The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5837 The Right Building Blocks

The mood inside the Brain Trust changed when Ves spoke.

With a few sentences, he had taken all of the initiative. There was no way this conversation could proceed without the two fleeters deferring to his words.

It felt nice to be able to gain a measure of control in this situation. Ves certainly did not want to get taken advantage of. In his experience as a leader, he had found that the best way for him to avoid getting exploited was to engage in it himself!

Dread Captain Volkert Argile did not exactly looked pleased with how quickly he had lost control over the rhythm of this conversation. They were all standing in the heart of a dreadnought that was completely under his command. This was his homeground, yet now that Ves understood that he held the most important cards, the fleeter had no choice but to play along.

"Please enlighten us with your ideas." The centuries-old man requested. "Our own scientists and engineers have formed possible solutions, but none of them seem reliable enough for me to agree to these measures. I hope that your proposals are able to inspire greater confidence."

Ves smirked at that. "Then you should be happy to hear what I have to say. Since you have been gracious enough to tell the truth, I shall reciprocate and do the same. I have come up with three different solutions, each of which have very different implications. The first one is the most straightforward one. It also happens to be the least riskiest option. I have already determined within the first minute of entering this so-called Brain Trust that it is well within my capabilities to cease the individual brains from spontaneously forming random sentient personalities."

"Is that truly the case?"

"Hahaha!" Ves confidently laughed! "Who do you think I am? The previous public inquiry has made it abundantly clear that I excel at creating life in objects that are not necessarily supposed to be alive! I know more about this field than anyone else, and that includes Star Designers! Is it too much of a stretch to believe I am unable to do the reverse? Solving this problem is incredibly simple. I merely have to remove the variables that enable these brains from spawning new life. I can do it right away without any further preparation if necessary. The only annoying part is that I will have to alter the individual brains one by one. Since there are easily over a thousand stored inside this chamber, this will likely take all day."

Both Dread Captain Volkert Argile and Captain Zonrad Reze blinked in surprise.

They had different reasons to believe that Ves just happened to possess the right expertise to solve the problems related to the Brain Trust.

In the eventuality that he was not capable of solving the problem, he almost certainly possessed contacts who might have a better shot.

Neither of the two expected that it would be that simple!

"How certain are you that this proposed solution will turn the Brain Trust into a stable and reliable organic AI core array again?" The Argile heir asked with a hint of excitement in his tone.

"I won't say 100 percent, but it should be pretty close." Ves remained confident as he answered the question. "This is really child's play. If you are still afraid that the brains might circumvent my initial solution and mutate into a living monstrosity anyway, then I can add extra countermeasures if necessary. I am sure that Helena will do me a favor if I ask nicely."

"How do you estimate the risks of failure and complications?"

"10 percent or less. I am not doing anything too complicated. You can consider it as the metaphysical equivalent of picking up a plasma torch and cutting off a few critical components inside the brain units. It is much easier to destroy than to create."

"Thank you for your clarification, professor. That is a clear enough analogy."

Dread Captain Argile seriously considered whether he should request Ves to employ this solution right away. It would instantly solve a headache as well as a potential threat to the Argile power base.

"Let me be honest, captain. I do not prefer this solution." Ves quickly said. "It is not only boring, but it is also a huge waste. Look around you. Look at all of these brains. They all possess genetic aptitudes that would have turned their original owners into talented and powerful mech pilots beyond comparison. To allow these fleeters to ignore their potential as mech pilots is already a huge missed opportunity. I really cannot stand it that you guys keep limiting your use of these brains. They still have a lot of potential, and I just happen to possess the means to draw it and help you derive much more benefits out of their existence."

"How?"

Ves grinned wider. "It's quite simple. I have the means to make the original experiment succeed. If I understand correctly, you fleeters originally wanted to combine the brainpower of all of these 'organic AI cores' and form a powerful sentient AI that can run gigantic warships like the Dominion of Man a lot better than conventional AIs. If that was your original goal, then I can realize it by applying my expertise. I will probably need Captain Reze's help to modify the programming of the brain units in order to account for the possible changes, but I believe I can definitely merge all of the life potential of these brain units into a single cohesive entity. If my idea works out as expected, I will be able to create the first true living warship!"

That was a bold claim!

Neither Argile nor Sigrund believed in it easily, but Ves expressed so much confidence that they had to take the possibility seriously!

"Risk factor?"

"Moderate." Ves honestly replied as if he was talking to a client who was looking to commission a custom mech. "This goes beyond my first proposal. Instead of trying to sever the possibility that life can form, I will do the opposite and promote it as much as possible. All of the brains here must contribute to this great effort. The most difficult challenge is to coordinate and unite their collective transformation. I have never done anything like this before, but I believe it is possible in theory to unify them in a way that causes them to form as different elements of the same whole. If I can make this happen, it becomes possible to create a single coherent shipboard AI that is both sentient and controllable."

It was difficult for the fleeters to determine whether Ves had what it took to make this happen without any complications.

"So the main source of your confidence is that you believe it may work in theory?"

Ves nodded. "I have never done anything like this before, so I have no past cases to draw lessons from. However, I am fairly confident that I can turn the Brain Trust into the control system that it was always meant to be. What I am uncertain about is whether you can expand it after I am done. It may be that you won't be able to add more brains to this construct as they are not part of the initial gestalt entity. I am also wondering how extensively you can change its programming after it has come into being. I can program it myself at the start, but how it will develop after it is born is largely dependent on how it is treated and what it is exposed to. You will need to raise your new shipboard AI as an impressionable child. Treat it well, and it shall turn the Dominion of Man into an unstoppable dreadnought. Treat it poorly, and it may abandon you when you most need its power."

That was not exactly welcome news. The fleeters always found it important to maintain full control over their own technology. Most technological devices were supposed to behave exactly as instructed. It would be difficult for them to get accustomed to a new reality where they needed to consider the feelings of their warship.

Dread Captain Argile looked hesitant about this option. It was not as solid as the first plan, but it was actually what he initially expected when the Red Fleet invited the developer of living mechs to the Dominion of Man.

"What is your third idea?"

Now that was a big one.

Ves exuded a lot more passion and enthusiasm as he finally had an opportunity to explain his most ambitious idea!

"This is a big one, so brace yourselves. My brief tour through your dreadnought has inspired me. All of the artwork expresses the Red Fleet's common goal of making the human race rise to a position of supremacy. The will of the crew is constantly endeavoring to make this come true. Furthermore, trillions of humans who have witnessed the Dominion of Man capture a Tide Station during Operation Night Jazz have come to place their faith in your dreadnought. It is remarkable for me to see how much weight and meaning your majestic vessel has gained in our society."

"Where are you going with this, professor?" Dread Captain Argile asked in a vigilant tone.

Ves waved his arm. "I see an opportunity! There are a lot of building blocks that happen to fall into place. First, your Brain Trust is primed and ready to form a powerful metaphysical entity. Second, the Dominion of Man is an incredibly powerful dreadnought. Third, much of her power is derived from her extraordinary Spark Reactor. Fourth, the Dominion of Man is slowly turning into a totemic existence as she is gathering the spiritual feedback of an innumerable amount of humans. Fifth, your dreadnought's name and mode of operation is intrinsically tied to the concept of human supremacy. Sixth, I am the only person who can combine the preceding factors together and produce a result that has the potential to strengthen red humanity to a notable degree."

Of the two captains, Sigrund was more familiar with Ves and his unusual work. He figured it out first.

"You… are you being serious, Larkinson? You will be dealing with forces beyond your power and understanding! You are talking about creating a god that embodies the spirit of human supremacy!"

"Is that true, professor?!" Dread Captain Argile reacted with astonishment!

Ves continued to grin. "I admit that the risk factor of this plan is greatest. I still favor it, because the potential gains are by far the greatest. The Dominion of Man is the perfect candidate for this transformation. If there is one thing that modern humans do not lack, it is their unflinching belief in the strength and superiority of their race. If we can take advantage of this trait and use it to empower a powerful new ancestral spirit, we can essentially create a new god-like entity that will help protect our race during these trying times! The best part about this is that this spirit will not randomly wander off and do its own thing, but will remain tied to the Brain Trust!"

"That does not sound reassuring. What good will it do to anchor this dangerous 'god' to one of our most important warships?"

"There are lots of benefits!" Ves responded. "It will not only allow your Red Fleet to remain in direct contact with this entity, but its growth will also spur on the growth of your dreadnought! The more powerful the ancestral spirit becomes, the more difficult it is to defeat the Dominion of Man in battle! Her rise in combat performance will far exceed that of the other 7 dreadnoughts! I even theorize that it might just fulfill the original goal of creating them all. As long as the Dominion of Man continues to embody the spirit of human domination, she may ultimately gain the power to win a fight against a god mech!"

This was his boldest claim yet! It was so important to the fleeters that Dread Captain Argile could not help but lower his instinctual resistance towards this risky plan!