Chapter 7618: Consultation on Policy
Chapter 7618: Consultation on Policy
After filling Isobel Kotin in on the changes made to the final design of her next machine, Ves was just about to head over to the workshop.
He stopped shortly after he received an alert.
"Hm?"
The inconvenient timing did not stop him from adjusting his route. He ascended a few decks before he entered one of the offices that a certain liaison from the Red Association had claimed for himself.
"Hello Jovy. It has been a while since we last met in person. What is it that you demanded for a meeting ’at my earliest convenience’?"
The friend he made a long time ago turned from his projected display of an unfamiliar mech design.
From what Ves could see, the design clearly came from Jovy’s hand. It possessed his characteristic touches and clearly conveyed his probabilistic-dependent design philosophy.
As far as he could tell, the design centered around an unusual first-class mech that possessed a distinctly non-humanoid form factor. The machine’s strange shape sacrificed the ability to move and fight like a normal human in order to maximize the performance of its main cannons.
The mech possessed dual cannons that were apparently designed to launch canisters at very long ranges, far beyond the usual limitations of regular guns of this nature.
This was why Jovy designed a dedicated platform. This machine had to abide by strict limitations on mass, dimensions and cost while raising the performance of its guns as much as possible.
Ves had an idea why. When it came to weapons like these dual cannons, the key parameters did not lie in the weapons themselves, but their payloads.
The projected design already outlined a couple of key details of the canisters. They were not only designed to be a lot thicker and more robust, but the most important parameter by far was that they were expressly configured to hold hundreds of tiny superdimensional shards!
Of course, not even Jovy was wasteful enough to dedicate high-grade superdimensional matter for such a purpose.
It was already enough to make the shards out of the cheapest and most abundant low-grade superdimensional matter.
The Red Association and other partners periodically harvested huge amounts of structure-grade superdimensional matter in the Blue Dimension.
It was by far the most prevalent form of matter inside this abnormal slice of reality.
Although it was technically superdimensional, the abysmally low base parameters of the underlying materials made it very impractical for use in anything outside of large buildings and fortifications.
Nonetheless, using it as the basis of disposable ammunition might actually be viable, but only after heavy processing.
It was hard to imagine that Jovy’s mechs would be able to justify the cost of all of this effort.
The only way this could make sense was if Jovy’s design philosophy could influence the trajectories of all of those shards to deliberately strike the weak points of an enemy target.
Ves was familiar enough with the RA Senior Mech Designer’s work that he could somehow increase the ’luck’ of his products.
Compared to other mechs, his own works had a small but measurably higher hit rate while also being able to survive potentially fatal blows.
If the same principles applied to those superdimensional shards, then Ves could easily see how well Jovy’s mechs could turn into effective flyswatters!
The high attack rates of their dual cannons along with their generous ammunition capacity meant that they could easily be used to strike down a decent number of fast and agile strike craft at comfortable distances.
What was even more impressive was that Jovy’s mechs could also pose a threat against warships and even lesser phase lords so long as the enemies did not possess superdimensional defenses themselves!
Ves briefly developed the urge to collaborate with Jovy on this design, or steal the entire concept and design his own version!
He inwardly shook his head.
Neither of these actions sounded appropriate. His clan also did not have an acute need for such a specialized machine.
Jovy casually gestured with his hand to shut off the projection. It was as if he did not intentionally want to show off his latest ’homework assignment’ to a fellow Senior Mech Designer.
"You have come. Good. Please take a seat. What I am about to announce to you next will exceed your cognition... and your tolerance."
That did not sound good at all. Ves knew that Jovy did not summon him for a social call.
A minute passed by as Ves sat on a comfortable seat and accepted a cup of tea.
He calmly sipped a drink that had deliberately been blended with a combination of phasewater and other exotic substances to provide positive stimulation to a lesser human phase lord.
"So..." Ves broke the silence. "My time is valuable, as you should already know. I do not know why you are hesitating to speak up. Just get out with it. What is so important that you had to interrupt my schedule?"
Jovy’s expression did not convey any emotion, but that was in itself a signal.
"A new debate has sprung up within the higher echelons of the Red Association. It did not start at the top. It started from the middle ranks. They are lucky enough to live in a time of a new age. They are privileged to not only witness radical changes to our society and civilization, but also have a chance to shape the galactic order. In recent weeks, they have turned increasingly more attention to the existence of superdimensional mechs. Of all of the possible uses for superdimensional matter, using them to upgrade the performance of ace mechs has yielded the most disproportionate returns so far. Against conventional opposition, superdimensional ace mechs enjoy such a massive advantage in terms of offense and defense that they single-handedly distort the balance of power."
All of that sounded familiar to Ves. He did not need a lecture on how much better a superdimensional ace mech performed.
"What is your point?"
Jovy raised his palm. "Let me finish, my friend. This is important. What I have just described may be delightful news to an individual who owns and fields multiple superdimensional mechs such as yourself, but try to look at this situation from the perspective of a bystander. Ordinary people are both impressed and intimidated. They are impressed by how many enemies your magical machines can confront and destroy without suffering any meaningful damage in return. They may also become horrified at the thought of fighting such impossibly strong machines themselves one day. If you replace those people with rivals of different states and organizations, then perhaps you will be able to recognize the problem at hand. What you have wrought with your own hands is fundamentally altering the balance of power in a manner that is disturbing an increasing number of individuals."
The bad feeling intensified.
"I take it... that some of those concerned individuals are part of the middle layer of the RA that you have mentioned at the start." Ves ventured out a guess.
His friend nodded in acknowledgement. "Yes. These are people who may not be exceptional by themselves, but still occupy fairly important positions. They are the administrators, regulators and guardians of modern society. Their job is not necessarily to innovate or to fight. Their responsibilities are different. It is due to their obligations that they find it necessary to ask a number of critical questions. The most pertinent among them is whether any single private individual or group deserves to possess the right to control a superdimensional mech."
Ves suddenly had a much better idea what this conversation was all about! He felt as if he was a cat whose tail just got stepped upon!
"What right do they have to question my possession of superdimensional mechs?! I built them myself with the resources that my clan procured through great effort! They should have no complaints on how we have used the power of our latest pride and joy!"
"That is not how our more cautious and old guard members see it, Ves. Please remember that the Red Association is still a regulatory agency at heart. Our primary mandate is to regulate and supervise the use of mechs in human society. The rise of singularly powerful machines that are geometrically more powerful than normal ace mechs has alarmed those who bear the burden of worrying about potential abuses. While none of them have ever accused you and your clan of using your superdimensional machines to coerce other fellow humans, the same cannot be said for other groups. Not everyone is as ’benevolent’ and ’rule-abiding’ as you. It only takes a single bad day for a hot-headed pilot of a superdimensional mech to direct his wrath against defenseless humans."
Ves felt offended at the spoken and unspoken insinuations!
He never even thought about using his superdimensional mechs this way! The very notion of bullying other people with the might of the First Sword Mark III, the Riot Mark III and so on disgusted him! He might not be the most honorable leader, but even he would not stoop to this level!
Of course, the story would be different if other conceited humans tried to threaten him first, but he doubted that anyone was stupid enough to engage in such crass and self-defeating behavior.
"A threat does not need to be explicit to worry people to death." Jovy seriously stated to his friend. "The fact that you already possess not one, but several superdimensional mechs already serves as a deterrent even if you lock them inside their hangars all day. Nobody can afford to treat you lightly, because there is nothing aside from our current rules that is stopping you from deploying your powerful machines and engaging in a ’forceful’ demonstration of your superdimensional might."
"..."
This was absurd! Jovy made it sound as if Ves was a thug who would swing his superdimensional club at the slightest provocation! He had way more self-control than that!
"If these worrywarts of your Association are so concerned, how do they think this problem should be addressed?"
Jovy took a deep breath before he revealed the answer. "An increasing number of mechers are proposing to set a new policy that separates superdimensional mechs into a special category that must be subjected to stringent rules and oversight. The Red Association must exercise its mandate and rein in the proliferation and use of superdimensional mechs before they can be used for nefarious purposes."
"How?"
"The most popular consensus among those who have fallen into this camp is to institute a mecher version of the RF Auxiliary Warship Program. Simply put, just as the fleeters have tacitly permitted third parties to field their warships under strict conditions, an increasing number of mechers believe it is necessary to treat superdimensional mechs with a similar level of scrutiny. In more concrete terms, this means that groups no longer possess the inherent right to own a superdimensional mech. If they want to make use of one, they must apply for a token that corresponds to the authorization to own and field a single superdimensional mech that abides by a strict set of rules and restrictions. What is important to the RA is the attitude around it. The bestowal of a token is both a reward and an extension of trust. It is a privilege that can be withdrawn, not a right that is inviolable."
"...Are you guys serious?"
"Oh, many people within our ranks are indeed serious about this proposal." Jovy said as he responded with a measured stare. "They are highly passionate about the need to regulate superdimensional mechs. You cannot convince them that such machines can remain in the hands of ambitious leaders such as yourself without holding any concerns. That ship has already sailed. They see you owning at least two superdimensional mechs and fear that you may dream of using their power to rampage across human-occupied territories. If you and your fellow Larkinsons lose all of your sanity and restraint one day, the consequences will be catastrophic. This is not in doubt."
"That is unfair!" Ves almost slammed his fist against the table! "Just because we have high-powered assets in our possession doesn’t mean that we should be treated as criminals in the making! Plenty of people and organizations currently have expert mechs and ace mechs at their disposal at this time! Their destructive power can already match the destructive power of weapons of mass destruction, but few people ever fear their potential for abuse! Why must their superdimensional variations be subjected to such a draconic policy?!"