[201-400] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 334: Breathtaking

After Ves assured Jake of his safety, the conversation took an unpleasant turn. Jake noted that Ves was still bottling up his resentment, so he took the initiative to come clean.

"Look Ves, about the licensing contract to Vaun, everyone from the Larkinson Estate was in favor of this move. Your grandfather had actually been the driving force of this decision. The Larkinsons are in need of money."

There was much for Ves to criticize. First, did his grandfather really demand this initiative, or had the old fogies from the steering committee pushed him to support this move? Second, why would the Larkinson Estate be lacking money? They'd gone by since the founding of the Republic without any hiccups.

Still, despite his many questions, Ves felt no need to hash it out with Jake. "I admit I'm very discontented about this partnership with Vaun. I made it very clear that Vaun is not a fit for the LMC. Their manufacturing methods are a disservice to a design like the Blackbeak."

Jake didn't understand what Ves was saying. To a businessman and administrator like him, all mechs were tools to be used and discarded at a whim.

"Ves, can you at least admit that the contract with Vaun has provided us with immediate short-term benefits? The licensing fees they are paying will easily be able to pay for the expansions the LMC desperately needs. We will be able to add two new production lines by the end of the fiscal year!"

Ves really couldn't stand to hear any further rationalizations. "You still crossed the line! This is my company, and my say matters the most. I can understand how much it hurts to miss all of those potential profits due to a lack of capacity, but you should have at least found another manufacturer that is similar to EME. Instead, the entire board and you treated my opinions with contempt and went ahead with Vaun anyway!"

He rarely got angry, but when he did, everyone took notice. Jake halted in his tracks but refused to admit any fault. "Disagree with me if you will, but I stand by our decision. In your sudden absence, the LMC still needs direction. Every member of the board agrees it makes a lot of sense to go to bed with a professional and capable mech manufacturer. The results speak for themselves. We are richer than ever before!"

"That's the only reason why I haven't fired you!"

"Maybe you should!"

After some time, Ves calmed down. He didn't want to harp on this issue because the milk had already been spilled. Instead of continuing to ruin his relationship with his Chief Operating Officer, he'd rather move on and adjust the course of the LMC from this point onwards.

"Jake, you're a good administrator, but you're not irreplaceable. I asked the Larkinson Estate to send some capable people, and I can do it again if needed. Your only value in my eyes is to act as a caretaker of the business side of the LMC. It is not your job to come up with your own initiatives and act outside your boundaries."

"Understood." The man replied with resignation. Jake appeared man enough to shoulder the responsibility of his decision. "I suggest you remain within reach if you don't want something like this to happen again. It's easy to act like you're the boss, but decisions still have to be made even when you're absent."

"I'm not so sure I can follow your suggestion. When war breaks out, everything will change."

Both of them fell silent at the grim possibility. Even Melkor took notice. He'd been leaning to the side and stayed as inconspicuous as possible. All of the business talk hardly roused his interests.

The war was a different matter, however.

They smelled the gunpowder in the air. The first shots had already been fired. Now, they awaited the formal declaration of war which should be very imminent now. Once the Bright Republic entered war footing, many things would change.