The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5774 Different Strategy

"You lost ground today." Jovy said once they all returned to their temporary lodging.

Ves grimaced at that. His ability to make a case for himself could only bring him so far during the second session.

"It dawns on me that I may have been playing into the hands of my opponents." He said. "Perhaps the selection of Lieutenant-

Commander Astrid Jameson and Master Alice Cantor goes a lot deeper than I initially thought. What if the opposition deliberately put forth their more provocative and less competent speakers on the first day in order to gain my measure? Not only did I expose a lot about myself, I also unleashed my firepower too soon. The opposition has been able to regain control of the rhythm by making targeted adjustments based on what they learned in the first session. The most obvious sign of why that may be the case is that Professor Kacuk Chabran did not repeat any of the mistakes that Master Alice Cantor had made."

His advisors all looked serious when he threw out this theory.

"You may be ascribing more competence to the opposition than they actually possess." Kelsey Ampatoch remarked. "The coalition against your living mechs are divided and not completely in alignment to each other. There is no single leader among them that can impose a unified strategy. The more likely possibility is that they are working alongside each other, but not necessarily with each other. It is mainly Professor Kacuk Chabran that you must be vigilant against. The other speakers have polished up their presentation, but they are still relatively manageable."

Jovy shook his head. "No offense, Mr. Ampatoch, but I believe your inherent bias against Terrans is clouding your judgment. The scholar from the Chabran Ancient Clan is in his element, but that does not mean it is wise to disregard the threat posed by the other speakers. The most important opponent is Master Cantor. It is not her ability that matters, but who she speaks for. The Mech Supremacist Faction holds the greatest jurisdiction over this matter. The policies and ideologies instituted by the Lord of Thermodynamics and the Web Mistress demand that the Red Association take at least some action against living mechs."

Vector nodded in agreement. "My fellow mecher is correct. If the third session proceeds along the same line as the second one, then I see no way of avoiding a reality where living mechs can remain as free and unrestricted as now. You may not like it, but it is fully within the Association's jurisdiction to impose reasonable restraints on the unbridled growth and proliferation of your living mechs. If you were a neutral bystander, you would agree with this stance, but since this issue is closely tied to your design philosophy, you cannot stomach the idea of compromise."

"Of course not! Living mechs were doing just fine all of these years! You mechers never saw fit to intervene even when early models such as the Valkyrie Redeemer and Ferocious Piranha went on to get sold by the millions. Why must you guys act now, and do so in such an adversarial fashion? This public inquiry is making a lot of uninformed people unnecessarily scared of my products!"

"The public has a right and a need for transparency, Ves." Jovy gently said. "Our Association can keep many secrets, and can tolerate others doing the same. However, a confrontation became inevitable when your living mechs started to behave much more like actual humans, and not infrequently either. Did you really think you can get away with unleashing such frightening possibilities onto the masses and expect them to accept it without question like they have done for your other innovations? I am afraid you have overestimated an average person's ability to embrace ties that stray too far from the range of normality."

"Ugh." Ves let out a frustrated noise. "So I just have to sit back and take it, Jovy?"

"I am not telling you to admit defeat. I just want to inform you that the prevailing trend is slightly against your favor. You need to be prepared to make compromises tomorrow."

Kelsey Ampatoch tried to reassure his new employer.

"I think you did the best you could under the circumstances, sir. You are an excellent salesman. Your presentations have always succeeded in converting potential customers into paying customers. Your background, your personal journey and your professional experiences has made you good at captivating mech pilots. It is other audiences that you are currently struggling with. You cannot sell your attractive mechs to norms like you can do with mech pilots. Ordinary people with little to no connections to mechs are not attracted to the advantages of your products. Instead of speaking to the general folk as if you are a salesman, you should speak to them as if you are a politician."

The others nodded in agreement.

"That is a good observation and recommendation, Mr. Ampatoch." Jovy said. "If you want to pressure your opponents into softening their demands, then you must gain broad public support. You cannot do that by trying to sell them products that they cannot possibly use. To sway them to your cause, you have to adopt the approach of a politician and win their support as if you are trying to obtain their votes."

That was a good way to look at this situation. In hindsight, Ves recognized that Professor Kacuk Chabran had done exactly that. Even his scaremongering strategy was right out of the playbook of a sleazy politician!

Ves started to think about how he should correct his course.

"Tomorrow is the decisive day. The gains and losses of the first two sessions are important, but the last one is the most crucial by far, because that is when the outcome will be decided. I have one more chance to make my case to the public. The same goes for the opposition. I really don't know how they will tackle living mechs in the final session."

"I think it is unlikely that the opposition will spring any new arguments tomorrow." Jovy said. "They have already mentioned every relevant stance that they could reasonably employ against your works. It would be surprising if they introduced a completely new reason why red humanity should not embrace living mechs. There wouldn't be enough time for people and professionals to investigate and verify the new information."

Vector concurred with his fellow mecher. "In debates like these, it is not about trying to overpower your adversaries with facts and logic. The best way to win is by swaying the feelings and emotions of the masses."

"I remember that you guys told me before the start of the public inquiry that this public inquiry should be won by relying on logic and stuff. Now you tell me I have to set that all aside and appeal to the baser emotions of the general population instead."

"We… were wrong. What is important is that you adapt to the strategy of your opponent and correct your course accordingly."

"That is clear enough to me, but what course should I chart, exactly? I need a concrete direction, not a vague description."

That put everyone into thought for a moment.

"You know what?" Ves said. "I just had an idea. I think that red humanity's relationship with automation is not beneficial anymore. People have become so adamant about keeping humans involved in everything that they have become very tolerant at accepting inefficiencies resulting from their paranoia towards AIs."

"There are good reasons why this paranoia exists, Ves." Vector said. "Relying too much on vulnerable, exploitable machines that command greater power is never a wise solution. Even if it produces fantastic results in the short term, it will always backfire in the long term."

"Hahahaha! That's funny! Do you know why? Our race and civilization might not have the luxury to take the long term into consideration! Hasn't the Red War pushed us in a desperate situation? Considering how many alien enemies are gunning after us, I believe we should loosen our restraints and make use of more powerful solutions despite their heightened risks! Whatever harm we suffer from this reckless move is nowhere near as severe as total extinction!"

Everyone got a bit taken aback by Ves' unexpected outburst.

"You sound like an Unbounder, Ves." Jovy said with obvious disapproval. "As tempting as your proposal may sound, anarchy is not the solution."

Kelsey Ampatoch nodded in agreement. "In these uncertain times, people crave structure and stability more than ever. Unless the aliens have literally arrived in orbit of the planet they reside upon, most people do not want to open up the possibility of falling victim to rogue or hacked AIs."

"Stupid! These people are too selfish and short-sighted!" Ves said in obvious disgust. "Mech pilots and other soldiers are dying in droves in the frontlines just so that other people can live and work on their colonized planets in peace. Denying those brave and righteous soldiers with the most effective solutions that we can bestow them will ultimately lead to severe consequences. The aliens will cause many of these people to regret their hesitation when orbital strikes finally pummel their settlements flat."

Jovy reached out and placed his hand on Ves' shoulder.

"Calm down, Ves. Do not let your frustrations cloud your judgment. I am glad that you feel passionate about the necessity to increase the sense of urgency among the civilization population of the Red Ocean, but I do not think it is a good idea to admonish the people you wish to win over. If you want to regain the upper hand in the next session, then you will need to radiate positivity as opposed to negativity."

"Why do I have to do that? The opposition is doing just fine with turning my living mechs into boogeymen."

"That is because their job is to impede your works. Obstruction is inherently negative. It is also easier to produce results with this stance. You on the other hand must promote relatively unfamiliar products and concepts to a large population of humans who are not naturally inclined to favor your living mechs."

In other words, this was an unfair struggle.

Fortunately, Ves was not out of options.

"I need help. I can't do this alone." He said. "I already requested the assistance of a friendly ally. Let me check whether he is finally available."

Ves briefly corresponded with the individual in question through his cranial implant.

He finally started to smile again.

"Good news. Captain Zonrad Reze of the Seventh Light Fleet has almost reached Ector V. He will likely arrive in time for him to speak during the session."

The sudden mention of bringing in a supposed ally from the Red Fleet disrupted the mood of the other three mech designers.

Jovy and Vector looked especially uncomfortable with this situation!

"Ves… I am aware that you have recently spoken with a starship captain from the Red Fleet, but… do you understand the optics of relying on the word of a fleeter to promote your living mechs?"

"Don't worry. Captain Reze and I have formed a pretty good understanding with each other. Not everyone in the CFA is as dogmatic as their colleagues from the Fifth Enforcement Fleet. This isn't entirely about mechs alone. This debate is also about politics. I think it would help a lot if I can present a fleeter who is willing to vouch for a mech designer. I can even turn his testimony into a component of a more elaborate strategy."

Though the mechers were not enthused with the idea of relying on a fleeter of all people to help Ves' cause, they needed any help that they could get. A lot of mechers would probably disapprove of this move, but the most important constituents right now was the general public.

Ves needed to show that the Red Fleet was not united on this subject.

He also wanted to prove that he had his fair share of backers from this powerful organization as well.