The Mech Touch

5796 The Radical Witch

Ves did not expect to talk about mundane administrative topics with the Evolution Witch.

She took her responsibilities seriously and made it clear that she was fully invested into turning the Red Collective into a functional and productive addition to human civilization.

Perhaps that may have been one of the reasons why the tier 1 galactic citizens came to a consensus about appointing her as an interim leader.

Ves had a feeling that the Red Collective would end up a bit differently from what he originally envisioned if the Evolution Witch continued to make her mark in the following year.

She was driven, committed and utterly serious about discharging her responsibilities. That was not entirely good news to Ves as a more effective version of the Red Collective did not fall in line with all of his goals!

Alas, there was little that Ves could do about it. He felt as if he had organized a calm expedition, only for General Ark Larkinson to swoop in and lead the fleet to an entirely different destination!

Ves did not like to lose control, but part of it was his fault. His wife was right that his continual attempts to deflect responsibility did not do him any favors in this regard.

He felt conflicted about his initial decisions, but he chose to stick to his guns. Designing mechs was more important than anything else. All of this political power was all illusionary because it could easily be taken away from him so long as his actual competence continued to remain inadequate.

"<nullb>THE VISION THAT YOU HAVE PRESENTED TO RED HUMANITY HAS SERVED AS A CATALYST FOR FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES TO OUR SOCIETY." The Evolution Witch began to share her more philosophical musings after a while. "<nullb>THE PROSPECT EXCITES ME. FOR OVER ONE-

AND-A-HALF YEARS, WE HAVE TRIED TO RUN OUR SOCIETY AS IF WE WERE STILL OPERATING IN THE MILKY WAY. WHILE THE RED TWO HAVE MADE A NUMBER OF NECESSARY ADAPTATIONS, THEY ARE UNWILLING TO GO FAR ENOUGH TO HELP OUR RACE THRIVE IN THIS NEW LOCATION AND ERA."

"Survival of the fittest." Ves remarked. "The species that tend to survive in the long run are not necessarily those who are the strongest at any given place and time, but those that can adapt the best to changing circumstances. Even the biggest and strongest monsters can go extinct once an ecosystem can no longer support them anymore. If there were other races from the Milky Way who happened to invade the Red Ocean with us, then humans like us would feel a lot more urgent about embracing the benefits of E energy radiation."

He demonstrated enough understanding of biology to signal that he understood her desire for change.

However, it also created another uncomfortable association.

"<nullb>DID YOU LEARN THAT FROM YOUR NOW-

INFAMOUS MOTHER, PROFESSOR LARKINSON?"

"Er, that is just standard biology, Your Holiness. I am not my mother. You do not have to fear that I will follow in her footsteps. I have grown up in a very different environment, and my ideals are my own. The fact that I am committed to mech design should serve as sufficient proof of my dedication."

"<nullb>IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO QUESTION YOUR MOTIVES, BUT YOU HAVE TO REALIZE THAT YOU CANNOT EVADE THIS CONTROVERSY FOREVER. YOU HAVE BRILLIANTLY MANAGED TO DEFLECT ANY INQUIRIES RELATING TO YOUR MOTHER, BUT THERE WILL COME A TIME WHEN PEOPLE WILL RECALL THAT YOU ARE DIRECTLY DESCENDED FROM A MASS MURDERER, A WAR CRIMINAL, A TRAITOR AND AN OATH BREAKER. WHAT IS MORE UNCOMFORTABLE IS THAT IT REMAINS UNCLEAR WHETHER SHE IS ALIVE OR DEAD. ACCORDING TO THE RECORDS, SHE DIED WHEN YOU WERE BUT A CHILD. YET ONE OF YOUR 'SPIRITS' IS LITERALLY REGARDED AS YOUR MOTHER BY A REGIONAL RELIGION."

Ves grew a lot more uncomfortable. He did not want to volunteer any further information related to his mother than necessary, but it seemed as if everyone had uncovered more information about her than himself!

The god pilot leaned forward. "<nullb>WHO IS THE SUPERIOR MOTHER?"

"She is a creation of mine." Ves honestly admitted. "The Superior Mother is modeled after my actual mother. That is why they share many similarities. There are times where I truly treat the Superior Mother as the woman who raised me in my early years, but there are also times when I treat her as one of my living products. It depends on the context."

The expression on the Evolution Witch's face showed that she was not satisfied with his answer.

He may have responded with the technical truth, but there was no way for Ves to hide the fact that he was trying to be deceptive.

Unlike the Polymath who was solely attuned to truth or falsehood, the razor sharp intuition of a god pilot was much better at gleaning people's underlying intentions!

The Evolution Witch floated a little closer and amped up the pressure against Ves.

"<nullb>DO NOT MISTAKE MY CORDIALITY FOR TOLERANCE. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN WHO YOU ARE SPEAKING TO? I WILL ASK YOU ONE MORE TIME. WHO IS THE SUPERIOR MOTHER?"

Ves liked to have claimed that he put on a brave face and couragely stood his ground against the leader of the Transhumanist Faction.

What actually happened was that he crumbled in an instant!

"Okay! Fine! What I told you earlier was true, but what I did not mention right away is that the Superior Mother is an incarnation of Cynthia Larkinson!"

"<nullb>YOU ARE COMPLYING, BUT NOT ENOUGH. WHAT ELSE ARE YOU WITHHOLDING FROM ME, PROFESSOR LARKINSON?"

Damn! The Evolution Witch truly did not intend to let Ves off until she obtained the full truth!

The god pilot did not hesitate to exert more crushing pressure on Ves. Despite the fact that she was stationed light-

years away from the Ector System, the Evolution Witch was still able to give him nightmarish illusions where his true body mutated into all kinds of different biological monstrosities!

Ves did not have the desire to test whether the Evolution Witch possessed the ability to induce physical mutations over a communication channel.

"Okay! I may have left out the tiny little detail that Cynthia Larkinson is still alive and well in the Milky Way, and that she has carved out her own empire in the Oblivion Empire while at the same time remaining connected to what is going on in the Red Ocean!"

The powerful god pilot finally smiled and relented. "<nullb>THAT IS BETTER. YOUR CONFESSIONS MATCH MY ANALYSIS. YOU SHOULD HAVE BEEN MORE FORTHCOMING FROM THE BEGINNING. I AM NOT YOUR ALLY, BUT YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE MY ENEMY. DO NOT FORGET THAT, PROFESSOR LARKINSON."

Ves tried to regain his composure. "I understand, Your Holiness."

"<nullb>IT IS USEFUL TO KNOW THAT YOUR MOTHER IS POWERFUL ENOUGH TO KNOW THAT YOUR BIRTH MOTHER IS ABLE TO PROJECT HERSELF IN THIS DWARF GALAXY. MANY PEOPLE WILL EXPRESS CONCERN IF THEY LEARN THAT SHE, AND BY EXTENSION YOU, STILL MAINTAINS AN ACTIVE COMMUNICATION LINK WITH HUMANITY IN THE OLD GALAXY. YOU NEED NOT FEAR THE POSSIBILITY THAT I WILL PASS ON WHAT I HAVE LEARNED. I WILL HOLD THIS SECRET FOR YOU. NEWS OF THIS WILL ONLY DISTRACT OTHERS."

That relieved Ves a lot. He might not like the Evolution Witch all that much at this time, but he could trust in her word.

"I don't control or even understand my mother, but you don't have to be afraid that she will turn into the second coming of Original Sin. She has left her slaughtering ways far behind her. The Superior Mother primarily functions as a conduit and a source of feedback."

The god pilot did not put much stock in his words. "<nullb>YOU HAVE JUST CONFESSED THAT YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND THE TRUE FACE OF YOUR MOTHER. IT WAS CLEAR EARLIER TODAY THAT THE INFORMATION SHARED BY LIEUTENANT-COMMANDER ASTRID JAMESON WAS COMPLETELY NEW TO YOU. NO MATTER. IT IS OF LITTLE CONSEQUENCE TO ME. NOW THAT I HAVE EXTRACTED ENOUGH CONTEXT FROM YOU, I AM SUFFICIENTLY PREPARED TO APPROACH HER DIRECTLY."

What?!

"You… you want to seek out my mother?!"

The female powerhouse grinned. "<nullb>THE FIRST FLAME WILL TORCH ME IF HE DISCOVERS MY INTENTIONS, BUT I AM DETERMINED TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SURVIVORS OF THE FIVE SCROLLS COMPACT."

Ves almost blanked out. He had difficulty understanding what could possibly drive the Evolution Witch to desire a meeting with his actual mother.

"Wh-Why?"

"<nullb>AS I HAVE STATED EARLIER, I AM A CHILD OF THE AGE OF MECHS. I GREW UP IN A TIME PERIOD WHERE THE HORRORS UNLEASHED BY THE FIVE SCROLLS COMPACT HAVE ALREADY TURNED INTO HISTORICAL RECORDS. TO BE MORE DIRECT, I DO NOT BEAR ANY ANIMOSITY TOWARDS FORMER ADVERSARIES FROM A CONFLICT THAT HAS ALREADY CONCLUDED 4 CENTURIES PRIOR. TWO AGES HAS PASSED SINCE THEN. IT IS TIME TO LET GO OF THE PAST AND MEET THE FUTURE WITH A FRESH PERSPECTIVE. SHE CAN BE OF ENORMOUS USE TO THE RED COLLECTIVE."

"Wait a second… you want to employ her as a consultant?!"

"<nullb>WHY NOT? IT IS AN OBVIOUS COURSE OF ACTION NOW THAT I AM AWARE OF HER EXISTENCE AND AVAILABILITY. YOUR MOTHER IS CERTAIN TO POSSESS AN ENORMOUS ACCUMULATION OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE ON ALL ASPECTS REGARDING CULTIVATION. I CAN THINK OF NO BETTER ADVISOR ON HOW THE RED COLLECTIVE SHOULD BE ORGANIZED."

"Uhm, far be it for me to question the wisdom of your plans, but aren't you afraid that her advice will inadvertently make the Red Collective resemble the Five Scrolls Compact a little too closely?"

The god pilot imperiously crossed her arms. "<nullb>THAT IS WHY SHE IS ONLY ONE OF MANY EXPERTS THAT I WILL LISTEN TO. I WILL MAKE SURE TO SOLICIT THE ADVICE OF NUMEROUS HARD-LINE OPPONENTS OF CULTIVATION. I MUST LISTEN TO A WIDE SPECTRUM OF OPINIONS BECAUSE THE RED COLLECTIVE HAS DUAL RESPONSIBILITIES. THE NEW ORGANIZATION MUST PROMOTE THE PRACTICE OF CULTIVATION, BUT IT MUST ALSO RESTRAIN IT WHEN ABUSES HAVE TAKEN PLACE. EMPHASIZING ONE AT THE COST OF NEGLECTING THE OTHER WILL NOT YIELD THE DESIRED OUTCOME."

He agreed with her logic. What threw him off-guard was that the Evolution Witch saw no issue with exchanging notes with a former mass murderer. She demonstrated a degree of ruthless pragmatism that was difficult to attribute to high-

ranking mech pilots.

"I will be sure to notify my mother beforehand about your intentions." Ves gently offered. "As far as I know, you pose a strong threat towards her, so she will likely be reluctant to communicate with you directly."

"<nullb>GOD PILOTS HAVE THAT EFFECT ON OTHER CULTIVATORS, EVEN IF THEY ARE TRUE GODS." The Evolution Witch commented with a deceptively mild tone.

She was totally not bragging!

Ves coughed at that. "If you truly want to talk to her and nothing more, then I can help you arrange a more indirect means of communication with my mother. I do not have the ability to know what is on her mind, but I think she will be more than willing to help you set up the Red Collective as long as it will help me. She cares a lot about my wellbeing. She is just as invested in defeating the aliens that threaten to engulf our civilization as any human in the Red Ocean."

The god pilot radiated greater interest after hearing that. "<nullb>THE MORE OUR GOALS ARE ALIGNED, THE GREATER THE ROOM FOR COOPERATION. PERHAPS IT MAY BE POSSIBLE TO EMPLOY 'SPIRITS' SUCH AS THE SUPERIOR MOTHER AS THE REPRESENTATIVES OF DIFFERENT POPULATIONS OF RED HUMANITY. IT IS AN UNPRECEDENTED IDEA, BUT IT CAN THEORETICALLY WORK."

Ves had only thrown out that suggestion to get people to stop hounding him for answers!

Even though he seriously entertained its merits, he did not truly mean to turn it into a reality!

The idea went a bit too far even for him! There was no way he wanted one of the most important institutions of red humanity to be run by pretender gods of all entities!

"Uhm, no offense, Your Holiness, but I think it is better to let red humanity run its own affairs."

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