When the Mace of Retaliation completed his fiery presentation, the gathered mechers and associates remained active and excited for a long time!
Even if most of them realized that betting all of their chips on committing to this questionable strategy might not cause as much disruption and division among the aliens as everyone hoped, it was still a plan that aligned with all of their principles and ideals!
As the children of the Age of Conquest and the Age of Mechs, the red humans had long grown up in an environment where their race firmly ruled at the top of their old galactic hierarchy.
They rose up from nothing and came to dominate half of the Milky Way Galaxy by themselves.
How could they possibly fail to repeat the same feat against major alien races of the Red Ocean that were objectively weaker and less technologically advanced than the Seven Apex Races that previously dominated the old galaxy?
Unfortunately, the comparison was not that simple.
Back during the early days of the Age of Conquest, humans still retained the sly and cunning mindsets that enabled them to draw attention away from themselves.
The Seven Apex Races never fully recognized the threat of these individually weak upstarts until it was too late!
Now that red humanity had entered the Age of Dawn, it could not count on the ignorance of the native aliens to stall for time and play the aliens against each other.
Humanity was just too scary! The Red Cabal obtained all of the information it needed from the cosmopolitans and other sources to know that these extragalactic invaders had to be stopped before they built up too much momentum!
Therefore, the Fist of Defiance's predictions on how the aliens would behave to the deep strikes might not pan out. So long as the aliens were all rational and determined enough to strangle the threat of red humanity in its cradle, no amount of deep strike raids would be able to shake their resolve!
As the attendees in the large assembly hall waited for the final main speaker to show up, Ves found it difficult to make up his mind.
"I can't make up my mind on which one I prefer." Ves softly murmured. "Both plans have their merits. I think the Xenotechnician's diplomatic approach likely has the highest chance of success, but we have to give up so much in the process. The Fist of Defiance's aggressive approach is much more to my liking, but it's a lot riskier."
Jovy nodded in agreement. "We can only choose one or the other. The two plans are not completely opposed to each other, but the controversial nature of the Xenotechnician's plan means that many people will prefer to avoid it entirely if there is a viable alternative."
Everyone began to build up more and and more anticipation for the final presentation.
The crowd did not have to wait too long. The light in the enormous assembly hall dimmed as the final speaker appeared above the central podium.
Everyone fell utterly silent and straightened their backs as they became graced by the presence of one of the youngest and most impressive Star Designers to emerge from humanity!
Every Star Designer was a living legend, but the Polymath somehow managed to upstage her eminent colleagues by the sheer amount of brilliance she possessed!
Her amazing advancement speed and her comprehensive grasp of practically every field of technology enabled her to form new connections and pump out amazing innovations at breakneck pace.
Ever since she advanced to her current rank around half a century ago, she had rapidly established herself at the top due to her impressive productivity.
The Survivalist Faction was incredibly fortunate to have her within its ranks. Red humanity was also lucky that she had ended up stuck in the Red Ocean by the time the Great Severing occurred.
Ves carefully schooled his own expression. He also tried his best not to let his overactive mind come up with wild and strange ideas.
He could not afford to let his guard down around this Star Designer. They remained competitors so long as both of them held fragments of the Metal Scroll.
Given the incredible disparity of power between the two, it would take only a moment for the Polymath to order his execution!
Fortunately for Ves, the Star Designer paid no attention to a young and small associate. Her true audience were the Masters and other high-ranked dignitaries seated at the rear. The plan she was about to present was so all-encompassing in scope that she could not afford to get distracted by lesser concerns!
Compared to the Xenotechnician, the Polymath presented herself in a more vibrant and youthful manner. She looked like she was at the prime of her life. She also came across as a woman who intended to stand up and fight for humanity in an intelligent way!
"Survivalists." Her voice spread across the crowd like raindrops falling onto a desert. "The earlier two speakers have both sought to present their solutions to the existential threats of our new and isolated society. I admire both of their visions. Both the Xenotechnician and the Fist of Defiance possess the courage to propose changes that are necessary to alter our unforgettable circumstances."
A familiar map showed up again. It displayed the same galactic map of the Red Ocean. The projection did not linger here, but zoomed in on the bottom edge where red humanity claimed its own territories.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Mech Touch