The Mech Touch

　　The reality appeared to be quite different. Either the intelligence on Murphy & Sons was outdated or the shrewd Murphies had deliberately kept the Larkinsons in the dark up until this point.

　　No matter what, the previous plans formed by Shederin had to be thrown out of the window. The involvement of other competitors completely changed the negotiation landscape. The Larkinsons were so stumped that they had practically lost all of the initiative.

　　Ves threw a pointed glance at Calabast.

　　The woman noticed his stare but didn't do anything aside from vigorously rubbing Lucky's head.

　　"Meow meow…"

　　The cat squinted as his head motioned from side to side from the intense massage.

　　Ves took that to mean that Calabast was basically saying that she and her agents hadn't been able to catch this development.

　　"Ugh." He grunted under his breath. It would have been incredibly handy to know about this news in advance. It appeared that he needed to have a good talk with Calabast about the effectiveness of the Black Cats as an intelligence-gathering agency.

　　Seeing that the talks between the Larkinsons and Murphies had entered into a completely different dimension due to Gelly Murphy's statement, Minister Shederin quickly took over from Ves and tried to inquire more details.

　　"We were under the impression that you were only considering our trade consortium. May we ask who else has expressed an interest in forming a cooperative agreement with your company?"

　　"Ah, it would not be convenient for us to tell you that." Disil Murphy smoothly replied. "Not all of our discussions with these parties have led to substantial results. We are still exploring our options, hence why we have decided to set this day aside for meetings. Your delegation isn't the only one that we will be entertaining for today. Another one is due to arrive within an hour, hence why we cannot talk for long."

　　"I see. Then let us dispense with the pleasantries and discuss in greater detail on how we can be of service to each other."

　　The foreign minister of the Larkinson Clan and the head of relations of Murphy & Sons talked more substantially with each other.

　　Right now, the Larkinsons needed to understand the actual situation of Murphy & Sons while the Muphies were more interested in how much they could get out of this potential cooperation.

　　The talks sometimes veered into technical topics. Chief Shipwright Karina Murphy and Chief Shipbuilder Melaia Murphy corresponded directly with Vivian Tsai when that happened.

　　"…When we disassembled our shipyard, we first discarded a large amount of mass that was not as vital to its operation. We discarded a large proportion of bulky hull and structural plating as they can easily be replaced in another location. That also meant that the shipyard components loaded onto our ships are all relatively sophisticated and vital. When the raiders struck our vessels, the loss of some of them left our shipyard in dire straits. While we have accounted for the cost of rebuilding all of the structural components that we initially left behind, we did not expect a raid to inflict so many losses. While we are lucky enough to retain the vast majority of our trained and experienced worker base, we lost a considerable amount of specialized equipment that cannot easily be replaced."

　　"Which of your shipyard systems are impaired or inoperable?" Vivian asked. "With our fabrication capabilities, we can readily supply many replacement parts."

　　From what Ves was able to gather from these talks, Murphy & Sons needed to procure replacement parts worth around 20,000 MTA credits to get back into operation.

　　Under ordinary circumstances, it shouldn't be difficult for a shipbuilding company of its size to borrow this sum, but the company already possessed existing debt obligations.

　　While it was still possible to borrow a bit of money, the terms were too onerous.

　　This was why Murphy & Sons sought alternatives.

　　"Some of the other parties that we have made contact with have expressed a willingness to cover our acute financial or material needs." Disil Murphy mentioned. "We have not heard comparable offers from your clan."

　　Shederin Purnesse maintained an impassive expression.

　　"This is because our correspondence up until this meeting solely centered around your shipbuilding company's possible entry into our future trade consortium. You did not reveal the extent of your problems and ask for our assistance. We were under the impression that your Murphy Family wished to retain complete control over Murphy & Sons. Aid is never given freely. It always comes with strings attached. We Larkinsons have always prized our independence, so we would never presume to encroach on your bottom line by tying you down with even further debt."

　　This was a high-minded argument, but it did not hide the Larkinson Clan's lack of enthusiasm in trying to 'outbid' other possible competitors.

　　Ves had already sent a silent signal to Shederin that he did not want to entertain the Murphy Family's attempt to solicit a bribe.

　　Bidding war or not, the Larkinson Clan should not be trifled with. Ves also didn't think it was wise to go even deeper into debt especially when he had just secured an expensive piece of land.

　　Once the Murphies understood that the Larkinsons weren't willing to play ball, the talks noticeably grew cooler. The smiles grew fewer while the conversation grew more stilted.

　　Ves watched Gelly Murphy closely and judged that the old and wiley CEO had become a lot less enthusiastic about joining his proposed trade consortium.

　　Yet despite not extracting the concessions that she wished, Gelly Murphy did not make any moves to end this round of talks.

　　The Larkinson Clan was still in contention, but it had likely dropped to the bottom of the list.

　　The awkward discussion finally concluded at the end of the hour. Everyone stood up and shook each other's hands once again while they promised to look over the details they shared.

　　When the Larkinsons boarded the shuttle yet again, Ves first turned to Calabast who had never spoken any substantial words during the meeting.

　　"Well?"

　　"Well, what, Ves?" She responded while she continued to pamper Lucky.

　　"Look, I won't go over the fact that you missed such a big development. This isn't our territory and everything happened on short notice. What I want is your impression of the Murphies. What do you think about their attitudes and what kind of scheme do you think they are hatching?"

　　"It's not that complicated, actually." The spymaster said. "Gelly Murphy is a tough one to read, but her daughters and other relatives are not as adept at hiding their tells. I've managed to glean lots of clues by observing their body language. From what I can tell, I don't think they are being truthful when they claimed that they only recently received numerous attractive offers. They must have been in talks with other parties for at least a week given the way most of the Murphies acted as if they had already attended numerous meetings like this. We are latecomers."

　　Ves frowned deeper. The Murphy Family was not as desperate and sincere as he thought. It turned out that his initial impression was too good to be true.

　　Minister Shederin shared his own views. "I agree with Madame Calabast. The Murphy Family's plot is quite clear now that we have gathered enough clues. Although Murphy & Sons have expressed some genuine interest in becoming a part of our trade consortium, their main goal in opening talks with us is to use our clan as a way to drive up the bidding war among other, more attractive parties. Unfortunately, our refusal to 'match' the bids of other interested parties has partially spoiled this particular scheme. That explains why their attitudes had noticeably dipped."

　　Ves sighed and pressed his fingers against his forehead. He hated this nonsense. Couldn't the Murphies be more straightforward and stay away from the Larkinson Clan if they weren't that interested in joining his trade consortium?

　　"So what are our chances? Is it still worth holding talks with Murphy & Sons?"

　　"I would advise you not to act too hastily, sir. This is only a single face-to-face meeting where our counterparts have employed a specific scheme against us. We cannot completely trust our initial judgment of the Murphies. As long as they are willing to continue negotiation, there is always a chance that we can somehow come to an agreement. I am not as confident as before, however."

　　Silence ensued as the Larkinsons tried to wrap their minds around the current challenge.

　　"Lucky." Ves addressed his cat. "I told you to keep an eye out for any details. Did you catch anything that is useful for me to know?"

　　The gem cat rolled in Calabast's embrace so that he could throw a lazy glance at Ves.

　　"Meow."

　　"Is that so?"

　　"Meow meow."

　　"Understood."

　　"What did Lucky say?"

　　"He told me that the meeting room we are in contained a few well-hidden bugs. Before you ask, they don't belong to the MTA. The mechers use different and much more advanced gear. Did you detect anything of the sort, Calabast?"

　　She shook her head. "No. I do carry detection gear on my person, but they are built to be as discreet as possible. It doesn't surprise me at all that neither myself nor the Murphies are able to detect those bugs."

　　"What do you think this signifies?"

　　"Others are still harboring a considerable interest in acquiring Murphy & Sons. The effectiveness of their spying equipment can be used as a rough indicator of how large and powerful they are. I'm afraid that Murphy & Sons will not easily be able to shake off its status as prey."

　　Ves shrugged at this speculation. "Well, it's none of our business as long as we don't have much of a chance of acquiring the company ourselves. I don't like getting screwed and the Murphies have been doing exactly that to us. One of the most essential conditions for me to trust potential business partners is to see whether they display sufficient goodwill to us. The Murphy Family's stance leaves much to be desired."

　　"I advise you not to burn our bridges prematurely." Minister Shederin emphatically advised. "Let me continue to lead our talks with Murphy & Sons. We might not be willing to offer what they want, but we can provide other conditions that may lead to a breakthrough."

　　The old man was right. Though Ves personally felt irked, there were a lot of interests at stake. He needed to be patient for the good of his clan and his greater aspirations.

　　He just felt pissed that the Murphies thought to play with him. His emotions urged him to take another course of action.

　　Perhaps it was better for him to step back from this matter and allow his people to do the heavy lifting.

　　"Okay. Go do what you want, but the formation of our trade consortium must proceed on schedule. If the Murphies keep stringing us along, then we don't need to waste any further time with them. Let them work with other partners if they are so eager for a bailout.

　　When the shuttle returned to the Larkinson Clan's temporary base of operations, the talks continued.

　　While Murphy & Sons played a few tricks, there was little doubt that it was in a hurry. Its looming financial obligations meant that the shipbuilding company could not take its time to fire up the bidding war.

　　The Murphies eventually decided to bring the 'auction' to a conclusion by inviting every party back to their rented compound in order to make their final cases.