you are about to meet is a respected inventor and a major leader within the Transhumanist Faction. He can help solve a lot of problems for you if you can gain his support."

What Jovy didn't say was that this bigshot could probably make life incredibly difficult for Ves if he screwed up this meet-and-greet!

"I understand. I am keeping your advice in mind." Ves seriously replied.

"One last thing. Do not forget that you are officially an associate of our Survivalist Faction. Try to couch your answers and shape your decisions from our standpoint and principles. Don't hesitate to say no or to defer any cumbersome requests to myself. The Transhumanists are highly passionate about their ambitions, but this has also caused them to go overboard from time to time."

"Wait, you're not coming with me?" He asked Jovy.

"I would love to come with you, but only you have received an invitation. I cannot step aboard another MTA ship without official permission."

Before Ves could ask another question, his form suddenly teleported away from the Simile Halifax.

He quickly arrived inside one of the mobile bulwarks of the Transhumanist Faction!