Chapter 7108: An Overdue Response A man as important as Master Vayro Goldstein did not just drop by the Microplanet to pass on his well wishes to Aurelia. He had many goals. He wanted to show his face to Aurelia and make sure that Ves’ political heir would remember him like people remembered trustworthy brands. He also wanted Ves to maintain a good relationship with the Survivalist Faction, which certainly needed its friends more than ever. "How is the Survivalist Faction doing these days?" Ves idly asked. "Not good, Ves, but you should already be aware of that. I cannot discuss any of the specifics with you, but our members have begun to question whether we are on the right track and whether we should learn from the Polymath." Ves mildly frowned. That did not sound good at all. The Polymath was too extreme for her own good. She meant well, but her overly heavy data-driven and logic-driven decision-making caused her to pursue extremes that any sane person would question! Unfortunately, Ves was well aware that the Polymath and the Survivalist Faction shared a lot of similarities. They were two peas in a pod, so it should not be a surprise that there were many sympathisers among the Survivalists. Instead of offering an answer himself, he turned to his girl, who looked impeccably prim and proper in her lovely dress. "I haven’t told you everything I know about the Survivalist Faction of the Red Association, but you should still possess a basic understanding of this situation. What do you think about the issues plaguing the Survivalists?" Aurelia did not need to spend any time on thinking to issue her response. "Ideology." She stated, surprising both Ves and Master Goldstein. "Your ideology sounds clear at first glance. You work and fight for the survival of red humanity and its civilization. Yet there are too many strategies you can choose to achieve this goal. You can advocate for uniting red humanity under a single banner, as the Polymath obviously favors. You can also choose to go on the offensive, which is a solution that has earned the support of the Fist of Defiance. Then there are Survivalists that support the Xenotechnician’s plan to do the unthinkable and abandon the ideals of human supremacy. Now that I have listed these divisions, it is clear that the central problem of your faction is the absence of a united direction." Ves looked incredibly impressed. He hadn’t thought that far about the Survivalists themselves. He knew that they had grown messier due to all of the recent events, but he did not trace them all to a clear origin like his insightful girl. "This can be considered a leadership problem." He commented. "The Survivalist Faction has a single cause, but at least three major sub-factions and tons of minor sub-factions. The absence of the Polymath has not solved this division. Not only are the Fist of Defiance and the Xenotechnician still in power, I bet that the people who originally aligned themselves with the younger Star Designer have not fundamentally changed their stances." Master Goldstein’s expression grew sterner. "You are correct. Both of you are correct. We are concerned that the former followers of the Polymath, particularly the more loyal and dedicated ones, may choose to defect to the Cybernetic Empire. Yet keeping them in our faction is not a good solution either. They feel vindicated by their patron’s radical actions and will try to steer the Survivalist Faction into supporting the Cybers over other strategies. What do you think we should do, young lady?" 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶 The Master Mech Designer truly recognized Aurelia’s vision and insights at this time. Even if she was still lacking in knowledge and life experience, her wisdom was already far beyond most if not all of her peers. Aurelia understood the gravity of the situation and did not rush to offer the first thoughts that came to her mind. She remained silent for a dozen or so seconds before she offered a measured response. "For better or worse, the Polymath has become a traitor. It would be detrimental to let her remaining adherents stay within your faction when they now harbor double loyalties. Do not retain them. They are no longer comrades, but time bombs that will explode sooner or later. You must use one of three approaches to solve them. The most ideal one is to convert them and let them willingly join one of the other two sub-factions. If that is not viable, then the next approach is to cast them out. Let them join the Cybernetic Empire. They shall still serve red humanity, just under a different banner than before. As for the third..." There was no need for Aurelia to mention the third and most suboptimal solution. Yet it was an option that had to remain on the table. Not every mecher could be allowed to defect to the Cybernetic Empire without concern. Perhaps they mastered incredibly sensitive knowledge and skills of great strategic importance, particularly in the new fields of science and technology. Letting them run to the Cybernetic Empire would cause it to strengthen much faster than before, and that was detrimental to the Red Association. Perhaps the defecting mechers could not be allowed to go for other reasons. These could include knowing classified information that was particularly sensitive. If they leaked their secret information to the Polymath or the public, a large scandal might erupt that would cause the Red Association to become embroiled in controversy! Master Goldstein shook his head. "Your solutions are sound, but only in the case where the subjects in question remain ignorant, which they certainly are not. If you are able to conduct this analysis, then you can expect the followers of the Polymath to be able to make the same deductions. We cannot make the moves you have suggested because our adversaries will be making their own moves in response. For example, the Cybernetic Empress has already conveyed poorly hidden hints that she would not appreciate it if we purge her former followers within our faction. That has put us in a deadlock as we cannot tolerate betrayal, yet we cannot afford to offend the Star Designer-turned-sovereign either." All of this complexity caused Aurelia to frown. Even she was unable to figure a good way out of this crisis. "This isn’t even the full picture." Ves said to his daughter. "Real politics involves every stakeholder that has even the slightest amount of involvement in the matter. There are many other groups that also have a stake in how the Survivalist Faction deals with its infighting. The other RA factions, the Red Fleet, the Red Collective, the Terran Alliance, the Rubarthan Pact, the Hunting Association and many more are watching the Survivalists carefully. If the latter ever make a mistake... then all of their rivals will mercilessly exploit the gaps that may appear." Aurelia continued to frown, but suddenly smoothed her expression. "Then it is good news that the fate of the Survivalist Faction does not rest on my shoulders. Its fate rests on your shoulders, Master Goldstein, yours and that of your gods." The RA Master Mech Designer smiled indulgently at her. "That is true, for better or worse. I do not relish in the responsibility of managing the Survivalist Faction through its current problems. I am a mech designer, just like your father over here. Both of us would rather have people of clear hearts and sound minds such as you resolve these difficult political affairs, but the circumstances do not allow it. We have entered a new age that is governed by a different set of rules. Intelligence is not enough to effect change. As the Polymath has proven with her deeds, it takes power and the will to enact change in order to become a truly effective leader." After passing on those words, Master Goldstein moved on so that he could transit to one of the other continents of the Microplanet. Several more VIPs arrived, each of whom paid special attention to Aurelia. Each time, the young girl comported herself as a woman who had at least several more years of training and experience under her belt. Even if she did not manage to impress the arriving guests, she at least did not make any mistakes or leave a negative impression behind. A bit of excitement occurred when a party dispatched by the Hunting Association arrived. "Deep Wanderer Soto Nil." Ves greeted the new arrival. "I haven’t seen you for a while. I am still glad to see that you have decided to accept our invitation." The Hunters wore outfits unlike any other. Instead of wearing refined suits of fabric, they instead adorned themselves with the pelts, hides or scales of their defeated prey. Since every noteworthy Hunter fought against different exobeasts, their outfits came in all sorts of colors and styles. There was so little harmony and unity in their appearance that they looked chaotic. But not weak. The deep wanderer with the scarlet suit of armor smiled at Ves. "We have been... preoccupied. We still are, to be honest. The rise of the mutated voribugs has led to the rise of an entirely new category of prey that has overwhelmed many of our Hunters. We have taken to hunting their stronger and more strategic prey, yet for each one of their powerful bugs we slay, 100 more will take their place. The swarm does not hunt. It devours. It overwhelms. It devastates. No planet is left untouched. The voribugs indiscriminately plunder all life and many of the minerals needed to support a strong ecosystem. We... cannot stand such a race. The mutated voribugs are a threat to all life. We are all prey to them, as they are designed to fight us in a completely different manner than other predators." Ves did not expect the Hunting Association to harbor such strong hatred against the mutated voribugs, but it made sense now that he thought about it for a few seconds. To the Hunters, life-bearing planets were sacrosanct. Only untamed planets that possessed rich and diverse alien ecosystems could produce the mutated beasts and calamity beasts that they loved hunting the most. The mutated voribugs threatened to spoil their game forever. Without planets filled with life and biodiversity, how could Hunters obtain any prey for them to sacrifice and gain greater strength as a result? "You know, the elemental Carmine mech design project that I have pitched to you guys may be the answer to your problem." Ves spoke. "My Mergewater mech concept not only gives every Hunter the ability to pilot a mech regardless of their genetic aptitude, but also offers them a means to strengthen their life-bound machines by devouring the organs of their defeated prey. You can easily prepare your Mergewater mechs by hunting prey that possess abilities that are well-suited to kill large swarms of weaker enemy units. Although your Hunters could settle for piloting Yellow Jackets or other Carmine mechs that are already configured for this purpose, I think you and your Hunters would rather wield the strength of the prey you hunted in person." The expressions of the Hunters remained stoic. These were anything but savages despite their violent vocations. "We apologize for the lack of... notifications regarding our decision-making process concerning your Mergewater mech proposal." Soto Nil eventually responded in a quiet voice. "Given the rapid changes that have taken place, we have sped up our discussion concerning our response. These talks are progressing much swifter than before. If we are fortunate, then I may be able to offer you our definitive response to your collaboration invitation. Rest assured that you will not have to wait any longer to hear whether we have decided to accept your proposal." Ves smiled. "Thank you for your consideration. I do not mind the delay. My design schedule is already so busy that I will need to reserve time in the future in order to allocate enough attention to any possible Mergewater mech design project. Even so, I still hope to work together with the Hunting Association on this mech concept, as it is precisely tailored to fit your customs."