The Mech Touch

　　The final consideration came down to three different choices.

　　As the same Larkinson delegation arrived at the Murphy Family's rented compound yet again, Ves noticed the presence of several other shuttles in the same landing zone.

　　Calabast helpfully provided him with information. "Those red shuttles belong to Redfield Security, a relatively large and well-funded mercenary company that originated from the galactic heartland of the old galaxy. Unlike many other entrants to the Red Ocean, Redfield Security has not suffered significant damage so far. Their assets and combat potential is fully intact."

　　"How strong is Redfield Security?" Ves asked.

　　"It is difficult to give you a precise answer, but from what we have gathered, Redfield Security is capable of fielding at least a mech legion in space and two mech regiments on land."

　　Redfield was able to deploy more mechs in space than the Larkinson Clan, but could not match up against the entire Golden Skull Alliance.

　　Of course, this shallow comparison left out numerous variables such as the strengths and qualities of the mechs in use and the number and attributes of expert mechs.

　　Since Redfield Security originated from the galactic heartland, then its mechs were certainly not pushovers. The mercenary company's ability to survive and thrive in the Red Ocean up to now was a testament to its strength.

　　"Why would these mercenaries want to partner up with Murphy & Sons?" Ves frowned.

　　"Why not? Redfield is just as desperate to obtain new starships as us. The mercenary business is dangerous and the chances of suffering losses are always considerable. While it is not that difficult to buy new mechs, it is a lot harder to replace lost starships. If this goes on, Redfield will lose its ability to perform its primary business. That will spell the company's end in its current form. Therefore, it is well worth investing in a troubled shipbuilding company in order to secure priority access to newly-built vessels. Partnering with Murphy & Sons will not only allow Redfield to replenish its losses, but also expand its combat fleet, thereby enabling them to take out greater mercenary contracts."

　　Ves nodded in understanding. "That makes sense, but Redfield must have deep pockets if it is able to reach the final phase of this bidding war."

　　The dynamic that threatened Redfield Security's long-term applied to many other pioneering organizations as well. The Larkinson Clan was no exception as it was still awfully short of combat carriers. There were still too many mech pilots who needed to share time in order to pilot the same mechs!

　　This was why Ves had forcefully suppressed his indignation at how the Murphy Family had treated the Larkinson Clan so far. After thinking about this situation a bit more, he realized that it was just business.

　　He would have made the same moves if he was in Gelly Murphy's heels. As the leader in charge, she had an indisputable responsibility to find the best possible solution for Murphy & Sons.

　　If she had to pit competitors against each other in order to drive up the offers she received, then that was clearly the most rational course of action that she could take!

　　It still felt bad, though.

　　"Given what's at stake, Redfield will definitely put up a serious fight to win over Murphy & Sons." Minister Shederin Purnesse spoke. "If Redfield cannot secure this deal, then it will have little choice but to surrender at least a portion of its autonomy so that it can take shelter under a larger group."

　　The next meeting certainly wouldn't be pleasant.

　　"What about those guys?" Ves gestured at the white shuttles that were parked on the other side of the landing zone.

　　"Those vehicles belong to ZZR Manufacturing." Calabast stated as she once again cradled Lucky in her arms. "As you can guess, it is an industrial company that is mainly involved in the production of heavy industrial goods. While the company isn't that big, its products are in extreme demand. All of the colonies that are popping up in the region all require the use of heavy vehicles and heavy equipment to tame the local environment and build up their settlements."

　　Colony building equipment was almost just as hot as starships in the Red Ocean. The more machines a pioneering organization received, the faster it could build up its settlement into a major colony.

　　Even if the price of raw materials was relatively high, ZZR Manufacturing was probably able to earn an insane profit with its current business operations!

　　"ZZR Manufacturing has managed to build a sizable plant on Davute V, which has cemented it as one of the established companies of the local economy." Shederin said. "ZZR Manufacturing might not possess a lot of military might, but it is able to offer benefits that Redfield cannot match. Foremost among them are access to resources, the ability to repair the broken shipyard and a willingness to supply fabricated ship parts."

　　Ves immediately understood ZZR's calculus.

　　"I see. ZZR seeks to form an integrated supply chain with Murphy & Sons!"

　　The starship market was considerably more profitable and long-lasting than the colony equipment market.

　　This was because there were a lot more companies that could enter the latter than the former. Any decent industrial firm could set up a manufacturing plant and start with producing ordinary goods such as mining drones, construction machines and prefab structural components.

　　While supply currently exceeded demand, as time went by, the industries of major planets would quickly rise to a level where excessive competition depressed prices.

　　Though the scarcity of raw materials ensured that the price levels would still remain high for times to come, the overall profit margins in this sector would surely drop to a minimal level!

　　Given this foreseeable market development, ZZR Manufacturing was making a clever move by trying to form an alliance with a shipbuilding company.

　　If the two were able to partner up, then ZRR Manufacturing would be able to get involved in the shipbuilding industry, which was much harder to enter. The industrial company's ultimate goal was to diversify its income sources!

　　"What a clever business." Ves remarked as he and his fellow Larkinsons stepped inside the familiar compound. "It's best if the two companies merge with each other, but settling for a long-term alliance is the next-best option. If the two of them band together, they can earn more profit than ever while also sharing various industrial goods and resources with each other."

　　It was a highly synergistic business arrangement that sounded so attractive that he bet that this was the Murphy Family's most favored choice.

　　Perhaps the only reason why the Murphies were also considering Redfield Security was because they were traumatized by their earlier failure to defend against the raid that put them in trouble.

　　Military force was a lot more important in the Red Ocean.

　　"Now that you are familiar with the two other bidders, I believe you should understand our own position a bit better." Shederin told Ves.

　　"Yeah…"

　　The Larkinson Clan didn't offer as many benefits. However, joining the trade consortium meant that Murphy & Sons wouldn't be tied down to any single party for the long-term.

　　There was no way that Redfield or ZZR were willing to transfer so much money and other concessions to Murphy & Sons without getting a payoff for a considerable amount of time.

　　Making long-term agreements that remained valid for several decades was the norm in the Red Ocean. If the shipbuilding company truly chose to go for the obvious options, then it lost at least some freedom of movement.

　　The offer made by the Larkinsons did not come with this expectation. From the beginning, the clan had always emphasized that there were few strings attached. Anyone who found better opportunities could easily cut these feeble strings and go elsewhere in a matter of months.

　　This effectively allowed Murphy & Sons to retain its freedom. If it stayed in the trade consortium, it would be by choice, not because it was tied down by contractual obligations.

　　This would hopefully be a sufficient benefit to lure the shipbuilding company over to the Larkinsons.

　　After a short wait, the Larkinson delegation entered a familiar meeting chamber.

　　There were more seats this time as well as additional guests.

　　It was clear to see who the other people belonged to. The men and women wearing red uniforms were obviously from the mercenary organization while the people wearing business suits hailed from the industrial company.

　　None of the competitors showed any friendliness towards the new arrivals. They were well aware that only one of them could leave this place with a prize in hand. The rest would have to leave empty-handed.

　　"Greetings, Larkinsons. You are the last ones to arrive. We shall give you a moment to acquaint yourselves with each other. You can make your final cases in fifteen minutes."

　　They might as well talk to each other, then.

　　The Larkinsons had barely started moving before the Redfields already came up to them. Both sides stared at each other for a moment before the leader of mercenaries extended his hand.

　　"Horace Redfield. CEO of Redfield Security."

　　Ves responded with a polite smile as he shook the leader's hands. "Ves Larkinson. Patriarch of the Larkinson Clan."

　　Now that they came close to each other, Ves gained a more detailed impression of the Redfields.

　　They didn't give out the vibe of craven, opportunistic bastards that charactized typical bottom-feeders. These were real professionals. Not only that, they gave out an ex-military vibe that Ves was quite familiar with seeing as his own mech pilots often possessed military backgrounds as well.

　　"You've been in the business a long time, haven't you?" Ves casually asked as the other Larkinsons and Redfields chatted with each other.

　　"Over forty years." Horace Redfield gruffly responded. "I took this outfit over from my father and made it great."

　　"That's impressive. It isn't easy to achieve success in the mercenary business."

　　"It's a challenge, alright, but we managed to come out on top. The Red Ocean is where I will truly sink my teeth in. Mark my words. Redfield Security will become one of the premier mercenary organizations in Davute."

　　Well, Horace Redfield certainly didn't lack ambition.

　　After the Larkinsons got their fill of the Redfields, they went over to the ZZR delegation.

　　A relatively young woman greeted Ves directly before he could even extend a hand in greeting.

　　"Patriarch Larkinson, let me be straight. Don't waste your time here. Your oddball clan has no chance of convincing the Murphy Family. You have no idea how difficult it is to gain entry into the true resource and industrial markets. Your trade coalition is doomed from the beginning as no resource supplier will ever have a reason to conduct business with a random collection of ants."

　　"A hive of ants is much more formidable than you think, Miss Tyana Delcrost." Minister Shederin said, saving Ves from making a lame reply.

　　The young CEO of ZZR Industries glanced despondently at the old man. "Ants can easily be stepped upon no matter whether they are alone or together. If Murphy & Sons joins your trade coalition, it will only be able to become another ant. With us, the Murphies can rise up the market hierarchy and become a true economic pillar of Davute. That is something that a band of homeless vagabonds such as you can never achieve."

　　Ves grew annoyed. This woman was being way too snooty for her own good. Just because she carried herself like an elite didn't give her the right to demean the Larkinson Clan!

　　Tyana Delcrost turned back to Ves. "As much as I think your chances of surviving the Red Ocean are low, I am willing to reward you if you step out of what comes next. ZZR Industries is willing to enter into a contract with you to supply your clan with both unprocessed and processed goods. Our company can solve your supply problems in a single day if you are willing to cooperate."

　　That sounded more interesting to Ves. He immediately forgot about all of the insults that Tyana flung in his way.