Chapter 3986 Mech Ecosystem
Ves and Professor Taigen talked over the comm for half an hour. Neither of the two raised their voices or said anything offensive to each other.
Instead, they conducted a polite but increasingly less productive talk on the merits of collaborating with each other.
Part of their discussion was informative. Ves revealed in greater detail how he could enhance the value of a law enforcement mech while Professor Taigen explained his side of the business from an insider's perspective.
Unfortunately, neither of them came close to forming an agreement during this time. Both of them stood on opposite ends and neither were willing to give up too much ground.
Ves maintained a tough stance throughout the negotiations because he was confident in his own value.
Unless the Voikens could point out a competing mech designer who was able to impart the same kinds of glows to mech designs as the patriarch of the Larkinson Clan, there was no way that Professor Taigen could undermine Ves' superior negotiating position!
This meant that if the Voikens wanted to secure a potentially lucrative business deal, they needed to make a lot more concessions in order to persuade Ves to work together.
However, Professor Taigen had an obligation to uphold the interests of his mech company.
There was no way he wanted to sell his services cheaply to the Larkinsons! That would make the partnership too uneven for the Voiken Family!
Both sides understood that while Ves held the upper hand in the negotiations, the Voiken Family would not accept a deal where they had to work like slaves only to earn a fraction of the earnings of their collaborative efforts.
The talks had not yet reached this point, but the lack of progress was not a great sign. It was clear to both sides that they would not be able to come to an agreement so easily.
Ves tiredly waved his hand. "I suggest we let our negotiation teams hash out the terms of any possible agreement. We are mech designers, not snake oil salesmen. I would rather spend time on exploring how we can approach the base model of the line of law enforcement mechs that you wish to develop with me. Can you show me a draft or concept of your work?"
This was a rather delicate request. A draft design revealed much about the plans and intentions of its creator.
If Ves learned what Professor Taigen wanted to develop in advance, the Larkinsons could design a similar mech with all of the typical traits of Larkinson products!
The Senior did not hesitate at all, though. He believed in the credibility of Ves and the Larkinsons. Their talks so far may not have advanced their negotiations as much as he wanted to, but it served as an excellent way for them to grow more familiar with each other.
A new projection appeared that displayed a typical law enforcement mech.
Just like every second-class mech built for peacekeeping duties, the machine possessed a flight system optimized for moving in the air under standard terrestrial conditions.
Ves noted that the draft design looked a little lighter and smaller than the law enforcement mechs he usually encountered. It did not look as if the machine was sturdy and massive enough to withstand serious and repeated hits.
However, a mech with this configuration undoubtedly possessed superior mobility compared to many other medium mechs. It was a good mech for chasing and reaching distant crisis zones in a timely manner.
"What I am showing to you is what we call a first responder mech in our sector." Professor Taigen explained. "It is a subcategory of law enforcement mechs that is meant to arrive first onto a scene. Their purpose is to address any ongoing incidents as quickly as possible. Oftentimes, the arrival of a pair of Planetary Guard mechs is enough to deter any rogue mechs from continuing to fight and inflict damage to the environment."
It was hard for criminals to go about their business when policing units arrived in front of them! The presence of any Planetary Guard mech was a powerful deterrent that could stop incidents from escalating and stop people from continuing to endanger nearby inhabitants.
However, not every troublemaker could be subdued by the arrival of a couple of mechs.
"There are times when first responder mechs cannot suppress an unfolding conflict. Their light construction and loadouts enable them to arrive first onto the scene, but their deterrence is not as great as the more well-equipped law enforcement mech models. This is where I believe your glows can be of use. By pairing the Pacifier concept with your design solution, it can influence those who are endangering themselves and others to regain control over themselves. Even if the glows are only partially effective, they can still lower the temperature of an ongoing fight and buy more time for reinforcements."
Ves understood the logic of this mech concept. It was indeed a good combination. What mattered the most was to spread Lufa's glow at a dangerous location as quickly as possible.
Whether the incident involved a firefight between mobs on foot or a dangerous duel between two reckless mechs, these were all situations where Lufa's influence could play a useful role!
"Why not pair my glow with a heavier law enforcement mech?" Ves asked.
"It is not necessary. The Pacifier Project can already cover this need. If the situation has devolved to a point where the Planetary Guard must display a more forceful response, then the reinforcements must consist of mechs that are designed to end fights instead of preventing them from happening in the first place. This is a crucial difference. Regardless, the Pacifier Project can still be of use in any incident where forceful intervention is required. Only one is enough to make a difference."
"That makes sense." Ves responded even as he suspected there was more to the story than Professor Taigen was willing to reveal.
Planetary Guard organizations usually bought into an interconnected mech ecosystem when they chose to purchase the products of a specific mech company.
They did not just buy a batch of mechs based on a single model. Instead, they bought a bunch of different variants and also other mechs based on different but related models.
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