Chapter 7488 Paths to Power
Chapter 7488 Paths to Power
Due to her companion spirit Yaika and her friendship with Helena, Andraste always possessed a special understanding of death.
Life could never last forever.
Even the most brilliant sparks in the universe had to go out at one point.
People could always resist entropy on a limited scale, but they could never hold out in perpetuity.
At least that was the case for most entities in the universe. Ves did not dare to make any definite statements against the unknowable life forms that had long transcended the power of True Gods and possibly God Kings.
Regardless, as far as he was concerned, he had long harbored a bit of concern about letting his second child become overly familiar with the concept of death at such a young age.
Yet he also knew how much she could benefit from it once she managed to harness its power to her own ends.
Helena, his supposed 'eldest sister', had grown into a powerhouse in her own right back in the Milky Way.
Even though the entire galaxy had deteriorated into wide-spread chaos and anarchy, such conditions only further boosted her advantages, giving her a lot more room for maneuver!
In times of great conflict and bloodshed, those who wielded powers related to such activities often gained the most benefits!
Ves did not envision the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy welcoming peace anytime soon.
Though the new frontier was very different from the old galaxy, both suffered from the same problem.
They had enjoyed a time of relative peace and stability for too long.
The dominant players of both galaxies had remained in power for too long. The hierarchy had become ossified, preventing rising upstarts from overthrowing their betters and realizing their ambitions.
Now that stability had collapsed in both locations, plenty of old fossils became vulnerable! Many newcomers could not resist the opportunity to take advantage of the situation and fight to topple the old powers!
This phenomenon applied on all levels of society and beyond.
From the Terran and the Rubarthan defiance of the Red Two's authority to the mutated voribugs sudden challenge to all of the existing occupants of the Red Ocean, clashes between old powers and rising upstarts happened everywhere!
The damage was enormous. There were far too many incidents where one side or both sides suffered grievous losses.
Aside from the enormous destruction of expensive assets, the loss of life was also astronomical.
Whether these casualties consisted of soldiers or ordinary civilians, they occurred at such a big scale that the stars of both galaxies gradually became stained with blood!
Ves worried whether some of those bloodstains might splatter onto his little girl.
"Don't worry, papa." She softly said as she sat on his lap and leaned her head against his chest. "Helena taught me that deities like herself must remain impartial witnesses to death. Unless the ones we love and know have died, it is not a good idea to care about the life and passing of strangers. They will die anyway. Whether they pass sooner or later is not important. War always amplifies death, but that is not always a bad thing. Excess is bad. Too much life is not good either. If you don't kill the old, the young won't be able to obtain enough room to thrive. Death can be a purifying force. What is happening will ultimately be good for everyone, especially to our own race."
That may be true. The phase whale race and the other major alien races had long carved out the Red Ocean for themselves. Peace could never force them to surrender their living space to red humanity. Only by putting one's life on the line would humans be able to vie for supremacy.
Ves affectionately rubbed his daughter's head. "It is good to hear that you possess such a clear perspective, but I hope you do not take it too far. Losses are inevitable in a war, but you should never lose all of your emotions over it. You are not a god. You are a human, just like your mother and I. Some consider having emotions to be a weakness. I don't agree with that. It is a strength. It is the force that drives humans to excel and serves as the driving force behind the birth of god pilots. Death may be a fundamental cosmic force, but I have long believed that love is stronger than everything else. I hope that you will keep this in mind."
His daughter did not respond with any words. She responded by hugging him tighter.
After enjoying a moment of warmth, Ves eventually sat up. "I have received your reminder about fashioning a more combat capable drone. My time is short, but I think I can put something together that will allow you to contribute more meaningfully in combat."
"What will you make?" Andraste looked up at her father with anticipation.
"I won't say. It will be a surprise. You just need to be patient." Ves teasingly grinned. "I can promise you that you will not feel disappointed."
To be honest, he had not completely locked down his decisions on this matter. He entertained several options, from repurposing one of his old avatar creations to making a brand-new one that was customized for his daughter from the start.
The former was more expedient but would not result in an ideal product.
The latter demanded a lot more time and resources but had a better chance of helping his daughter.
While Ves felt inclined to do the latter, he still needed to find a proper justification to make this choice acceptable.
That was business for later, though. First, he needed to address more important affairs.
After bidding his daughter farewell, he moved to a different section of the Tarrasque.
He had already inquired where he could find a certain cybernetic ace pilot.
Ves found her inside a spare study room.
She sat behind a desk with an active terminal along with a pile of secure data pads.
It seemed that she no longer intended to waste her time on rest and meditation.
When Ves glanced at her reading material, he noted that she developed a strong interest in getting to know her enemies. She sought out records that could tell her about the strengths and weaknesses of native alien homeships, structures and other fixed assets.
This was valuable knowledge. Why attempt to destroy these hardy structures by relying on brute force when you could accomplish the same results with a fraction of the energy by utilizing finesse?
"It looks like you have made up your mind."
Saint Isobel's reconstructed head looked up at him and nodded. "Right. I have witnessed the previous battle from the side. Even if the outcome was never in doubt, what I witnessed back then still opened my eyes. Did you know what I saw?"
"Tell me, Isobel."
"I saw the Minerva shape a large number of warships and mechs into a nearly unbeatable force. However, she can only do so in one or two places at a time. I saw the Dark Zephyr move behind enemy lines with impunity. His speed is unmatched, but the same cannot be said for his ability to deal damage. A pair of superdimensional knives has a very short reach. The Amaranto and the First Sword are unmatched in their ability to kill enemy phase lords from a distance and at close range respectively. While they can kill other stuff, they don't excel in that role by any means."
Ves patiently listened to her as Isobel explained the context of her decision. He could already guess what she was working towards.
"The Larkinson Clan is blessed to obtain the allegiance of numerous powerful ace pilots."
"The credit mostly lies with you." Isobel said with a brief smile. "You gave us more chances than any of us initially deserved. From designing wonderful living mechs to giving us so many opportunities to do battle, we could have never come so far from our humble roots in the Komodo Star Sector without your constant support and encouragement. While we still had to earn much of our strength through our own willpower and efforts, we do not deny that your support as a mech designer and a leader has made all of the difference. We are all lucky to be in your service."
Hearing that made it all worth it. Ves had indeed invested much into them because he believed in their potential.
"You do not need to shower me with your gratitude. Your ascension is enough of a reward to me and the clan. If you did not show promise by achieving breakthroughs at a prime age, I would not have invested too much of my attention to you. There are plenty of Larkinson mech pilots that have not been able to step on the path of godhood up until this day. For example, I had hoped for years that Melkor would be able to make that critical step, but he never managed to. He has even chosen to give up now in order to pursue a different path to power."
Not every mech pilot possessed the fortitude or luck to achieve a breakthrough as a mech pilot. That was the reality of this profession. Perhaps Melkor might have been able to become an expert candidate eventually if he persisted, but nobody would know the truth now that he had shifted his course.
A pity.
Due to certain changes such as secretly loosening the restrictions imposed by the Red Kingdom, the rate of breakthroughs had steadily risen.
Of course, it was difficult to notice this change in isolation as widespread combat had naturally increased the amount of breakthroughs across red humanity.
"Melkor is an earnest commander. He possesses plenty of drive, but falls short when it comes to his conviction." Isobel softly commented. "Our path is not for everyone. I am happy that he has chosen to pursue a different sort of power. Not everyone needs to bear the same burdens."
"Let's get this discussion back on track." Ves said. "This is about you. Tell me, Isobel. What is your choice?"
"You should have already guessed, Ves. I have decided to make use of Triton-Remose-B for the Promethea Mark II." The saint declared.
Her domain field, though heavily diminished without the benefit of true resonance, flared with heat as she spoke those words.
"The source of fear."
Isobel nodded. "I have made my decision not just for myself, but for the clan and everyone else. The Larkinson Clan already has ace pilots who can kill enemy champions far better than I will be able to manage. Even if I do not want to fall too far behind when it comes to killing enemies of the same level, I refuse to settle for being second-best. Rather than becoming an inferior version of Davia Stark, I want to blaze my own trail and pursue my own path to power. I have chosen to weaponize the power of fear."