Chapter 2117: Bargain Hunting

The discussion between the commanders of the Larkinson Clan dove into more complicated matters.

After every mech commander revealed how many mechs they were able to commit to an expedition, Major Verle took over and presented his thoughts on the overall force makeup.

"Spaceborn mechs are king in the Nyxian Gap." He began. "That does not mean that landbound mechs are redundant. Depending on our priorities, we might need to land on a dangerous moon or planet. While the Nyxian Gap is famous for its ubiquitous quantity of asteroids, some of them are so big that they are no different from actual planets. In addition, the Gap frequently absorbs rogue planets and other satellites. Most of these planets are barren, but some contain extremely valuable resources."

"I understand." Ves replied. "Do you think we are prepared to fight on land if necessary?"

"Our landbound combat prowess has lagged behind our spaceborn combat capabilities, sir. While it is possible for us to deploy a strong mid-sized landbound force, we must make sure to pick our targets."

"I'll take that into account, major."

"In contrast, I'm very confident we can smash any opponent in space. In the last couple of weeks, I have worked hard to facilitate greater coordination between your different mech forces. Everyone is aware of their roles and how they should act in basic scenarios. I'm still aiming to establish closer cooperation and coordination, but for now it is enough to prevent mechs from bumping into each other during battle."

The major proceeded to elaborate on the overall mech composition of the proposed expeditionary force.

With 600 Avatars, 500 Sentinels, 160 Battle Criers, 140 Vandals and 40 Swordmaidens, Ves felt confident his forces could smash any Nyxian pirate organization even without the help of the Penitent Sisters!

Still, that didn't mean that he should grow complacent.

The major laid out another concern. "Of the mechs we can bring into battle, most of them consist of medium mechs. This should give us a good array of options, but if you look closer, you'll see that we aren't as flexible as you think. Most of our mechs consists of beefy mechs with lackluster mobility. Models such as the Doom Guard and the Aurora Titan are not exactly known for charging at the enemy."

"I'm aware of the shortcomings of my mech models." Ves dryly replied. "What you're really saying is that we don't have enough mobility, is that right?"

Verle nodded. "I've studied the battles that typically take place in the Nyxian Gap. In many cases, light mechs can add a lot to the table and they are typically more effective in this region. All of the asteroids floating in every direction provide a lot of cover to any approaching mechs. Light mechs may be quick, but they are easily taken down if they are met with a storm of fire. If the machines instead hop from asteroid to asteroid, it becomes a lot harder to intercept them before they get into range."

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That was a very frightening scenario. Ves only had to think back on the time the light mechs of the CRC made mince meat out of his powerful second-class battle bots when they finally closed the distance!

"We don't have enough time to field more light mechs." Ves declared. "We can address this shortcoming afterwards. For now, we will have to make the best out of the assets and resources we have on hand."

"I understand, sir."

They soon moved on to discussing more finer points. Issues such as the availability of spare parts and support services came up as well as the lack of veterancy in the Avatars and Sentinels.

"The Avatars and Sentinels are the mainstays of our expeditionary fleet." Verle noted and gestured to Commander Melkor and Commander Magdalena. "However, both troops have mainly opened their doors to younger recruits. While I understand the desire to hire talent with high potential and plenty of growth opportunities, that comes at the expensive of shutting our doors to capable veterans."

Ves turned to Melkor and Magdalena. "What do you have to say about Major Verle's warning?"

Melkor maintained his confidence. "Our Avatars are young and eager. None of them will falter. With the recent release of the Doom Guard, I have put a high priority on toughening them up in preparation for all of the setbacks that we might face in the Nyxian Gap."

"Young does not necessarily equate to being green, sir." Magdalena added. "My Sentinels have made use of the Doom Guards as well. While their performance isn't as exemplary as the Avatars, none of our Sentinels will crack so easily under pressure."

"That's enough. So long as they don't give up in battle, I can work with that." Ves declared.

After they worked out everything related to their mechs and mech pilots, Ves soon turned to the fleet component of his expeditionary force.

Fleet Commander Kronon succinctly elaborated on the readiness of the ships of every mech force. Ves listened closely as the quality and resilience of his carriers had always been of great concern.

"Our starship crews are in high spirits. My Ylvainan compatriots are especially eager to fight on your behalf."

Ves grimaced a bit at that. "I see. Our starships are in good hands, then. However, as much as I applaud the quality of our crews, what about the quality of our ships?"

"Our ships are less than stellar." Ophelia admitted without any shame. "Most of our expeditionary fleet will consist of affordable but thinly-armored light carriers. That is not very encouraging. Due to the complex environment of the Nyxian Gap, there is a significantly greater chance of encountering sudden ambushes and catastrophic traps. While the size and strength of our forces will likely deter most pirates from attacking us, you can't rule the possibility. If they do want to harm us, then I can think of many ways they can harm us without sacrificing a lot of assets. Crippling our vulnerable starships is the best way to stymie our progress."

"Our ships can take a beating." Commander Orfan proudly noted. "Just put us in front!"

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"That won't guard us against ambushes from the flanks or rear." Major Verle snapped.

"Oh. Yeah, you're right."

Three combat carriers wouldn't do much to cover their entire formation. Ves just had to accept the fact that his other vessels were vulnerable targets.

"How many support ships do we plan to bring?" He asked.

"That depends on the mission parameters." Ophelia stated. "The deeper we go and the longer the expedition lasts, the more support ships we require. There are no resupply and repair points in the Gap unless you take the pirate strongholds into account. We will have to take care of all of our material and servicing needs on our own. At a minimum, I would say we should bring a dozen logistics vessels, but we may easily require more."

That meant that the expeditionary fleet would consist of even more fragile, high-value ships!

Having participated in the Aeon Corona Mission, Ves knew how vital it was to keep those ships alive. While every carrier possessed a mech workshop and some repair capabilities, their capacity was very meager.

"I'll defer to your judgement and the judgment of the commanders." Ves told Ophelia. "This isn't an option for the future, though. Our Larkinson Clan isn't short on money these days. Have you found a channel to procure better ships?"

"I have talked with Miss Gloriana who referred me to her personal assistant. Miss Melody Raft has been very helpful in sounding out ship providers from the Hegemony."

Ves raised his eyebrow. "I thought they weren't selling any second-class ships to outsiders."

"That's not exactly the case." Ophelia shook her head. "Certainly, it is very difficult to procure brand-new ships, but the Hexers have accumulated plenty of mothballed and decommissioned ships. If you don't mind relying on aged hardware, it is possible to acquire decent, armored vessels at a sharp price. Ordinarily, the Hexers who own or manage these vessels won't sell them to us, but if we use the Wodin Dynasty as an intermediary, I'm sure we can arrange something."

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The Hexers disdained passing off their old but valuable starships to their lessers, but they had no problem trading them to other Hexers.

As long as those ship sellers didn't know that Gloriana's relatives intended to pass on the ships to the Larkinson Clan, then this might actually work!

Ves smiled. "Investigate this option further, please. I don't mind getting our hands on old hardware. They don't need to last decades when they fall into our hands. I will notify some people in the clan to reserve a fund for this purpose. How much money do you think you need?"

The fleet coordinator paused and performed some mental calculations. "I'm not sure the LMC can cover the cost at this time. An 'affordable' second-hand combat carrier built to Hexer specifications typically ranges from 3 to 5 billion hex credits, though don't take my word for it. With the turbulence caused by the Komodo War, the prices fluctuate every day."

That.. did not sound as bad as Ves expected. Certainly, in the past he couldn't dream of spending so much money to procure a single ship. While the cost was still rather hefty, it was well within the tolerance of the Larkinson Clan!

The only issue was the quantity of ships the Larkinson Clan needed to accommodate all of its mechs! With thousands of mechs at their disposal, each of them needed to have a berth on a ship!

How many second-class carriers did the Larkinson Clan need to fit so many mechs?

Maybe a hundred. Even if Ves spent as little as possible, he would still have to fork over 300 billion hex credits, and that didn't take into account all of the other associated costs!

The worst part of it all was that Ves did not intend to retain so many ships for his grand expedition. A fleet beyonder ticket only allowed a galactic pioneer to bring 20 ships at most. This meant that the Larkinson Clan had to get rid of more than a hundred ships by the time Ves was ready to travel to the Red Ocean Dwarf Galaxy.

Of course, as long as the Larkinson Clan took good care of the vessels, it was still possible to sell them for a good price. That took some of the sting of the high price tag of such a massive expenditure.

"It's unrealistic to expect that we can cover the cost of all of those ships with the LMC's current earnings." Ves concluded. "Even if our successful Doom Guard has sparked more interest in our older products, we need to come up with a few more super sellers in order to rake in enough cash to upgrade our entire fleet."

It would be worth it, though. Once the Larkinson got rid of all of its weak third-class ships, they could travel anywhere they wished! Ves would no longer have to deal with the crap the Komodo Star Sector flung into his face every so often!

Ves expected to see some changes once he returned from his jaunt through the Nyxian Gap.

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"If you are open to it, we don't have to pay for all of the ships up front." Ophelia added, which immediately caught his attention. "The Wodin Dynasty is willing to accept a modest deposit from us in order to extend sufficient credit to procure all of those ships at once. Don't forget that the longer the Komodo War rages on, the more ships get destroyed. The Hexers will eventually have to draw upon their reserve of older vessels. Picking them up before that happens will save us a lot of money."

"The Wodins aren't extending a favor to us for nothing." Ves crossed his arms. "It's an attractive solution, but not one I'm willing to accept. I don't want to increase our entanglement with the Hexers any further. We pay for the ships with our money, understood?"

Though Ophelia obviously disagreed, she had no choice but to abide by his demand. "I understand."

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