The Mech Touch

The public announcement made by the Beast of Fear was pretty easy to obtain for most people.

Even if they did not actively try to seek it out, some of their family, friends and co-workers would definitely try to secure the video file in one way or another. Sales of data chips and other cheap data storage devices had skyrocketed!

In fact, people could still download the file across the galactic net as long as they explored its darker corners and were willing to put up with convoluted encryption and other safety measures.

Once they received the file, they could easily play the video by themselves.

The Beast of Fear did not appear by showing off his monstrous, tentacled and wolf-shaped biomech frame.

He instead used his God Kingdom to display a more photogenic human avatar. Of course, the silhouette of his god mech still loomed in the background. "Humans of the Milky Way. I bring you both good tidings and bad tidings. In the past year, the Mech Trade Association and the Common Fleet Alliance has learned of a new development in the Red Ocean. Those of you who believe we no longer maintain any communications with our displaced brothers and sisters are mistaken. All of the press statements released by the MTA on this subject are filled with lies. What is important is the development in question. A famous Senior Mech Designer called Ves Larkinson has released the first Carmine mech to the public of the Red Ocean."

"Some of you may already know what a Carmine mech does. A Carmine mech is equipped with Professor Larkinson's innovative Carmine System. This is an alternative control system that works completely differently from traditional neural interfaces. Carmine Systems come with their own limitations, but are free of other limitations as well. One of the most important implications is that norms, humans who do not possess adequate genetic aptitudes that are suitable for piloting mechs, can also pilot a Carmine mech. You should understand how much Carmine mechs can change our entire society forever."

"I, the Beast of Fear, have come to admire Larkinson's Carmine mechs. I have contributed what little aid I can to import his unique take on mechs and spread our own version of a Carmine mech in the Milky Way Galaxy. I have done so knowing that the resulting Auto Heretic line will exist in defiance against the MTA and the CFA. The initial responses from the Big Two have only vindicated my assumptions of their attitudes." Copies of all three versions of the Auto Heretic appeared by his side. The mechs did not look impressive when placed alongside a god pilot, but they still held a lot more meaning to all of the norms that dreamt about piloting their own machines!

The human avatar of the Beast of Fear shook his head in disappointment.

"The initial groups of people who received the copies as well as the files necessary to reproduce the Auto Heretic line welcomed the chance to make a difference by making mech piloting available to norms. However, the same cannot be said for the god pilots, Star Designers and galactic mech councilors of the MTA. The admirals of the CFA are likewise dismissive of the notion to allow common humans without special brain conditions access to mechs."

"As a formerly proud member and leader of the Mech Trade Association myself, I am sickened by the elitist attitudes of my supposed peers. This is why they regard me as a pariah and seek to belittle me every chance they have. They regard the Auto Heretic mechs as threats to public safety and order because it would give more than 3.5 percent of our population access to mechs that can be used to fight. The Big Two prefers that you remain civilians and victims because you are easier to control that way. The mechers and fleeters have never been interested in letting space peasants such as yourselves pilot your own war machines. As far as they are concerned, their perfect order will remain pristine and unchanged as long as only potentates are allowed to pilot mechs." How slanderous!

His words would definitely shock a lot of people!

Since he was a god pilot, many listeners would definitely assume that he was being completely truthful in his characterization of the MTA!

"Are you content with the Big Two's policies towards your state? Are you willing to let the mechers and fleeters deprive your state of its sovereignty, its independence and even the right to choose its own arms? Then do not let the MTA and CFA force you into their web of stifling and overly restrictive rules! Break your shackles and take control over your own future! Do not let the mechers and the fleeters succeed in their attempts to erase the Auto Heretic and all other Carmine mechs from the public domain. Rise up, brothers and sisters! Take control over your own destiny and fight to retain the right to pilot your own mech. Only when every human can pilot his or her own mech will we be able to unleash the true potential of our race! Let the Carmine Revolution sweep across our galaxy!"

As the recordings of the Beast of Fear continued to spread like wildfire, everyone knew that the cat was out of the bag.

News of the Auto Heretic mech line and its Carmine System could no longer be hidden from the masses anymore.

Perhaps the Big Two recognized the reality that no secret could be kept forever, but they certainly would have certainly appreciated more time to adapt to the immense changes that this epochal invention could unleash upon a severely unprepared society. An additional week of preparation would have made a huge difference. The sector headquarters spread throughout human space had already begun to mobilize their forces and other personnel in order to undertake large actions.

However, it still took a lot of time for those forces to get into place and make the right preparations. Relying on the planetary branches alone was not enough to suppress a much larger population, of which many of them were in favor of embracing Carmine mechs!

Although the Big Two anticipated various different possibilities, they never judged that a god pilot of all people was not only directly involved in this scheme, but also chose to step out of the shadows and make a public stand!

"The Beast of Fear has gone too far!"

"I always warned you that we should have never tolerated the MTA Unbound Humanity Faction! They are all rebels who want nothing less than to tear down our Association and other institutions! Your misguided strategy of appeasing them and pretending that we are listening to their concerns has cost us our only chance to nip this crisis in the bud!" "You are a genetic degenerate if you think the fleeters and us can suppress the spread of this 'Auto Heretic. Human space is too big, and our numbers are too few! No matter how many monitoring systems we use and no matter how much personnel we send, there will always be space peasants that slip through the cracks and spread the data on the mech templates, mech designs and other files necessary to reproduce their own 'Carmine mechs."

"I agree. If we mobilize all of the forces that we can spare and activate all of the forces under the control of our associates, we may be able to keep the Auto Heretics from appearing inside first-rate and second-rate states. As for third-rate states? Impossible! There are too many of them that are spread out across vast regions of space. We do not have the first-class multipurpose mechs and starships to dispatch forces to every dirtball with a human settlement on it. The planetary branches that we have established on them may be able to handle the local situation without requiring reinforcements, but do you know how many people will begin to hate us for it? Those branches are not as impregnable as you think. They have much better hardware at their disposal, but they cannot resist the might of a planetary uprising!"

"The third-class space peasants may have the numbers, but they do not have the wealth and resources to threaten our reign. At most, we can retreat from their space and let them fend for themselves. Then they shall discover how much they have taken their peace and stability for granted."

"That will completely destroy our legitimacy!"

"You are paying attention to the wrong states. The real threat lies within the Greater Terran United Confederation and the New Rubarth Empire. The existence of the Auto Heretic line has different implications for them. We must pay closer attention to their actions. If my calculations are correct, then they will certainly do their best to spread the Auto Heretics and fan the flames in the shadows. In fact, they may have already begun to do so. If the Terrans and the Rubarthans make widespread use of Carmine mechs, then other first-raters will make the same demands."

"Then what do we do? Are you suggesting that we must admit our defeat and allow the Auto Heretic to spread completely out of our control? Anarchy will quickly follow, especially considering that Professor Larkinson has helpfully turned his works into 'High Autonomy Living Mechs"!"

"We prioritize stability and security over other priorities. Forget about banning the Auto Heretics. We should merely ensure that any use of these Carmine mechs should take place well outside of populated locations. The owners of Auto Heretics will never agree to relinquish their machines, but they will reluctantly agree to any reasonable request to practice and fight at locations where collateral damage can be reduced to the minimum." "That will make us look weak in a period where we must show strength." "We have already lost our image of strength when a Senior Mech Designer and a young one at that has made mech piloting available to norms. Make no mistake, ladies and gentlemen. Our reputation which we have built and maintained over the course of centuries is about to experience its first historical plunge. If we do not engage in actions that generate positive PR right away, the public may soon crucify us. I shouldn't have to warn you of the consequences of losing our legitimacy"

For the first time since the start of the Age of Mechs, the hegemony of the Mech Trade Association was at stake!

There were plenty of Star Designers and other extremely clever people within the

Association.

As soon as they gained access to the data and information about the Auto Heretic, they quickly realized the magnitude of the threat it posed.

The fact that Professor Ves Larkinson, who was doing extremely well in the Red Ocean, had deliberately designed a Carmine mech for the Milky Way and used vast networks of shady brokers and scummy smugglers to spread the mech templates everywhere was a strong indication of a vast conspiracy against the MTA!

The Star Designers whose comprehension of mechs had reached the ceiling in this galaxy set aside their critical work and devoted all of their time to investigating the mech that solved a problem that even they couldn't solve.

"This is a mech designed with ill intentions." The Lord of the Skies concluded. "From the

Moment of conception, the Auto Heretic was designed to not only violate the taboos of our industry, but break them so thoroughly that it will change our industry forever, and not for the better."

Apollo voiced his own opinion. "As much as I admire the ingenuity of this Carmine System and the bold decision to make the 'living mech' autonomous, the mech designers responsible have flagrantly ignored the very real risks that their works can backfire on the humans they are meant to serve. If our tools are able to outgrow their dependence on us, then it is only a matter of time before they break out of our control and seek their own independence. The only reason that may restrain them for a time is

If they have formed a Blood Pact with a human mech pilot. What happens if the Auto Heretic survives but the mech pilot has perished?"

The Lady of Motion looked irritated. "It is regrettable that Professor Larkinson has already anticipated the possibility that we could shut down his Auto Heretic mechs through the Kingdom of Mechs. I am surprised that the 'Red Kingdom' has recovered and grown so quickly after being cast away. Red humanity is doing better in their dangerous dwarf galaxy than we initially expected."

"Red humanity, or at least a small group of red humans, have also launched a deliberate attack onto the present order that we are safeguarding. The Auto Heretic mech templates may appear as a magnificent gift to our branch of humanity, but we know that it is nothing less than a Trojan horse. We are under attack. The humans that have become isolated from us in only three years have already begun to plot against us, and I

May have discovered their true purpose."

"What have you discovered?"

"Demonic cultivation."

Every Star Designer gathered in the meeting went still at that mention.

There was hardly a greater taboo within the upper levels of the MTA than cultivation!

Demonic cultivation especially evoked alarm among the leaders of an organization that previously dethroned their cultivator masters!

"If this is the case, then the threat level of this line of mechs must immediately be raised. What is the Five Scrolls Compact doing at this time?"

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