[201-400] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 230: Transition

Director Royce left with empty hands after a largely fruitless meeting with Ves.

Having seen their true face, Ves did not have a good impression of the Pioneers. Even in their brief but cordial conversation, Royce always assumed an air that Ves already belonged to their crowd.

While Ves favored a better business climate, that did not mean he wanted to step into the swamp of politics. In his eyes, the Pioneers were just as sleazy as the ruling coalition. He had no doubt that as soon as the winds turned against him, the Pioneers would be the first to abandon his side.

No matter what the director promised, Ves refused to entertain any entreaties for his support. Faced with a brick wall in terms of willingness to cooperate, Royce got the message and made himself scarce.

"Are you sure it's a good idea to keep him at arm's length?" Carlos asked as he entered the lounge.

"I'm in the business of selling mechs, not policy making."

The only useful bit of information Ves got out of the conversation was when Royce explained the Republican Commissioner's lack of involvement.

"The Commissioner is an old man who's been pushed out of a cushy position at the capital. Right now, he's expected to hold the fort and keep his head down. He can ill afford a controversy on his hands, which will be sure to happen if he intervenes."

"So we're simply a place of exile for an outmaneuvered politician?"

"Don't forget what planet we are on." Royce emphasized. "To the Republic, Cloudy Curtain is one of Bentheim's bread basket. As long as it keep supplying cloud rice, they don't really care how developed our industries are."

At the very least, Ves and the Pioneers agreed that Cloudy Curtain deserved to be more than a farm planet. That was why Ves rejected closer ties. They largely worked towards the same goal already.

"Let's get back to business." Ves turned his attention back to the real matters at hand. "Our first shipment of raw materials have arrived, right?"

"Yup. Enough to build four comechs. You wanted to fabricate the Marcus Aurelius first, right? Don't you think it's better to start with the Caesar Augustus and gain some proficiency?"

He shook his head. "I already mastered its design and most of its nuances. At my level of proficiency, I won't gain anything new after fabricating sixteen copies of the Caesar Augustus. I'm more anxious about finishing the most important orders first. Those who paid the most should get priority over those who ordered our regular products."

Ves had plenty of reasons to hurry up with the Marcus Aurelius models. For one, a couple of mech portals obsessed over the Marcus Aurelius. Those who experienced the show model up close gave out glowing remarks. Those who heard about the auction from afar savaged the design for being grossly overpriced.

While the auction contract didn't include the option for buyers to cancel their orders, Ves didn't want them to regret their bids. Fulfilling their orders as soon as possible should alleviate the criticism he received because the model would become more accessible this way.

Besides, fulfilling these orders also netted him almost half a billion credits in gross revenue. That was easy money, especially since he only had to deliver three additional mechs besides the original show model.

For the upcoming batch of mechs, Ves gathered Carlos and Cyril who returned from the MTA.

"The Marcus Aurelius is a prestige design. The frames have to come out flawlessly from our workshop. I'm going for perfection this time. Speed is not an issue."