The Mech Touch

5748 How To Deal With Your Human Self

There were many possible ways for Ves to cooperate with the Red Fleet.

Ves may be a mech designer, but he was also a spiritual engineer and possessed a range of useful abilities.

Just because he never thought about helping the Red Fleet did not mean he was incapable of doing so. He just had to move away from his area of expertise.

Now that their conversation had moved on to horse trading, Ves became a lot more interested in the possible benefits he could obtain from the fleeters.

"Is it possible to trade my services for first-class warships?"

"Out of the question." Sigrund immediately replied. "We are already struggling to meet our own needs. Warships are our main source of strength, and every vessel counts."

"What about first-class starships?"

"The answer remains the same. The resources required to construct a valid first-class carrier is not that much less from a warship of the same tonnage. It has become more and more challenging for us to source the high-grade exotics needed to construct hulls that can withstand the rigors of first-class combat. The most we can do is to supply you with second-

class starships."

"That is not good enough." Ves said with obvious disappointment. "I can turn to many other business partners for second-class starships. It is the first-class ones that truly matter."

"While transferring our hulls to you is out of the question, we can assist you in other ways. As long as your offer is valuable enough, we can compensate you with Warship Tokens, relatively simple warship design schematics and technological specifications of many essential naval systems. We can even offer you consulting services on how to construct your own sanctioned warships. The only requirements that you have to fulfill is to obtain the services of a shipyard and source the vast quantities of high-grade materials."

Ves immediately became more attentive when he heard this offer!

"Are you truly allowed to make this offer? It is difficult for me to believe that the Red Fleet is willing to do all of this for a mech designer like myself."

"The Red Fleet is not the Common Fleet Alliance, Ves. We are in a much less superior position than before. That has caused many of us to become more open to compromise and cooperation. Our public image has never been the best, but you should be aware that the dogmatists who continue to cling to the past do not represent our entire organization."

"I find that… difficult to believe."

"I speak with the authority invested in me by Admiral Chelsea Mieli of the Seventh Light Fleet. She will guarantee any promises I make."

"I have never heard of her." Ves flatly said. "I know that admirals are a big deal among you guys, but it is the fleet admirals who truly have all the say, correct?"

"You are not wrong. Admiral Mieli answers to Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile of the Second Main Fleet, who is ultimately responsible for any agreement we make. You can trust in his authority."

That was a big name. Fleet Admiral Argile had shown up in several public announcements in the past. That signified that he possessed the power and the prestige to represent the entire Red Fleet in certain occasions.

"Fleet Admiral Argile is not the only person in charge of the Red Fleet. There are other fleet admirals as well. Who among them opposes him the most?"

"That would be Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson of the Fifth Enforcement Fleet. She is… a strong adherent to the original principles of the Common Fleet Alliance. She is one of the main opponents of change. She will not approve whatever transaction we agree to. Any cooperation between the two of us will earn her disapproval."

"I have been told that the Fifth Enforcement Fleet is one of my opponents in the upcoming public inquiry. There is no point in playing nice with this fleet if that is the case."

"The support of the Second Main Fleet can go a long way in counterbalancing any hostility that the Fifth Enforcement Fleet harbors towards you, Ves. The Red Association already protects you from any possible retaliation from the Red Fleet, but if the mechers ever withdraw their support for you, it may be useful for you to have the Second Main Fleet as your pillar of support. This is only possible if you have given us substantial help, much like what you have done for the mech community."

That was going to be difficult. Ves did not think it was impossible for him to do so, but the repercussions were too great.

He was a mech designer. He was supposed to take the side of the Red Association in all matters.

Openly helping the Red Fleet make their warships stronger clearly harmed the interest of the Red Association!

However, Ves did not really care that much about the Red Association in the first place. The powerful organization was filled with good people like Jovy Armalon, but that did not change the fact that the mechers were way more meddlesome than desirable.

Ves did not like the fleeters either, but his dislike for them did not reach the point where he was unwilling to cooperate with them. A simple relationship based on mutual interest was sufficient for both of them to take advantage of each other.

"By the way, we have yet to discuss a cure for my… condition. Now that you have studied my current state, what are your suggestions?"

"That depends on what you want, Sigrund… or should I say Captain Reze."

The RF captain looked conflicted. "I am not a fragile human, no matter how I look. I am rational enough to accept the truth. Is there any way for you to reverse what my human body is doing to my alien self?"

"Probably not." Ves admitted. "The two of you are so strongly intertwined with each other that I would practically have to kill you to tear you apart. The damage to your spirituality will be catastrophic as there are many parts from Zonrad that you have unknowingly been relying on for a long time. Taking him away from you will leave you diminished in every way. You will lose your memories, your personality traits and most importantly your humanity."

That sounded like a frightening prospect to Sigrund.

"..."

"Let me be honest to you. I kind of like the current version of Sigrund a lot better than your old one. I do not look forward to seeing you regress and turn into an alien again. While you never intended to absorb so many human traits, I think this accidental circumstance has benefited you far more than you give credit for. I think you have attained the perfect balance between a human and a sentient AI."

"Yet Zonrad Reze still poses a threat to my original self."

Ves chuckled for a moment. "That depends on how you define the word 'threat' and what you consider undesirable about your ongoing changes."

"You are correct that I do not dislike all of the changes, but that does not mean I am willing to lose my autonomy, my control and my awareness of my own identity. Zonrad Reze might not have deserved what I have done to him, but he is a necessary sacrifice for my goals."

Talk like that probably drove Sigrund into setting off the Sand War!

"Let me tell you what I can do for you, Sigrund. First, I can take action to freeze your current state. I can strengthen your alien side just enough to form a stable equilibrium with your human side. Don't worry about mistakes. I won't have to make too many drastic changes to your spirituality."

"This is the safest option, I presume. What else do you suggest?"

"I can tone back Zonrad's influence over your alien self. I will have to do a bit more work to weaken and restrain him. This means that the probability that he will grow strong enough to launch a surprise attack and attempt to wrest back control will drop by a significant margin. This should be the best option if you prize long-term stability."

"According to your logic, doing this will make me lose a portion of my humanity."

"That is true, but you're supposed to be good at learning, right? Now that you have a taste of what being a human is like, I think you can become more like us by relying on your own efforts."

That made this option a lot more attractive to Sigrund. Still, the thought of drawing Zonrad back did not sit well with him. There was a part of the alien AI that had grown attached to its human side.

"What else do you propose?"

Ves paused and narrowed his eyes at Captain Reze. It was as if he was visualizing an entire spiritual operation.

"Your case is… not as unique as you think. I have witnessed similar cases in the past. If you think that Zonrad deserves a chance to regain a portion of his life, I can optimize the division between you and him. The two of you will effectively become co-tenants of the same human body."

"You are not selling me with this option." Sigrund immediately frowned. "Why would I wish to relinquish half of my control over my current shell with an incompetent human being?"

"Do you feel guilty? The negative karma that you have accrued by forcibly hijacking Zonrad Reze's body is huge. You can diminish that by doing what is right for him. Even if you cannot withdraw from him, you can partially make up for him by giving him control at times. Besides, you could use a second opinion."

If Ves was in Sigrund's shoes, he might actually go for this option. The synergies that could be obtained from two different intelligent beings occupying the same body was amazing!

However, the alien AI still did not look as if he was in a sharing mood.

"Bringing Zonrad back is a security hazard. The Red Fleet cannot find out about my true state. The fleeters have been working to produce sentient AIs for centuries. I cannot imagine what they will do once they gain possession of my AI core."

"I see. Then which option do you like the most?"

Half a minute passed as Sigrund performed a lot of calculations to determine his best course of action.

"The first. When it comes to my own identity and personality, I do not dare to subject myself to many changes. I am not displeased by my present condition. It would be ideal if you can stabilize my current state and prevent any further changes from occurring. Besides, you told me at the start that the partial restoration of Zonrad Reze is helping me mask my alien presence with metaphysical detection methods."

"That is correct. If this is what you want, then I can perform this operation right away. It won't take long."

"You can do it now? Here?" Sigrund looked taken aback by this revelation.

Ves chuckled yet again. "I am not performing any physical operations, you know. Blinky will do all of the work. He is an expert at this kind of work. We do not need to make use of any sterilized operation theaters or anything. That said, performing this operation in a medical department is still a safe and prudent choice. If my changes inadvertently causes a reaction that damages your health, it may be good if your body is taken care of by professional doctors and advanced medical equipment."

"No. We cannot involve others. Doctors may be able to infer the truth, and medical equipment may be able to overcome the safeguards that I have implemented to obfuscate the true purpose of my implanted AI core."

"Hm, you're right. I can work on you alone, but know that the risks will be greater as a result." Ves said before he leaned forward. "I won't do this stuff for free, though."

Sigrund responded with a less than certain smile. "I am aware. What do you ask in return?"

"Can you check whether the Red Fleet has a classified experimental alloy known as EE-343F-00334R in stock?"

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