The Mech Touch

The Polymath looked like an empress.

This was the most common impression that people got when their eyes fell onto the famous Star Designer this time.

The extravagant outfit conveyed a huge amount of symbolism. It was predominantly white, which suggested that the Polymath intended to abide by her promise to be a rational, fair, impartial sovereign once she assumed the throne.

Red jewels and other touches of the same color in her regal multi-layered ensemble signified her commitment to leading red humanity.

The air and impression she gave off made it clear that she did not consider herself to be among the rest of her people.

She stood above her subjects.

The Polymath made no pretense that she considered herself to be superior to everyone else.

No one was as smart as her.

No one was as rational as her.

No one could be entrusted with as much power and responsibility as her.

By wearing this particular dress, she utilized her appearance to prove that she was fully ready and able to

Perhaps other god pilots and Star Designers could beat her in other areas, but none of them were more suitable for her chosen purpose.

The message that the Polymath conveyed today was loud and clear.

If her Unity Plan managed to win the vote, then she intended to exercise her newly gained authority with immediate effect!

There was no need for her to waste any time once she obtained the backing of the entire Survivalist Faction. The Polymath could get to work on winning over the support of the other major powers of red humanity and issue her first official directives on the very same day!

The oldest and arguably the most respected among the three spoke first.

"We have reached the seventh and final day of the conference." The Xenotechnician spoke with greater formality and dignity than in the past. "In the preceding days, each of you have received enough opportunities to learn more about the proposals that the three of us have pushed forth. This especially applies to the fine mechers and associates who have received the right to vote. We will not insult your intelligence by repeating the same explanations that we have given before. We only ask you to listen to our final arguments before you make your decision."

Ves understood that these words were mainly directed towards the undecided among the 273 voters.

He had to blink when he realized that he had become a part of this small and important group now. He still had to get used to his drastic change in status.

The floating Star Designer began to make a final case for his Diplomacy Plan.

"Change takes courage. We all wish we can stay true to our original outlook and principles, but our new circumstances do not allow us to hold them anymore. Almost every important factor that affects our civilization has deteriorated. We are no longer as numerous as before. Our access to resources has dwindled. The reinforcements that we counted upon to reduce our numbers disadvantage are cut off 50 million light-years away."

The Xenotechnician plainly listed out all of the variables that had changed for the worse after the Great Severing. If he wanted to beat down everyone's confidence in their ability to survive the coming times, then he was doing a good job!

"Let us not ignore the awful reality of our civilization. We are only a handful of steps away from extinction. The principal reason why is because war is ultimately a numbers game. Our forces, while superior, cannot overcome the vast amount of warfleets that our adversaries can put into play. The most logical solution to overcome this difficult situation is to convert enough enemies into allies. As long as we can even out the numbers, we have gained the capital to survive. Nothing else matters."

Once the older man had his turn, the relatively younger ace pilot spoke next.

"We are the children of humanity. That has meaning to me as well as all of you. I hope that none of you are so quick to throw away everything that makes us human in order to scramble for survival." The Mace of Retaliation pointedly stared in the eyes of each and every voter including Ves. "I disagree with the prior speaker. War is not just determined by quantity. It is also determined by quality! Our tech is superior and our people are superior as well. So long as we concentrate most of our resources into improving our best, we can rely on the sum total of our inherited military strategies and traditions to outmaneuver our much more clumsy and ignorant alien adversaries!"

The proponent of the Deep Strike Plan raised his fist.

"Whenever our race has been pushed to the brink, we humans did not rely on flowery words or elaborate calculations to reverse our course. No! We raised our fists and confronted our enemies head-on no matter the gloomy projections! During the end of the Age of Stars, we pushed aside the treacherous diplomats that conspired to sell us out and fought to regain our dignity! During the end of the Age of Conquest, we formed a resistance against the maddened and genocidal tyrants who were initially outnumbered and outgunned by much worse odds! Since we have already done this twice at every major turning point in history, we can do it once again!"

The final speaker finally had a chance to make her final case.

Her calm but unquestionably regal voice rang in everyone's ears as if they could not possibly be denied.

"Red humanity is already strong. Our estimated combat power is more optimistic than you think. We are only being held back by our own division and our suboptimal choices. In order for us to properly resist the coming alien onslaught, we cannot effectively wage a war when a third of our knives are pointed at each other's backs. Neither the Terrans nor the Rubarthans will ever fight as sincerely as us to save our race. They are more inclined to secretly amass their forces to launch a deathblow at us in order to overthrow the current order."

That was a considerable nightmare to every mecher! None of them wanted to lose all of the wealth and power that the Red Association had amassed by occupying a dominant position in society.

"Infighting has been a scourge of our race since we arose as hunter-gatherers in prehistoric times. Never has there been a time where our society can excise this negative trait as now. Both the Terrans and Rubarthans in this dwarf galaxy are cut off from their foundations. If we do not enact the necessary reforms when most people are still accepting of radical changes, then it becomes impossible to correct this mistake in the future. Make the right decision. We have come so close to erasing the Terran and Rubarthan identity in this branch of humanity that it is criminal not to act on this fleeting opportunity!"

A lot of listeners were taken aback by the argument that the Polymath chose to put forth. It was a lot more specific than they expected!

When Ves thought about it a little deeper, he understood how clever it was for her to make this surprising pivot. It was normally difficult to visualize her Unity Plan. It sounded so abstract and far-reaching that no one had a clear idea on how it would benefit them and the rest of red humanity.

This was why the Polymath decided to present a more concrete case and directly explain how she could directly erase the identities of two major rival groups if the voters bestowed her with supreme authority!

Ves could already observe from the changes in expression that the Polymath had won over a significant amount of doubters with that alone!

The Xenotechnician took the word once again.

"Now that you have listened to our final arguments, we hope that the delegates who are bestowed with voting rights are ready to announce your choice. This process will take place in multiple rounds in order to give each of you enough time to consider this momentous choice. In the first three rounds, we would like each of you who have already decided on a proposal to stand up when called."

This was it. The tension in the assembly hall grew remarkably quickly as no one dared to make any inappropriate remarks.

Once the Xenotechnician let the moment drag on for a short while, he finally raised his arm and called upon his supporters.

"Delegates who intend to cast their vote on the Diplomacy Plan, please stand up and raise your voice!"

A large group of mechers along with a few associates briskly rose from their seats and announced their support!

"Here!"

"Here!"

"Here!"

The Xenotechnician let out a modest smile. "53 delegates have cast their votes on the Diplomacy Plan."

That was... a bit more than Ves expected to be honest. A part of him felt disappointed that so many voters were so ready and eager to sell out all of their principles just so that they could consort with their former enemies.

Nonetheless, it took courage for them to make this unpopular but necessary choice.

The Mace of Retaliation floated forward and raised his fist!

"Delegates who intend to cast their vote on the Deep Strike Plan, please stand up and raise your voice!"

"Here!"

"HERE!"

"HEEEEREEE!"

The response was a lot more enthusiastic this time! Many of the mech pilots and martial-minded individuals would rather put their trust in their own combat prowess than the convoluted machinations of the eggheads.

Unfortunately, the louder voices could not make up for the shortfall in numbers.

The Mace of Retaliation did a good job of maintaining an optimistic outlook. "37 delegates have cast their votes on the Deep Strike Plan."

It was the Polymath's turn to call upon her supporters.

"Delegates who intend to cast their vote on the Unity Plan, please stand up and raise your voice."

"Here."

"Here."

"Here!"

"Here."

Ves already expected that he would see such a sight.

A visibly greater number of people rose up. They came from all sorts of different backgrounds, which spoke of the wide appeal of the current plan.

Many of them appeared to be less certain of their final choice, but that was why they opted for the Unity Plan. It was the closest to a middle ground that they could settle upon.

"65 delegates have cast their votes on the Unity Plan."

In the end, the Unity Plan proved its wider appeal over the other plans. It was a great sign that the Polymath managed to attract the most supporters who were willing to cast their votes right away.

That did not mean the other two plans had no chance anymore.

According to the rules, the voting session would not end until a numerical majority had formed around a single plan.

This meant that one of the three proposals needed to accrue 137 votes. Anything less did not represent the will of the majority.

If this persisted, then there was a provision in the rules that called for scratching out the least popular choice out of the three plans in contention.

However, it might not be necessary to take this step.

Before anything else could happen, the undecided needed to make up their minds.

Everyone began to turn their attention to the people who declined to stand up all of this time.

"118 delegates have yet to cast their votes." The Xenotechnician spoke. "I shall proceed to call your names one by one. When you hear your name, please announce your choice. Abstentions are not allowed. Master Graetia Winchester!"

The order of this call-out went by seniority, which meant that the oldest of geezers were put on the spot first.

An incredibly aged and feeble lady rose up from her seat. She looked like she had only been able to do so with the help of a mechanical implant.

Her eyes grew turbid as she gazed at the Xenotechnician for a moment. She minutely shook her head.

"My vote goes... to the Unity Plan."

She ultimately put her trust in the radical reforms of the Polymath rather than the more reasonable plan of the Xenotechnician.

A bunch of other really old people stood up next when called. It all made Ves a little sleepy. He knew that this would take a fair amount of time.

The worst part about all of this was that he would most certainly be called at the very end because he happened to be the least senior among the delegates!

"Master Trip Tanahara."

"I cast my vote on the Diplomacy Plan."

"Grand General Falcon Almione."

"I vote for the Unity Plan!"

"Saint Richard Jioknar."

"I favor the Deep Strike Plan!"

"Master Istis Yinwe."

When the black-haired older lady rose from her seat, she did not announce her vote right away.

Instead, the silence stretched on as her gaze swept to the side and raked across all of the seats of the delegates.

For one reason or another, her deep and unfathomable eyes rested on Ves.

He started to have a bad feeling about this. Why did she make this inexplicable action during this incredibly sensitive time?

After several more seconds of uncomfortable staring, Master Yinwe finally raised her voice.

"I... have decided to bestow Professor Ves Larkinson with the right to cast a vote in my name by proxy."

...What?!

A lot of people metaphorically scratched their heads at the moment. Nobody understood what she was talking about because no one expected that this could even happen!

Ves couldn't believe what this stupid old granny had just said.

Frankly, he could sort of understand why she chose to dump this important decision on someone else's lap.

If she happened to be chummy with multiple faction leaders or could not afford to offend any of them, then it was a good decision to let another person decide!

All of this sounded okay so far, but what Ves objected to was that she passed on the decision to him instead of one of her many other old and distinguished colleagues!

Why him?! Why give her proxy to the youngest, the most inexperienced and the least responsible out of all of the other delegates?!

The three leaders floating on the podium obviously looked disturbed.

"Master Yinwe, proxy voting is only utilized in formal voting sessions when a delegate is indisposed or unable to take part. The Fist of Defiance is an example of that." The Xenotechnician addressed her in a reproachful tone. "It is not a provision designed to pass off responsibility when you are physically healthy, able and present in this session."

The old lady did not let the Star Designer beat her down. A glint of amusement shone in her cunning eyes.

"Yet proxy voting has been added to the rulebook nonetheless. The Red Association is an organization that respects its own laws and institutions, is that correct?"

"Yes, but-"

"-then follow our rules! If you disagree with them, then you can change them afterwards, but this is not the time to change them just because you disagree with them. My decision remains unchanged."

The Xenotechnician did not want to make a greater scene out of this disruptive turn of events. The rules were the rules. Master Yinwe was technically correct, which meant that she occupied the high ground in this particular argument.

The old Star Designer briefly exchanged glances with the other two leaders. They eventually decided to proceed as if nothing had happened.

"Saint Ogen Viruakan."

"I vote for the Deep Strike Plan."

"Chairman Steven Ardenfield."

"I bestow Professor Ves Larkinson with the right to cast a vote in my name by proxy."

Ves wanted to groan and palm his face. Not again!

What he didn't know at this time was that this was just the beginning. Whether these cowardly delegates hatched this plot in advance or just decided to follow the example set by Master Istis Yinwe, they all made the same abnormal choice.

"I bestow Professor Ves Larkinson with the right to cast a vote in my name by proxy."

"The Age of Mechs belonged to our generation. Let the youth of today decide on how to shape their own future! Professor Larkinson may vote on my behalf!"

"What he said! Professor Larkinson can have my proxy!"

The more these old and distinguished delegates shoved this crucial responsibility to Ves, the more he wanted to shrink into his seat.

This was embarrassing!

No, this was a catastrophe!

Didn't these old fogeys realize how they were putting him on the spot?! It was not as if he enjoyed taking over all of this heavy responsibility!

"Urgh... I should have chosen to add a cowl to my outfit. At least I won't have to show my face anymore..."