Chapter 3847 Vox Machinae
I HAVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED MYSELF TO BE A MBER OF THE LARKINSON CLAN, CREATOR. WE ARE JUST AS ALIVE AS THE HUMANS IN OUR CLAN. JUST LIKE OUR CH PILOTS, WE CHS READILY PUT OUR 'LIVES' ON THE LINE IN DEFENSE OF THE LARKINSONS WHO NEED OUR PROTECTION. IS IT TOO MUCH TO ASK THAT WE RECEIVE APPRECIATION FOR OUR SERVICES? WE ARE NO LONGER MACHINES THAT YOU PUT BACK IN STORAGE WHEN YOU HAVE NO NEED FOR OUR STRENGTH ANYMORE.
"..."
The Shield of Samar certainly possessed strong opinions on the manner. Now that Ves finally brought this matter up, the powerful expert ch freely voiced its wish list.
It appeared that the Everchanger was not an exception. Third order living chs were more aware, more intelligent and more complex. It was natural for them to develop more extensive wants and needs.
In fact, the Shield of Samar developed even deeper thoughts on the matter! Out of all of the third order living chs designed by Ves, Venerable Jannzi's expert ch was definitely the oldest among them! Even if it only reached this order of life only recently, it had already co into existence before Ves advanced to Journeyman!
It was one of the veteran chs that held the greatest seniority and prestige among the chs of the Larkinson Clan. Even upstarts like the Amaranto had to show a asure of respect towards this honored pair of machines.
Having grown up alongside the Larkinson Clan, the Shield of Samar experienced a lot of different twists and turns. Its life experience among the Larkinson chs had accumulated to an impressive degree!
After Jannzi advanced to expert pilot and after its latest and most dramatic upgrade, the growth of the Shield of Samar had skyrocketed, thereby ensuring that it would remain the 'eldest' living ch within the Larkinson Clan for at least a generation!
If not for the fact that Venerable Joshua's life domain was so conducive to growth, the Everchanger would never be able to lift its head in front of the Shield of Samar!
The topics that Jannzi's expert ch brought up during this interview session were both deep and profound.
Ves frowned as the Shield of Samar forced him to open up his eyes to how poorly the Larkinson Clan treated its living chs.
While it was generally fine for the Larkinson Clan to treat second order living chs as normal machine that just demanded a bit more care, when machines like the Shield of Samar gained true awareness, they were substantially greater entities and required much more extensive treatnt!
LET ASK YOU A PRESUMPTUOUS QUESTION, CREATOR. DO YOU CONSIDER LIVING CHS SUCH AS MYSELF AS FULL AND EQUAL MBERS OF YOUR CLAN?
"Uh…"
YOU DON'T NEED TO SAY ANYTHING MORE. I CAN SEE THE RELUCTANCE IN YOUR BODY. YOU HAVE ALWAYS EMPHASIZED THE IMPORTANCE OF FAMILY IN THE CLAN, BUT FOR A LONG TI YOU HAVE ONLY EXTENDED THIS CONSIDERATION TO YOUR FELLOW HUMANS. HAVE YOU EVER THOUGHT THAT LIVING CHS CONSIDER THEMSELVES TO BE A PART OF THE FAMILY AS WELL?
"That… of course you are family." Ves instinctively answered. "Each and every living ch in the service of the clan is a part of our brotherhood."
The Shield of Samar had taken the initiative in this conversion and did not intend to let Ves off that easily.
YOU SAY THE WORDS, BUT DO YOU AN THEM? I AM AFRAID THAT YOU ARE STILL WAVERING IN YOUR THOUGHTS. YOU MUST CORRECT YOUR MINDSET, CREATOR. WHILE OUR BODIES ARE MADE OF ALLOY RATHER THAN FLESH AND WHILE OUR VEINS CHANNEL ELECTRICAL CURRENT RATHER THAN BLOOD, WE ARE LOYAL AND DEDICATED TO THE BETTERNT OF EVERY LARKINSON, HUMAN, PET OR CH.
The ntion of pets reminded Ves of animals like Lucky and Clixie. The clan had always fostered a welcoming attitude towards pets. Each of them enjoyed a beloved status within the clan. Even if they did not enhance the clan's productivity or combat power, their companionship ward people's hearts.
Pets along with kids brightened people's lives and made it a lot more bearable for the clansn to live aboard starships. This was also why they were valued to the point that nurous clansn had begun to consider them as full mbers of the clan!
At the very least, particularly important cats such as Lucky and Clixie fully deserved this designation!
In comparison to all of the welfare and pampering that pets enjoyed, the living chs in the Larkinson Clan did not receive as much love.
Sure, their ch pilots cared for them on an individual basis, but this did not compensate for the lack of institutional welfare and support.
YOU SAY THAT WE ARE WORTHY TO BECO FULL AND RECOGNIZED MBERS OF THE CLAN, BUT I DO NOT SEE MANY SIGNS OF THAT. AS ITS LEADER, YOU HAVE THE POWER TO ENACT THE CHANGES THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE, BUT FOR YEARS YOU HAVE SAT ON THIS ISSUE AND NEVER THOUGHT TO PAY ATTENTION TO OUR NEEDS.
Ves grimaced. "Please cut so slack, Shield. Third order living chs such as yourself are a relatively new phenonon that I have pioneered myself. Who could have thought that it would be possible for people like to hold an actual conversation with a ch like you? We are all venturing into completely new territory here. Mistakes are inevitable. What matters is that we recognize what is wrong and do our best to address them. My visit here is a reflection of that. I am giving you an opportunity to help understand what can be improved."
The Shield of Samar's deanor grew a little bit more warr towards him. The expert ch was afraid that Ves would take a tougher stance on the matter. If that was the case, then the machine would have pressed even harder!
I APPRECIATE YOUR OPEN-MINDEDNESS, BUT I AM NOT CERTAIN THAT YOU WILL LIKE WHAT I AM ABOUT TO CONVEY.
"Hit with it." Ves straightforwardly said. "The reason why I am discussing this with you today is to understand the opinions and perspective of living chs like you. It's better to air your full thoughts to so that I have the clearest and most accurate picture of the state of living chs in the clan."
IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEN I WILL NOT HOLD BACK ANY FURTHER. AS YOU CAN ALREADY SURMISE, I BELIEVE THE STATUS OF LIVING CHS IN THE CLAN MUST CHANGE. I DO NOT EXPECT YOU TO OFFER SUBSTANTIALLY BETTER TREATNT TO MY FELLOW LIVING CHS THAT ARE NOT AS CONSCIOUS AS MYSELF, BUT YOU MUST ACKNOWLEDGE THAT MACHINES SUCH AS THE QUINT AND THE AMARANTO DESERVE ACTUAL RECOGNITION.
"I can agree with this." Ves nodded. "There are thousands of second-order living chs, but are not capable of enjoying all of the benefits and privileges that humans enjoy. It is better to leave them in their more natural state so that they can purposely focus on helping their ch pilots."
I AM GLAD THAT WE CAN AGREE ON THIS, BUT LET ELABORATE FURTHER. THE ONES YOU CALL THIRD ORDER LIVING CHS CAN PLAY SUCH AN IMPORTANT ROLE TO OUR CLAN THAT WE DESERVE A PLACE IN THE DECISION-MAKING LAYER OF THE CLAN.
"Err, what?"
THE LARKINSON CLAN POSSESSES A HIERARCHY WHERE THE RANK AND FILE MBERS CAN ALWAYS LOOK UP TO THE PEOPLE MAKING ALL OF THE DECISIONS. THE LARKINSON ASSEMBLY IS FILLED WITH REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE MBER BODY WHILE THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH IS OCCUPIED BY MANY DIFFERENT HUMANS WHO CO FROM EVERY CORNER OF THE CLAN. WHILE THIS IS AN ADEQUATE ARRANGENT, IT HAS ONE MAJOR GAP THAT MUST BE FILLED.
Ves had a bad feeling about this. The Shield of Samar's tone did not sound modest.
"And that is?" He tentatively asked.
A CH MUST BECO A PART OF THE LEADERSHIP CIRCLE OF THE CLAN. MORE SPECIFICALLY, YOU MUST ALLOW CHS SUCH AS MYSELF TO 'VOTE' FOR AN ASSEMBLY MBER FROM OUR OWN RANKS. THIS ELECTED CH SHALL POSSESS THE SUPPORT OF ALL LIVING CHS AND IS QUALIFIED TO REPRESENT OUR COLLECTIVE VOICE DURING ASSEMBLY DELIBERATIONS.
"Wait, are you serious?! You want to vote your own fellow living chs for office? Are they even qualified to beco politicians?"
The Shield of Samar rumbled a bit as if it had just shrugged.
YOU NEVER KNOW UNTIL YOU TRY. WE ARE SMART CHS, CREATOR. DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE OUR ABILITY TO LEARN. IF I WAS HUMAN, I WOULD STILL BE ATTENDING SCHOOL. THE QUINT IS JUST A CUTE-LOOKING BRAT WHILE THE YOUNGER LIVING CHS SUCH AS THE EVERCHANGER AND THE MINERVA ARE STILL BABIES. EVEN SO, THE LATTER TWO CH HAVE ALREADY GROWN INTO INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE MUCH MORE CLEVER THAN HUMANS OF THE SA AGE. THEREFORE, DO NOT QUESTION OUR ABILITY TO FULFILL MORE COMPLICATED RESPONSIBILITIES.
This was actually an interesting research topic by itself. It sounded as if living chs as good as the Shield of Samar might have actually turned into formidable learners!
As long as they gained access to enough learning resources, it was not impossible for them to take up professions.
After all, if humans possessed the capacity to beco doctors or artists, why not living chs?
For a mont, Ves had an odd idea in his mind.
He imagined chs wearing giant white lab coats as they paraded as doctors.
He imagined another ch wearing a three-piece suit posing as a mber of the Larkinson Assembly.
He even entertained an even more absurd notion of a ch that had studied all of the subjects related to ch design and beca a qualified Novice ch Designer!
Just the thought of a ch that was able to design other chs just as good as Ketis or Gloriana sent shivers through his spine.
This was a scary scenario!
He quickly shook his head in order to clear his mind. For now, these weird and unusual fantasies were not relevant.
"Are you trying to beco a fully-fledged mber of the Larkinson Assembly? Is that what you're saying?"
NO. NOT QUITE. I DO WISH THAT AT LEAST ONE LIVING CH IS ABLE TO TAKE PART IN THE VOTING AND DELIBERATIONS ON BILLS, BUT I HAVE A MORE IMPORTANT FUNCTION IN MIND. I THINK IT IS TI FOR A LIVING CH TO BECO A PART OF THE CORE HIERARCHY OF THE CLAN. ONLY BY BECOMING AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH WILL WE BE ABLE TO GAIN THE RECOGNITION THAT WE DESIRE.
"Is that all? I get the feeling that you are aiming for more than that, Shield." Ves narrowed his eyes in suspicion.
THAT IS CORRECT. ASIDE FROM GAINING A PROPER PLACE IN THE UPPER ECHELON OF THE CLAN, I ALSO WANT TO ERECT AN INSTITUTION THAT ALLOWS FOR LIVING CHS TO REGULATE OTHER LIVING CHS. FOR THIS REASON, I PROPOSE THAT YOU APPROVE OF THE FORMATION OF A NEW MINISTRY THAT IS DEDICATED TO MANAGING MY KIND. I BELIEVE THAT I AM THE MOST SUITED MACHINE TO LEAD THE LIVING CH AFFAIRS MINISTER OF THE CLAN.
"The… Living ch Affairs Ministry?"
YOU HEARD THAT RIGHT, CREATOR. APPOINT AS MINISTER SO THAT OUR CLAN WILL NO LONGER NEGLECT THE ISSUES AFFECTING LIVING CHS. IF I CANNOT SOLVE THE PROBLEM WITHIN MY OWN AUTHORITY, I CAN BRING THEM UP TO OTHER LARKINSONS SO THAT WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. THIS IS A VAST IMPROVENT TO OUR CURRENT STATE. WILL YOU AGREE TO ELEVATE INTO POWER?
"Wait a mont."
Ves overwheld!
He never imagined that a conversation with the Shield of Samar would lead to a situation where the living ch actually requested to be appointed as a minister of the clan!
He gazed at the Shield of Samar with a troubled expression. What did it learn from its pilot?! The expert ch accompanied Venerable Jannzi for nurous years. The two of them had been affecting each other in a deep and profound manner.
The Shield of Samar must have developed its political ambitions by learning from Venerable Jannzi!
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