What's Junk? (The Mech Touch)

[Pollyamorous]

"Yes." Bolt agreed. "It'll take some bit. Before then I want to exchange pointers with the guy who made the crab mech. Feels appropriate."

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As always, when all else fails life will return to CRAB. No doubt this tiny side-visit will be the most influential meeting of his life, as it should be when concerning peak evolution.

No issues for Bolt didn't mean no issues entirely. There was a small issue with his aides. A very minor one really. Phillipe's friends had some, well interesting ideas for body sculpting. As in a few of the girls really wanted big boobs and some of the boys wanted muscles that were just shy of impractical. It turned into a small argument and even a small fight. Bolt was extremely glad he'd practically thrown the management of the teens onto the young man. He'd already heard too much! (With all this said, so far as problems went he'd take it over another small war.)

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Oh my god, it's not going to be a group of vaguely feminine collared servants. It's going to be a group of hypersexualized collared servants, which is actually worse because at least the previous bit was deniable since there was obviously alien gene mod stuff involved!

 

[Negation]

Bolt might never make any seaborn mechs, but he knew a lot about them now.

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I fully expect Bolt to make Rampage as a land/sea mech.

 

[Non-responsiveuncle]

"Ruckus. It's not quite traditional, but he certainly caused one."

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Well well well... That's quite a name to live up to lmao. It not quite connected but as soon as he talked about sea mechs I just pictured him making a giant Leviathan mech for space it would be a great project for him to work on with his sister lol.

 

[john doe 777]

As always, when all else fails life will return to CRAB. No doubt this tiny side-visit will be the most influential meeting of his life, as it should be when concerning peak evolution.

Oh my god, it's not going to be a group of vaguely feminine collared servants. It's going to be a group of hypersexualized collared servants, which is actually worse because at least the previous bit was deniable since there was obviously alien gene mod stuff involved!

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Yeah the ongoing joke is still funny

 

[lurkingkraken]

"Yes." Bolt agreed. "It'll take some bit. Before then I want to exchange pointers with the guy who made the crab mech. Feels appropriate."

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It's so weird to see a cultivation story where this line is used as it means on its face, and not that we are going to use exchanging pointers as an excuse to go beat someone up because they offended us.
Bravo.

"We're also recruiting the guy who was in the crab." Bubbles continued with a small chuckle. "That sort of bravery and gumption is very rare."

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That guy might be my pick for MVP of the battle, since without his ambush hitting the 5scrolls guy in the glowing weak spot, it would have been a lot harder for Lillie to get the opening she needed to eat him, wounded as Dowry was

 

[Cybershadowninja2]

"What's the policy on god-parenting?"

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Is this intentional or did you mean good? I know god pilots are a thing in story, which incidentally could be a bit awkward for everyone if Lily becomes one.

 

[lurkingkraken]

Is this intentional or did you mean good? I know god pilots are a thing in story, which incidentally could be a bit awkward for everyone if Lily becomes one.

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A god-parent is a thing where you have someone else assume the role of god-father or god-mother, with the job of being around the child as an additional bonus parent for both emotional support and be a mentor, often in spiritual matters.
Often they also are the designated person to take over should both parents die.

So here Bubbles is saying that she cannot officially accept responsibility for helping with this child, but also implying that she would if she were allowed to and that she'll make sure the child is not abandoned should both Bolt and Lily perish.
Also kind of implies that she'll probably pop by for spontaneous gifts every once in a while anyway, and be a bonus aunt for Ruckus.

 

[lost star]

Internal communications in the MTA were byzantine at best. Even as streamlined as possible there were countless lines and layers between people, official and unofficial. It was half inevitability and half deliberate. The MTA was a massive, massive organization responsible for a galaxy. Truthfully had their leaders not been enhanced beyond belief it would have died within years of founding due to infighting and simple scale. There was simply too much to properly rule without significant aids and automation.

It helped significantly that at the very top were the God Pilots and Star Designers. They moved the organization. Their sheer ability turned fantasy into reality. Nepotism and incompetence were not tolerated at this level, and it truthfully probably contributed more to the organization's success than anything else. When someone was capable of almost god-like feats you listened to them.

Competence didn't mean that they agreed though. It was human nature to conflict. While the leaders wouldn't be so gauche as to go to war with one another, a wrong sentence could and would cause something similar to it. It wasn't out of question for people to kill for the favor of a Star Designer or God Pilot, so in the interest of public safety and coherence they typically limited all public statements to very bland PR speak and had subordinates pass the real intentions along. Even private conversations were typically brief and careful.

Casual conversations between peers never happened. If they did happen, they would never be in a place that anyone could see even if they were good at hacking or data analysis. They would happen in traces of code hidden in the galactic network. Carefully constructed data lines that sent fragments and encrypted notes. The information that was theoretically passed there would be quiet and impossible for non-designers to parse. Even programs wouldn't be able to pick it up.

"Ok, what actually got you off your overtly large fashion statement mascaraing as a computer?" A tag known as MM on one of those theoretical channels asked.

"Clarify." A tag labeled Ass replied.

"You might have covered up a lot of it, but there's been a very big stink about a First Rate scion disappearing. I saw the Monkeys were deployed. Are you flinging poo somewhere?" MM said back.

"Your irrelevance continues to annoy me." Ass said back with a cold note.

MM sent a smiley and then data equivalent of a giggle. "But Ass, you've been on that throne of yours doing your business for decades now! Something made you move. The newbies aren't stupid. They'll notice, though they might be surprised. They haven't seen what you do when you actually reach out."

"The relevant ones will be distracted by the Red venture. The non-relevant ones are more concerned with self advancement. They will notice. They will not care." Ass's text was devoid of emotion.

"I notice you aren't answering my question. Do I have to actually pry?" MM asked as something fritzed on the galactic net slightly. It wasn't noticeable to anyone but the most knowledgeable.

"No. An irritant was going to interfere with an experiment. I eliminated it." Ass replied.

"Most of your experiments are on discovering... Wait, the only one that could be really interfered with is the Seedling one. Did that waste of resources actually discover something?!" A shocked emoji drifted through the ether.

"Your continued knowledge of my systems and experiments makes me want to purge them once more. The Seedling experiment gave data in the first year." Ass sent a small stream of statistics.

"My most glorious Ass, we both know that you didn't start that for raw data on designer initiation. Though I will admit that you did distract a few of my thought-threads with that. Gimmie more." A drawing of hands was sent.

In reply a small data vault was sent back. A few minutes of silence passed. Then MM sent a small angry face.

"You tricked me! Again! You won't data-distract me you fiend!" MM's text had a small shouting connotation inside it.

Ass was almost smug as it replied. "That is the data."

"And it very carefully doesn't show exactly which seedling got targeted. You almost got me!"

"I will admit it took you longer than I thought to see it. You are losing your touch." Ass admitted after a moment.

MM sent a laugh. "The raw data is interesting enough for me to start hypotheticals. I will probably initiate something similar on my end. Not large like you, but that's me being distracted again. Actual info now."

Ass sent another information block. MM took ten seconds before it replied.

"Why is that seedling still living?" The emotions had been stripped from the message and several small sub-programs were hidden in it, probes looking for false data.

"They show a strong enough sense of ethics and an innovative enough mindset that they have avoided standard temptations." Ass replied without an indication of noticing the probes. "While their desire to propagate things is possibly dangerous, it might be needed. Recall the Heart System?"

"I see literally a thousand systems each day. One moment, record checking." MM paused a second. "Ah, that one? I recall it being approved because it theoretically allowed for designers to view piloting impressions. That seed produced it using their methods then? Very well, I'll retract my plans to eliminate them. Just remember how many people fell to the old ways when we give them the rope."

"The seedling just dealt with them without contamination." Ass admitted.

"Those monsters moving towards one of your projects would trigger you." MM's text was slightly subdued. "Did you stab them good this time at least? I know you rage quite a bit when they get away."

"Stabbing was involved."

A few seconds passed before MM sent another text. "Just stabbing right? Right? We're not dealing with you trying to exterminate them again right? You know how slippery they can be! We don't have the resources to hunt them again, and the newbies will fight us if we pull from their pet projects."

Ass didn't reply immediately. Several digital pokes were sent in increasing annoyance. Then it finally replied. "I might have gotten some leads. Do you recall project Wheel Turn?"

"Yes, the impossible project that does impossible things using materials we don't have. The thing that even we can't accomplish." MM said back.

"I've identified a possibility, and I have possible steps towards getting the material." Ass noted. "It remains to be seen if it's valid. I'll need at least two decades to verify everything."

"Even if it is possible it means we'd have to use practically everything in the MTA. This is doubly true due to our little galaxy fieldtrip." MM pointed out.

"Everything in the MTA and CFA based on my calculations. They will be willing to commit to it with bribes and if we can theoretically strike a killing blow to the things calling themselves the FSC." Ass reasoned out. "Give me a decade and I can verify enough to start gathering support. The possibility alone is enough to merit investigation."

"You're trying to do this once half our resources are in the other galaxy, why?"

"Did you ever wonder why I allowed the others to push so hard for it? That expedition is a lure. It has always been a lure. Before I was using it to analyze the traitors and the ones encouraging certain self destructive behaviors. Now I can use it to separate those that wouldn't approve of my methods." Ass said.

"Just like you to plan something for decades. Fine. You have my patience and a thought-processes monitoring the situation. You'll need more than promises before you get my support." MM sent a huffing emote.

Ass sent a digital laugh. "If I get what information I need, then they'll be jumping forward without any encouragement."

"We all would. Wheel Turn would get everything moving again."

 

[Athain]

Wheels within wheels..

 

[Luckless21]

Wheels within wheels..

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Plans within plans.

 

[Oglymogly]

They show a strong enough sense of ethics and an innovative enough mindset that they have avoided standard temptations."

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I assume the standard temptations involve human sacrifices, mind control, and/or personality erasure?

 

[lost star]

I assume the standard temptations involve human sacrifices, mind control, and/or personality erasure?

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It's in essence treating people as materials rather than people.

 

[Emptiness]

So, If using people as materials was a problem, what is the chance we can see a Flowey boss fight at some point? We already got the trees, now we just need the sunflower!