The Mech Touch (Web Novel)

5785 Red Admiralty

This was perhaps the most crucial part of Ves' incredibly bold attempt to reform the power structure of red humanity.

Ves had already changed history in a way by opening the gates to the formation of a Red Collective.

Public support for this broad new organization with a mandate related to cultivation was clearly high.

There would not be many issues trying to convince the masses to accept this potential new addition to their lives.

Yet it did not matter if a couple of trillion more people supported the initiative. The ugly truth about red humanity was that the vast majority of them were powerless.

As much as Ves hated the term space peasant, there were good reasons why the mechers and fleeters used it on a frequent basis. That was because the second-raters and third- raters lacked the power to make their voices heard.

Therefore, the only opinions that truly mattered were the people at the top.

The galactic citizenship system was the formalization of human civilization's highly lopsided hierarchy.

By establishing clearly defined tiers, it became very obvious to anyone whether a person was qualified to share their opinions or decide on an issue.

A matter as consequential as establishing the Red Collective could only be decided by the highest leaders in the Red Ocean.

The approval of a god pilot like the Destroyer of Worlds alone was functionally worth more than the total sum of space peasants in the new frontier!

It sounded incredibly unfair and unjust, but this was the reality of today's society.

The mechers and the fleeters had never been interested in sharing power. Since they came into power during the Age of Mechs, they made huge power grabs in the name of 'protecting civilians from the irresponsible decisions of their former leaders'.

While the Big Two's heavy-handed reforms successfully neutered the former star nations to the point where they could no longer threaten the survival of the human race, one of the lamentable consequences was that ordinary folk became even more divorced from power.

This was why there was such a strong universal drive towards promotion and wealth generation.

Many people born under ordinary conditions were dissatisfied with their lot. They envied the first-raters for actually having enough say in how their lives and their society should be run.

There was no hope for people at the bottom or middle layers of society to push through meaningful changes. Their opinions simply didn't matter enough.

Only by working hard, making the right connections and showing enough brilliance would these people be able to rise high enough to join the privileged class!

If there was one benefit to the galactic citizenship system, it enabled people to clearly understand their inferiority and tell them how far they needed to climb in order to actually matter.

Under the current circumstances, only tier 1 and maybe tier 2 galactic citizens were qualified to vote on this matter.

While Sigrund had made a nice gesture, his rank was so low in the greater scheme of things that his support was mostly symbolic more than anything.

If one of his superiors did not show up to affirm his statement, then his words became as worthless as that of a space peasant!

Several long seconds passed as people waited for a follow-up. It should definitely be possible for the movers and shakers of red humanity to establish a remote connection to the Dragon King's Palace and form a projection inside the grand hall.

However, the situation gradually grew more awkward as the expected support did not arrive in a prompt manner.

Just as Ves thought that he needed to step into the void and fill up the silence in order to sustain his momentum, a new projection finally appeared next to Captain Zonrad Reze.

The woman that appeared wore a fancier and more decorated version of Sigrund's dress uniform.

The virtual medals and the perfectly arranged aiguillettes did much more to enhance the woman's stature. Her brunette hair had been braided in a ponytail that elegantly draped in the front of her other shoulder.

Ves knew enough about the RF's rank insignia to know that the latest arrival was a full admiral!

The latest arrival soon confirmed that with her own words.

"I am Admiral Chelsea Mieli, formerly of the Second Main Fleet. I lead the recently formed Seventh Light Fleet, which is predominantly tasked with reconnaissance and the deployment of fast patrols. I am also a part of the Red Admiralty, the highest decision-making organ of the Red Fleet."

The Great Severing had initially messed up the ranks of the portion of the CFA that got cut off from the Milky Way.

The huge gaps and shortcomings that resulted from this abrupt cut-off forced the Red Fleet to implement a thorough reorganization.

Not only did the Red Fleet form five new fleets that specialized in fulfilling different missions and responsibilities, it also raised a bunch of new admirals to fill up the widening leadership gaps.

The Red Admiralty was a lesser version of a similar decision- making organ of the Common Fleet Alliance.

The latter was a lot larger in scope, given that it was principally dominated by grand admirals that ranked above fleet admirals!

In any case, Admiral Chelsea Mieli was completely different from her subordinate. Her voice held actual weight.

She smiled as she addressed the entire public for the first time since her promotion.

"I approve everything said by Captain Reze. Let me explain my reasoning. He along with many other fleeters have studied the disposition of alien forces beyond our borders. What they have uncovered with their own sensor sweeps is disconcerting. The quantity of alien warships is overwhelming. Even if many of them have yet to arrive in the war zones due to internal tension and slow alien superluminal traversal methods, this will not hold them back forever. Our mechs and warships will be subjected to so many hostiles that they may be pushed past their breaking points. This is not the fault of our technology or our soldiers. Both are more than adequate. The fundamental issue is quantity."

Many people already had a shallow understanding of how humanity was fighting an uphill battle.

The territories occupied by humans were so small relative to the size of the entire dwarf galaxy that it was impossible to gain parity in numbers!

Yet to hear that this disadvantage would lead to concrete setbacks and difficulties from an admiral of the Red Fleet made it a lot harder to believe that red humanity would muddle through somehow!

Admiral Mieli knew exactly what she was doing.

"Do not cling to your illusions that human superiority alone will allow us to prevail in the Red War. The actual facts and numbers do not support this conclusion. We cannot expect to win our struggle of survival by adhering to the status quo. Everyone needs to adapt, including the Red Fleet. The formation of the Red Collective will not weaken us. It will strengthen us by addressing the new blindspots that have emerged and increase the militarization of our population without imposing an excessive drain on our limited resources."

Though the woman did not frame her argument in an uplifting manner, she nonetheless delivered a heavy dose of reality to the public.

Far too many people were not sufficiently informed about the harsh realities of war.

This was mostly deliberate as many leaders wanted to raise morale and prevent any internal unrest from occurring.

While this was certainly nice, the downside to this approach was that far too many people lacked the urgency to resort to harsher measures in order to produce greater results!

Admiral Mieli clearly wanted to change the mentality of the general population with her message.

"Thank you for your vote of support." Ves said a moment later. "Who else among the Red Fleet is willing to back this initiative?"

Another physical projection came to life.

The old man that appeared did not look that much different from Admiral Mieli.

However, his rank and demeanor were so much greater that people immediately straightened their backs and became more attentive when they noticed his arrival!

Though most people did not act as deferentially as they did upon the arrival of the two female god pilots, the latest arrival was arguably the most senior and most authoritative leader of the Red Fleet!

Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile needed no introduction!

"On behalf of the Second Main Fleet, I declare my support for this initiative. I agree with the arguments shared by these officers. Not only does the Red Fleet have to be realistic about our chances and accept the necessity of fighting alongside cultivators, we must also be more open-minded about realizing the latent potential of our spacers who are serving within our ranks. It is well-known that the construction of warships impose the greatest drain on our resources. Any means of increasing our combat power without worsening this problem must be pursued at all cost."

The backing of the Second Main Fleet was a big deal!

The Second Main Fleet and the Fifth Enforcement Fleet were the original major fighting groups that the Common Fleet Alliance transferred to the Red Ocean.

The Second Main Fleet's unambiguous support perfectly counterbalanced the strong opposition from the Fifth Enforcement Fleet.

Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile possessed even greater sway than Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson.

This was because the Second Main Fleet originally served as the spearhead of the CFA's conquest of the new frontier. It contained the strongest warships, the most premier combat crews and the finest naval traditions among all of the other fleets.

There was no way the Red Fleet would be able to pull their weight in the Red War without the vital efforts and contributions of the Second Main Fleet!

However, after Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile had put his reputation and credibility on the line by backing this incredibly controversial initiative, no more admirals showed up to affirm their support.

Instead, a minute passed by before the projection of an older woman appeared besides Lieutenant-Commander Astrid Jameson.

A lot of people gasped as the infamous fleeter's ancestor had finally decided to descend upon the stage herself!

Ves immediately narrowed his eyes as he beheld the mastermind behind his attempted character assassination.

If it wasn't for this meddlesome woman, Ves wouldn't have been forced to resort to this extreme course of action to save his own hide!

Fleet Admiral Amelie Jameson did not look repentant or remorseful. She did not even bother to look in his direction.

"My descendant here has already explained that cultivation is a scourge that will lead to the corruption of the human race. As deplorable as you think the native aliens may be, the cultivators spawned by this Red Collective will definitely be worse! In the interest of safeguarding the lives of the weak and defenseless, the Fifth Enforcement Fleet respectfully rejects this proposal."

Two more physical projections showed up to back the fleet admiral's stance!

"The Third Barrier Fleet rejects the motion!"

"The Sixth Special Fleet rejects the motion!"

Just like the Seventh Fleet, the Third and Sixth Fleets had only been recently formed out of a combination of scattered units and donations from the Second and Fifth Fleets.

They were only led by full admirals who were still new to their ranks and positions. Their weight and prestige was not high, but they provided crucial numerical backing to the fleet admiral that they were aligned towards.

The appearance of the latest three fleeters made it clear that the Red Fleet was still divided on this issue!

The only admirals that had yet to show up were the ones that led the recently formed First Garrison Fleet and the Fourth Engineering Fleet.

Given their roles and responsibilities, it was relatively expected that they refrained from picking sides.

It still left the Red Fleet torn between two opposing stances.

Ves felt disappointed that his pitch failed to convince enough fleeters of the necessity to engage cultivation in a more constructive manner.

Their power to deny reality was too damned strong. Even when he pointed out that the fleeters had already become cultivators due to their interactions with ARCHIE, far too many of them still preferred to bury their heads in the sand and pretend that they were still ordinary humans!