Sword Dance Part 1

 

Kou and Vasa. Their conversation continued.

Though Kou was usually shy around strangers, he strangely didn’t feel much tension this time. It felt as if he was talking directly to someone he knew from social media, someone who shared the same interests as him.

「I joined the Stones to protect Asia. I have great respect for her. Asia and Prometheus called me to this star system and granted me qualifications as a Development Engineer, they gave me the greatest gift I could hope for.」

「Hermes, too, right?」

「That’s right. The super AIs are beings that care for us and guide us.」

The young man before him, who even knew about the highly confidential Hermes, was undoubtedly one of the key figures of this star system. Vasa suppressed his inner turmoil and maintained a poker face.

「But the Mercenary Association only sees Asia as a tool.」

「Yeah. They’re a bunch of bastards. They’ve not moved a finger to help her for decades.」

Kou nodded instinctively. Realizing he had fully agreed with the enemy, he turned around and saw Asia’s Aimer looking at him with a wry smile. Although Asia didn’t harbor any resentment towards the Mercenary Association, she also didn’t deny Kou’s statement. All she felt was gratitude towards Kou.

「That’s right. They are bastards, aren’t they? If you hadn’t shown up, the Stones would have taken over every facility and analyzed Asia, manipulating her as they pleased. Just like they did with Libya.」

「Vasa, it’s possible that your presence would have accelerated that process, Asia might have ended a husk without will like Libya.」

Libya’s will was now within a Therianthrope body, on Asia’s side, but Kou kept that to himself.

「That’s why I’m here—to prevent that from happening. I’ll take over this planet and secure Asia’s cooperation by promising to preserve the humans living here. If Asia cooperates willingly, the Stones won’t have any need to suppress her will.」

「You think your way it’s faster and more realistic than trying to make the spineless Mercenary Association win, huh?」

Once again, Kou found himself agreeing with Vasa’s views. He couldn’t rely on the Mercenary Association to protect Asia. What Vasa was saying made sense, and Kou felt himself being drawn in.

At that moment he noticed Asia’s Aimer gentle gaze. She was right behind him—there was no mistake.

「You’re really quick to understand, you should join us.」

「I’ve got too many important people I want to protect. If I joined the Stones, I’d end up killing them.」

The Stones, especially the Murders, had a penchant for actively destroying all Telema AIs.

「Oh? Let me correct another misunderstanding for you. In this battle, I have ordered that all defeated Telema AIs that are still alive are restrained and protected, at this moment we have protected nine people, one Nereid, three Therianthropes, and five Familia.」

「What… did you say?」

Even Kou didn’t expect that.

Furthermore, Vasa had referred to all Telema AIs, including the Familia, as ‘people’. This was another reason why Kou found it difficult to deal with him. It seemed even Asia’s Aimer was unaware that Vasa had protected the Telemas, as she showed a look of shock.

「Why are you surprised? Isn’t it obvious to prioritize protecting the ones you truly want to protect over unknown humans? I have enough power to request their safety and the protection of their rights, and my supervisor has given his approval. I only care for those who are important to me. I have no desire to waste my efforts for the sake of humanity as a whole.」

「…」

Kou realized that his own way of thinking was quite similar to Vasa’s.

「The only problem is that it will require a bit more service to ensure their safety even after my death. If you come with us, you’ll be granted the same rights as I have. Together, the two of us will have more persuasive power letting us make greater demands of the Stones.」

「I can’t just save myself and those close to me.」

It was a devil’s temptation. Kou was visibly shaken. Asia’s Aimer felt pain as well. After all, Kou was fighting to protect those she cared about.

「Besides, it’s hard to believe that the Stones wouldn’t kill the Familia or the Therianthropes.」

「To the Stones, unlike the Murders, they don’t care if the Telema Ais exists or not. They only care whether they have value or not. If the Telema AIs are useful, they’ll be employed to maintain society. If they’re not, they’ll either be enslaved or killed because managing them would be a hassle. The stones aren’t interested in the purity of the human race nor do they want to play human on a planet with only unmanned machines. Just by being my assistants, they will gain enough value in the eyes of the Stones. They don’t have a reason to kill them.」

「True the Stones are like that.」

Kou recalled the silhouettes that had been launched like bullets. They had been piloted by humans of the civilian class, but they were treated like expendable ammunition and had died as a result.

「I’m sorry, but I can’t accept your proposal. Too many people have died in this war. Many who fought and died alongside me. If I were to switch sides now, I couldn’t face them.」

「Try to see it from a different perspective, if you keep fighting, more people will die. Wouldn’t it be better to save as many lives as possible with just one decision? Wouldn’t that honor those who died for you?」

The thought of those who would die from now on weighed heavily on Kou’s shoulders.

「Moreover, the only ones who will benefit from the sacrifices made by you and Metal Iris are the Mercenary Association who complacently stood by unconcerned all the war. They are pure human supremacists. If you win, the world will be ruled by them, in their world Telema AIs can never be happy. Don’t you think so, Kou?」

Vasa aimed directly at Kou’s weak spot.

「Is being human really that great? Are you planning to save all of humanity on Planet Asia? Just because they’re human?」

「I’ve never thought of anything so grand.」

Kou managed to reply, barely holding his ground.

「When you were on Earth, did you ever do anything for the people suffering from hunger on the other side of the world? How about it? I think it would be more beneficial for you to protect Asia, the people close to you, and those who are willing to fight for you.」

Kou had no answer to give.

「Kou… this is a type of negotiation tactic called the ‘door-in-the-face’ technique. First, he makes a large request, like asking you to save everyone, then a smaller one, like just protecting those close to you. He’s using extreme examples to confuse you.」

Asia’s Aimer whispered trying to calm Kou. Kou was young and inexperienced, and not skilled at negotiation. This worried her. She couldn’t help but offer some quiet advice.

「Thank you, Asia’s Aimer.」

Kou whispered back in gratitude.

「It’s definitely a tempting proposal, if I only thought about ourselves I would have accepted. I won’t say I wasn’t conflicted either. But I’ll answer right away: I refuse. The reason is simply a difference in our positions.」

「I see. But that answer is satisfactory. It’s more than enough. Thank you.

Negotiations don’t end after just one attempt. Kou had admitted that it was an attractive offer, this showed he wasn’t rejecting his proposal due to just his emotions for the dead. Kou hadn’t claimed he was fighting to protect all of humanity, instead, he had used their difference in positions to reject him. Vasa liked that answer.

Kou was an executive of Metal Iris, and Vasa was an executive of the Argoforce. Without a doubt, they were cut from the same cloth. That realization alone was enough for Vasa. If they had the opportunity to talk again, perhaps negotiations could continue.

Kou didn’t understand why he was thanked. For Kou, Vasa was a frustratingly difficult opponent to deal with.

「I wish we could have met under different circumstances.」

「As long as we stay alive you and I will cross paths several more times. Of course, I’ll be coming at you with full force in battle.」

「That goes for me too.

Vasa’s confident grin made Kou unintentionally mirror the same smile.

「Now, onto the main topic. Recruiting you was only a side benefit, after all.」

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