Chapter 7283: The Marmedion Dynasty

Ves grew curious how much the Red Association had fractured.

As the successor of the mighty Mech Trade Association in the Red Ocean, the RA held great importance due to the fact that the superorganization gathered the largest number of tier 1 galactic citizens in the new frontier.

That gave the RA a disproportionately strong voice, but it also caused the more radical and selfish leaders to feel more frustrated about their inability to change the status quo.

This was the root of its division. Now that the RA had broken off from the much more powerful and domineering MTA, the opportunists among them saw their chance to break away and start their own little empires!

Though Jovy still maintained the Survivalist party line by stating that unity had to be maintained at all cost, Ves could practically see how that was impossible to maintain.

It would have been fine if none of the god pilots and Star Designers had crossed the line, but it was already too late.

The Huntsman and the Polymath had taken their chances and succeeded in building up their own fiefs that had become completely independent from the Red Association.

With those successful examples as models, other tier 1 galactic citizens had definitely taken inspiration! Ves grew tired of his own ignorance. In order to anticipate future fractures, he tried to pump Jovy for further information.

The Survivalist reluctantly complied after a bit of persuasion.

"You already know about the Polymath and the Huntsman." Jovy said. "Both of them have chosen to go independent for different reasons. While their distancing from the Red Association is regrettable, the emergence of the Cybernetic Empire and the Hunting Association at least serve a productive role in our society. That is one of the main reasons why they are tolerated."

Ves nodded. "The Polymath is anything but stupid, and the Huntsman seems like a man who is both decisive and meticulous. They are anything but stupid. Both of them are dependent on the survival of red humanity. Neither of them can bear the burden of defending the human race alone."

"Correct. This is why a third group of tier 1 galactic citizens have expressed the tendency to form their own empire as of late. In the last couple of years, the Expansionist Faction has undergone significant changes. What used to be a large MTA faction that encompassed many different like-minded god pilots and Star Designers is gradually transforming into the personal empire of the Marmedions."

That caused Ves to widen his eyes in realization. He knew that the Energy Warder, the Dimensional Architect and the Limitless Provider were all related to each other.

The Marmedions were absolutely exceptional in this regard! In a time where there were so few Star Designers that almost all of them existed as solitary exemplars, three of them became inseparable from each other due to their strong family ties.

"Charles Marmedion is the mastermind of this transition." Jovy did not mince his words when it came to the subversion of the largest faction of the RA. "He is the patriarch of the Marmedion Dynasty. He not only commands the Expansionist Faction, but commands the obedience of Chester Marmedion and Tiffany MacArthur-Marmedion. That is an exceptionally strong concentration of power and influence. Even without the loyalty of a god pilot, this is already enough for him to found his own empire with his dynasty at its core."

It was clear that the Energy Warder was at the center of this possible transition. So long as his son and his daughter-in-law remained loyal to him, Charles Marmedion effectively wielded the power of 3 Star Designers!

The Polymath alone had been able to take over Bridgehead One by herself, though she had to take advantage of a special circumstance in order to pull off her grand heist.

What about the Marmedions? The Energy Warder had already taken over the Expansionist Faction and could easily use that as a springboard to capture large swathes of the Red Ocean Union!

So long as the Evolution Witch and other tier 1 galactic citizens did not express strong opposition, it was even conceivable for the Marmedion Dynasty to take over the Yernstall Central Star Node! After all, not everyone was eager to turn against a power bloc centered around 3 Star Designers.

Given how the Red Three had already adopted a resigned posture towards the Terran Alliance, the Rubarthan Pact, the Hunting Association and the Cybernetic Empire, it was clear that the powers that be lacked the spine to force dissidents back into the fold.

Since that was the case, subsequent breakout attempts became inevitable.

"The Expansionist Faction encompasses more than just the Marmedions." Ves remarked. "There is also the Leyline Seer. Is she onboard with the schemes of the Marmedion Dynasty?"

Jovy's severe expression lightened up a bit. "The Leyline Seer is not related to the Marmedions. While she used to be friendly towards them, we have collected enough intelligence to believe that their relations have cooled as of late. If the Marmedions constitute their own subfaction, then the Leyline Seer belongs to a different one. The only problem for her is that she is alone and separated from her allies in the old galaxy. In our judgment, the Leyline Seer is currently drifting away from the Expansionist Faction. It is possible that she is thinking about joining another faction, but it is not yet clear which one holds her favor."

That sounded extremely interesting! A Star Designer was an incredibly valuable human asset.

Star Designers were capable of designing and constructing incredible works, from imposing Masterwork Installations to transcendent god mechs.

No organization could ever complain of having too many Star Designers. Ves could already imagine that many different groups were secretly vying to secure the cooperation of the Leyline Seer.

"Is it possible for the Marmedions to keep the Leyline Seer within their orbit?" Ves curiously asked.

"I cannot say for certain. I am not intimately involved in these power plays. All of my information comes second-hand or third-hand. All I can say with regards to the Leyline Seer is that she is becoming less and less aligned with the Marmedion Dynasty by the day. At the very least, she may be thinking about joining another faction."

"What about the Army of One?" Ves asked.

"It is already clear that the Huntsman has already severed his ties from the Expansionist Faction. It doesn't look as if he is willing to offer his services to the Marmedion Dynasty. That leaves the Army of One as the sole god pilot of this faction."

Jovy grimaced. "The Army of One has not shown as numerous signs of going independent as the others. For now, there are indications that he is at least loosely willing to march in lockstep with the Marmedions. This is not a good development as far as we are concerned. The Marmedion Dynasty is already influential enough with 3 Star Designers. If they also command the loyalty of a god pilot, then that will completely elevate them into a group that can carve out its own empire in the new frontier."

"Why would the Army of One remain aligned with the Marmedions?"

"Tech." Jovy replied. "The motivations of the Army of One is not difficult to guess. As long as he continues to cooperate with the Marmedions, he will enjoy the constant attention of 3 Star Designers, each of whom possess different but complementary specializations that are incredibly useful to him. Compared to other god pilots, the Army of One is much more dependent on high technology as he relies on third parties to design and build up his private army of battle bots."

The Army of One would be in a much more miserable situation if he lacked the support of a Star Designer. He was not like the Evolution Witch who could rely on her own extraordinary capabilities as well as her excellent grasp on biotechnology to autonomously evolve her Geneforger.

In other words, the Army of One operated best when he enjoyed the services of a major technological power!

"Wouldn't the Army of One be better off if he had pledged his service to the Cybernetic Empire?" Ves inquired.

"No." Jovy said with certainty. "The Polymath is too demanding as a ruler. She wants to hold absolute authority. Any god pilot who submits to her Cybernetic Empire must be prepared to suborn their own goals for her own. That is unacceptable to any god pilot, let alone the Army of One. Each of them possess strong willpowers and egos. Serving the Cybernetic Empire is different from serving the Red Association." "I see. I guess I see now why the Army of One is happy to stay within the Expansionist Faction." They soon moved on to another notable name.

"One of the most important wildcards within the Red Association is the Resonance Smith." Jovy continued. "As a member of the Unbound Humanity Faction, the events that have already unfolded largely conforms to his ideology. We believe that he is very happy to see the Red Association and the Red Fleet weaken their grip of red humanity and lose power. In order to accelerate this development, we have little doubt that he is plotting to sever his ties from the Red Association sooner or later. The only question is whether he will go independent or join another faction."

"Do you have a suspicion which group he is leaning towards?"

The Survivalist liaison shook his head. "No. Since he is already part of a solitary faction, it is very difficult to gather intelligence on him. It does not help that he has deliberately played coy. His public appearances are few and he has rarely shared his opinions on different matters. If the Red Association is already trending towards a split, then there is little reason for him to take action."

How clever.

"Gaining allegiance of the Resonance Smith should be a grand prize." Ves mused. "He is probably the most competent materials scientist in this dwarf galaxy. Not only is he able to develop powerful resonating materials for ace mechs and god mechs, he can also work miracles with other forms of matter such as hyper materials and superdimensional matter. His importance in the current age is too great. If he is eliminated, then our chances of winning the Red War and the Voribug War will plunge." "That is why no one dares to confront him." Jovy said. "They all want to maintain friendly ties with the Unbounder. Even the loyalists of the Red Association lack the courage to persuade him to set aside his dissenting thoughts."

It remained unclear what the Resonance Smith was plotting. Whether he wanted to form an independent power or join forces with another power bloc was not yet clear. Any decision had huge ramifications, which made it so that none of the players dared to take strong action against the eccentric Star Designer.

"What about the Missile Messiah?" Ves asked next. "He is also the leader of a solitary faction." Jovy formed a sardonic smile. "The Guidance Faction has almost completely lost its meaning and influence in the past year. All attempts to unite red humanity under a single banner have failed. The Missile Messiah is the strongest supporter of human high command. However, the lack of cooperation from the Cybernetic Empire as well as the Terran Alliance and the Rubarthan Pact's successful defection has completely ruined this grand social experiment. Without sufficient unity, the Missile Messiah's dream of unifying the actions of red humanity has crashed. The Guidance Faction has become a complete joke."

"Has the Missile Messiah given up on his ideology?"

"We cannot say, Ves. Star Designers do not easily give up on their dreams, but they are also not as stubborn as god pilots. According to our speculations, the Missile Messiah may be ready to give up on the Guidance Faction and join another organization instead. We do not think he is likely to go independent. He has always been a Star Designer that feels comfortable when he is working together with others." (More chapters in Buyers club for TMT)

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