After Ves gained enough clarification on the prospective deals that Davute had struck with Patriarch Reginald Cross and Venerable Ark Larkinson, he wondered who else had joined the merry party. "Are there any other notable individuals and groups that I am acquainted with that have decided to throw their hats into the ring? Did you manage to make inroads with the Adelaides and the Boojays as well?" Yenames Clive responded with an unhelpful smile. "We are regularly in talks with parties that can field a sizable amount of mechs. The Adelaide Third Fleet and the Boojay Family have both expressed varying degrees of interest, but our negotiations with them have not progressed as quickly as we have hoped. Unlike your Davute Branch and the Cross Clan, the aforementioned groups are new to our colony and have yet to establish any significant holdings in our region, so it will take more effort to persuade them to invest in our Davute Project." That was more informative than Ves thought, but the prospective president had already made it clear that he was not letting go of the future partners of the Golden Skull Alliance either! The news disrupted much of Ves' future arrangements. He previously thought that his expanded expeditionary fleet could boldly enter the deep frontier and smash aside any opposition by relying solely on brute force! Ves had to throw that assumption away now that he learned that his expeditionary fleet may be missing out on entire mech regiments as well as a number of crucial high-ranking mechs! From what it sounded like, Ves could already cross out Patriarch Reginald Cross and a significant portion of the Cross Clan's mech force from his list! As for his clan, his Davute Branch may be the one that was looking to sign a lucrative agreement with Davute, but it looked as if a lot of strong soldiers and assets from his core mech legions wanted to take part in this circus as well! "Anyone else?" "We are already in talks with the Murphy Family to invest in the expansion of their shipbuilding company." Yenames Clive responded. "Once we have concluded an agreement with them, we will help Murphy & Sons double the number of shipyards under its control within a year. Expanding the total shipbuilding capacity of our colonial state is one of our highest priorities for obvious reasons." "What else?" "We have opened a secret dialogue with the Hex Federation in order to explore the possibility of holding a mutual exchange between colonial states. Forming a military alliance is out of the question, but the Hexers may be more receptive to trading technologies, strategic materials and military know-how. If our talks progress well enough, we may even be able to persuade the Hexers to send their experienced military officers to our state to serve as our consultants and advisors." Ves seriously questioned the wisdom of listening to any advice from a Hexer officer, but he believed that the Davutans possessed enough common sense to make their own judgment. "Is that all or did you miss someone?" Yenames Clive finally shook his head. "That is all for the time being. We are constantly seeking ways to understand the needs of different groups and open up a dialogue with them in order to conduct a productive and mutually beneficial exchange. In my experience, I am convinced that there are always opportunities to cooperate. We can even negotiate with Karlach in order to prevent the outbreak of violence. We simply choose not to do so as we are unwilling to bear the burden of conceding a war before it can commence." Ves felt grateful that the prospective president did not mention any more groups around the Larkinsons that the Davutans managed to rope into their upcoming war. That did not mean that he was happy with the number of partners of the Larkinson Clan that had already been mesmerized by the colonial government! He frowned deeper and deeper as he became more cognizant of how extensively the colonial government had constricted him and his clan. "Invest in us, Patriarch Larkinson." Yenames Clive urged. "Join your compatriots and reap the benefits of helping a powerful state come to power. Starships, technology, resources, phasewater and even entire territories are up for the taking. Such opportunities are difficult to come by and can only be found during the early days of colonizing a new region of space." "You can say that about any colony that is working to form its own state. More and more zones will become available in the Red Ocean over time. I can continue to wait until our clan is ready and willing to play this game." "That may be true, but since this opportunity is already in front of you, why not take it? You do not even have to bet your entire clan on this partnership. Your expeditionary fleet already has more than enough mechs at its disposal. Transferring a few mech regiments and numerous expert mechs will not drastically reduce the combat strength of your fleet, but it will allow your clan to diversify its overall development and become one of the more significant founders of our prosperous state, second only to the starting investors such as the Clive Consortium." Ves was getting overwhelmed by the momentum that President Yenames Clive had formed with his shocking series of announcements. It became more and more difficult for him to keep up a straight mind and shake off the emotional turmoil that was raging in his mind. He shared a deep look with Minister Shederin Purnesse. The old diplomat and advisor conveyed an urgent signal that called for halting the current dialogue. The Larkinsons needed to take stock of the latest revelations and verify the details by checking up on their sources before making any serious decisions! There was no way that the Larkinson Clan could make a well-reasoned decision within this charged atmosphere! Ves abruptly stood up and bowed his head. "My apologies, president, but we have heard enough for one day. We would like to end our talks for this day so that we can deliberate more extensively on the information that we have received. It will take time for us to process what we have learned and decide on our answer to your comprehensive offer." "Understandable. We will give you all of the time you need to form your decision." Yenames Clive said with a satisfied expression. The man was anything if not confident, especially after he deployed his well-prepared trap! Right now, it felt as if Ves had ignorantly blundered into a bear trap that had firmly clamped onto his leg. Not only did the trap hurt his leg a lot, it also kept his body stuck in the same place! No matter how much Ves attempted to drag himself away from this precarious location, there was no way he could escape this targeted trap! As such, Ves did not exactly have any good feelings left towards Davute. Though he understood that President Yenames Clive had personally come in order to demonstrate how sincere he was and how far he was willing to go to gain the cooperation of the Larkinson Clan, nobody liked being plotted against. Ves still had to keep up appearances, though. He dutifully approached the future ruler and shook hands while maintaining a pleasant smile on his face. They chit-chatted for a few minutes on a few trivial topics, but Yenames Clive still had other appointments on his agenda. "Please deliberate as long as you want." The older gentleman smiled. "Once your clan is ready to issue a formal reply to our latest offer, my chief of staff here will represent our colonial government in any subsequent talks. I hope that you will see the wisdom of working together with us to build a shared legacy in the Krakatoa Middle Zone. In this way, no matter how far your travels take you, your clan will always have a strong and welcoming safe harbor to return to if there is any need for one. We are not asking you to become an indoor cat, but even the most adventurous outdoor cat occasionally needs the shelter of a proper home." "Meow!" Lucky nodded his head in agreement as he casually hovered over everyone's heads. "Oh, shut up you." Ves hissed towards his cat. After President Yenames Clive, his team and his large procession of guards finally made their way out of the Cat Nest. The complex became a lot more relaxed now that the powerful officials no longer put the Larkinson Clan in the spotlight. It went without saying that many arms of the Larkinson Clan became incredibly busy in the next few hours! The Black Cats, the personnel working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Branch Director Raymond Billingsley-Larkinson and many more Larkinsons were frantically trying to confirm the latest news! They also sought to obtain further information in an attempt to forestall any future surprises that the Davutans might spring onto the Larkinsons. Ves decided to do his part by seeking out his dearest uncle in person! "Ark!" He shouted as he entered the underground mech hangar where the Travon Exine was currently stationed. "Meow!" Lucky echoed as he rested in Ves' arms. The Garlen-developed expert mech was a pretty powerful machine, though it was nothing special by Red Ocean standards. His wife still had to get around to planning a hasty refit of the high-tier expert hybrid mech in order to give Ark a much better chance of winning any battles in the near future. "Ves." The older Larkinson calmly spoke as he turned his attention away from the gaggle of Larkinson mech pilots that he had been lecturing. "I see you have just concluded a meeting with the government." "I did. They revealed a lot of unexpected news to me, of which one of them happens to pertain to you and our Davute Branch!" Ark let out a sigh and waved his hand to dismiss his subordinates. "I suppose you have come to hear my account, is that correct?" "It's a start." "Then let us head somewhere more private so that we can hold a frank discussion." They moved to the nearest meeting room in the underground complex that had been built to hold highly confidential briefings. Ves did not blindly assume that the entire place was free of bugs. He let go of Lucky so that the gem cat could quickly sweep through the modest chamber with his advanced senses. "Meow meow meow." After eating a few microscopic bugs that had somehow evaded the latest routine security sweep, Ves finally settled down on a plain metal seat and expressed his displeasure. "I hear you have been meeting with new people as of late." Venerable Ark Larkinson shrugged and smiled at his brother's son. "I am new to this port system. Many colonists have made their home here, and the sheer amount of visitors who have come to trade and do business is astounding. I have already received dozens of invitations to join a diverse array of pilot clubs that gather many different expert pilots together. I can easily meet with a dozen different respected warriors and soldiers every day." "I am not talking about your social life, Ark. I hear you have been talking to a woman who hails from a much greater and more official institution. I don't know how it goes in the old Larkinson Family, but please remember that we have a chain of command in our clan. You are supposed to direct those kinds of speakers to Larkinsons who are empowered to speak on our behalf. In your case, that is Branch Director Raymond- Billingsley-Larkinson. He is the only man who can make major diplomatic decisions on behalf of his branch. I entrusted him with this power because I know he wouldn't pull off a stunt like you have just done." Surprisingly enough, Ark did not show any degree of contrition. "Is there a problem with what I have done, Ves? Because I do not think there is an issue. Do not forget that while I have recently resigned from my position in the Larkinson Family, I have yet to sign all of the paperwork that formally finalizes my entry into your Larkinson Clan. I am currently a private individual and I have the right to speak for myself. I understand that you are upset at my actions, but just because you are family does not mean you control me. Please respect my boundaries and allow me the freedom to choose my own path in my life." "..." Ves had a feeling that talking to Ark was going to be a lot more troublesome than he anticipated this time!