The Mech Touch novel Chapter 334

To think that he came so far. The expansive works covering a massive area in the middle of nowhere took away his breath. The great undertaking before him finally solidified the LMC’s ascension from a small-time player into a serious medium-sized mech manufacturer.

"Even with billions of credits sloshing around in my bank accounts, it’s only a bunch of numbers." Ves remarked to Melkor who accompanied him and acted as a guard. "Only by spending them can we make something of ourselves."

If Ves had been taken aback, then Melkor was practically speechless. It was as if he couldn’t believe his cousin earned more money than the Larkinson Estate made in a decade.

Melkor couldn’t be blamed. He spent a lot of time keeping an eye on his charge, and all he saw of Ves was holing up in his office all the time and coming up with a magical new design after a few months.

A design that became so successful that fueled an expansive manufacturing complex on a sleepy rural planet.

"How much does this all cost?" The mech pilot asked.

"Well, the plan started at half a billion credits, but this looks a lot more elaborate than that."

This must be another decision the board made in his absence. The changes hadn’t affected the aboveground portion of the complex too much. It mainly featured more robust turrets and a few more beautifully designed office buildings. Construction bots also worked on planting an elegant courtyard in the center of the complex leading up to the entrance of the headquarters building.

They stepped on a floater platform and slowly hovered over the dirt and incomplete paths before they arrived at the headquarters building.

Ves looked up at the thirty-story tall building. The building had been completed early on, and looked empty but clean from the outside. The structure looked decorative, but hid a lot defences underneath its wide-windowed and white-walled facade.

When Ves commissioned the original plans to build a manufacturing complex, he wanted the architects to design a headquarters that reflected the company’s values. It had look in a way that inspired his employees to value mechs and treat them like assets at the very least.

The architects clearly succeeded. As he passed through the tall double doors that loomed like gates, he entered an expansive atrium lighted from above. The colorful screens on the roof filtered the gloomy grey clouds in a subtle gradation of lights.

Shortly after they entered, an older man arrived at the entrance. Jake Altern had finally tracked him down.

"Ves! You’ve returned!"

Ves walked back and met with Jake. "It takes more than a freaky planet to kill me."

"I heard you fought directly against the Vesians!"

"Hah, don’t worry, Melkor took care of them in my stead. I had some close shaves, but we made it out okay."

They made some small talk as they exited the empty HQ. Jake showed genuine concern about his safety, and admonished him not to go harrying off anytime soon.

"The relations between the Bright Republic and the Vesia Kingdom has hit rock-bottom. The Battle of the Two Fleets caused both sides to suffer a significant amount of casualties. Both are eager to avenge their losses. A declaration of war is imminent."

"I know. I was in that very battle, though only in the outskirts."

He personally experienced the depth to which the two sides hated each other. The bad blood between the two states would never end until one side wiped out the other side.

After Ves assured Jake of his safety, the conversation took an unpleasant turn. Jake noted that Ves was still bottling up his resentment, so he took the initiative to come clean.

"Look Ves, about the licensing contract to Vaun, everyone from the Larkinson Estate was in favor of this move. Your grandfather had actually been the driving force of this decision. The Larkinsons are in need of money."

There was much for Ves to criticize. First, did his grandfather really demand this initiative, or had the old fogies from the steering committee pushed him to support this move? Second, why would the Larkinson Estate be lacking money? They’d gone by since the founding of the Republic without any hiccups.

Still, despite his many questions, Ves felt no need to hash it out with Jake. "I admit I’m very discontented about this partnership with Vaun. I made it very clear that Vaun is not a fit for the LMC. Their manufacturing methods are a disservice to a design like the Blackbeak."

Jake didn’t understand what Ves was saying. To a businessman and administrator like him, all mechs were tools to be used and discarded at a whim.

"Ves, can you at least admit that the contract with Vaun has provided us with immediate short-term benefits? The licensing fees they are paying will easily be able to pay for the expansions the LMC desperately needs. We will be able to add two new production lines by the end of the fiscal year!"

Ves really couldn’t stand to hear any further rationalizations. "You still crossed the line! This is my company, and my say matters the most. I can understand how much it hurts to miss all of those potential profits due to a lack of capacity, but you should have at least found another manufacturer that is similar to EME. Instead, the entire board and you treated my opinions with contempt and went ahead with Vaun anyway!"

He rarely got angry, but when he did, everyone took notice. Jake halted in his tracks but refused to admit any fault. "Disagree with me if you will, but I stand by our decision. In your sudden absence, the LMC still needs direction. Every member of the board agrees it makes a lot of sense to go to bed with a professional and capable mech manufacturer. The results speak for themselves. We are richer than ever before!"

"That’s the only reason why I haven’t fired you!"

"Maybe you should!"

After some time, Ves calmed down. He didn’t want to harp on this issue because the milk had already been spilled. Instead of continuing to ruin his relationship with his Chief Operating Officer, he’d rather move on and adjust the course of the LMC from this point onwards.

"Jake, you’re a good administrator, but you’re not irreplaceable. I asked the Larkinson Estate to send some capable people, and I can do it again if needed. Your only value in my eyes is to act as a caretaker of the business side of the LMC. It is not your job to come up with your own initiatives and act outside your boundaries."

"Understood." The man replied with resignation. Jake appeared man enough to shoulder the responsibility of his decision. "I suggest you remain within reach if you don’t want something like this to happen again. It’s easy to act like you’re the boss, but decisions still have to be made even when you’re absent."