[1-200] THE MECH TOUCH

Chapter 16: Pieces of the Puzzle

From the esoteric manner in which the System described the X-Factor, Ves felt a headache coming. What was all of this stupid talk about Prometheus and life?

A mech was a weapon, a tool in which humanity used to wage war. In ancient history, when humans wanted to find a means in which to leverage a power greater than the human body could carry, they turned to horses. When cavalry added their weight to a charge, a normal footsoldier possessed few means to resist such force.

With the rise of machines and the fuels that could power their insatiable appetites, warfare evolved. The deadliness of a single soldier remained limited, but could be multiplied if they operated tanks or airplanes. Though the uses of infantry never faded out even until this day, the primacy of machines over man in matters of warfare reigned supreme ever since.

The introduction of mechs to the battlefield reinforced this principle. Melding the human form with the awesome power of machinery, the mechs provided humans with an excellent means to wage warfare on the ground. In the past 400 years since the first mechs stomped all over a battalion of infantry and tanks, they remained the mainstay of human planetary warfare.

Ves thought deeply and could not wrack his brains in figuring out where this elusive X-Factor fitted in. It sounded a lot like the metaphysical bullshit that remained a popular topic of conversation among the dreaming students back in college.

"Man, why am I trying to figure this out myself?" Ves shook his head. He sat down in front of his terminal. "Let's see what the galactic net has to say about the X-Factor."

The topic appeared to be obscure, but due to the sheer size of the galactic net, Ves found plenty of sources.

"Does the X-Factor exist?" An interviewer asked the older gentleman across the seat.

"I do not know." The professor replied, shaking his head. "In all my years of researching and developing the neural interface that allows pilots to control a mech like their own body, I have never come across a case where the mech provided measurable feedback to the pilot. The vague stories I've heard about the X-Factor all originates from the mouths of mech pilots, who aren't exactly the most authoritative voice in the area of mech design."

"So you're saying it might be a hoax?"

"I try to keep an open mind, so I'm not inherently dismissing the theory. If someone is able to present me with stronger proof in the form of hard data, then I'd happily convert into a believer. But from what I have found out so far, the primary sources that speak about the X-Factor are mostly veteran pilots suffering from borderline PTSD. Age, combat stress and mental injuries all contribute to hallucinations that mislead them to think a mech is doing more than it should. We haven't conducted enough research on the impact of prolonged use of the neural interface to a pilot's psyche."

"Alright, so you remain skeptical." The interviewer nodded. "Then professor, let's change to a different tack. Do you believe that mechs are alive?"

The academic let out a contemptuous laugh. "Let me ask you a question for once. Do you believe that mechs can think for themselves?"

"Hmmm at some level they do. All mechs possess computing power. Without processors to regulate a mech's operations, the pilot would be overwhelmed by irrelevant data. They act as the unconscious mind of a human's body. Since the infrastructure for an unconscious mind already exists, who's to say a mech can't also support a thinking mind?"

"Just because they have to potential to do so doesn't mean that makes it so. In your eyes, there's a small gap between processing data and independent thought, but in my eyes they are separated by a chasm as wide as the distance between galaxies. We humans have worked on artificial intelligence for thousands of years, but for all our advances we have merely achieved a facsimile of sentience. Computers still can't independently dream or formulate their own desires without an actual human hand-holding their train of thoughts. And never mind these complex desires. The most fundamental part of life is to reproduce, and I have never seen a mech become attracted to another!"