The Mech Touch

Chapter 7446  End of the Banquet

After the conclusion of the Terran event, the buzz still went on for many hours.

While Gloriana and the rest of the Larkinsons boarded their shuttles and returned to their fleet, Ves stayed behind for a few more hours in order to exchange information with his hosts.

The Terrans provided him with additional information and assurances about their latest schemes. The elven initiative had already become a highly contentious issue, but it shouldn't affect the completion of the Arboreal Project.

"Elves and Woodsap mechs may be tied together, but they are not bound to the point where one cannot survive without the other." Master Laila Rebecca Devos told Ves in private. "If the heat becomes so bad that it becomes untenable to proceed with our original plans, then we will simply restrict our production to the human-compatible versions of Woodsap mechs. However, I must warn you that the Woodsap mech pilots who choose to undergo this process will end up stuck in bodies that no longer perfectly suit themselves anymore."

Though the Terrans had made a strong effort into reducing the negative side effects, the humans with Woodsap flowing through their veins would never become as limber and agile as before.

They lost the ability to run and sprint. The sluggishness that characterized their partially wooden bodies simply couldn't support such sharp movements.

"Are you saying that you prefer for every Woodsap mech pilot to become an elf?" Ves asked.

"I think that if the Woodsap mech pilots are given a choice, over 80 percent will choose to undergo the Green Rebirth Ritual and be freed from their slow and clumsy human bodies." Master Laila Devos calmly responded. "Their physical impairments should not affect their piloting effectiveness, but it is still deeply uncomfortable for them to live their daily lives as monstrosities in human form. If they are told they have an opportunity to transcend their biological weaknesses and gain the body of an incredibly healthy elven body, we believe that most will accept this offer. Only those who maintain strong attachments to their human identities will be able to resist this temptation."

Framing the elven transformation as a temptation made it sound rather evil.

Because the Terran leadership were not stupid enough to ignore the very real possibility that introducing a second race might end up posing a serious threat to red humanity one day!

That future may be a decade or a century away, but so long as the elves manage to overcome their weak early period, they may grow powerful and numerous enough to become formidable opponents if they ever turned hostile towards humans!

The best way to contain this threat was to prevent the elves from propagating, but this was clearly not a viable choice.

Enough Terran leaders supported the elven initiative that it would take overwhelming pushback from the grassroots in order to sway their minds.

"So what does this mean for the composition of Woodsap mech pilots in the detachment that will be fighting alongside my troops?"

"To you, Ves, it means that most of the Woodsap mech pilots will be elves. The final roster is still being settled, but you can expect to see no more than 30 or so human test pilots. You and your fellow Larkinsons must make an effort to get along with them. This should not be difficult as we have given them express orders to cooperate with your clan. The Second Elf will be leading the unit, so try to build a good rapport with him. As a descendant of the Shuku Ancient Elven Clan, he is competent enough to assume the necessary responsibilities."

Ves was not too sure about that. Caracalla Shuku might present a strong image, but he seemed a bit too young for his position.

Then again, the same could be said for the likes of Yenya Aduc, Ves, Casella Ingvar and many other members of the 'younger generation'!

Ves actually suspected that the Terrans deliberately prioritized youth over experience when they made their leadership selections.

The two elven leaders were young enough to adapt to radical changes. They should also be much more susceptible to external influences, chief among them Gaia.

It would be a lot more difficult to expect old geezers who have already lived for a couple centuries to convert to elvenhood and worship a deity that used to exist in myth and fantasy!

"Is there anything else I should know, Master?"

"Not immediately. The Second Elf will brief you and the Saint Commander about the specific demands and conditions of his detachment. While he is important, he is not as critical as his female counterpart. We do not require you to protect him at all cost. Let him temper his strength and survival skills on the battlefield. If he wants to turn his nominal leadership into actual respect and authority, then he must earn his combat achievements the hard way. His soldiers will respect him otherwise."

"Well, I believe our forces will be able to give him enough chances to prove his valor." Ves promised. "What about the other elven leader?"

"The First Elf will remain behind in order to perform the Green Rebirth Ritual for many other elf candidates. She is not a soldier. We are not in a rush to pair her with a Woodsap mech and deploy her in the field. She has a greater role to play."

"I understand."

They talked a bit more before they finally separated.

As Ves returned to the Tarrasque, he almost got ready to retire for the night.

The revelations shocked him at first, but now he felt a sense of dread and anticipation.

He felt dread because he feared that the elven initiative may end up derailing the Terran Alliance and red humanity as a whole.

He also felt anticipation because he had observed enough about the elves to know that they possessed extraordinary capabilities.

What would they be like once they piloted their Woodsap mechs in a serious engagement?

Ves had a strong feeling that these elven Woodsap mech pilots would deliver him a surprise.

For now, he began to stop by his office in order to catch any messages or developments that he might have missed.

"Welcome back, boss."

"Good evening, sir."

"It has been a long time, Ves."

Three of his trusted compatriots awaited him inside.

Ves nodded towards Gavin Neumann and Eliza Mo Ragadan. Both had been busy with receiving calls, sorting messages and preparing summaries for their superior.

He did not expect Calabast to stop by, though.

Though the two still shared a good relationship, Calabast had become way too busy with leading the intelligence apparatus of the Larkinson Clan.

Ever since Ves resigned as the Larkinson Patriarch, Calabast generally answered to Saint Commander Casella Ingvar.

She also decided to stick to the Premier Fleet and accompany her immediate superior.

It was only now that the Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet converged that Calabast had an opportunity to pay him a personal visit.

Ves exchanged a brief glance with the spymaster.

The silent exchange did not indicate that they would be talking about anything too urgent, so he decided to listen to his other two subordinates first.

"Gavin, let's start with you. Is there anything urgent that I need to address?"

His personal assistant stood up and responded with a strained expression. "Many of your friends, acquaintances and business partners have urgently messaged you in order to obtain clarification about your stance on elves, proposals to purchase Woodsap mechs from us and reminders that you still need to provide your input on the development of Polymetal mechs, Mergewater mechs and so on. Your other collaboration partners have had a strong sense of urgency ever since the Terrans have paraded their prototype Woodsap mechs."

Ves couldn't help but smirk after hearing that. "Well, tough luck. They may have agreed to collaborate with me, but the Terrans did so first. They believed in my vision a little earlier than everyone else and invested a huge amount of their own manpower and resources into the Arboreal Project. I will accompany it to completion properly before I am ready to fully commit to my other advanced projects. You can tell them that. As for people who have made other inquiries, you should be able to address them without requiring my presence. I am not their political chew toy nor am I free to give them answers that the Terrans are much more able to provide."

Gavin robotically nodded. "Noted. Not many people will be pleased with that, but your status is high enough to excuse your response."

"Eliza." Ves turned towards his chief of staff. "What does the Red Collective think about the latest developments?"

The woman made a rueful expression. "Their response is mixed, as you can imagine. The RC is anything but monolithic, so opinions are bound to be divided. There are human supremacists who feel threatened by the elves. There are also transhumanists who embrace this announcement. The more unstable among them even harbor desires to create their own subraces of elves or even go as far to invent an entirely different race of their own!"

"What?!"

Eliza's expression grew severe. "The floodgates have opened. Since the Terrans have chosen to violate a taboo and create a race that is distinct from humans, other groups have also stepped up and investigated whether it is viable for them to do the same. Both large and small players are seriously considering whether to abandon their human molds and transform themselves into angels."

That sounded so like what plenty of humans would think of. Ves feared that this may truly become an uncontrollable trend if left unchecked!

"I hope that the RC does whatever it takes to suppress these wild ideas." Ves stated. "Perhaps the Terrans may be able to pull this off correctly, but I do not trust that many others are able to do the same. If anything goes wrong, they may end up giving life to a serious competitor to red humanity!"

"Opinions within the leadership ranks are divided on the matter." Eliza said. "Although your directorship is anomalous, you are still a senior executive leader of the Red Collective. I expect that you will receive an invitation to attend a virtual conference to discuss the RC's stance on the elven race very soon."

Ves actually doubted that would happen. He had forged a special understanding with the Red Collective. In exchange for supporting his leadership of the Phase Lord Department, he would refrain from meddling with the other political affairs of their superorganization.

This was a deal that worked well enough for both sides, Ves supposed.

That did not mean he wanted to remain cut off from all of the major leadership meetings. He still needed to channel his voice every now and then in order to remind the other collies that he still existed.

"What have you said about my Woodsap mechs?"

"The RC as a whole does not have a strong opinion on them. The collies are not mech designers and do not have that much of an interest in mechs or Carmine mechs. They know that this falls under the jurisdiction of the Red Association for the most part."

Ves grunted. "I see. I shouldn't be surprised. I don't want to deal too much with the elves either. Don't get me wrong. They are interesting and are strongly connected to my Woodsap mechs. I just don't want to deal with the political fallout. Keep an eye on the deliberations within the upper ranks of the RC, but don't bother me with trivial information, understood?"

"If that is what you want, sir."

After handling a few other small issues with his assistants, Ves finally turned to the former Hexer and old acquaintance.

"Calabast, long time no see. I take it that your visit here is for a specific purpose. Do I need to send out Gavin and Eliza?"

The smartly-dressed woman smirked before shaking her head. "Gavin can stay, but it may be best to send out Eliza. I am here to address clan business."

The collie among them already rose from her seat and turned towards the exit. "If that is the case, then I shall go back and collect more information on what my fellow colleagues are discussing."

Once she left the office, only Ves, Gavin and Calabast remained.

"Alright, we're alone, I guess. So what is so important that you need to come in person?"