"Becoming the highest ranking official of the Red Collective is not a done deal, boss." Gavin said. "If you can figure out the Evolution Witch's sche, then others have deduced her plans a long ti ago. She has many rivals and opponents at the top of our society, so she will not be able to get her way on everything. In fact, she is often considered to be on the more extre end of the political spectrum. She advocates for extre changes with reduced oversight. Ever since she beca unleashed in the Red Ocean, she has beco an Unbounder in all but na. That tends to ruffle many feathers. The Red Association and the Red Fleet have not shaken off the vestiges of the Age of Conquest just yet. There is still a group that advocates for restraint and moderation. They will be the main source of opposition towards any attempt to put you in the highest seat."
Ves didn't know how to feel about that. "You know, I might not actually dislike it if I am denied the highest seat. It is not as if I was asking for it in the first place. A part of even wishes that they succeed in their obstruction."
"Are you sure you want to say that out loud?"
"Pff! It's fine. If the Evolution Witch ever hears what I have said, then she will appreciate my candor. It is always better to be truthful to a god pilot."
Gavin couldn't quite understand why Ves rejected this arrangent so much.
"Ves, I understand your concerns about occupying a position that is outside of your realm of competence, but don't you realize how much this will enhance your reputation and career? Even if you are only able to hold onto your office for a year, your na will forever be in the history books for being the founder and initial leader of the Red Collective. You will amass a following that will continue to support you in both good tis and bad tis. You will also beco more eligible to occupy lesser but still fairly influential leadership positions in the future."
"All of that sounds interesting… if I aspired to beco a politician." Ves flatly responded. "I am a ch designer. I am busy with a lot of important ch design projects. I have no interest to waste my brainpower on wheeling and dealing, sothing which the leader of the Red Collective must do all the ti due to the highly decentralized and fractured nature of this organization."
"Your concerns are valid, but would you prefer to let a third party with unpredictable demands such as the Evolution Witch or other individual shape this powerful organization, or would you rather take full control by doing everything yourself?"
Ves rightfully possessed a lot of concerns about surrendering control over his own life to others.
He knew that if other people managed to occupy the highest seat of the Red Collective, he or she gained plenty of official authority to ddle in Ves' life and many works, including the ones that he did not want to expose to the public!
Ves furrowed his brows. His determination wavered a bit. There were argunts that were in favor and against aspiring to beco the leader of the Red Collective.
"I… don't know. Let's just see how this goes. I won't try to be stupid by acting like an idiot so that no one wants to put in charge. However, I am not going to go out of my way to schmooze with the other councilors in an attempt to earn their vote of support. I am just going to behave like I usually do. Whether I succeed or fail, people will at least be able to make an accurate judgnt about myself."
His assistant looked disappointed, but he did not try to persuade Ves to change his mind.
"If that is what you wish. I do not think this is the most optimal decision you can make, but it is possible that you will be able to win people over through your sincerity."
Ves dismissively waved his hand. "Enough about this crap. Help prepare for the next council session. The Red Tide Offensive has caused a lot of disruptions, but I haven't heard anything about the next session being postponed. This may be the first ti I will have to preside over such a grand gathering. The Evolution Witch's staff are supposed to be working on the actual details, but I have yet to hear anything of the sort. Please get in touch with her people so that I know what I have to say at the right monts."
"Got it. What are the items on the agenda for the upcoming sessions?"
"I haven't heard much. I think there was talk about expanding the role of kinship networks in light of the Red Tide Offensive. It has beco more important than ever for red humanity to beco united and more cohesive. A stronger argunt can be made that kinship networks can give red humanity an additional edge over the enemy."
"Do you agree with this stance?"
"I do, but that doesn't an that everyone else thinks the sa." Ves responded. "There are justified reasons why one would be hesitant about letting other non-human entities form a connection to your spirit. To be honest, if people don't trust the spirits who are responsible for overseeing the kinship networks, then they don't have to participate. It is better if kinship networks are only used by those who do not think they have anything to hide and those who really believe in the benefits they provide."
This was a contentious topic, so much so that the rollout of kinship networks suffered many delays. People kept bringing up potential vulnerabilities and exploits that could turn the networks into liabilities.
Gavin looked a bit more optimistic. "Starting the session with this topic is actually a great political move. By letting you preside over a discussion on a subject that you understand better than anyone else, you can keep the other councilors in check while simultaneously demonstrating how you prefer to wield your authority."
Ves helplessly shook his head. Did everything have to be political?
"I cannot claim to be unbiased on this subject, so I won't even try. That said, I won't try to fight too hard to empower our kinship networks."
They talked a bit more about the other subjects that could co up during these council sessions. They ranged from the possibility of raising in-house ard forces to add muscle to the Red Collective to fine-tuning the complex relationships it should maintain with the other major powers of red humanity.
These were all big affairs that Ves and Gavin alone could not possibly figure out and decide for themselves!
It was up to the bigshots and their extensive staff to figure out much of the elaborate details.
Once Ves and Gavin were done with their discussions, the latter left the office after promising to get in touch with the relevant parties.
Fortunately, they still had a bit of ti before the next council session comnced. That should allow Ves to make sufficient preparations. He could not guarantee that he would do well, but he was already happy if he could survive the event without making a faux pas.
The next day, Ves took care of his daily affairs before turning his attention to his ch design projects again.
The Swarm Project remained his highest priority. He could not afford to use other activities as excuses to miss his obligations towards this critical endeavor.
Ves and his two collaborators had already completed a lot of preliminary work in the past few days.
It was easiest for Ves to fill in the gaps related to the third-class versions of the two machines. While he did require a refresher on the latest advancents in third-class ch design, he caught up quickly and had a good idea on how far he could push the limits.
Affordability took precedence over everything. The third-class products and more specifically the subordinate chs had to be dirt cheap.
The frontline chs also had to be extrely easy to pilot when put in its simplest configuration.
Ves dare not claim that complete beginners would be able to turn into a barely asset on the battlefield after just a single week of training, but he had made many special accommodations for the sole purpose of minimizing any variable that would only split the attention of the Carmine ch further.
"What are the greatest challenges that you have encountered in your attempts to put these configurations together?" Jovy inquired.
"No, that's stupid, Jovy. Command chs need to maintain a clear overview of the battlefield at all tis. It is not impossible for command chs to lead from the front, but they are usually reserved for those who are truly committed to this path. Most ch commanders prefer to stay close to their troops but not to the point where they beco consud by all of the fighting."
"The command ch is fairly standard and easy to design." Ves responded. "It is not my intention to turn it into anything revolutionary. The only aspects that make it different from others is that it will be a living ch, with all of the cool features that are associated with my work. Aside from that, I don't want to change too much because I want professional ch pilots of any specialization to be able to pilot it with as little adaptation ti as possible."
"If you want to make your command ch universally compatible with every ch pilot, then will you add lee combat capabilities to its design?"
"No, that's stupid, Jovy. Command chs need to maintain a clear overview of the battlefield at all tis. It is not impossible for command chs to lead from the front, but they are usually reserved for those who are truly committed to this path. Most ch commanders prefer to stay close to their troops but not to the point where they beco consud by all of the fighting."
"Perhaps you are correct about this when it cos to the second-class and third-class versions of the command ch, but I highly recomnd you to take this demand into account when we begin to work on the first-class version. A first-class ch pilot is accustod to having both lee and ranged solutions at their disposal. ch commanders are no exception to this rule."
Ves frowned. "Aren't there any C-grade genetic aptitude ch pilots that have chosen to specialize in field command as opposed to personal combat? After all, genetic aptitude is not really all that necessary to effectively coordinate troops."
"It doesn't work, Ves. ch pilots do not respect a ch commander who is not able to fight nearly as well as them. The pilots of first-class multipurpose chs are a breed of their own. They naturally look down on the pilots of inferior machines and will not be pleased if they are being ordered around by a field commander who they can easily beat in a virtual duel."
"I see."
Ves forgot about that. ch pilots could be so stupid about these kinds of things.
After a bit of discussions, the three agreed to make an exception for the first-class version of the command ch. They would try to design it as a first-class multipurpose ch with command and control capabilities already baked into so of its modular slots.
Since Ves had never designed a proper first-class ch before, he allowed Jovy and Vector to take the lead in sketching up a draft design.
The three stared at the projected image in appreciation.
"It doesn't look too special for now, but I think I can differentiate it more during the design process." Ves said. "After all, if everything goes as planned, this will probably be my first proper first-class ch design."
"It is a fine ch to start with." Vector ntioned. "Most of the first-class chs designed by us and our peers never have a chance to get used on a wider scale. Yours is completely different. Your debut into the first-class ch market is certain to beco popular. This is a rare luxury in our industry."
"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still need to complete the damn designs and make sure they work as intended before we can think about sales."
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