Chapter 5733 Straight Talk

Chapter 5733 Straight Talk

5733 Straight Talk

Ves felt rather bad for the Colonial Federation of Davute.

President Yenames Clive must be gnashing his teeth once learned that Ves had taken away another toy that should have belonged to his colonial state.

Ves had already done it before by depriving Davute of ownership of the Ultimatum model and many future commissions.

Now he pulled off a similar stunt by denying Davute a guaranteed supply of Tristan's valuable hyper gems.

It was bad form to resort to this measure, but Ves decisively pressed through because this was too important for him to miss out on. He did not want anything to jeopardize his clan's supply of these strategically significant products! Updated from novelbIn.(c)om

Though Tristan was taken aback by Ves' boldness, he ultimately shrugged and accepted the changing reality.

If Ves was really able to convince Davute to transfer the contract, then how could Tristan possibly resist?

As far as Ves was concerned, there was no possibility for failure. His clout and reach had grown so much that he no longer needed to show an excessive amount of deference to a second-rate state.

The abundant finances of the Larkinson Clan also helped a lot. Ves had no intention to coerce Davute into suffering a loss. If a problem could be solved with money, then that was great.

"That is all. I do not have any further requests and proposals for you, Tristan. Of course, if you wish to propose other forms of cooperation, then feel free to voice them. Do you need help with research? Do you require access to special goods and services?"

The Journeyman shook his head. "No. I already have enough."

"Don't you need a steady supply of high-quality exotics and hypers in order to progress your research?"

"That is so, but I can already obtain them by relying on my existing channels. I do not need any special treatments."

"What about phasewater? Can you secure that as well?"

That caused Tristan to frown. "I may need your help in procuring a small sample. I am not confident I can complete your first submission if I have not personally worked with phasewater."

"No problem."

"Why do you care so much about my gems, Ves?" Tristan asked.

"They're good."

"They are... effective, but also costly."

Ves might not have any money problems for the time being, but he needed to be careful about where he spent his money.

The difference between the shield infiltrator fey and all of the other fey models was that the former was expected to be non-retrievable.

Once it passed through a transphasic energy shield, it was not expected to come back.

This meant that anyone who made regular use of them had to treat them as consumables rather than more durable combat assets.

Making heavy use of consumables was a surefire way to strain the finances of any organization. Not even the Larkinson Clan could employ improved shield infiltrator fey without a limit, especially if they were loaded with transphasic explosives.

"It is too premature to develop an upgraded version of my work." Kelsey Ampatoch honestly said. "I have little confidence in my ability to keep the costs under control. I do not think that better mech designers are able to produce better results either. The greatest constraint is that we lack access and awareness of higher grades of exotics and hypers that are tough enough to resist more damage, but also malleable enough to imitate enemy patterns. I intend to wait for material scientists to identify or synthesize the specialized materials that I need to develop the upgraded variant that you need."

"I see. That is a decent plan I guess. I think our clan will make do with your regular shield infiltrator fey for the time being." Ves decided. "Now, let us stall no further. You must have worked quite hard to catch my attention. You have come a long way from home, Rubarthan. Why have you decided to participate in a second-class design contest?"

Kelsey Ampatoch had been preparing for this conversation for a long time. He had studied Ves extensively and figured out that the Senior Mech Designer generally liked it when people were being sincere and honest without showing any duplicity.

The first-class mech designer could appreciate that as the Rubarthans tended to be fairly direct as well.

"I want to work for you. Consider my shield infiltrator fey to be my resume and my proof of sincerity."

Interesting. Ves calmly folded his fingers. He already predicted this response, but that did not help him decide how he should proceed.

"Let me say that your solicitation comes as a surprise. I was not actively looking to recruit more first-class mech designers at this time."

"Yet you have already hired one in the form of Alexa Streon. Since you have found it acceptable to recruit a Terran mech designer, I think you should have no objections to hiring a Rubarthan one. I can assure you that my loyalties to the princes are not high. I will pass any test you give me, whether it is centered around mech design or other qualities."

The more Ampatoch spoke, the more Ves admired the Rubarthan. The man demonstrated plenty of confidence and daring.

Yet that also made Ves more suspicious about the man. This situation seemed way too convenient to him. There had to be a catch.

"Why do you insist on joining my clan? Are you dissatisfied with your existing opportunities in the Rubarthan Pact?"

"Yes." Ampatoch replied. "I am merely one among many Journeymen in Rubarthan space. Your clan is still short on first-class mech designers, so by joining you at this early stage, I can be of much greater significance to you and your organization. I see an opportunity to help you build up your mech organization and gain access to far better conditions than if I continue to work for Isthmus Manufacturing."

"You do know that I partially own that company, right?"

The first-rater nodded. "That may be true, but I doubt you understand how our company is actually run from the inside. I can help you analyze and monitor Isthmus Manufacturer if you are willing to bring me into your clan. It may not be clear to you, but I have observed many faults that are holding it back. None of the managers or leading mech designers are willing to upset the status quo after the disruption caused by the Great Severing, but if you are different from them, then maybe you will be able to push through the necessary reforms."

"Hmmm..."