The Mech Touch

As lots of striped white-and-blue mechs and guards stood guard within the central hall of the Ascension Gallery, two prominent leaders continued to engage each other in conversation.

On one side was Prospective President Yenames Clive, a man that had already started to shape Davute when it was in its infancy and reluctantly won enough support to keep ruling it once his jurisdiction expanded to an entire colonial state.

On the other side was Patriarch Ves Larkinson, a Journeyman Mech Designer who already led a growing clan that fought against some of the more formidable indigenous aliens and also introduced so many innovations that even the Mech Trade Association already recognized his contributions.

Both of them were giants in their respective spheres of influence, and each of them possessed the pride, confidence and dignity of those who had fought hard to reach their current positions.

These similarities fostered an immediate sense of understanding and camaraderie. Despite their vastly diverging backgrounds and substantial difference in age, Ves found the other man to be a lot easier to talk to than he expected.

Of course, there was no doubt that Yenames Clive purposefully modulated his conduct in front of Ves in order to increase the chance of a positive outcome. The future ruler of Davute was not stupid enough to put on airs and throw his weight around in front of a critical individual who could become a real asset to his upcoming state.

"Meow..."

Oh, there was also a cat in the chamber.

Lucky largely ignored the complicated dynamic between the two leaders and laid next to the statue that depicted a much larger and more resplendent-looking cat.

Occasionally, the gem cat stared curiously at Yenames Clive and a few members of his well-dressed entourage, but otherwise the Davutans did not hold his interest.

As Yenames Clive stared up at the giant golden statue in wonder and experienced the exotic object's strange but comforting glow, he continued to lead the conversation.

"You have traveled further across the new frontier than I have." The future president said. "I envy you for that. You are a self-made man and a pioneer who does not have to answer to a group of superiors. How is the Red Ocean like beyond the region around this port system?"

Ves shrugged in response. "I have barely scratched the surface of what the new frontier has to offer. It may be a miniature galaxy, but the Red Ocean still encompasses plenty of light-years even if humanity has only captured a part of the outer edge up until this point. Still, the aliens I've encountered and the warships that my mech forces have fought against are much more diverse than any human force. You can never get tired or bored with exploring what these completely different and inhuman civilizations have come up with. This is what I crave and this is what will help me become a better mech designer."

"Understandable." Yenames Clive spoke with a respectful nod. "As an accomplished mech designer without much of a fixed foundation, your freedom of movement is much greater than many of your peers, and you are taking full advantage of that by going on interesting expeditions."

"I consider myself to be a true pioneer." Ves proudly stated as he stood behind the mech-sized statue of the Golden Cat. "The MTA said as much as well. There are so many mysteries and so much treasure out there that are ripe for the taking. Sure, the local aliens aren't so eager to let us take what we want, but as long as we have enough guts and mechs, we can overcome any obstacle."

Yenames Clive shifted his gaze from the giant cat statue to the much smaller gem cat that was lazily lounging to the side.

Lucky responded to the gaze by letting out a lazy yawn that showed off his sharp metal-tearing teeth.

"Meow..."

The prospective president grinned in amusement. "I admire and commend your activities. You are truly embodying one of the archetypical roles of a pioneer. That does not mean that other varieties of pioneers are less deserving of respect. The territories conquered by humanity are vast, and some pioneers have to do the arduous task of civilizing them to the point where they can become the latest havens for our expanding race. The pioneers who undertake much of the risk of building colonies across the new frontiers should also be worthy of respect."

That was a noble sentiment and one that Ves could not deny.

"You have made a good point, president. I do not explicitly place myself above the other diligent pioneers who have chosen to grasp a different opportunity in the new frontier."

Yenames Clive gestured his hand at the cat statue. "I find that pioneers bear a large resemblance to cats. There are different variations of cats. Some are clearly indoor cats. They feel safe and in control when they remain in the same home for many years. They are highly protective towards their family and will make their stand and defend their territory against any hostile intruders."

Ves threw the older man a strange look. "I take it that I am an outdoor cat in this analogy of yours?"

"It fits, does it not? There are certain cats that are more adventurous by nature. They will become restless and dissatisfied if they continue to remain locked inside a home when there is an entire world outside to explore. They are most content when they are regularly let out to spend their days as they wish and get to experience new sights and interactions each time they range outside of their homes."

"That sounds like an apt description of myself and my clan." Ves smiled. "My nature is identical to that of an outdoor cat. Don't get me wrong. It's nice to stay in a warm and comfy home, but I won't be able to become the biggest cat on the block if I can only be a normal housecat."

"Meow!" Lucky helpfully agreed.

That caused Yenames Clive to subtly shake his head.

"As much as outdoors cats spend their time beneath the open skies, they are not equivalent to feral cats. The latter live much rougher and shorter lives as they are never truly safe. They have no support to lean on when they grow hungry or are targeted by larger and more vicious predators. An outdoor cat on the other hand can explore the outside world just as much, but also has the convenience of returning to a safe and peaceful home where they can let down their guard, fill their stomach and seek shelter from any storms. They can also build a much more secure nest to raise their kittens and deposit their less capable relatives. In short, outdoor cats get to enjoy the best of both worlds."

That was an interesting way to extend this analogy. The implicit message behind it was that being an outdoor cat was vastly more preferable than becoming completely feral. After all, the latter had no fallback option at all, while the former could always go back to a warm hearth for either himself or his family.

"My fleet indeed falls short of that of the much more self-sufficient armadas of true spaceborn clans." Ves conceded. "My clansmen aren't entirely ready to say goodbye to planets and we are still dependent on the resources and facilities that only fixed locations can provide. That said, this outdoor cat is rather picky. This cat has already been driven out of his original home by his previous owner. That has left him scarred and distrustful of other owners. Aside from that, the feline also doesn't have any attachments to alternative homes. There is not much of a difference between Davute, Karlach or any other colonial state from the perspective of a wandering cat."

Ves did not want Yenames Clive to one-sidedly grasp the thread of the conversation. He needed to throw in a few complications and make the future ruler work a little harder to appeal to the Larkinsons.

"The Red Ocean is vast. Humanity are still newcomers in this dwarf galaxy, but pioneers such as ourselves have already settled many different locations. The Davute System is but one human stronghold among many. I can readily admit that the port system and the colonial state that we are building around it are not the largest, the wealthiest or the most martially formidable of colonies. What I do appreciate is that it is mine, yet it can be yours as well."

Ves looked impressed. This pitch sounded more and more compelling. He liked it when bigshots put down their arrogance and frankly admitted the reality of their weaknesses. It showed that such a leader not only understood his place quite clearly, but also made him more inclined to listen to others.

"That sounds nice, President Clive, but I can imagine that you say the same phrase to many other people. Davute has become a lot more crowded compared to a few years ago. While the colony definitely remains yours, it has also become the common property of hundreds if not thousands of other magnates and organizations. Becoming another 'owner' of Davute has become a meaningless statement. I would be no more influential than a tiny retail investor in a gigantic public company."

"Ah, but that is where you are mistaken. Patriarch Larkinson, do you think that a tiny retail investor who only bought a couple of shares merits a formal visit from the CEO of the company? You do not need to belittle yourself. You and your clan have become one of the larger and more famous pillars of our growing colonial state. From our viewpoint, you have become a significant institutional investor of our great Davute Project. While your monetary commitment may be far less than that of other institutional investors, you make up for that in other helpful ways, from becoming a famed adventurer pioneer to increasing the diversity of mechs in our colonial state."

Ves looked skeptical. "That may be true, but it is a stretch to equate my clan to those fellow partners of yours that have sunk hundreds of millions if not billions of MTA credits in the initial years of your colonization project."

He did not exactly know the full monetary cost of building up Davute, but it was not that difficult to make a loose estimate.

"The total sum is considerably greater if you include both opportunity costs and intangibles." Yenames Clive informed the Larkinson Patriarch. "That is beside the point. A strong colonial state cannot be built with money alone. We need more if we want to forge hundreds of disparate star systems and thousands of different shareholders in a single, united cause. We need inspiring heroes like yourself. We need unique mechs that can become the iconic machines of our nascent mech military, just as your Valkyrie Redeemer model has done so for the Hexadric Hegemony. Your Larkinson Clan is utterly unique and can enrich Davute in ways that others cannot equal. We are prepared to make a good case of how you can benefit us, and how we can benefit you in turn."

The dynamic of this discussion had been rather weird from the start. It was pretty normal in negotiations for one side to oversell itself while underselling the other party.

However, before Yenames Clive properly began to extol the virtues of committing to Davute, he had pumped up the value of the Larkinson Clan and thereby made it harder for him to limit the amount of concessions he had to make.

The man had little choice, though.

Ves wasn't eager to settle in Davute to begin with, and he would be a fool if he did not play hard to get in this verbal dance.

The prospective president therefore had to build a proper case of why Ves and his clan would become valued partners of Davute before he could proceed any further!