Ves froze inside the advanced but chillingly empty lab.
The fall of the Voice of Liberty was a tragedy.
During the event, Ves had always assud that he had taken the initiative to go rogue and risk his very life to realize an unattainable ideal.
Though his life was filled with impossibilities, he did not allow his adverse circumstances to hold himself back.
He bravely confronted his weaknesses, and though he ultimately failed to conquer each of them, his struggle nonetheless inspired many viewers to conquer their own demons.
This should have been the truth.
Yet the Resonance Smith's words and attitude suggested that Saint Conrad Morgenstern's heroic sacrifice might not be as selfless and idealistic as everyone thought!
A lot of dark thoughts flitted through Ves' mind. His imagination couldn't help but spun alternative narratives where the incident concerning the Voice of Liberty was not as innocent as it seed!
It sounded too outrageous to be true, but nothing was impossible when it ca to the machinations of Star Designers.
Ves did not want to believe that the Resonance Smith had cruelly discarded the life of the Voice of Liberty just so that he could squeeze a bit of guaranteed value out of the senior ace pilot!
"Your Excellency…" Ves hesitantly spoke up again. "What… exactly… was your plan?"
The atmosphere in the chamber grew chillier.
The lightning remained bright, but it happened to cast the humanoid form of the dark-skinned Star Designer in a more ominous manner.
"That… requires an explanation, Professor Larkinson. I did not misspeak, and you did not misinterpret my words. In my calculations, the Voice of Liberty had never fully realized his potential as an active combatant. He may be a senior ace pilot who excels at winning large battles, but his value always remained limited to the tactical level. In order for him to beco strong enough to shake the wars at the strategic level, he must succeed in his breakthrough, which was normally several decades away."
If the facts had been reduced to this level, then that made perfect sense.
"We don't have decades at our disposal." Ves stated the obvious.
"Exactly. You understand the preciousness of ti more than many of your peers. That is good. Ti is indeed in short supply. The lack of ti makes it unbearable to wait for the Voice of Liberty to make a proper attempt at becoming a god pilot. Rather than hope that Conrad can beco a dispensable savior in a distant future, it is much more beneficial for all of us if he can beco a catalyst to a more courageous humanity in the imdiate present. In that, he has fulfilled his original goal magnificently."
"His… original goal?" Ves almost quivered when he deduced the dark intentions behind this specific phrase.
The Resonance Smith smiled deviously at Ves. "Yes, his original goal. You may have co to believe like many other individuals that I approached Conrad Morgenstern and granted him a new ace ch due to shared values and ideologies. That is at least partially true, but that is not the principal reason why I spared my valuable ti and effort. My true intention of establishing a relationship with him is because I recognize his value as my loudspeaker. His talent and passion for music synergizes extrely well with several of my design solutions. At the ti, I concluded that the Voice of Liberty would make for a fantastic vessel to broadcast a strong ssage to all of humanity. As a perforr that has approached divinity, he is only second to god pilots in his ability to captivate an audience."
Nothing in those words contained any appreciation for the Voice of Liberty as a warrior or a freedom fighter.
The Resonance Smith obviously did not value those aspects out of the late ace pilot.
Though the Star Designer's words all sounded truthful and logical, they contained a distressing sense of coldness that Ves normally expected to co from the mouth of the Polymath.
At least the latter deliberately shut down her emotions when she plotted to save red humanity!
What about the Resonance Smith?
Ves did not sense that the Resonance Smith ascribed to the rational ch design approach.
In fact, resonance was a phenonon that strongly corresponded to feeling.
The Star Designer could not cut himself off his own emotions if he wanted to master every aspect of resonance!
This led Ves to conclude that the Resonance Smith still possessed the capacity to care… yet chose to disregard it entirely when he decided the fate of the Voice of Liberty.
That was scary.
"Is… it truly the case that you solely decided to lend the Voice of Liberty a hand at the ti because you saw a potential loudspeaker for yourself?" Ves hesitantly asked.
The Resonance Smith frowned in disapproval. "We are both clever ch designers, professor. I should not repeat the obvious. Yet it is apparent that you still do not fully understand the scope of my plans. That is forgivable. First, it is true that I primarily envisioned a potential use for Conrad Morgenstern as a particularly loud and effective bullhorn to impart a strong ssage to the public. Yet that does not an that I have entirely disregarded his potential to beco a god pilot. If I never needed to use his more imdiate services and if our enemies were willing to give him all the ti he needed to grow organically, then I would have been happy to let him fulfill his original destiny."
"Yet from the mont you chose to use him to galvanize red humanity during this tense period, you derailed him from his path of godhood." Ves almost accused the Star Designer.
The Star Designer smiled and made a single clap.
"The logic of your statent is deficient. I did not make it impossible for him to beco a god pilot. I manipulated the circumstances around him so that he eventually recognized a riskier and more expedient alternative for him to beco a god. Poor Conrad. He thought it was all his idea, that he willfully turned his back to in order to prevent his taint from spilling in my direction. What he did not and could not know was that the news he beca exposed to, the people he t along his journey and even the subliminal resonance generated by his own Sound of Revolution all served to nudge him towards a single conclusion. That the ti to act was now, and that he was the only pilot who possessed the ans and the courage to do what was necessary."
The Resonance Smith sounded outright diabolical!
Despite the fact that the Star Designer evoked a serene ability to resonate with his environnt, his words conveyed anything but peace and harmony!
Ves never expected the Resonance Smith to start off this conversation in this way.
The outrageous Star Designer did not hesitate to confess his 'evil' intentions as if he had no sha!
If the public knew that the Resonance Smith conspired to kill an honorable ace pilot, then it would beco a lot more difficult for him to maintain his present level of popularity!
"What you just said… what you just confessed to… completely violates the ch designer's creed."
The Resonance Smith's smile turned sardonic. "The ch designer's creed is indeed the core principle that has guided the ch designer profession. It has prevented many of your colleagues from going astray. Yet for all of the good it has done… I see no reason to abide by this pedantic rule."
"What?!"
"Why do you sound so surprised, Professor Larkinson? I am an Unbounder, a mber of the Red Association who believes that most of the rules that we apply to ourselves only exist to shackle our potential and prolong the reign of the unworthy. When you approach my level of power, the rules are no longer unquestionable. In fact, I dare to say that you are obligated to question them. You will find that many of them which we have inherited from the old galaxy do more harm than good. To ignore them is justice. To repeal them is righteousness."
"And that applies as well to the ch designer's creed?!"
The Resonance Smith laughed in amusent. "Not precisely. Do note that I ntioned that it has kept many ch designers honest and on the right path. It still plays a useful role to the ch industry. I have no intention of removing it. ch designers must still serve ch pilots. I am rely asking them to be more skeptical and question whether the ch pilot in question deserves your service. Not all of them have proven to be worthy of your full consideration."
As much as Ves wanted to deny this taboo statent, he couldn't help but agree with the general ssage.
It was impossible for Ves to care for every ch pilot as thoroughly as he did with the Larkinsons.
His ti was short and his output was finite.
Yet that did not an that he should belittle his lesser custors and clients!
They might not receive his full attention, but he still felt an obligation to give them the ans to realize their potential!
So long as his intentions remained pure, even a slight amount of effort could make a positive difference!
That was why Ves felt so offended by the notion that ch designers should no longer follow their creed.
"I don't understand your stance." Ves said with a frown. "You first state that we should ignore the creed. You then state that it is still useful and that we should follow it. What am I supposed to think?"
"The rules do not apply equally to every individual. Status, experience and capability all influence the applicability of every rule. To a Senior ch Designer such as yourself, the ch designer's creed is still a necessary training wheel. To a Star Designer who has transcended the mundane boundaries of the ch designer profession, the creed is no longer relevant."
"Are you… claiming that becoming a Star Designer gives you an excuse to disregard the traditions of our profession."
"Your profession, not ours." The Resonance Smith 'corrected' Ves. "There are those who believe that Star Designers are high-level successors of ch designers. That is a misconception. That is as naive as believing that a so-called Ascended Giant should still be treated as a human. Despite their obvious relations, they are fundantally different in power and identity. Although there are a number of colleagues of mine who still insist that they are ch designers despite how extensively they have transcended their old limitations, they are still stuck in their past glories. They do not realize the full implications of what they have beco. Gods are not bound by mortal rules. What is the point of transcending our mortality when we are still willing to subject ourselves to the whims of sheep? At least the Polymath understands the Truth much better than those idiots."
Ves absolutely did not want to guess who the Resonance Smith referred to when he called them idiots.
This was way above his paygrade!
Though Ves couldn't help but agree with certain parts of the dangerous Star Designer's speech, he could not bring himself to accept the full ssage!
It was only now that Ves fully realized why the Resonance Smith had always been marginalized by the greater ch community.
The Resonance Smith practiced what he preached!
He not only advocated for the removal of many of the rules that maintained the stability of human civilization, but he also violated them despite the fact that they were still in force!
The Unbounder was a true rule breaker!
The taboos did not exist for him as far as he was concerned!
Disturbingly, Ves did not find this kind of attitude to be completely alien to his sensibilities.
That was because he too had the habit of ignoring the rules when they got in the way!
Ves distressingly recognized that he had more in common with the Resonance Smith than he initially thought!
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