The Mech Touch

　　As word about the unusual trade consortium continued to spread, more and more parties expressed serious interest in becoming a part of it. Different from the last few days, the latest batch included more serious and more respectable pioneering organizations.

　　No longer did the Larkinsons have to entertain so many whacky cults and devastated pioneers.

　　A collection of mech companies, industrial companies and even a small shipbuilding company showed up in the past few days.

　　These were prime parties that the Larkinsons truly wished to attract! Not only would their presence increase the effectiveness and legitimacy of the trade consortium, but they might also potentially provide the clan with preferential access to their goods and services!

　　"Are you serious?!" Ves asked as he held a data pad that contained a list of interested parties. "A shipbuilding company truly wants to join our trade consortium?"

　　Minister Shederin raised his hand. "Don't get too excited, sir. We are only talking about a small shipbuilding firm, and one that is in serious trouble. If not for that, Murphy & Sons would have comfortably been able to start their operations in a market where their products are in extreme demand."

　　Ves grew suspicious about this. There were a lot of hot markets in the Red Ocean at this time, but two sectors were especially profitable.

　　Anyone engaged in either resource extraction or shipbuilding were probably having the time of their lives during this period! While the former was rather risky due to the need to mine valuable resources in dangerous areas, the latter had it especially easy!

　　All the shipbuilding companies had to do was to bring over enough cargo to assemble a functioning shipyard and start staffing it with their trained personnel. Orders would flow in by the thousands and Ves doubted that such a company would have a hard time securing a contract with a resource supplier.

　　What could drive this particular shipbuilding company to such dire straits that it had no choice but to seek safety in numbers?

　　"Tell me about Murphy & Sons. What kind of company is it and how could it screw up its entry into the Red Ocean?"

　　"Murphy & Sons was originally an ordinary shipbuilding company in the galactic rim that has long operated a single shipyard. Its CEO and chairwoman chose to move the company to the Red Ocean shortly after the MTA's announcement, but as you can imagine it is not that effortless to move such a major operation to an entirely different location."

　　Shipyards were big. Really big. They had to be in order to provide an excellent construction environment for shipbuilders. There was no way to build proper starship without providing enough stability and shielding against many external variables.

　　They were also expensive and valuable as a result. The amount of tech and materials that went into shipyards was incredibly intricate.

　　"So what did the company do? Did they cut their own shipyard into pieces and try to ship it over?"

　　Shederin nodded. "That is exactly what they did. Much to Murphy & Sons misfortune, this transportation did not proceed without issue. The fleet that the company's vessels were traveling with fell victim to a raid. While the leadership and many of the ships carrying the enormous parts of the shipyard managed to survive the attack intact, a small number of transport ships fell into enemy hands."

　　"Oh. That sounds bad." Ves replied as he thought about the impact of those losses. "Let me guess. They are missing so many pieces of their shipyard that they don't have enough left to build ships, right?"

　　"Indeed. Murphy & Sons has fallen under great difficulties for this reason. The company has taken on an enormous debt in order to reach the Red Ocean. Now, it cannot meet its debt obligations because it cannot earn any revenue."

　　"That doesn't sound so bad. I mean, everyone here knows the value of a working shipyard. Isn't someone willing to give Murphy & Sons a hand and get their shipyard to work in exchange for priority on ship orders or something?"

　　Shederin coughed. "It's not that simple. In order for Murphy & Sons to restore their shipyard, they need to acquire a large amount of valuable resources that are difficult to obtain. They also require advanced technical assistance to perform specialist repairs. While there are companies that are able to meet their demands, they are actually withholding their aid at the moment."

　　"What?! Why?!"

　　"Isn't it obvious, sir? They are plotting against the shipbuilding company." The foreign minister answered. "Each of them smells weakness from their prey. Rather than trying to gain the favor of Murphy & Sons, it is much more preferable to buy it up entirely. Once a part or all of the company and its assets fall into the hands of a major player, they can easily restore and upgrade the incomplete shipyard so that it can begin to produce starships on their behalf. Do you understand?"

　　Oh, Ves understood this scheme quite well. He would probably do the same thing if he was in their place. Taking over a mostly-complete shipbuilding company was incredibly attractive in an environment where there were way too few hulls on the market!

　　"So the bunch of bastards at the top are colluding with each other to deny the help that Murphy & Sons need. Their goal is to outbid each other and take possession of the company's damaged shipyard, its highly-trained and experienced shipbuilding personnel and whatever else is valuable. These are nearly all of the elements that can support a productive shipbuilding operation. How big is this shipyard, anyway? Is it capable of building capital ships?"

　　"You would have to ask Miss Tsai for greater details, but according to my sources, Murphy & Sons has never built a capital ship. When the company was still operating in the old galaxy, their peak production rate was 1 combat carrier or cruiser-sized logistical vessel per 20 days."

　　"That is quite impressive." Ves remarked. "Murphy & Sons can probably construct their ships even faster once it upgrades its shipyard systems with heartland-level technology. They might even be able to expand their shipyard and start constructing smaller capital ships as well in the future."

　　"Indeed. Yet as long as no one provides them with the help they need to fill in the missing pieces of their shipyard, Murphy & Sons will eventually be compelled to make a choice anyway."

　　"How dirty."

　　This kind of collusion was probably illegal in many states, but the new frontier was a lot looser with the rules.

　　Besides, even if the laws forbid this kind of conduct, the authorities needed to possess the will to enforce them, which wasn't always the case.

　　The point was that Murphy & Sons was in deep trouble. There were way too many greedy people at the top and they would never easily pass up the opportunity to snap a shipyard on the cheap!

　　"Why did you bring this case to my attention, Shederin? All of this sounds like trouble to me. While I admit that it would be nice if we can make connections with Murphy & Sons, I don't think it is a good idea to tread on territory that others have already claimed."

　　The old man gave Ves an intrigued smile. "That is true, but I believe there is sufficient opportunity here. While it is true that we will not make many people happy if we help the Murphy & Sons solve its crisis, as long as the company stays independent and wholly owned by the Murphy Family, there is still a chance that outsiders can acquire it. That should limit the heat we draw if we make a move."

　　"What kind of move can we even make? From what I hear, a lot needs to be done in order to get the company's shipyard operational, and that requires a large amount of resources."

　　"That is why our trade consortium can give Murphy & Sons a way out. It can obtain the resources and help it needs without directly doing business with those who are treating it as prey."

　　"What if bringing the shipbuilding company into the fold will only turn our trade consortium into a pariah instead?"

　　Minister Shederin looked grave. "That is indeed a possibility, but as long as our clan and all of the members of the consortium work together to achieve a breakthrough, we can still succeed. Not every major player is as eager to take over Murphy & Sons."

　　This was a difficult matter for Ves to decide upon. He could clearly see the potential of befriending and entering into a long-term cooperative relationship with a real shipbuilding company.

　　While it was true that the Larkinson Clan could build its own ships with the Diligent Ovenbird, her efficiency was way too low compared to a permanently anchored shipyard.

　　What the clan truly needed was to become a favored partner to a shipbuilding company that was capable of churning out a lot of combat carriers. In time, that company might be able to expand its operations and start constructing capital ships as well!

　　Ves keenly realized that this was probably the best opportunity for the Larkinson Clan to obtain the friendship and gratitude of a shipbuilding company in years.

　　If he passed on this opportunity because he was afraid of getting involved in the company's trouble, he would probably regret his cowardly decision for a long time afterwards.

　　He lowered his eyes. Shederin's stance was clear.

　　"Are you truly confident this will work out?"

　　"I am, sir." Shederin confidently answered. "This is an intricate diplomatic puzzle in my eyes. Let me do my job and handle this delicate matter. As long as we succeed, we will not only gain a reliable channel for starships, but also increase the weight of our trade consortium. Think of how many notable parties will want to join or conduct business with a collective that counts a shipbuilding company among its members."

　　That was another good point. Ves had mainly paid attention to the political and financial problems that Murphy & Sons would bring, but he hadn't looked at how their presence could beef up his trade consortium.

　　"Alright." Ves said as he made up his mind. "You can go work on this, but I want to meet with the Murphy Family in person. I need to get an impression of their CEO and other notable figures before I am willing to work with them. Also get in touch with Vivian Tsai. We need her expertise to judge the potential of Murphy & Sons. This is a shipbuilding company from the galactic rim, after all. Its capabilities are not on par with those who originated from the more prosperous parts of the old galaxy."

　　Even so, it was better than nothing. Shipbuilding capabilities could always be upgraded over time.

　　This bet might not pay off in the first decade, but once Murphy & Sons truly got going, it could truly provide a lot of benefits to the Larkinson Clan going forward!

　　Shederin checked his comm. "My staff has just arranged a meeting with the Murphy Family on short notice. We can greet them in the afternoon. It appears that the Murphy leaders are under considerable time pressure. The longer it takes for them to resolve their issues, the more they are getting crushed under their financial obligations."

　　"How much do they owe, exactly?"

　　"We do not know."

　　"Then find out. Wait. I'll tell Calabast to look into this company. I don't believe Murphy & Sons is as simple as it sounds. There has to be a reason why it has long remained independent all of this time."

　　Although Ves had special reasons to remain independent, he was aware that he was the exception to the rule.

　　Most pioneers who were experiencing difficulties had no qualms about sheltering under the umbrella of a major player.

　　Murphy & Sons probably received enough offers to join a larger pioneering organization, so why was it willing to take a gamble on a new and untested trade consortium instead?