The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5763 Defending Living Mechs

The revelation of complete neural interfaces and true mechs was enough for Planetary Governor Rod Mergan-Castelaus to call for another recess.

Ves could dearly use one because he had lost his mental balance after Master Alice Castor directly challenged his work with her biting arguments.

As soon as Ves and his entourage returned to a private room, they faced each other with grim expressions.

"What Master Castor has done is much more damaging than we anticipated." Jovy stated the obvious. "Her arguments have successfully swung much of public opinion in her favor. Those who have personal experience with living mechs are still in your camp, but the masses who are less informed about this matter are strongly swayed by the authoritative words of a RA Master Mech Designer. People are much more inclined to take her words as fact, and that is problematic to you because you are younger and not a proper member of the Association."

Vector Loban added his own opinion. "Master Castor is a challenging opponent, but not an insurmountable one. I believe that Ves can overcome a disadvantage in stature by relying on his superior charisma. What is truly problematic is the meaning of her words. Her arguments are too well-

constructed to defeat out of hand. She has raised numerous legitimate points, and we do not possess enough information about true mechs to question her description or identify any loopholes that she may have left out of her lecture."

Ves frowned as he struggled to think how he should respond to this latest turn of events.

"I cannot allow Master Castor's arguments to stand. She has not only attacked the value proposition of my living mechs, but also questioned the raison d'etre of my design philosophy. Both are devastating moves that have put me on the defensive. I feel obliged to stand up for my design philosophy and win back the ground that I have lost. If I do not do so…"

"Your design philosophy will suffer a setback, perhaps a permanent one." Jovy finished the sentence.

This was a serious consequence that could delay or even stall Ves' progression as a mech designer!

Anyone with the same profession eventually faced this kind test before they had an opportunity to advance to Master Mech Designer.

People like Ves had developed their design philosophies without too many serious challenges so far. The lack of major setbacks may have brought them a lot of immediate success, but it also caused their approach to mechs to remain untested for too long.

It was still unclear whether Ves' design philosophy was robust enough to withstand external challenges and shocks.

If his design philosophy looked great on the surface but was actually brittle on the inside, then it did not deserve to be realized!

Ves, Jovy and Vector all knew that the only design philosophies that were worthy enough to become a permanent fixture in the mech industry were those that had endured sufficient tempering.

As such, there was no way for Ves to avoid the current challenges. He had to meet them head-on, because to do anything else would be a silent admission that he did not have enough faith in his own design philosophy!

He could lie to other people, but he could never lie to himself.

Ves could say goodbye to rapid progress if he recognized that his design philosophy was flawed but was unable to figure out a way to correct it. This was why he had precious little time to figure out a systematic response and redeem his living mechs in the eyes of the public as well as his own perception!

"At least there is an upside to this course of events. As long as you are able to overcome this challenge, you have one less test to worry about in your quest to become a Master Mech designer." Jovy said in a more light-hearted tone.

Ves responded with a false smile. "That is certainly true. While I do prefer to realize my design philosophy sooner rather than later, the stakes are much higher than normal. I doubt that other mech designers are asked to face a challenge to their core ethos in full view of red humanity. This public inquiry has vastly exceeded the expected viewership numbers."

Even the people who hated mechs and wanted nothing to do with them had tuned into the popular broadcast due to all of the surprise revelations.

First it was cultivation.

Now it was true mechs.

For whatever reason, the opposition thought that the public inquiry was a good moment to drop a couple of bombshells.

Ves really hoped that this wouldn't become an established pattern. The masses already received enough information to chew upon. There was no need to overwhelm them with other crazy announcements.

"By the way, have you heard anything further about true mechs and complete neural interfaces? If I want to offer a proper response towards them, I need a lot more details than what I have obtained from Master Cantor's shallow explanation."

Neither Jovy nor Vector looked like they could oblige his request.

"I am sorry, Ves. I have tried to contact my superiors about this, but any information about true mechs cannot easily be divulged. You are only allowed to know as much as the rest of the public for the time being."

"Damn."

That was inconvenient. There was an unfair element to this contest as Master Castor attacked Ves' design philosophy by relying on an argument that was based on restricted knowledge.

This meant that his opponent possessed a much greater grasp on the tech that was fundamentally incompatible with living mechs, or at least that was what she claimed.

Ves couldn't even question her claims and assumptions because he did not have any relevant proof or knowledge!

How was he supposed to debate against her when he just found out about the existence of true mechs a short time ago? Not addressing this issue was unacceptable as it was clear that much of the public might get swayed by this argument alone.

"Relax, Ves." Vector Loban said. "You are letting Master Castor get to your head. Her logic may be strong, but that does not necessarily mean they are true. Every argument is based on assumptions and suppositions."

Ves raised his eyebrow at his Transhumanist advisor. "So what do you suggest I do? Should I spill the beans about Carmine mechs?"

"No! Absolutely not! You may be able to obtain a cheap victory by pulling out this card, but you will disrupt many plans and risk botching the introduction of this society-changing technology. I advise you not to be too rash. Even if you end up suffering a loss by the time the public inquiry has come to an end, public demand for your products will surely skyrocket again when it is finally time to announce the invention of your Carmine System. I would not be surprised if all sanctions on your work will disappear overnight as the temptation for norms to pilot mechs is just too strong."

That gave Ves a bit of consolation, but it was not enough to mitigate all of the damage he would incur if he lost this critical debate.

"I can't allow my design philosophy to suffer a heavy setback at this time. I need to survive this test well enough that I can continue to design my living mechs with confidence. Do you have any suggestions on how I can respond to her challenges?"

His companions all fell in thought for a while.

Vector Loban eventually came up with a possible approach. "She claims that your living mechs are not suitable for use in human society because they represent a convergence between man and machine. While it is true that the fundamental model of mechs is centered around a strong divergence between man and machine, it is not an infallible theory. It is pointless of you to abandon your long-cherished stance. Instead of running away from your own self-developed theory, you should double-down on it and strongly advocate for its validity. As long as you can argue that living mechs that resemble their human partners increasingly more are powerful in their own way, you may be able to convince the public that your work presents an alternate pathway towards power."

That was actually a good suggestion. Ves looked gratefully at the Transhumanist that had recently been assigned to assist in some of his research projects.

"You're right. I needed to hear that. I think I know where I should take this approach. It feels much better now that I have formed a solid plan to defend my design philosophy."

His advisors came up with a bunch of other useful suggestions. Each of them revived his appreciation of his design philosophy and renewed his faith in his own works.

By the time the second recess had come to an end, Ves swam back inside the grand hall with an uplifting mood.

He did not look like a mech designer who had lost his confidence in his own work!

Once people who needed to visit the bathroom or wanted to buy a few snacks to fill up their stomachs had returned, the moderator stood in front of the clamshell throne and bade everyone to silence.

"This is the third and final block of this speaking session. Both sides may present a single speaker each to make their case and counter any arguments that have previously been made. Professor Ves Larkinson, I invite you to move to the center of the speaking pit once again. You have the word."

Ves nodded respectfully at the planetary governor before he swam over to the center of the enormous submerged chamber.

"Hello again." He said with a tone that already hinted at his combative intention. "You have previously listened to Master Alice Castor bring up a number of arguments that are targeted towards my living mechs. By doing so, she has made a number of assumptions that I think are wrong, short-

sighted or simply biased. Before I address the specific issues that she has raised, I first wish to defend my alternative approach towards mechs."

He took a deep breath. The special energy shield surrounding his body made sure that he did not get a mouthful of water in the process.

"Let me be honest with you. I strongly object to her claim that convergence between man and machine is a detrimental development. How dare she make this claim without possessing a full understanding of living mechs? It is clear that her mentality is as old as her age. Her view on mechs is stuck in the past. It is so difficult for her to imagine that mechs can be different from the ones she is familiar with that she does not consider the alternatives to be valid additions to the mech industry. The tens of millions of living mechs that have been sold to a large number of satisfied customers contradicts this argument. If my living mechs are not as helpful to the mech pilots and the humans that they are supposed to serve, then why are so many of my Fey Fiannas and Ultimatums saving the lives of many people with each and every combat participation?"

The popularity of his living mechs was solid proof that they were not as useless as Master Cantor tried to paint them as. All of those mech commanders that had chosen to adopt his products were not stupid. They did not dare to make any mistakes as the lives of their mech pilots and the future of their careers were at stake.

Plenty of people realized this as well. Once they recalled the huge hype and popularity of living mechs, they remembered that Ves' products were actually quite strong compared to their direct competition!

"Living mechs are not tools. They are partners." Ves stated. "Who says that humanity can only effectively wage war by relying on lifeless tools? In ancient times, many human armies have won magnificent victories by riding horses into battle. Cavalry can be considered as the predecessor of armored vehicles. They perform many of the same roles, but the biggest difference is that their battle steeds are alive. While our race has eventually eliminated our reliance on living animals as combat assets, that is because tanks and other vehicles are superior."

Progress was the eternal ethos of the human race and many other races for that matter. Their technologies never stagnated. Ves wanted to remind the public of this truth.

"Now what if this pendulum has swung the other way around again? What if living combat assets have regained the upper hand again? Should we dismiss their value just because they happen to be different from what you are previously accustomed to? No! My works are demonstratively powerful. They are strong in spite of their living properties! Far from what Master Castor wants you to believe, a convergence between man and machine is beneficial for everyone involved. Let me explain why I believe this to be the case."