The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5840 Many Concerns

It took another hour for Dread Captain Volkert Argile to call Ves and Sigrund back to one of his offices.

The fact that it took so much time for the master of the Dominion of Man to summon his guests said a lot about how much arguing had taken place behind the scenes.

Of course, the impeccable dread captain did not exhibit any sign of that. He continued to comport himself as a man who led one of the most powerful warships in the Red Ocean.

If Ves had his way, he would turn into the most powerful one beyond any comparison by the time he was done.

As Ves and his fleeter friend took their seats, Volkert Argile went straight to the point.

"I have spoken extensively with Fleet Admiral Argile and his closest experts. They have analyzed your descriptions and conducted their own investigations. It is of their opinion that while you have the capacity to fulfill your promises, the outcomes of your second and third plan are anything but certain. Has your visitation to the Rubicon Spatial Transfer System and the Spark Reactor given you any reason to revise the estimated success rates of your plans?"

"I haven't been able to learn much due to lack of information, captain, but the Spark Reactor was not what I expected. Its… unusual properties have forced me to adjust my plans, but nothing else has changed."

"I see. Absent any goals and motivations, the fleet admiral favors a middle ground solution. The potential reward for activating the Brain Trust and encouraging it to form a singular, loyal and controllable sentient AI is a significant breakthrough for the Red Fleet. If the outcome of your second plan can transform the Dominion of Man into the most effective dreadnought among the 8, then that is more than worth the risk of failure. At worst, we will implement our contingency plan and forcibly remove the Brain Trust and put a conventional AI core array in its place. I am willing to put my own career on the line, but I will not fail my responsibility and risk the safety of the Dominion of Man herself."

That was the most rational course of action the Second Main Fleet could take. The risks were not too high while the potential gains were significant enough to boost the Second Main Fleet and the Argile Spaceborn Clan.

Even if an accident occurred that caused the Brain Trust to be scrapped, but the damage was not too catastrophic.

Dread Captain Volkert Argile might be forced to fall on his sword, thereby harming the prestige of the Argile Spaceborn Clan.

Reputation mattered a lot in the Red Fleet, but Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile was more than capable of taking the hit. There were still plenty of ways for him to make up for this blunder.

Ves would feel bad if this happened. Volkert Argile was rather decent for an old fleeter, and did not deserve to be dismissed for circumstances that he was not responsible for. Nobody knew the Brain Trust would mutate like this after the Great Severing.

"I have a feeling that this is not what you guys really want." Ves spoke up. "I can recognize an ambitious streak when I see one. I am quite familiar with it, you see."

Dread Captain Volkert Argile smiled. "I suppose you do. As outlandish as your third plan sounds, its promise is too great for us to dismiss it due to its elevated risk factor. My father has consulted numerous experts, including those who are versed in more esoteric fields. Their opinions vary wildly, but they do see promise in the possible creation of a super existence that embodies the spirit of human domination. If it functions similarly to your so-called design spirits and ancestral spirits, then there is a basis of truth in your claims. There are still many concerns."

"Ask away, then. I cannot promise you that I have all the answers, but I will do my best to provide reassurances."

"What is the benefit of creating this ancestral spirit to the Dominion of Man, the Second Main Fleet, the Red Fleet and red humanity as whole?"

That was a big question.

"Well, if the Dominion of Man serves as the container, the physical avatar or whatever of the hypothetical ancestral spirit, then your dreadnought will receive an insane amount of empowerment. This depends heavily on how I will do so, but you can expect your vessel to turn into a true living warship. Her ability to derive power from both her Spark Reactor and E energy radiation will grow by an astounding degree, but the presence of a serious guiding intelligence will enable her to channel those raw energies in much more sophisticated and effective ways. Over time, the hull and every material component of the Dominion of Man will slowly transform into a high-level artifact and maybe more. Constant exposure to the domain of a True God-level entity does that to stuff. Your Dread Marines and your crew are not exempted from this effect."

"Are you suggesting that every person serving on this vessel will become indoctrinated by this entity?"

"Yes." Ves honestly said. "Before you object, this may not be a bad thing. There is great potential for the servicemen of the Dominion of Man to develop a symbiotic relationship with the ancestral spirit. In exchange for worshiping it and serving it, the True God can bestow power to your spacers, thereby allowing them to grow stronger in a way that enables them to perform their duties more effectively."

Both Argile and Sigrund looked horrified by this scenario!

"This… is unacceptable, professor." The dread captain plainly said. "The Dominion of Man must remain under my control. We will never relinquish control to a strange and inhuman entity."

Ves nodded in understanding. "I can help you with that. There are certain measures that I can take that can reduce the ancestral spirit's influence on the crew. I can also alter the entity's personality trait and make it more amenable to the Red Fleet. Furthermore, the fact that you and your crew continue to control the physical body of the entity gives you leverage over its existence."

"That is not enough. It is the understanding of certain experts that when gods grow powerful enough, they have no need to remain attached to a physical shell."

"That is true, but you can bind the entity to the Dominion of Man by making it attractive enough to stick around. There will be many benefits to doing so. Access to the Spark Reactor is one of the greatest benefits."

"You are talking as if we must treat this entity as an equal partner." Dread Captain Argile frowned. "It would be more reassuring if we are able to subjugate it in its entirety."

"The third plan won't happen if that is what you want." Ves disapprovingly said. "My expertise lies in promoting synergy and mutual growth between humans and living mechs. I have done so with great success, and I think I can adopt a similar approach to the Dominion of Man. I will not pervert my design philosophy just to give you greater control. Besides, such attempts will either backfire horribly or cause its potential to be diminished. I have learned over many years of working that it is best to seek earnest cooperation. The entity does not have to be your enemy."

That still did not satisfy Dread Captain Argile. Many other fleeters would probably react much worse if Ves presented them with these complications!

Seeing that this issue could turn into a potential deal-breaker, Ves quickly mentioned the other possible benefits of enacting the third plan.

"Earlier, you asked me how the creation of a powerful new ancestral spirit will benefit others. I can tell you that while you and the Second Main Fleet will not be able to enslave the entity, your close contact and proximity with it will give your people a lot more opportunities to befriend and cooperate with it. More importantly, I think that the creation of this entity will help red humanity enormously. It will convert the extremely widespread belief in human supremacy into a useful resource that can rapidly fuel the entity's growth. Since all of those beliefs will shape the mindset of the ancestral spirit, it is obliged to act on its principles and do whatever it takes to protect human civilization in the Red Ocean. It won't be able to fight like a god pilot, but it can help our people in many other ways, such as boosting their growth. It will do everything in its effort to promote human dominance."

Though this answer was still a little vague, Ves was not in a position to provide more concrete details.

He still didn't know everything Gaia and the Superior Mother were up to these days.

"I am beginning to understand what you see in this ancestral spirit." Dread Captain Argile thoughtfully said as he juggled all of the facts. "There are many red humans who can influence this possible god. If we account for the total population of second-class and third-class humans, then the population of fleeters is rather miniscule. There is a great chance that the new ancestral spirit will become beholden to the masses."

"Is that a bad thing?" Ves smirked. "The powerless are most in need of help. You and your fellow fleeters will already benefit enough from its existence by having direct access due to crewing the Dominion of Man. Personally, I think it may be for the best if the ancestral spirit becomes the servant of red humanity as opposed to the Red Fleet alone. This will allow it to harvest a huge amount of spiritual feedback, allowing its strength to develop so quickly that it will become a worthy protector of our race. The huge feedback to the Dominion of Man will also strengthen her hull and systems, thereby making your dreadnought a lot stronger than it should. That is the most direct benefit to enabling your 18-kilometer ship to act as its physical vessel."

"Can you create this ancestral spirit without involving the Dominion of Man?"

Ves nodded in admission. "I can. I am actually blaming myself for not thinking up this idea sooner. I can pick other physical anchors or I can dispense of it entirely. However, the potential of this spirit won't be as strong if I do not use your dreadnought as its physical vessel. There are a lot of special conditions that make this potential living creation synergize with the Dominion of Man. They fit so perfectly with each other that it is far too wasteful to reject this opportunity. I think we both know that red humanity is not going to fare well in the Red War. We need all of the power boosts that we can get, and this situation has the potential to do that in a massive way."

Dread Captain Argile started to look as if he was increasingly more willing to support the third plan.

Unfortunately, he couldn't entirely set aside his many misgivings.

"What if the ancestral spirit becomes corrupted?" The dread captain pressed. "What if it loses control or turns against red humanity? What solutions do we have to deter the entity from rebelling, or putting it down once it does?"

Ves smiled. "I have already mentioned that you can employ a number of carrots to encourage it to play nice with you. There is also a really big stick that you can use to bring it back into line. I am pretty sure that any god pilot has the ability to kill it if they are within reach. I think that the Huntsman excels at this. I am sure that he will take action himself from the moment the new ancestral spirit has turned against red humanity. This is because such an event poses a threat to our civilization as a whole, not just the Red Fleet."

It did not take a genius to determine that the fleeters would not be happy if they had to rely on the help of a god pilot to bail them out! It would be a massive humiliation if the fleeters proved to be unable to clean their own mess!