Generally speaking, Ves did not possess much enthusiasm at the notion of collaborating with a bunch of Masters. He had done it a few times with a number of Hexer mech designers for specific high-end variants, but at least these incredibly smart and arrogant women showed enough deference to him due to his outsized status in Hexer society. Ves did not expect to receive the same level of respect and deference from the Masters. These older figures would no doubt feel annoyed for having to collaborate with a Journeyman on an equal level. It would be much better if he managed to become a Senior prior to collaborating with any Masters on any projects. The gap in status and design capabilities would be a lot more tolerable if that was the case. Ves would also be able to gain a much greater voice in the direction of the commissioned projects. Perhaps the colonial administration understood his concerns, because Reina Kernsk moved quickly to reassure the Larkinsons. "Your patriarch has nothing to fear from us. If you decide to accept any commissions from us, we will ensure that Ves Larkinson has the final say over the design projects. His prior work for the Hexers years ago has already proven his ability to contribute strong and useful mech designs to a professional state-backed military organization. We have great confidence that his ability to do so has only improved in the years that have passed since you have completed your initial batch. This is especially the case with the release of recent Hexer mech models such as the Maiden of Adversity." Though her words sounded reassuring, she clearly did not understand mech designers as well as Ves. It was one thing to cooperate with a close friend and trusted mech designer such as Master Benedict Cortez. It was another thing to usurp control over a project from a bunch of strangers who also happened to be at least four times older than him. When he factored in the awareness that the Davutan Masters were much more knowledgeable and experienced, then it would be difficult for him to implement his desired vision without encountering a lot of opposition! "I am already involved in a large number of ongoing design projects." Ves told the Davutans. "Many of them are extremely important to our clan, and I will not set them aside in favor of working on any commissions. If you want to make use of my design expertise, then you will have to wait at least half a year before I have cleared up my schedule. I can promise you that I will work on any commissions with the best of my efforts when I can fully devote my time to them. This is my promise as a professional mech designer." Reina Kernsk frowned for a second. "That is disappointing to hear, but we can accommodate your schedule. The anticipated war between our rivals based in Karlach is not projected to start in at least six months to several years. Both of us need time to consolidate our new government institutions, stockpile a large amount of supplies and organize our armed forces. Even if the war commences sooner than we prefer, it will still take multiple years before it reaches its culmination. We need to field the commissioned mechs before that happens." That made a lot of sense. Wars were serious business. The Komodo War involved thousands of major battles across many different star systems. Even if one side gained an advantage, the other side could still do a lot to delay their adversary's progress and work towards reversing the trend. The two sides talked a bit more about the conditions for the possible commissions. After settling a few minor differences, the Davutans wanted a firm answer on how many designs they could commission from the Larkinsons. "We are reluctant to collaborate with Davute, but in light of our existing relations with your colonial administrations, we are open to accepting a limited number of commissions under the terms that we have previously discussed." Minister Shederin spoke in an officious tone. "How many we are ultimately willing to fulfill depends on the scope and complexity of the mech designs, the additional requirements you have set for them and the height of our remuneration." The Larkinson Clan was still reluctant to get too involved in a war between two colonial states. Taking sides was generally bad for business for a player that wanted to sell its products to every market. Nonetheless, Ves and Shederin had already spoken about this matter beforehand. They both agreed that they would generate unnecessary hostility and rejection from Davute if they refused any sort of transactions. It was best to allow Prospective President Yenames Clive to come away with at least a few successes under his belt. Also, by agreeing to the colonial government's smaller and more palatable requests, it became a lot easier to reject any larger and much more problematic demands! Yenames Clive and his chief of staff exchanged glances before the latter projected a list above the conference table. "A team composed of several chief mech designers and military advisors have formulated a list of possible mechs that should measurably increase the performance of our mech units. You do not have to design them exactly according to our descriptions. As we have stated earlier, we respect your design judgment and are willing to accept any suggestions from your end as long as we think they can strengthen our mech troops." That was rather generous of them. It showed that Davute was seriously willing to allow the Larkinsons to take the lead in any commissioned design projects. Ves busied himself by going over each and every suggestion on the list. Some of them were fairly easy to fulfill, such as one that requested a full military-grade adaptation of the Ferocious Piranha. Others required him to start from scratch. One of them concerned a proposal to design an elite transphasic heavy cannoneer mech that was not only armed with a powerful weapon, but also enjoyed enhanced defenses in the form of adaptable defensive plates similar to the Battle Skirt System. Enhancing this mech design with the steadfastness of Qilanxo along with the phasewater manipulation of the Phase King should turn it into an offensive and defensive powerhouse! Even Ves felt tempted to design such an imposing mech, though on second thought his clan already possessed a decent cannoneer mech in the form of the Eternal Redemption. "These are fine suggestions." Ves complimented the Davutans. "I can see that your team has put careful thought on which of my glows can better complement specific mech designs, but I do not wish to go into any specifics at this early stage. I would much prefer to meet with your Master Mech Designers that I am supposed to work with. I believe a more direct exchange will allow us to formulate much more relevant and fitting mech concepts." The female chief of staff nodded after a few seconds. "That is acceptable. We still wish to negotiate with you on how many commissions you and your clan are willing to undertake on behalf of our colonial state. The sooner we settle these details, the sooner we can plan and prepare for their eventual introduction into our armed forces. Are you willing to accept ten separate commissions from us as a start?" Ves immediately shook his head. "That is too much in too little time. It does not take ten of my works to turn the tide against Karlach. Two or three distinct and original mech designs should be enough to improve the combat effectiveness of the forces aligned to your side, provided that they are willing to make use of my work. My Design Department is also open to developing a handful of customized variants of our existing commercial and maybe non-commercial mech models. However, we are not willing to undertake much more than that for the time being. We also have to address other priorities." He did not want to turn his clan into a de facto vassal or employee of Davute. Working on a couple of commissioned mech designs was already sufficient. Working non-stop on nothing but mech designs meant for the war was not okay! "We are always willing to extend more commissions from your clan, but is it acceptable to start with three major collaboration projects and three minor projects?" That request pushed against the upper boundary of what Ves was able to stomach. He had to admit that the Davutans read him well for choosing these numbers. "It depends on what you are willing to pay for our services." He said. "I am well aware that my design work has great value, so I have high standards for remuneration. If you are not willing to show enough sincerity, then I am afraid I have to decline your proposals." The key word here was sincerity. If there was one advantage to face-to-face meetings, it was that Ves could get a much better read of his potential clients and business partners. If he had any suspicion that the Davutans intended to exploit or screw him over, then he would stand up and leave the conference room without hesitation! The other side probably figured that out as well. "Can we obtain a discount for placing multiple orders?" "Nope." Ves immediately shook his head. "It's the opposite in fact. If you want us to undertake six commissions at once, then I expect you to pay a greater price. Despite what you said, it is clear that time is of the essence for Davute. The sooner you can reinforce your armed forces with the right living mechs, the greater your side can make use of the advantages of my work." This was a logical argument and made it more difficult for the Davutans to justify a lower price. Right now, the ball was on their court. The colonial administration had to use its judgment to make a good opening offer. If it was too high, then Davute would most certainly hurt its cause and take away precious resources reserved for other purposes and stakeholders. If it was too low, then Davute risked offending the Larkinson Clan, thereby reducing the chances of forging a successful agreement. It felt quite good for Ves to be in this position for once. He didn't have to be the one to overwork his brain this time. He leaned back on his chair and idly petted Lucky's back. The cat had made his way back after getting pushed away by the Davutans. "Meow~" Thirty seconds passed by as Yenames Clive silently conferred with his assistants over a secure communication channel. The leader eventually decided to voice his offer in person. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂 "We have studied the needs of your clan." Yenames Clive began. "We have noted that you are not particularly in need of additional funding or phasewater, but we have also ascertained that you are lacking in strategic goods and assets that are difficult to come by for a pioneering group such as yours. Our colonial state can greatly address your persistent and acute shortages, so I believe we have a strong basis of cooperation." The future ruler raised his palm, causing a new projection to appear that displayed numerous different starship models. "I would like to propose a straightforward transaction at the start. We are willing to award you with two medium-sized fleet carriers — or any other capital ship type of your choosing — for every major commission that you complete for us. We are ready to award you with one large sub-capital ship of almost any class or type for every minor commission that you fulfill. Do take into account that we will not outfit these starships with any sensitive or important proprietary technology that we ordinarily reserve for our core forces. The vessels will be built according to conventional commercial standards, though our shipyards will not reject higher specifications as long as your clan provides the necessary tech, designs and materials." Ves looked utterly surprised at this offer. He glanced towards his diplomatic advisor and saw that Shederin was not totally caught off guard by such a generous proposal. The Davutans had definitely shown a lot of sincerity this time!