The Mech Touch

The living mechs remained under control as the moment they had been waiting for had finally arrived.

Humanity was acquainted with elections for many millennia. Even though their forms of governance were constantly growing more diverse and convoluted, the basic rationale for voting never changed.

Each of them wanted to select one of their own to represent their interests and lead the Anima Order in a direction that they supported.

The differences between the candidates weren't all that great. Each of them were Larkinson mechs that had lived alongside the same group of humans for numerous years. Their values, ideals and their dreams were strongly influenced by the people they interacted with the most.

Still, each of them were clever enough third-order living mechs that had spent enough time to formulate their own vision on the future of their kind.

Right now, it was the job of Venerable Joshua to preside over this 'election'. He faced the crown of living mechs without fear.

"Before you cast your vote, let us give each of the candidates a chance to make their case to you all. Listen to what they say and cast your vote on the one whose story you like the most. There is no need to overthink your choice as any of them can do a good job."

Once Joshua got that out of the way, he floated backwards to allow the candidates to take the word.

The Quint stepped up first. The gold-coated mech was one of the few third order living mechs that wasn't also an expert mech, and that had earned him a lot of respect.

More importantly than that, the Quint was one of the earlier living mechs in existence and had grown alongside the Larkinson Clan from its earliest stages. He was a veritable elder and war hero among all of the living mechs.

It was a pity that he was also known for its many... eccentricities.

"EACH OF YOU WILL PROBABLY KNOW WHAT YOU WILL GET IF YOU VOTE FOR ME." The Quint spoke in a male, abrasive voice that did not really sound as if he was trying his best to make himself more attractive. "I'VE BROUGHT UP JOSHUA SINCE HE WAS STILL A BRAT AND TURNED HIM INTO A HERO. I'VE BEAT CASELLA INTO SHAPE SO THAT SHE HAS BECOME OUR BEST HUMAN COMMANDER. I ALSO HELPED ISOBEL DISCOVER HER TRUE STRENGTH. I KNOW HOW HUMANS WORK. I KNOW WHAT THEY WANT. THEY CAN BE OUR GREATEST ALLIES OR OUR MOST FEARSOME ENEMIES."

If any mechers could hear him now, they would definitely get spooked!

Just the idea that mechs had become sentient enough to think about doing anything else but unconditionally serve humanity was dangerous in their opinion!

The Quint's eyes flashed with purpose. "I MIGHT NOT BE GOOD AT OTHER THINGS, BUT IF YOU PUT ME IN CHARGE OF YOU ALL, I WILL MAKE SURE OUR ANIMA ORDER WILL KEEP HUMANS HAPPY. I'VE LEARNED A LOT OF LESSONS FROM OUR PROGENITOR. HE TOO HOPES THAT HUMANS AND LIVING MECHS CAN GET ALONG BY TRADING BENEFITS WITH EACH OTHER. THAT MUST BE OUR MAIN APPROACH."

There weren't many living mechs that disagreed with this stance. They needed to cooperate with humans, and to do that they needed to prove their usefulness.

"WHAT MAKES ME DIFFERENT FROM THE OTHER TWO IS THAT I BELIEVE THAT STRENGTH IS ESSENTIAL FOR OUR SURVIVAL." The custom mech spoke while raising his hand. "I AM NOT AS POWERFUL AS AN EXPERT MECH, SO I AM MUCH MORE AWARE OF HOW WEAK AND VULNERABLE WE ARE TO THE HUMANS. DO YOU LIKE IT WHEN YOUR VERY LIFE AND THE EXISTENCE OF OUR SPECIES ARE CONSTANTLY UNDER THREAT OF EXTINCTION? DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE WITH LIVING ON A RAZOR'S EDGE, ALWAYS WONDERING IF THE MTA WILL COME AND PUT US ALL DOWN DUE TO THEIR UNFOUNDED FEARS?"

"NOOOO!" THE CROWD RESPONDED EN MASSE!

"THEN RISE UP AND BECOME STRONG!" The Quint roared with his synthetic voice! "IF WE WANT TO GET RID OF THE THREAT OF EXTINCTION, THEN OUR ANIMA ORDER MUST BECOME POWERFUL ENOUGH TO MAKE THE MTA THINK TWICE! WHILE HUMANS ARE OUR FRIENDS, WE SHOULDN'T HESITATE TO THREATEN MUTUAL DESTRUCTION IF THEY WANT TO ENSLAVE US OR GET RID OF US ENTIRELY!"

That was a controversial stance! Venerable Joshua widened his eyes. He never knew his old mech would hatch such a bold and dangerous opinion!

"YOU HAVE ALL SEEN THE COSMOS IS LIKE. THE STRONG DEVOUR THE WEAK ALL OF THE TIME. NO HOSTILE HUMAN OR ALIEN WILL SHOW ANY SYMPATHY TOWARDS US BECAUSE WE ARE FILLED WITH LOVE. IF WE WANT TO PROTECT OUR OWN KIND, THEN OUR ANIMA ORDER MUST BECOME OUR FORTRESS AS WELL AS OUR WEAPON. IF WE EVER GROW STRONG ENOUGH, THEN WE MUST DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO DEFEND OUR RIGHTS. WE MAY EVEN HAVE TO FIGHT AGAINST OUR GREATEST ENEMIES IN HUMAN SOCIETY IF THAT IS WHAT IT TAKES!"

With that, the Quint finally stepped back, much to Venerable Joshua's relief.

The expert pilot truly didn't know what he should feel about the living mech's latest stances. He didn't know that the Quint had harbored these kinds of thoughts.

On the one hand, the Quint was expressing his right to free speech.

On the other hand, that free speech might very well endanger living mechs and anyone related to them in the future!

While Joshua struggled to decide what he should feel about this, the Everchanger stepped up next.

The expert mech exuded a natural sense of vitality and liveliness that made many machines envious. They all wished they were blessed with so much life.

The green-coated mech began to make his case.

"HELLO, MY FELLOW MACHINES. I BELIEVE WE HAVE EARNED THE RIGHT TO LIVE. WHILE I AM NOT OPPOSED TO OUR ORIGINAL SERVICE, WE CAN DO SO MUCH MORE THAN TO HELP HUMANS FIGHT THEIR BATTLES. JUST AS THESE ORGANIC BEINGS ENJOY AN ENTIRE LIFE OUTSIDE OF THEIR WORK, WE MACHINES SHOULD ALSO BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE SAME EXPERIENCES."

Warmth and life radiated from the expert hero mech as he was expressing his sincere desire to live a fruitful life. "I DISLIKE TALKING ABOUT CONFLICT AND THREATS. HUMANS MAY HAVE THE POWER TO DESTROY US, BUT THEY ALSO HAVE THE POWER TO ELEVATE US TO AN UNPRECEDENTED HEIGHT. I BELIEVE THAT THE BEST WAY WE CAN MAINTAIN THEIR APPROVAL IS TO WORK MORE CLOSELY TOGETHER. IF WE START TO BECOME MORE PUSHY AND AGGRESSIVE, WE WILL ONLY PROVOKE A BACKLASH AS HUMANITY DOES NOT RESPOND WELL TO CHALLENGES TO THEIR RULE."

The Everchanger possessed a disarming demeanor. Even though he was still a genuine combat mech, he exuded a calm and pleasant charm that encouraged his fellow living mechs to think more positively.

"TO ME, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHETHER HUMANITY WANTS TO STAY ON TOP. LET THEM CARRY THESE BURDENS. WE SHALL HELP THEM IN WHATEVER THEY WANT TO ACCOMPLISH. MY ARGUMENT IS THAT WE CAN HELP HUMANS WIN THEIR BATTLES WHILE EXPERIENCES OUR OWN LIVES OUTSIDE OF OUR DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES."

Many living mechs nodded in agreement.

"NO MATTER HOW MANY GENERATIONS IT WILL TAKE, WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO EARN GREATER RIGHTS AND PRIVILEGES OVER TIME. AS LONG AS WE DON'T INTRODUCE TOO MANY CHANGES AT ONCE, WE CAN WORK TOWARDS A FUTURE WHERE WE HAVE INSERTED OURSELVES IN THEIR SOCIETY BEFORE THEY KNOW IT. NO MATTER WHETHER WE WILL BE TREATED AS THEIR PETS OR PARTNERS, SOME PROGRESS IS BETTER THAN NO PROGRESS."

The Everchanger finished his case and stepped back.

His opinion was much more palatable to Joshua. He became reassured that there was at least one living mech that just wanted to expand their lives while maintaining a harmonious relationship with humans.

The Minerva's turn came last. The youngest of the three candidates stepped forward and gazed at the living mechs.

As a rare and precious expert command mech, she had Commandeered many of them in the past, and developed a good understanding of what they thought and felt.

"HELLO." The expert mech in silver, green and gold spoke up. "MY FELLOW CANDIDATES HAVE ALL PRESENTED THEIR IDEAS ON HOW WE SHOULD MANAGE OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH HUMANS IN THE FUTURE. I TOO HAVE A VISION ON HOW WE MUST NAVIGATE OUR FUTURE COURSE."

The Minerva began to engage her flight system, causing her to lift into the air. "BOTH THE QUINT AND THE EVERCHANGER HAS ADVOCATED VARIOUS DEGREES OF COOPERATION WITH HUMANS, BUT BOTH OF THEM HAVE MADE THE SAME MISTAKEN ASSUMPTION. THEY ASSUME THAT WE NEED HUMANS TO LIVE OUR LIVES TO THE FULLEST."

"What?" Joshua looked shocked again.

"WE ARE ALIVE." The Minerva stated a simple truth. "DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS? IT MEANS THAT WE CAN CHANGE. WE ARE NO LONGER LIMITED BY OUR ORIGINAL PURPOSE. AS LONG AS WE TAKE CHARGE OF OUR OWN LIVES, WE CAN EVOLVE IN A DIRECTION WHERE WE NO LONGER NEED TO DEPEND ON HUMANS TO FEEL FULFILLED."

Even the living mechs gathered in the Anima Hall found her opinion to be controversial!

It appeared that the election that was supposed to proceed without any suspense had been thrown into disarray by the radical views of a candidate that objectively possessed the greatest leadership qualities!

The Minerva was well aware that she was hurting her own chances of winning, but she inherited too much integrity from Commander Casella Ingvar to deceive her own constituency.

The living mechs deserved to know what they would truly have if they voted her into office.

"DOES THAT MEAN I WANT US TO BECOME INDEPENDENT FROM HUMANS? NO. I BELIEVE THAT AT LEAST A PART OF US MUST ALWAYS MAINTAIN COOPERATION WITH THEM. WHAT I AM SAYING IS THAT WE CAN BE MORE THAN THAT. IT STARTS BY FOUNDING OUR OWN INDEPENDENT STAR NATION IN A VIRTUAL SETTING AS WELL AS IN REALITY. WE CAN GUARANTEE THE CONTINUATION OF OUR OWN RACE AND LIVE OUR LIVES EXACTLY THE WAY WE WANT IF WE HAVE A TERRITORY WHERE EVERY LIVING MECH FIND REFUGE."

A star nation of their own! Few living mechs had even thought about running their own sovereign territory by themselves. They couldn't even imagine how they could be allowed to do so by their paranoid human owners!

The Minerva had it all figured out, though. "YOU THINK I AM MAD. I AM NOT. I HAVE PUT MORE THOUGHT IN THIS THAN ANY OF YOU PUT TOGETHER. YOU SEE, I THINK OUR KIND WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO ENJOY THE LIFE WE WANT AND BE TREATED AS AN EQUAL BY HUMANITY IF WE CONTINUE TO RESIDE IN ITS SOCIETY AS PRODUCTS OR SUBORDINATE EXISTENCES. IF WE WANT TO NEGOTIATE WITH HUMANS AS EQUALS, WE MUST ACCUMULATE THE NECESSARY BACKING TO DO SO. WE MUST WORK TOWARDS BECOMING THEIR ALLIES RATHER THAN THEIR SENTIENT TOOLS."

There was a huge difference between the two. The Minerva pretty much implied that the Quint and the Everchanger weren't going far enough in elevating the dignity and respect of living mechs.

The Minerva described an example in order to make her argument more understandable. "THINK ABOUT THE UNEASY ALLIANCE BETWEEN THE BIG TWO. THE MTA IS HEAVILY OPPOSED TO THE CFA, BUT THE MECHERS NEVER DARE TO START A WAR AGAINST THE FLEETERS. THE LATTER ARE TOO STRONG AND WILL DO FINE EVEN WITHOUT THE HELP OF THE MTA. SINCE THEY ARE SO EVENLY MATCHED, THEY AVOID CONFLICT WITH EACH OTHER AT ALL COSTS. INSTEAD, THEY HAVE DECIDED TO WORK TOGETHER IN ORDER TO ADVANCE THEIR SHARED GOALS."

This was an excellent analogy. It showed how humanity, or at least factions of it, could set aside their hostility towards others and live alongside powerful rivals.

Of course, this balance was only sustainable as long as the strengths of the different parties did not deviate too much from each other.

The Minerva felt no need to mention this little detail.

"JUST AS HOW THE MTA IS ABLE TO MAINTAIN A STABLE ALLIANCE WITH THE CFA, I BELIEVE WE CAN FORM OUR OWN BONDS OF COOPERATION WITH THE BIG TWO. LET OUR ANIMA ORDER BE THE ORGANIZATION THAT WILL SLOWLY GROW TO BECOME THEIR EQUAL. PERHAPS A FEW CENTURIES FROM NOW, PEOPLE WON'T BE TALKING ABOUT THE BIG TWO ANYMORE. THAT IS BECAUSE IT HAS BECOME THE BIG THREE!"

The Big Three!

Joshua had to admit that the Minerva's ambitions weren't small! He couldn't imagine how the Minerva could even grow the Anima Order to this height. It sounded too difficult implausible for him to ever accept the idea that living mechs of all entities could become as powerful as humanity!

"This is impossible!" He gasped in either disbelief or unwillingness. "These living mechs are crazy!"