The Mech Touch

　　Once they completed their part of the ritual, they weren't all that bothered by the faint new spiritual connections. The Solemn Guardian was a noble, single-minded design spirit that produced a positive effect on people's moods.

　　In fact, the Larkinsons had performed a careful selection in order to make sure that the different parties reacted well to the Solemn Guardian. The clansmen had to toss aside a lot of candidates whose personalities clashed with the duty-bound design spirit.

　　Ves and the other Larkinsons were happy enough with those that managed to pass all of their checks. The successful conclusion of the founding ceremony pretty much proved the thirty founding members of the Open Consortium of Krakatoa all harbored goodwill towards the new collective.

　　The members all knew that as well, so they quickly grew much friendlier towards each other. As of today, they were not only bound to each other by contract, but also by duty. So long as each of them remained a part of the Open Consortium, they were obliged to never plot against each other.

　　After the ceremony, the dignitaries all moved to a nearby hotel lounge where they all got to know each other further. Numerous members even made private business deals on the spot when they discovered that they could be of service to each other.

　　As anyone could imagine, the Murphy delegation was the most popular one of all. Almost any pioneering organization could use more ships, so much so that the other parties were all willing to pre-pay their orders.

　　The amount of people flocking to the Murphies was so great that they were forced to draw lots in order to determine their turns.

　　This was exactly what the Murphies wanted to see today. Promising to build starships in the future was not a big deal for them. What they truly valued was the hundreds of mech credits pouring into their coffers right away!

　　Although it would still be an ordeal for Murphy & Sons to restore its incomplete shipyard, at least the shipbuilding company no longer had to worry about becoming insolvent for a long time.

　　Though the Larkinsons were the last to meet with the Murphy delegation, they had actually made a prior agreement with the shipbuilders.

　　The first ship that would come out of the shipyard once it was repaired would belong to the Larkinson Clan.

　　The only question now was to determine what kind of ship the Larkinson Clan wanted to obtain.

　　"Have you made a decision yet, sir?" Vivian Tsai's projection asked. "Will you go for a new combat carrier or do you prefer a vessel that offers more utility?"

　　Ves' projection frowned in thought. "I don't suppose we can order a new capital ship, can we? It doesn't have to be as big as the Gorgoneion."

　　"Impossible." Chief Shipbuilder Melaia Murphy shook her head. "First, our shipyard can only build a ship that is up to 800 meters long and is not too tall or wide. Second, we will be restarting our shipbuilding operations with numerous upgrades to our shipyard as we seek to install new systems that are more easily available in Davute. This means that it is not advisable for us to work on an ambitious project."

　　That was not pleasant news. Ves was tempted to ask whether the Larkinson Clan could postpone its order until the Murphies sorted out their initial issues, but time was of the essence.

　　He would rather obtain a new ship sooner than wait another year and get a slightly better one. If a battle broke out in the meantime, then the addition of any hull would definitely save a lot of lives!

　　"We have enough auxiliary vessels for the moment." Ves stated. "Sure, we could always use more, but our need for carriers is much greater. What is the highest mech capacity that you can stuff in a single combat carrier?"

　　"The exact figure varies heavily depending on what you are willing to compromise upon." Karina Murphy answered. "If you want to maximize the carrying capacity of your vessel, then you can store 120 or even 150 mechs on an enlarged combat carrier. However, I highly advise against this course of action as the hull would simply be too weak to endure the rigors of combat. It would help if you tell us what your preferred order's mission profile should be. Is she a pure mech conveyor? Will it be utilized for stealth operations? Or do you wish for her to become a specialized ordnance carrier that can continuously resupply ammunition-hungry mechs in combat?"

　　All of those options sounded compelling to Ves. He had been thinking about his options for an entire day, but he still couldn't make up his mind.

　　If he had a choice, he would have picked all of the available options, but that was clearly not possible.

　　He decided that he might as well ask for suggestions. He turned to his other advisors.

　　"What do you guys think? Raymond, you go first."

　　The old Larkinson didn't expect the patriarch to ask for his opinion. He had to spend a few moments to compose his thoughts.

　　"I understand the need for additional carriers, but if you ask me, I think we are neglecting the other needs of our fleet. One of our growing constraints is our increasing lack of cargo capacity. Ever since we have entered the Red Ocean, we have managed to obtain several dozen combat carriers, but we have not acquired any notable amount of logistical ships. This has led to an imbalance in our ship composition that makes it more difficult to run a fleet than it should."

　　"We have the Spirit of Bentheim, which is able to provide much more support than a dozen smaller vessels." Ves insisted.

　　"That is correct, but the ship also goes through raw materials at such a fast pace that our stockpiles run out too quickly. If we can supplement our fleet with the biggest possible cargo ship possible, we can carry significantly greater quantities of spare parts and resources. This will provide us with considerably more depth when our expedition has led us far away from Davute and any other planet where we can resupply. Aside from that, the addition of a cargo ship will also make our mining runs more lucrative."

　　Ves genuinely became tempted to adopt Raymond's suggestion, but then he realized the flaw in this decision.

　　Choosing to acquire a cargo vessel over a combat carrier would not help the Larkinsons out in any pitched battles.

　　A situation might occur in the future where bringing as many mechs as possible could mean the difference between survival and annihilation.

　　If his fleet brought more mechs than necessary, then no harm was done.

　　If his fleet happened to bring less machines, then Ves might not be alive long enough to regret his decision!

　　Ves looked at Raymond and sighed. "I understand your decision, but I don't like our chances at the moment. There are many human and alien threats out there. I'm still set on acquiring an additional combat carrier."

　　He shifted his gaze to Minister Shederin Purnesse. The foreign minister came up with his own suggestion.

　　"Our fleet currently possesses numerous majestic capital ships, but the combat carriers we obtained in Vulit are mostly generic in appearance. I believe it is important to show the prestige of our clan by ordering a carrier vessel that is suited to be employed in various official functions such as meeting with the leaders of a planet."

　　"You want us to acquire a diplomatic vessel?"

　　"Yes. The ship does not have to compromise her combat performance, but it would be greatly helpful if she is built for statecraft."

　　This was a more interesting proposal. Ves already understood the importance of making a good impression on other parties in the Red Ocean. Without the services of Shederin and the rest of the Purnesse Family, his clan would have never been able to form the Open Consortium or gain the allegiance of the Murphy Family.

　　"This sounds good. What about you, then, Vivian? You're our resident shipwright here, so you should know more about this topic than anyone else."

　　"I already have a slightly different suggestion in mind." Vivian Tsai responded. "One of my more recent draft designs centers around a combat carrier specialized in hazardous landing operations."

　　"What does that mean?"

　　"The vessel would be designed with extra resilience in mind. However, different from an armored vessel that is mainly designed to withstand enemy bombardment, my proposed ship will come with numerous accommodations that will allow her to resist extreme environments for an extended amount of time. Think about violent planetary environments such as sandstorms, heavy radioactivity or extreme temperatures."

　　"That sounds useful… if we actually bother to land on any planets." Ves remarked.

　　"I think we will. Many of the untapped resources of the Red Ocean are trapped on planets, not all of which are friendly enough towards life. The combat carriers that we have managed to win in several tournaments are all serviceable, but none of them are tough enough to survive hostile environments. My ship can do better because her hull and structure are not only stronger than usual, but also because I intend to simply and harden her various systems. This will result in fewer points of failure which will massively increase the chances that such a vessel will survive the perils of a hostile planet."

　　She made a lot of good points. Though Ves understood that this kind of vessel would come with a lower mech capacity than usual, his fleet would gain a unique new capability.

　　"Let's go with that, then. Work your idea out with the Murphies. Once you have come up with a plan, bring it up to me. I want to go over the full details before I approve of her construction."

　　It will take at least three months for us to get our shipyard in basic working order." Melaia Murphy stated. "There is no hurry to begin construction. We can spend this time refining the design."

　　"How much will this cost?" Ves asked.

　　"That depends. The configuration will certainly demand additional hull plating and structural components. Given the relatively high price levels in Davute, the price may run up to 1000 MTA credits."

　　That was a massive amount for an up-sized combat carrier. However, the capabilities that Vivian's proposal provided was worth the additional charges.

　　"That sounds… acceptable. Please generate a more exact estimate. Our clan is already deep in debt so I need to know exactly how much more we'll be in the red."

　　The Larkinsons discussed a few other potential ship orders with the Murphies, but much of that would have to wait until every founding member of the Open Consortium had their turn.

　　Giving them the opportunity to place a ship order was one of the attractions the Larkinsons used to lure members into the Open Consortium. Murphy & Sons needed to fulfill them as soon as possible in order to show that everyone involved was serious.

　　"By the way, Shederin, have we managed to make any progress on establishing contact with any material suppliers?"

　　The foreign minister nodded. "We did. Director Calsie Doornbos has an appointment tomorrow. Our recent publicity stunt along with the addition of Murphy & Sons has made our consortium considerably more attractive to potential trading partners. However, any talks we hold with them will take at least several weeks to conclude. Our fleet is scheduled to depart much sooner than that, so we will need to find an interim solution in order to stock up on supplies. That should not be a problem as it has become much easier for us to purchase goods through certain channels by paying above market price."

　　"Ugh."