The Mech Touch novel Chapter 4746

Chapter 4746 Requirements for War

Rorsh & Rorsh was the biggest local game in town.

Everyone who needed to buy a large batch of mechs and have it delivered in a short time could always count on R&R to satisfy their needs, at least on a basic level.

As Tristan lifted up his tea cup and took another sip of his exotic tea that had a fruity taste that was unique to the restaurant, he thought more about how the dominance of this large and iconically Davutan mech company pressed upon the rest of the mech industry.

"I am glad that Rorsh & Rorsh is not in the business of accepting client commissions or offering customization services." He commented as the tide of black mechs seemed unending. "I wouldn't know if other mech companies would still have room to survive if that was the case."

Over a hundred unique models had already marched down the avenue below and the column still hadn't reached its limit!

Professor Zin Galbraith chuckled in a good-natured manner.

"Master Siman Rorsh already accumulated enough power as it is. While there is an argument to be made about artificially inflating a single mech company so that it can be a dominant market force in the Krakatoa Star Sector, it is detrimental to everyone else if it has gained a monopoly. Other mech designers must have room to flourish as well. Davute wouldn't be a good trading hub if competition has been kneecapped to the point where competitors can only crawl on the floor."

"The politicians are pretty okay."

This topic touched on economics and government policies, areas in which Tristan Wesseling had no background in. He only felt irked that Rorsh & Rorsh managed to cheat its way to the top by exploiting its connections to the founders of the colony.

"Rorsh & Rorsh wouldn't be able to do nearly as well if it started to expand into other mech services." Professor Galbraith elaborated. "The company has specialized in fabricating the base models developed by its many mech designers. All of its processes and operations are optimized for this single broad pipeline. Designing mechs according to the individual specifications of single clients requires a different approach as well as entirely different skills. Why would R&R risk its great success in its own niche so that it can become a mediocre service provider in another niche?"

"So does Rorsh & Rorsh truly keep its hands off any custom works? I noticed that the company doesn't design that many expensive mechs either. It's all about mass production as far as their models are concerned."

"That focus on mass production by utilizing cheaper materials more effectively, widening the pool of shared parts and attaining enormous economies of scale is why R&R attained the best price to performance ratios on the market for many of its mech lines. The company's mechs may not be the strongest or the most special product you can buy from the market, but if you have a great demand for quantity, you know where to go. Other mech companies may be able to satisfy your needs as well, but it will cost more money and require months of additional waiting."

Tristan understood this rationale easily enough, but he became confused due to another factor.

"Won't Davute run out of mech pilots this way?"

Professor Galbraith chuckled again. "You are clearly exhibiting your unfamiliarity to the new frontier again. Your concerns are valid if we are describing the conditions in the old galaxy, but the rules are different here. Not enough time has passed for the current population of humans to birth and a new generation of mech pilots. Every potentate and every graduate from a mech academy are immigrants who have managed to make their way to the Red Ocean. Now think about how costly it is to transport passengers to another galaxy. Do you think that the starships in question will let anyone aboard?"

Tristan quickly snorted. "No. You either need to pay a large sum, have someone more important secure passage for you or possess excellent skills in order to persuade an employer to bring you along."

"That is correct, kid. All of these methods are ultimately an indicator of ability. The Red Ocean's demographics stand out for being much younger, significantly better educated and performing considerably better at their respective professions than what we consider normal. With regards to mech pilots, their share of the population is almost double in the new frontier. What is even more interesting is that it stands to rise in the future as the outbreak of mass wars will increase the demand for mech pilots even further."

There were many reasons for mech pilots in the old galaxy to move to the new one.

The gradual proliferation of phasewater jumpstarted the technological progression of mechs. Even if most mass production models had yet to include any phasewater in their designs, that may change in the future.

Already, the discovery and research on brand-new materials and adapted alien technologies already caused the mechs of the Red Ocean to run ahead of the mechs of the Milky Way!

Aside from that, space was much more turbulent in the new frontier, which meant that soldiers with the right skills had a much greater chance of putting their training to good use. The immigrating mech pilots that chose to uproot their lives and move to the Red Ocean were braver, more combative and more willing to risk their lives for transcendence and glory than usual.

"I understand now." Tristan said as the lengthy column of dark gray mechs finally stopped introducing more models. "The greatest limitation to fielding more mechs in the Red Ocean is not a lack of mech pilots, but a limit on the supply of materials needed to mass produce the machines."

The university professor nodded. "That is almost right, Tristan, but another limitation plays just as much of a role. There is still a shortage in carrier vessels that can transport large quantities of mechs to their destinations. This constraint has produced a glut in landbound mechs assigned to defend planets from external attacks."

Tristan had already heard that Davute started to reinforce the defenses of other star systems within its new state boundaries by shipping over more and more landbound and aerial mechs.

Carriers and cargo haulers only needed to go on a single trip to ferry over the newly produced mechs to their destinations. After that, the disembarking mechs could be put to good use right away without any further naval assistance.

As the next column of mechs produced by another major company in Davute made a much better effort at putting on a festive display, Professor Galbraith made another remark.

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