The Mech Touch

　　That didn't mean it was healthy to let this situation persist. According to the latest reports, the Living Mech Corporation's lack of activity slowly caused its brand to erode.

　　While its mechs were still useful to many different customers, they were no longer hot now that the novelty had long worn off. Many people found ways to deal or mitigate the impact of the glows of living mechs and the benefits of piloting living mechs in the long-term were not well-known.

　　Ves, Gloriana and Ketis spent millions of MTA merits to acquire and plant their psionic pylons in the Yeina Star Cluster. Much of that spending would go to waste if none of them took advantage of their PPs in the coming years!

　　As soon as Ves conveyed his willingness to revisit his business operations in the old galaxy, Gavin became a lot more enthusiastic. He had long tried to persuade his boss that the Larkinsons should pay attention to this matter, but there were always other matters getting in the way.

　　"It would help if you can tell us your strategy and direction in advance." Gavin said. "The LMC is not as small as before. There are many people and organizations who are directly or indirectly working for us. The sooner you convey your intentions, the smoother we can expand our operations."

　　Ves frowned. "It's too early to make those decisions. I'm not entirely up to date with the circumstances in both markets."

　　"Can you at least tell us whether you are willing to sell second-class mechs in the old galaxy? Although we are selling millions of third-class mechs at the moment, that doesn't translate into a lot of MTA credits. We can easily earn twice the amount if we start selling some of our second-class offerings. In fact, something like that is already beginning to happen as soon as we signed a deal with Zachren Bilitsa. In order for the Ferocious Piranha Mark I Version B Mod 1 to be sold to the public, it has to be validated by the MTA, which means its design has entered its licensing catalog."

　　"I'm aware of that. The Mod 1 edition is tailored to the Red Ocean, so it shouldn't be easy to make it suitable for the old galaxy again."

　　Although the latest revision performed similar to the original second-class Ferocious Piranhas, Ves had swapped a lot of materials and components. It would be extremely difficult for other mech designers to replace them again while still keeping the mech design alive.

　　This effectively meant that the initiative was still in his hands.

　　"It sounds as if you don't intend to sell any second-class mechs in the old galaxy."

　　"Not yet, at least." Ves said. "I don't want the Fridaymen to take advantage of my work. They can't do much with my third-class mechs but it's a different story when it comes to my second-class offerings."

　　"Don't you have ways to stop specific groups from piloting your mechs?"

　　"I do, but I don't think the MTA and the market will respond well to that, Benny. Customers need to have confidence that their mechs are reliable and that we can't arbitrarily neuter their functionality."

　　Gavin could respect that decision even though he did not entirely agree with it. "The Komodo War will probably end in a year. The Hex Army has fought hard, but it has exhausted much of its resources and reserves. The Hexadric Hegemony's defensive strongholds are all toppling one by one, exposing vast areas of the state's interior to Fridayman incursions. With neighboring states sending 'mercenaries' to raid the under defended hinterland of the Hegemony, it doesn't look like the Hexers will be able to hold out much longer."

　　"It doesn't matter too much at this point. Gloriana already told me that more and more dynasties have packed up their bags and left for the Red Ocean. Even the Wodin Dynasty has abandoned its foundation in the Scimitar System in order to escape the war."

　　Ves was disappointed that the Hexers didn't put up a better fight. For all of their claims of superiority, the Fridaymen persistently beat the female supremacists, not through superior martial strength, but by relying on the power of friendship.

　　Numerous friendly states and powers in the region offered their support for the Fridaymen. As the Komodo War kept getting worse for the Hexadric Hegemony, more and more parties offered their aid to the winning side.

　　Naturally, there was no doubt that the Garleners and other foreigners held ulterior motives towards the Komodo Star Sector, but the Friday Coalition didn't mind. Getting rid of an existential threat was more important than avoiding hidden dangers!

　　"Let's shelve this question for later. Even if the Komodo War has ended, I won't relax my stance so easily."

　　"I seriously doubt it will matter. The Friday Coalition has banned the sale and use of our products anyway. The Fridaymen don't want to put more money in our pockets."

　　"Aren't they in control of some of the LMC's shares?" Ves frowned. "What happened to them, by the way? I haven't paid attention to this issue in a long while."

　　"Ah, about that…"

　　Ves narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

　　"Well, as you know, a shell company of the Bright Republic originally owned a 7 percent stake in the LMC while a shell company of the Ylvaine Protectorate had a 9 percent stake."

　　"And?"

　　"The Friday Coalition intervened. From what we have managed to gather, numerous people and factions within the Coalition tried to claim those shares. It took a lot of time for this argument to be resolved, but eventually two different Master Mech Designers managed to come out on top. They had to cooperate with each other in order to overcome the opposition."

　　Ves grew uneasy when he heard the latest development concerning the shares that fell outside his control. "Who are the Masters that managed to get a hold of those shares?"

　　His personal assistant took a deep breath. "Master Carmin Olson obtained a 14 percent stake while Master Toqueman Huron got a hold of the remaining 2 percent. It's not official yet. They need to go through a lot of bureaucratic procedures in order to obtain the appropriate permissions and exemptions from their governments. After all, the mechs you've designed are responsible for the deaths of many Fridaymen soldiers. Once all of this is done, the two aforementioned Masters will officially own parts of the company."

　　"…"

　　To be honest, Ves was relieved that Master Olson obtained the bulk of the shares that were originally in the hands of the third-rate states that had betrayed his confidence. The Bright Republic and the Ylvaine Protectorate didn't deserve his generosity any longer. Not after what their duplicitous governments had done.

　　Yet letting 14 percent fall into the hands of his former Master did not sit well with him either. He still resented how quickly and decisively Master Olson got rid of him, all because a Hexer forcefully inserted herself in his life.

　　He still respected her, though. Master Olson was not only a talented Master Mech Designer, but also a consummate professional. Despite her allegiance, Ves never had the impression that she hated him personally.

　　"Will Master Olson keep that 14 percent or will they pass onto someone else's hands?" Ves curiously asked.

　　"I seriously can't tell you that, boss." Gavin shrugged. "I'm not privy to the internal deliberations of the Fridaymen. Maybe you should ask Calabast, though I doubt she can tell you anything more."

　　"What does your intuition tell you, Benny?"

　　"If you ask me, this situation stinks. There are lots of powerful people in the Friday Coalition who have plenty of reasons to take those shares. I would have expected them to split up the shares among themselves. For them to voluntarily give up the fight means that someone else has intervened. Master Olson and Master Huron may be notable figures in the Coalition, but there are plenty of others who should easily be able to override their demands."

　　Gavin's words echoed Ves' own concerns. The relatively smooth way in which the two Master Mech Designers claimed the shares was awfully suspicious. Who pushed for this result? What were the motives of this mystery party?

　　"I can reluctantly accept Master Olson as a fellow shareholder, but Master Huron is another matter. Why the hell does he want to gain partial ownership of a company controlled by the killer of one of his personal disciples?"

　　"Don't ask me, boss. I am just as perplexed as you. What I can tell you is that it is of little consequence. You still possess a controlling majority. Even if Master Olson and Master Huron enjoy a couple of minority rights, they cannot influence the decision-making of the company at all. They'll only be able to collect dividends with their shares."

　　"Ugh. That's still too cheap of them. Those shares are worth a lot more than before. Sometimes, I wish the MTA didn't exist. The Association's intervention is way too heavy-handed! We can't even issue new shares in order to dilute the ownership of those out-of-control shares."

　　"Uhm, do you think it is wise to voice those words?"

　　Ves shrugged. "The mechers won't care, Benny. Plenty of people talk bad about the MTA, but that doesn't change the fact that they are undisputedly in charge."

　　Nothing effectively changed as far as he was concerned. 16 percent of the ownership in the LMC was still in the hands of outsiders. He wondered whether the Masters would attempt to do more with them. Neither of them looked like they were willing to sit back and relax while collecting their dividends.

　　Now that they were discussing issues tied to the old galaxy, Ves grew curious at one of the other minority shareholders of the Living Mech Corporation.

　　"Is there any news from the Larkinson Family, Benny?"

　　"There have been few significant changes as of late. Your old relatives are still working for the Feneton Tribe. We did notice that they have become active as of late. They have begun to acquire more ships, mechs and even personnel."

　　"It sounds like they are finally doing more than coasting along their current trajectory. Good for them. Do you know more about their intentions?"

　　Gavin shook his head. "No. Most members of the Larkinson Family haven't received much clarification. All they know is that Patriarch Ark Larkinson is working harder than ever."

　　What was his uncle doing? Ves hoped that Ark didn't lead the Larkinson Family into danger.

　　"Well, try and inquire more about the Larkinson Family's movements. I might not be close to them anymore, but they are still my blood relatives. I have always felt less restrained when I know they are safe. If they do something different, I don't know how I should feel about that. I don't want the Larkinson lineage to end because the both of us have made considerable errors."

　　From what Ves knew about Ark, his uncle was trying his best to advance to ace pilot. This was an insanely difficult challenge and far too many powerful expert pilots failed to take a step forward.

　　Ves knew that continued frustration could push numerous expert pilots to their limits. Patriarch Reginald Cross had always been a bit unstable and he feared that Ark Larkinson might become obsessed as well!

　　"Alright. We've discussed enough for today. Let's focus more on our immediate priorities. I want to see quick progress in establishing our trade consortium. Get that plot of land in our hands and start the construction of a headquarters as fast as possible."

　　"Got it, boss."