It was much more suitable for Larkinsons to engage in raids and hit-and-run battles.
So what if the Larkinson forces targeted the weak and vulnerable? It was only sensible to avoid any encounters with powerful enemy fleets that could pose a real threat against a battlecruiser!
The lack of subsidies, material support and technological support would make it much harder to develop a battlecruiser that could outperform an RF ship of the same class, but at least the Larkinson Clan would retain full ownership and control over their hull.
The upcoming deep strike operations made it more important than ever to engage in this style of warfare. In short, so long as Ves was able to stomach the critical lack of hard defenses of a battlecruiser, he did not feel as if he missed out on too much.
The lack of subsidies, material support and technological support would make it much harder to develop a battlecruiser that could outperform an RF ship of the same class, but at least the Larkinson Clan would retain full ownership and control over their hull.
Ves would also find it a lot easier to implement and upgrade all kinds of crazy hyper technologies and E-technologies to his personal battlecruiser!
He took a deep breath and tried to weigh his decision as best as possible.
"You're not making this easy for me, huh?" He idly asked.
Captain Argile smiled back at his honored guest. "We are deeply interested in your innovative approach to shipbuilding. If you are willing to cooperate with us, we believe our collaborative efforts may further revolutionize the landscape of our industry."
Ah. Ves understood the score now.
He had a strong hunch that the Red Fleet deliberately gave him a choice between two different tokens as a test.
The fleeters wanted to test his willingness to deepen his cooperation with them. If he selected the Battleship Token, then he pretty much signaled his willingness to trust the Red Fleet and collaborate with them on a more long-term basis.
The two would no longer maintain a pure transactional relationship. They would instead be able to form a true alliance, similar to the one he already enjoyed with the Red Association.
If Ves opted for the objectively inferior Battlecruiser Token, he would signal his continued reluctance and apprehension towards developing a closer relationship with the fleeters.
It was a sign that he remained mistrustful of outsiders. His willingness to settle for less just so that he could maintain the confidentiality of his upcoming personal warship essentially showed that he wanted to maintain his distance from the Red Fleet.
Ves would probably continue to favor the mechers over the fleeters in the times to come.
While there was still room for cooperation between Ves and the Red Fleet, their relationship would continue to be defined by transactions as opposed to intangibles such as genuine trust and friendship.
The question now was how much Ves was willing to cooperate with the Red Fleet.
This was the crucial variable that determined his choice.
Ves grew pensive as he failed to make up his mind. Each selection was equally as attractive to him. They both possess a lot of pros and cons that pretty much evened out the score.
He was confident that he could make either option work.
If he took the Battleship Token, then he would make sure to maintain friendly ties with the Red Fleet.
If he took the Battlecruiser Token instead, he would stick to his original diplomatic stance by making sure he would never be at the mercy of an external partner.
"Ah hell! I am done with making tough decisions! Let's do it this way!"
Before Captain Argile could ask for further clarification, Ves grabbed the extremely precious Battleship Token and tossed it into the air.
The heavy medallion flipped as the exquisite metal piece soared over everyone's head before plunging straight onto the dark.
Clack!
The token landed on the desktop with the rear side facing upwards.
Everyone stared for a moment before Ves calmly reached out for the Battlecruiser Token.
"I'll be taking this." Ves declared.
"..."