The Mech Touch

The Ascension Gallery as he contemplated calling it was a large semi-open structure that was meant to be both grand and open.

The intention of this gallery was to give both clansmen and visitors from outside an introduction or reminder of the best mechs and design spirits of the Larkinson Clan.

The long structure was split up into two wings.

The design spirit wing would feature large totems of every design spirit that Ves was willing to expose to the public.

Though Ves still had to spend time on making all of the mech-sized totems, once they assumed their place in this facility, the wing would turn into a glow-filled course that was sure to become a popular attraction!

Everyone who visited it would be able to experience the glows and familiarize themselves with the character of the Larkinson Clan's design spirits first-hand!

The other wing of the Ascension Gallery was dedicated to exhibiting the most iconic mechs of the Living Mech Corporation.

Visitors would be able to get close and bask in the presence of the bestsellers that defined the LMC's product catalog. Models such as the Desolate Soldier, the Ferocious Piranha and even the Monster Slayer would soon be able to show off their splendor!

Ves even weighed the option of showing off commissioned mechs and Larkinson-exclusive mechs such as the Valkyrie Redeemer and the earliest edition of the Bright Warrior.

As long as exposing their frames did not reveal anything the public already know, he had no problem displaying the mechs that he used to rely on in battles.

Putting them on display was also a good way to keep their designs and lines alive even if they had become too outdated to be of use to the Larkinson Army.

As Ves stood in the center hall where a bunch of cats were paying tribute to the Golden Cat by imitating human behavior, he tried to imagine the splendor of the Ascension Gallery once it was complete.

A lot of Larkinsons assigned to the surface did not have to seek out specific mechs in order to experience their glows or study what made them great.

Tourists and potential customers might drop in as well in order to experience the Larkinson Clan's unique products.

"Maybe I should charge money for entry." Ves contemplated.

The Masterwork Galleries showed that there was a lot of demand for exhibitions that showcased interesting mechs and products. It would be reasonable for the Larkinsons to charge a fee to enter the Ascension Gallery.

However, Ves was disinclined to set a high price that was unaffordable to average colonists. Part of the reason why he wanted to show off much of his work was because he wanted to promote his mech company's products!

He decided to let the branch decide these matters on its own. It would be fine to attract a lot of visitors as long as the gallery did not become as busy as a marketplace.

After Ves and his wife finished their lengthy tour of the compound that was under construction, they decided to follow-up on a couple of appointments.

They left Aurelia and Clixie in the company of Shannon Maris and began to visit a handful of other nearby lots that were either under construction or already built.

Industrial District 2 might not be as impressive and prestigious as Industrial District 1, but the high costs and high requirements associated with the former meant that only well-off pioneering organizations had any chance of occupying the surrounding lots!

Any facilities built in this district also had to pay substantially higher taxes than those built outside Kotor City.

It was all worth it for those that already possessed an abundant amount of money.

The reason why this district was so favored was because its location was highly favorable. It was easily accessible from both the center and the outskirts of Kotor City. Visitors and customers did not have to go through a lot of trouble to visit the new compound.

The district was also meant to become a shipping nexus. There were many warehouses and distribution centers in the vicinity that could quickly and efficiently meet the logistical needs of nearby industrial facilities.

While all of this sounded a bit boring, more efficient and more convenient shipping could save many hours and days of waiting. Less goods would remain stuck in inventory and many products would arrive in the hands of their customers a lot faster.

In the end, the gains from more efficient logistics and distributions would do much to offset the high cost of maintaining a large compound in this district!

It was not without reason that Ves first chose to visit the nearest warehouse and distribution center!

The couple alongside their substantial security escort stopped before an open gate.

A jolly-looking fellow in a brown business suit floated forward until he landed in front of his guests.

"Larkinsons! Welcome to our latest branch. I am Alistair Wirtle, the branch director of this large-scale distribution site. We are glad to learn that your mech company is interested in making use of our extensive array of services."

The new arrival extended a chubby hand which Ves eagerly shook.

"Hello. Thank you for receiving us, director. We are glad to obtain an opportunity to tour your fine warehouses and distribution facilities. We will be relying on your services to ship us the raw materials we need and transport our end products to their intended recipients."

The two exchanged nice-sounding pleasantries while heading further inside. Just like the new compound of the Larkinson Clan, the new distribution center was still under construction.

_.

Even so, Three Point Shipping had already made sure it completed a couple of warehouses and a modestly-sized distribution center first so that it could already perform smaller-scale jobs.

Dozens of shuttles and transports were already in the processing of loading up on trade goods or taking out manufactured products.

"Three Point Shipping welcomes shipping from all forms of industries." Director Alistair Wirtle explained. "We can safely store and transport volatile goods ranging from energetic exotics to entire batches of biomechs."

"What is the reach of your distribution network?" Gloriana asked.

"We are in the process of building over a dozen smaller branches throughout the Krakatoa Middle Zone. We are already in the process of building more branches in locations such as the Magair Middle Zones and other other surrounding regions. However, we do not need a dedicated branch facility at a given destination in order to cater to your needs."

In general, Three Point Shipping would already possess a fairly impressive distribution network after a couple of months. The fact that the company that was mainly based in the galactic heartland of the Milky Way already set up so many branches at once showed that it possessed a strong foundation!

"What about your security arrangements?" Ves critically asked. "What preparations have you made to ensure your shipping won't get lost during transit?"

"We have adopted a different business strategy for the Red Ocean that puts a much greater emphasis on security and guarantees. Our rates may not be as affordable as that of our competitors, but we believe so strongly in the security of our trade convoys that we are willing to offer guarantees and insurance for all of our shipping. As long as we lose any shipment, we will provide full compensation to the affected clients. However, the chances of accidents taking place should be low due to our extensive security forces and protocols."

Ves had learned that Three Point Shipping dared to offer guarantees for the safe delivery of goods due to heavy investment in its mech forces.

The shipping company was willing to wait a few days in order to accumulate enough goods and gather enough mech pilots together to form a well-protected trade convoy.

Though such fleets would stand little chance against advanced alien warfleets, the chances of any ship bumping into them in and around Krakatoa was extremely low!

Even if a trade convoy did end up getting lost, then Three Point Shipping would still be able to survive even after paying hefty compensation to its clients!

The reason for that was that Three Point Shipping simply charged several times the money of other shipping companies.

Shipping in the Red Ocean was already high to begin with due to the difficulty of engaging in any shipping activities in an underdeveloped dwarf galaxy.

If the Larkinsons seriously went to bed with Three Point Shipping, then the clan would probably have to pay thousands of MTA credits on shipping alone!

There were shipping companies that only charged hundreds of MTA credits for delivering shipments at this scale.

However, Ves did not agree to go to bed with those cheaper companies.

Not only did they refuse to provide full compensation for any shipments that got lost in transit, Ves also had little confidence that they would be able to survive in the dwarf galaxy in the long run!

The Red Ocean was too dangerous. Human and alien raiding fleets were constantly on the lookout for easy marks.

Perhaps an ordinary shipping company might be able to absorb the losses produced from losing a single trade convoy, but what about a third one or a fifth one?

Until Krakatoa and the surrounding zones became civilized enough, Ves thought it was extremely foolish to rely too much on under-defended trade convoys and expect everything to go right.

Ves quizzed Director Wirtle a little more. The high fees sounded painful, but as long as the new manufacturing Complex started churning out hundreds of mechs a day, the profits generated from selling mechs could easily absorb the cost of shipping!

"Do you offer any shipping services that allow me to import products from the Milky Way or transport goods produced in Davute all the way back to the old galaxy?"

The branch director straightforwardly shook his head. "We are planning to introduce this service to our fixed customers in the coming decades, but I cannot divulge any further details. Several conditions need to be met before we can offer cross-galaxy shipping."

"What are the conditions?"

"First, the price of gate travel is too high now. We are waiting for the Gate Consortium to cut its prices by half. The scale of shipping in the Red Ocean must also be great enough in order to be certain that we will have a sufficient amount of shipping orders to make this expensive endeavor profitable."

To Ves, it sounded as if it would take a long time for the conditions to be met.

"How long do you expect your company to start offering cross-galaxy shipping?"

"I cannot possibly give you a strong prediction, but in my estimation you will have to wait until the next mech generation has commenced for the circumstances in the Red Ocean to become available."

That was disappointing news, but it couldn't be helped. Ves was glad that he could more easily obtain products exclusive to the old galaxy in twenty or thirty years.

"Do you offer any shipping to destinations in zones that are close to the frontlines of the ongoing invasions?"

"We do, Patriarch Larkinson, but the rates for shipping to danger zones are considerably higher." The branch manager readily explained. "However, we are one of the few shipping companies to begin with that is willing to accept these dangerous jobs. Much of the extra cost comes from hiring additional mercenaries in order to bolster our trade convoys."

"I see. Well, this is a reasonable price to pay as long as the shipment doesn't get intercepted along the way."

This was an important detail to Ves as he expected a lot of the fighting and raiding to take place in these danger zones.

Many of the star systems in the partially-conquered zones had only been swept by the MTA and CFA's warfleets rather recently.

Since the mechers and fleeters only bothered to loot phasewater and high-grade exotics from the defeated alien planets, a lot of valuable salvage remained on the surface!

This attracted a large amount of vultures that eagerly sought to pick up all of the pieces that still held value!

Naturally, salvaging under these conditions was dangerous business, so the demand for powerful mechs would certainly be high!