The Mech Touch

After securing a vague and uncertain promise from the Evolution Witch that she would find a way to import the super-class goods to the Red Ocean, the two quickly moved on to more important business.

"I had a good talk with my mother and your \'friend\' over in the other galaxy." Ves spoke as the Evolution Witch resumed her inspection of all of the goods shipped from the Milky Way. "I did not know that I have become an accomplice to a plan that calls for starting mass conflicts and even outright civil war in the old galaxy. Even if original humans are not my people anymore, it is still horrifying to learn that my mother is planning to expand the Nyxian Gap for the express purpose of devouring all of the surrounding star systems… as well as the people who live on the surface of the affected planets!"

The heavy and earnest emotions expressed by Ves compelled the god pilot to pause her inspection and give him her full attention.

"

What do you expect to hear from me, Ves? I am not your mother, and you are not a child anymore. If you wish to know whether I am aware of your mother\'s intentions to expand the Nyxian Gap, then the answer is yes. If you want to know that I invited the Beast of Fear to become a part of the Oblivion Gate Consortium knowing that it would fuel his hidden desire to engineer the downfall of the Big Two, then yes, I was also aware of that. The Oblivion Empress is a woman who hides many secrets, but the two of us have agreed to be as forthcoming as possible when it relates to the Oblivion Plan.

"

That meant that the Evolution Witch was aware of all of the unethical decisions, the horrifying plans and the catastrophic consequences of failure.

Although Ves felt conflicted about whether he should throw his support behind the Oblivion Plan, he still felt disappointed that Divine Lucie Miyazaki did not seem to object at all to all of the crazy plans the conspirators in the Milky Way had devised.

Perhaps it was foolish to expect a god pilot that was often called the Human Biodisaster to express any form of remorse towards facilitating a plan that would kill more humans than during the dark days of the Age of Conquest!

"Is there no other alternative?" Ves pressed on. "All I have heard from my mother and the Beast of Fear is taking high-risk gambits in the hopes of obtaining extremely high payoffs. While they try their best to sound noble, there is no way for them to hide the self-serving nature of their extreme actions. They are literally plotting to sacrifice the lives of a huge amount of humans just to fuel their own cultivation!"

The Evolution Witch crossed her arms. "

If you expect to hear condemnation from me, then you have approached the wrong god pilot. I do not entirely agree with their approach, but I broadly approve of their plans and intentions. Selfishness is a powerful driver for evolution. Many of us want to become stronger, richer and more successful. It is because of these drivers for motivation that we work hard to evolve to a more superior form of ourselves. Our actions subsequently inspire others to work harder to improve in any fashion. As this is a competition, it is only natural that there are winners and losers. It is the fate of the latter to surrender their resources to the former. Only the strong and the most adaptable have a right to prevail. Sympathizing the weak is the entire reason why the current order in the Milky Way has grown so stale and stagnant.

"

Great. The Evolution Witch shared the same ideology as her fellow conspirators in the old galaxy.

While Ves couldn\'t help but agree with many parts of her explanation, he still disagreed with her on the crueler and more heartless aspects of her ideology.

He felt the same when he heard the justifications from his mother and the Beast of Fear, but it was only now that he was able to articulate the reason for his disgust towards the Oblivion Plan!

"With all due respect, Your Divinity, human civilization is made up of many humans who are weak through no fault of their own." Ves retorted while trying to maintain his calm. "You guys all seem to have big grievances with the Big Two. I don\'t exactly like them either. However, if there is one trait from them that has earned my appreciation, it is their willingness to protect and stand up for the ordinary people that live in our society. The mechers and the fleeters have done a good job of protecting many of the innocent people that live in many different states. The Big Two can be overly patronizing bastards at times, but they at least lived up to their promise of granting humans relative peace and stability for 4 whole centuries after a devastating period of genocidal conflict."

The mechers and fleeters were arrogant, insufferable and disdainful towards the space peasants.

That did not necessarily mean that they were the bad guys. Ves never characterized them as evil, even if they worked hard to suppress the states and cling to power over the centuries.

The conclusion that Ves drew from this was that the MTA and the CFA did not deserve what was coming for them. The Oblivion Plan sought to induce the mechers and the fleeters in both internal and external strife.

It was one thing if the Big Two had become outright tyrannical hegemons that ruled the Milky Way with an iron fist.

It was another thing if the Big Two remained true to their original mission and protected the human race for centuries as it gradually recovered from its self-inflicted damage!

Even if the Big Two\'s had already fulfilled their mission and allowed humanity to climb to a greater height, that merely weakened the justification of their continued existence.

It did not mean that it was morally right to drag the MTA and the CFA into a series of violent crises that would inevitably lead to bloody warfare on an unheard scale!

What was worse was that all of this fighting would hurt the innocent people that the Big Two had spent so much effort on protecting all these years!

When Ves thought about all of the death and destruction that would ensue if his insane mother and her fellow conspirators were actually able to pull off their unlikely schemes…

Had he become the bad guy?

As if the Evolution Witch was accurately able to decipher his train of thought, the god pilot tried to give him perspective.

"

Do not feel guilty for what must inevitably come to pass. Evolution is never a peaceful affair. Competition between groups will always occur in a location that is characterized by finite space and resources. Evolution is a bloody struggle no matter whether it happens on an untamed planet filled with savage exobeasts or across entire galaxies filled with humans and aliens that have plenty of reasons to fight against each other. The fundamental reason why this outbreak of violence is inevitable is because the \'winners\' of the previous competition have held the reins of power for too long. They have continually monopolized the best resources, thereby denying all of this bounty to the latecomers that have grown up during the Age of Mechs. Sooner or later, the contradiction between the old guard and the new guard will culminate in a galactic war. At most, the unholy alliance seeks to detonate this conflict hundreds of years in advance.

"

Ves could understand the Evolution Witch\'s logic and find much of what she said to be plausible.

Yet he still felt that she was twisting the facts in a way that justified her radical views.

Her words betrayed a complete lack of empathy for the innocents and the weak that lacked the power to protect themselves.

Even if they were \'losers\', they did not necessarily deserve to die for other people\'s ambitions!

There was no reasoning with these crazies. Ves might disagree with their intentions and the depths they were willing to go in order to realize their ambitions, but he saw no point in trying to change their minds.

They were too fixated on gaining power, and too uncaring towards all of the innocents that would suffer and die as a result of their schemes.

These True Gods were not so different from the Polymath after all. They were all self-serving bastards who grasped at the first justification that they could find to excuse their destructive actions!

"Do you truly think that the mess we are about to start in the Milky Way will end up benefiting original humanity?"

"

I do, Ves. Many parts of human space in the Milky Way are already becoming increasingly more overcrowded. There are too many people but not enough conflicts to cull the weak from the strong. War is never pleasant, but it can serve as a productive force that can cleanse our society and strengthen the foundation of our race. It is cruel to keep original humanity in its current cage. I would love nothing more for the people over there to rebel against the Chosen Human\'s hypocritical vision as red humanity has done under my leadership. If my own plans succeed, then I may one day return to the Milky Way… and bring that obstructionist man to his knees myself.

"

Ves frowned. It sounded as if the Evolution Witch was more than glad to trigger mass turmoil in the Milky Way just to get back at the Chosen Human!

He sighed. "I don\'t think that spreading complete anarchy is the best way for humans of the Milky Way to initiate reforms and get better in the end, but it is clear that I can\'t convince you all to switch to less extreme approaches."

"

That is at least one wise remark you have made since. No, you cannot persuade us. Do you wish to know why, Ves? You are weak. No matter whether you are a Senior Mech Designer, a cat or a pretender god, none possess the might or influence to force us to moderate our plans. Your mother has taught you that might makes right. This is one of the applications of this universal truth. We are stronger and more evolved, so we can back up our actions and decisions with superior force. If you wish to moderate us, then you must be able to challenge us first. You are far from reaching that point. If you take your self-evolution more seriously and work harder to transcend your weaknesses, then you may one day be able to persuade us to follow your personal vision, as questionable as it may be. No matter whether your logic is sound or not, it does not matter as might ultimately makes right.

"

Right.

The same rule was spoken in a much different galaxy. Ves was growing sick and tired of people repeating this phrase to him. The entire saying completely disregarded the value of having principles and ideals that were greater than the individual.

It was already bad enough if the Evolution Witch and a bunch of other True Gods believed in this self-serving adage.

It would be worse if many others started to live by these words as well!

Cultivators were especially prone to doing so considering their constant efforts at self-improvement granted them a lot of power, but not always with the necessary restraint!

Ves may be able to use his limited power and authority to mitigate the damage, but he could do little to stop the tier 1 galactic citizens from enacting their ambitious and destructive schemes.

That was because he was among the weak!

He finally knew what he had to do in the following years.