After the secret session on the viability of human phase lords had concluded, Master Xena Wintress held Ves and Jovy back so that they could speak in private.


    "Congrattions." The female RA Master spoke with a smile. "Our evaluation of your contributions are still ongoing, but our preliminary judgment is optimistic enough that we do not expect to invalidate your ims."


    Considering that the mechers had been wasting so much time, effort and manpower on research projects that turned out to bepletely off the mark, there was probably no greater authority in this particr field than Ves!


    The notion that anyone else coulde and disprove the assertions he had made during this presentation was absurd.


    He believed that not even the Xenotechnician or the Polymath knew any better when it came to this subject!


    Ves already had an expectation of what was about to happen.


    "The Red Association has taken note of all of your contributions during this conference." Master Wintress spoke in a more formal and officious tone. "Compared to the vast majority of mechers and associates that we have invited to share their best works, it is difficult to identify who has given more than you. Make no mistake. Your input will save many lives and increase the chance that red humanity will remain standing in theing decades. Your selflessness and magnanimity deserves far greater recognition than our Association has given to you up to this point. Professor Ves Larkison!"


    "Yes, Master?" Ves straightened his back as if he was an obedient little school boy who just earned a good grade.


    "It is my honor to inform you that we, the representatives of the three faction leaders, have formally applied to promote your gctic citizenship from tier 6 to tier 3. It will take several hours for the central administration of the Red Association to process and approve of our application. This is an enormous leap in status that has happened infrequently in the past."


    It happened!


    Ves and Jovy couldn''t help but smile now that they had finally received a formal notification of this change.


    The only point of concern was that the promotion was not set in stone.


    "What is the likelihood that this application will get stalled for whatever reason?" Ves cautiously asked.


    "The probability that the application will be rejected is low, but not zero. If thetter urs, the Xenotechnician and the Polymath have pledged to intervene in person to ensure that there will be no furtherplications."


    That was a big promise. Ves supposed that he should feel more thankful to the two Star Designers for their pledge of assistance. They probably hoped that he would take a more serious look at their ns now that he had gained actual voting power.


    This was his new reality now. Bing a tier 3 gctic citizen put him leagues ahead of almost every other member of red humanity.


    He had truly entered the big leagues now, and he did so far in advance of other gctic citizens at the same tier!


    He could already imagine the enormous storm that would erupt throughout human space once word got out that he had managed to exceed a huge number of first-raters who were stillnguishing at the lower tiers of gctic citizenship.


    The more he thought about this contrast, the more it looked that it was truly inappropriate for Ves to remain stuck as a second-rater.


    From the moment he became qualified to negotiate deals with Star Designers and god pilots, Ves had shed all of the vestiges of his identity as a space peasant.


    Ves did not belong in that crowd anymore. His days of gallivanting across the stars as ''one of themon folk'' was truly a relic of the past.


    A part of him felt sad for letting go of this free and idyllic phase of his life. He had spent far too little time operating as an independent who did not have to answer directly to anyone.


    Bing a tier 3 gctic citizen meant that he would being home as apletely different man.


    The sizable RA escort fleet that stuck to him like a barnacle alone would make it clear that he was no longer just an average mech designer anymore!


    After Master Wintress had given him a bit of time to adjust, she continued with her announcement.


    "We have nned many arrangements to facilitate your transition into bing one of the leading contributors of our civilization. Bing an honorary member of the Red Association has many implications. Professor Armalon here shall soon be invested with the right to requisition a force of warships and mechs from our own ranks. In addition to that, we would like to discuss an action n to uplift you as well as your confidantes to first-raters. More detailed arrangements will have to wait until the voting on the seventh day has concluded. Once our faction has determined a blueprint for the future, we can determine how you will fit in our changing society."


    Both Ves and Jovy nodded in understanding. Big changes were in store.


    Reality had not fully set in for Ves.


    Though he was not in shock, he felt a bit muted due to the changes being confined to words for the time being.


    This was because aside from hearing the announcement itself, nothing really changed for him as of yet. It was all just talk for now. The full implications of his drastic rise would only be tangible once he experienced all of the benefits in person!


    He tried to focus on a more immediate change.


    "I have heard that bing a tier 3 gctic citizen will give me the right to participate in the voting session tomorrow. Is this still the case?"


    The female Master nodded in confirmation. "That is still true. The Red Association is a meritocracy. Our principle has always been that the most capable are the most qualified to determine our policies. A tier 3 gctic citizen like yourself has already reached a point where your work and contributions can affect our civilization. It would be remiss of us all to deny you a proper voice in our councils. Do keep in mind that this is not a right for you to enact whatever power fantasies you might have. It is a privilege that we have graciously extended to you because we believe you are responsible enough to shepherd red humanity towards a better future. Do not make your decisions lightly."


    Ves seriously nodded. "1 understand, Master. I will try my best not to abuse or neglect my new responsibilities."


    "Trying isn''t good enough for our Association. You must act as the very model of a mech designer and an enlightened gctic citizen if you wish to remain involved in this sphere. We shall monitor and track your participation from here on out. Continue to do well, and you may be invited to participate in additional councils that are assigned to oversee more significant affairs."


    The opportunity to weigh in on debates that will determine the Red Association''s policies sounded incredibly attractive to Ves.


    He would no longer be a bystander to all of the policies adopted by the Red Association. He could finally listen in on the debates and even take part in them if he had the courage!


    However, Ves did not allow himself to get lost in all of this stuff. He knew that this arrangement was all an borate ploy to suck him into the ranks of the Red Association.


    He knew that the main reason why the mechers were being so generous and sincere towards people like Ves was because they needed topete agains the other major human powers!


    If the mechers did not do their utmost to attract a tier 3 gctic citizen, then the Terrans and the Rubarthans would be more than wee to fill in the void!


    "Okay, 1 understand." Ves said. "1 can go over all of thister when the changes have settled in. Right now, 1 am more concerned with what is expected of me tomorrow during the final voting session of this conference."


    Master Wintress smirked. "Your voice carries real weight now. You should expect to receive many more solicitations after you have left this chamber. It is not my ce to tell you which ones that you should listen to, but I hope that you will at least give serious consideration to the Diplomacy n."


    It did not surprise Ves that the older woman finally moved on from her official duties and began to advocate for her patron.


    "I already had a good talk with the Xenotechnician." He replied. "While I do not like his proposal, that does not stop me from recognizing that it is probably the least risky of the three ns."


    "You do not sound supportive of the Diplomacy n." Master Wintress pointed out. "We are well aware that it contains numerous controversial suggestions. However, as the Xenotechician has stated, no taboo is sacred enough to hinder us from ensuring the survival of our race."


    "You are doing more than break a few taboos." Ves retorted. "What your Diplomacy n is trying to do is nothing less than turning our backs on what it means to be a human in modern times. Our culture, our identity and our pride will be thrown in the dirt as soon as we y nice with the aliens."


    Wintress shook her head in disapproval. "Is that such a bad oue to you, Professor Larkinson? As a leader, you should be familiar with the concept of taking eptable losses to stave off an uneptable defeat. This is what we are attempting to aplish at the civilization level. It is true that we are pushing to break many taboos that have been a part of our cultural DNA for millenia, but it is better to sacrifice our principles than the lives of trillions of innocent human beings. Remember that when you cast your vote tomorrow. The Diplomacy n is not ideal, but it is objectively better than the alternatives."


    That was a poor-sounding argument. Saying that Ves should vote for the Diplomacy n because it was the least-bad option out of three terrible choices did little to stimte his enthusiasm.


    Then again, the Diplomacy n never relied on enthusiasm to begin with. It consisted entirely of a series of logical steps that all sounded usible enough to actually work.


    "Why do you support this n, Master Wintress?" He asked as he turned this conversation around. "Why don''t you have any objections to the fact that the Xenotechnician is more than willing to consort with the loathsome cosmopolitans to do the heavy lifting?"


    This maneuver certainly put the Master on the spot. She paused for a few seconds before she voiced her answer.


    "What is right or wrong is not absolute. It is never absolute. This determination is always dependent on the context. Back in the Milky Way, the cosmopolitans are the enemies of humanity because they relentlessly sabotage our attempts to strengthen our advantage towards the aliens. It is the opposite now. Here in the Red Ocean, the cosmopolitans have the potential to be our greatest saviors, all because they are the only humans who can reduce our disparity towards the natives of the Red Ocean. Even if they turn out to be too untrustworthy to cooperate in the future, we can always take over ourselves."


    "That still does not instill me with any confidence in your Diplomacy n."


    "Then consider this. Divide et impera is a tried and true strategy that has delivered victory to many leaders that have executed it properly. This is what makes our option superior. We take no excessive risks. We do not rely on too many questionable assumptions. We do not invest all of our hopes in a single point of failure."


    "All three ns sound shaky to me. There is no real difference in this regard." Ves retorted.


    "I respectfully disagree. While I deeply respect the strength and aplishments of the Fist of Defiance along with the Polymath, they all share amon fault. They are too arrogant to recognize their own failings. They invest so much attention in sess that they have failed to properly consider contingencies where their ns end in failure. At least with our n, we can continue to approach different alien races to discover whether they are receptive to an alliance. There are no second chances once the deep strikes fail in their objectives or if the Polymath''s leadership cannot reverse the declining trend of our civilization."


    Perhaps she had a good point.