The Mech Touch

5786 Unified Voices

To be fair, the current outcome was the best that Ves could hope for. It was too much to expect fleeters to be more open- minded about the need to deviate from their existing rules and traditions.

The courage displayed by Fleet Admiral Stanley Argile and Admiral Chelsea Mieli was impressive. They openly defied a taboo and made a complete reversal on the subject of cultivation!

Ves understood why they were more willing to embrace change than others.

The Second Main Fleet fought the hardest battles and suffered the greatest attrition as a result.

If this pattern persisted, then it would inevitably get hollowed out as it became harder to replenish the losses of irreplaceable warships!

The Seventh Light Fleet not only understood the immediate enemies of red humanity a lot better, but completely lacked the heavy tonnage and firepower to resist any offensives.

The large collection of sub-capital ships under the command of Admiral Mieli could only slow down the enemy advance by raiding shipping lines and intercepting scouting vessels.

However, they could forget about defending crucial human-

occupied star systems against a determined enemy invasion!

That was not to say that the other fleets would be put in a worse position if the native aliens managed to make a lot of gains.

The issue was that the Fifth Enforcement Fleet and so on were not experiencing the full consequences of inaction at this time.

Perhaps they might change their tune once the aliens launched a proper offensive, but until then they had the luxury of maintaining the status quo.

"The Red Fleet has spoken." Ves said while he continued to pet Emma's back. "Who else among the leaders of red humanity wishes to declare their stance on my proposal?"

Two projected individuals appeared. They showed up away from any of the existing groups.

People showed a bit more reaction when they saw that the latest arrival turned out to be Terrans!

General Axelar Streon and Master Laila Rebecca Devos both shared a good relationship with Ves. They also held enough status within their respective ancient clans to speak on their behalf.

"The Streon Ancient Clan wholeheartedly approves this proposal!" The famous peak ace pilot announced! "As Terrans, we have preserved far more records on cultivation than others. We understand its potential and its perils. We have conducted research on how we humans can best combine it with our existing technologies to produce far greater results that were previously possible. Rather than see it as a replacement of our existing methods, we see it as a welcome addition to our arsenal. As far as we are concerned, the Terran Alliance cannot fall behind in this new arms race!"

General Axelar Streon possessed a lot of influence among the Terrans. Even if it seemed unlikely that he would ever be able to initiate the Mech Body Merger Process and reach his ultimate destination, his Ouroboros was already quite powerful in a superstate that only enjoyed the protection of a single god pilot.

The biggest issue was that he was one of the more forward-

thinking and reform-minded leaders of the Terran people.

The Terrans really valued their traditions and often resisted change for fear of losing their heritage.

It remained uncertain whether General Axelar represented a comfortable majority or remained an outlier.

The Master Mech Designer spoke next.

"The Devos Ancient Clan approves Professor Larkinson's proposal as well. Many people here may be afraid that cultivation may come to replace mechs, but nothing could be further from the truth. Mechs enable humans to exceed their physical limitations and pose a greater threat against our enemies. They possess distinct advantages that cultivation cannot easily surpass. The rise of an active cultivation community can actually empower mechs by introducing new technological possibilities that were not feasible before. Just as the innovative E-technologies developed by Professor Larkinson has led to the creation of living mechs, other exotic solutions may emerge that can further enable mech pilots to attain more victories and return from the battlefield alive."

It was rather interesting that Master Devos primarily spoke as a mech designer as opposed to a Terran, but her input was welcome nonetheless. She could definitely help to reduce the apprehension that the mech community held towards cultivation.

After all, the Age of Mechs had been their golden age. Mech pilots were the protagonists of that era and mech designers enjoyed an exalted status in the industrial sector. Every other profession failed to match their level of fame, prestige and desirability.

It would be hard for them to welcome new competitors who promised to become legitimate substitutes for mechs.

This was why Ves did not expect for every mech pilot and mech designer to support the establishment of the Red Collective.

Ves interrupted his thoughts when a bunch of projections of other Terran leaders appeared.

Leaders of both familiar and unfamiliar Terran lineages such as the Shuku Ancient Clan, the Sullie Ancient Clan and the Nayald Ancient Clan had chosen to stand up and issue a remarkably unified declaration!

"The Shuku Ancient Clan approves this proposal!"

"The Sullie Ancient Clan approves this proposal."

"The Nayald Ancient Clan approves this proposal."

"The Dermond Ancient Clan approves…"

A large majority of ancient clans publicly supported Ves and his initiative despite the fact that they originally never had anything to do with this stuff!

They were the first supporters from people and groups that had no special relationship with Ves.

It was clear that they did not make a public stand solely because they liked Ves.

He did not need to be a consummate politician to know that the Terran ancient clans were mainly invested in the Red Collective because it presented them with an opportunity to break the hegemony of the Red Two!

The Terran people had bowed their heads to the mechers and the fleeters far too long. With the addition of the Red Collective, the power previously held by the current overlords would definitely become diluted.

Even if it was not possible to kick the mechers and the fleeters out of the overly inclusive Red Collective, it was enough for the rest of humanity to gain another pathway towards power!

Almost all of the ancient clans active in the Terran Alliance had declared their support for the founding of the Red Collective.

That still left a handful of incredibly stubborn and traditional holdouts.

The Chabran Ancient Clan for example remained conspicuously absent.

Professor Kacuk Chabran could have declared its stance outright since he was already present on site, but his status within the clan was not impressive enough to serve as an adequate representative.

In any case, it did not matter if the remaining ancient clans implicitly rejected this radical change.

The Terran ancient clans had shown that they had formed a near-universal consensus on this issue!

This could only lead to one effective outcome.

"He's coming!"

Everyone knelt to their knees yet again as a third god pilot decided to show up at this time!

Floating in front and above the group of ancient clan leaders, the Light of Sol clearly conveyed that he was not speaking for himself, but on behalf of the entire Terran Alliance!

"<nullb>THE TERRAN PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN. THE TERRAN ALLIANCE IS FULLY BEHIND THIS PROPOSAL. THE RED COLLECTIVE SHALL BECOME THE INSTRUMENT THAT WILL LEAD OUR PEOPLE TO A NEW EARTH."

That evoked a loud reaction from the public!

Even though many people were smart enough to figure that the Terrans were only doing this to weaken the Red Association and the Red Fleet, it was still highly consequential that the famously politically neutral Terran god pilot had chosen to take a solid stance!

The fact that the Light of Sol rarely took a stance on any issue that his decision to do so at this time hit so hard. The god pilot's move effectively sealed the official stance of the Terran Alliance and eliminated any possible opposition among the Terran people!

Naturally, the Rubarthans couldn't fall behind.

Emerging from the opposite side of the Terrans, all of the Rubarthan princes who happened to be stuck in the Red Ocean emerged in unison.

Each of them dressed in their best princely outfits and lined themselves up in a row that placed none of them ahead of each other.

The Smokestack Prince spoke first.

"The Rubarthan Pact does not see eye-to-eye with the Terran Alliance on most issues, but the fate of humanity is too important to allow historical rivalries to threaten our collective survival. Our Rubarthan people have always embraced change as a productive force. We recognize that we can never become complacent, as there will always be competitors who will try harder to overtake us. Do not forget that the native aliens have access to many of the same opportunities as us. Our enemies have access to just as much E energy radiation as us. If we do not form the Red Collective and systematically organize humanity's introduction to cultivation, the native aliens shall overtake our strength."

That was an excellent argument. Though the Smokestack Prince's delivery was not that passionate, he still presented a good logical argument that made it less acceptable to reject cultivation.

The Inferno Spear Prince spoke next. As a peak ace pilot, his aura and his voice carried a lot more voice!

"I miss the New Rubarth Empire. I miss the Milky Way Galaxy that we have forever left behind. I miss the relatives and the acquaintances that we shall never see again. The Red Ocean has become our new home and the Age of Dawn has become our new reality. Instead of clinging to a past that is no longer attainable, we should grasp the opportunities of this new era and conquer a galaxy all over again! The odds may not be in our favor, but we have been in this position before! The Rubarthan people shall be part of the vanguard that will fully leverage the power of cultivation to push back the native aliens and sweep aside their warships!"

The Rubarthan ace pilot sounded eager to step onto the battlefield right away in order to set a good example for his Rubarthan subjects!

A few minutes passed as the other Rubarthan princes including the Impresario Prince voiced their support for Ves' proposal.

In the end, it became clear that all of the Rubarthan princes in the Red Ocean had chosen to support the initiative!

The fact that the Rubarthan leaders all showed up and made an unanimous decision gave them the excuse to feel superior towards their Terran counterparts.

Of course, now that the Imperial Principalities were fully behind the Red Collective, there was little excuse for the god pilots to go against this decision.

The manifestation of Emma jumped out of Ves' arms and proudly floated before the line of Rubarthan princes.

"<nullb>MIEW!"

Naturally, everyone already knew where the Destroyer of Worlds stood on this issue. Her latest action was merely a formality, but its symbolic value was still high!

A fourth powerful projection emerged next to the god cat!

Even though a lot of people were growing tired of the repeated bowing, they did not dare to show any disrespect towards the ultimate protectors of red humanity and lowered themselves to their knees.

The Spacelock's human form possessed a much stiffer and more formal aristocratic bearing than his female peer.

Though it was not a secret that the Spacelock and the Destroyer of Worlds did not see eye-to-eye on many issues, this was not one of those situations.

The Spacelock imperiously floated before the Rubarthan princes and affirmed the unanimous stance of his superstate.

"<nullb>I DECLARE THAT THE RUBARTHAN PACT FULLY APPROVES THE CREATION OF THE RED COLLECTIVE."

There was no need for the Rubarthan god pilot to say anything more.

It was official now. The two first-rate colonial superstates both voiced their strong support for the formation of the Red Collective!

Even if the Terrans and the Rubarthans were not as powerful as the present-day mechers and fleeters, their strong unified support meant that the Red Collective was bound to become a legitimate competitor of the existing Red Two!

The only question now was whether the holdouts from the Red Association were willing to back this initiative.

A lot of tier 1 galactic citizens had yet to declare their stances.

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