The Mech Touch

5739 Opponents, Not Enemies

The potential consequences of the public inquiry on living mechs was dire.

Ves did not know whether his opponents would actually be able to remove the vast majority of living mechs in use from the hands of their satisfied customers, but the fact that it was a possible outcome was already scary enough!

Even if his opponents gave him a bit of mercy by continuing to allow his Larkinson Clan to make use of his own products, that was poor consolation given that he served the needs of tens of millions of mech pilots just before.

A partial restriction sounded a lot better, but still did not sit well with him. He could cope with the decision to prohibit his living mechs from use in certain zones or geographic reasons.

Ves doubted that this would hinder any of his serious fans and customers. At most, they would just have to relocate to a territory where the use of living mechs was still allowed.

It became a little more difficult for him to accept a restriction on the features of his products.

Third order living mechs were so much more powerful and promising than their second order counterparts that there was no competition between them. Their growth rate was astonishing and their real combat power was unquestionably superior to other mechs.

Ves did not know what he would do if his customers were no longer allowed to make use of third order living mechs anymore.

If all people had access to were first and second order living mechs, then many of them would grow up to become different versions of the original Ouroboros.

These living mechs should have enjoyed a much brighter future, but because of the unreasonable paranoia against AIs, their development would remain capped in many essential areas!

This was as stupid as the Hexers trying to keep their boys below 1.66 meters in height.

Ves feared that a compromise solution was the most probable outcome of this public inquiry.

If neither Ves nor his opponents made an overwhelmingly powerful case for their arguments, then the people who decided on this matter might just decide to go for the 'middle ground'.

Suffice to say, this was absolutely unacceptable to Ves!

The only outcome that he could truly tolerate was total victory. Nothing else would make him feel satisfied.

"Now that you have explained the three-day schedule, can you finally tell me about the people who have chosen to stand against my work?"

Both Jovy and Vector exchange another glance with each other.

"I suppose it is time for you to know who is trying to hinder you." Jovy said. "Before I say anything further, please note that their motivations vary considerably. There are people who merely want you to tone down your work so that their mech designs have a fair chance of competing in the mech market. There are also people who possess a genuine fear towards AIs, and equate your living mechs as a variation of them. Then there are people who are on the opposite side of the political arena from you. Your rise will cause them to suffer a loss in one way or another. That alone motivates them to stop or slow down your progress."

Vector Loban added his own opinion as well. "The majority of these people and groups are not your enemies. They have no intentions of killing you or ruining you utterly. Maybe they still appreciate your other products and hope you can succeed regardless of this possible setback. They merely think that you have gone… astray by conducting illegal research and experimentation. This is a distressingly familiar problem to Transhumanists such as myself. When you begin to push the boundaries with your work, you must accept the possibility of incurring a backlash. The public inquiry was already years in the making given the way your living mechs continued to affect human civilization. It only started sooner than we anticipated because exotic radiation is rapidly promoting the evolution of your impressive third order living mechs."

When mechs transitioned from being warm but mostly silent guardians to talking metal giants that could move on their own, it was no wonder that a lot of people got spooked!

In hindsights, Ves should have taken a lot more measures to prepare the mech community for the onset of third order living mechs.

His mistake was that he possessed so much confidence and appreciation in his third order living mechs that he automatically assumed that other people would be the same.

However, most people weren't as familiar with living mechs as him. They just saw a nightmare scenario come to life and may have found it difficult to treat the third order living mech as casually as before.

These people bore no fault, and neither did the people who opposed him for other reasons. A political enemy was not the same as a mortal enemy. Ves was still able to make this distinction.

He had no doubt that his real enemies were mixed into this gathering as well, though. Ves still needed to remain on his toes and defend his interests as best as possible.

"Enough stalling. Just tell me who is arrayed against me in this public inquiry."

"Well, we have formed a tentative list of known opponents. It is not an exhaustive list, but it should be enough to give you an overview of which parts of red humanity are trying to hinder your work on living mechs. The first group of opponents comes from our Association. I am afraid to say that the Red Association is not able to form a united front around your living mechs."

Ves already expected as much. He had known a long time ago that the MTA and RA were so immense that they were split up into multiple factions.

"Who among the mechers dare to stand against my work?"

"As far as we know, approximately 72 percent of the Mech Supremacist Faction, 20 percent of the Transhumanist Faction and 30 percent of the Survivalist Faction are opposed to your living mechs."

Ves pressed his lips. "These guys don't know what they are dealing with. If the Mech Supremacists understood the full potential of my living mechs, they would not be so strongly opposed to my work!"

"The Mech Supremacists are under the impression that increasing the intelligence and autonomy of your living mechs will eventually make mech pilots redundant." Vector Loban spoke in a sardonic tone. "You must think they are wrong or misguided, but you have to understand this situation from their perspective. They do not know as much about living mechs as you. They can only judge them by relying on their own observations."

Jovy gave Ves a reassuring expression. "This is what the public inquiry is meant to solve. It is not a show trial that is mainly organized to bash your living mechs. It is an opportunity for you to enlighten the Mech Supremacists and other people with insufficient understanding of the true qualities of living mechs. As long as you can clarify the mysteries of your living mechs and resolve any misunderstandings, there is hope that you can melt the opposition from the Mech Supremacist. They are most fanatical about protecting the rights of the mech pilots. A mech is not a mech anymore if it can fight our opponents by itself."

"I understand." Ves responded in a calmer tone. "I share a common value with them. It is just sad that they think that my living mechs are trying to replace all of their mech pilots. Do you know if any of the factions are opposed to my work?"

"We are still looking into that. There are many factions that do not have a strong opinion on this matter. Other factions are simply too small and inconsequential to have any say."

"Do you know if there are any god pilots or Star Designers that have come out in opposition to my work?"

Jovy immediately shook his head. "No. They may have formed certain opinions about your living mechs, but this is a matter that should be decided by the people. The influence of our top leaders is too strong. Anything they say will have a lot of blind supporters. Nobody will bother to think critically anymore. This will stifle any true and honest debate. As much as this may displease you, this is not a problem that can be solved by resorting to force or intimidation. The only weapons you are allowed to use are logic, ethics and philosophy."

"...Why are you looking at me as if I'm a caveman who only knows how to solve problems by bashing my club at them? I am a Senior Mech Designer, just like you! I know how to hold a civilized discussion!"

"Ahem, let us get back to the original topic. You can rest assured that no tier 1 galactic citizen will take the initiative to speak out against your work. However, you cannot count on them to speak in your favor either. If you think you can make your case by having the Destroyer of Worlds put in a good word on your behalf, then think again."

"Bummer."

"This public inquiry is about building up acceptance from a broad audience. The only way you can secure a good outcome is by appealing to the masses. The parties who have aligned against your living mechs are not immune to public criticism. They must respect the overall sentiment of the people in order to preserve the legitimacy of this inquiry."

"So what other enemies have I attracted? Has the Red Fleet moved against me as well?"

"It is difficult for us to discern the full inner workings of the Red Fleet, but we have confirmed that the RF Fifth Enforcement Fleet has come out in opposition to your work." Jovy replied.

"That is not a surprise." Vector Loban calmly said. "The enforcement fleets are usually tasked with solving the mistakes made by other people. They have a more jaded view of human nature than most."

"How powerful is the Fifth Fleet?"

"Do not underestimate them. That is all I can say. The most disconcerting aspect about the Red Fleet is that it is unclear whether you have any supporters among them. If the fleeters as a whole are either indifferent or opposed to your work, then that will mean that you will be impeded by an entire super-organization."

Ves scratched his head. "I guess I should do something about that."

"Let us move on." Jovy pressed." You have detractors among the two first-rate colonial superstates as well. The Chabran Ancient Clan has come out in opposition against your work, though it is certainly not the only Terran group to do so. The Rubarthan Pact is much more problematic for you as the entirety of the Smokestack Principality has put its weight behind its opposition."

Ves had already been informed of the latter, so the news did not come as a shock.

"What about the other Terrans and Rubarthans?"

"A few are explicitly on your side. Think of the Streon Ancient Clan, the Devos Ancient Clan, the Inferno Spear Principality and of course the Impresario Principality. However, the remaining first-raters might not necessarily have a strong opinion on this subject. Your products have yet to proliferate among them, so they consider it beneath their notice."

"I see. That is logical."

The names mentioned by Jovy hardly encompassed the full spectrum of opponents against his living mechs, but they were already far too many for Ves to deal with by himself.

If he wanted to come out of this public inquiry in good shape, then he needed to gather allies by his side!

"Tell me you guys will help me out. Don't leave me to defend my works by myself."

"There are plenty of mechers among us who have a vested interest in your living mechs. We shall lend our aid whenever we can, but there are limits to what we can do. The opponents among the mechers will do their best to impede and limit our permissions, so you will still be obliged to make your own case."

"I see."

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