The Mech Touch

ost of repairs.
We ’ll also earn a lot more merit and appreciation from them if we follow orders. ”

Ves grunted in frustration.
”You ’re in command of our Avatars and Sentinels right now.
I ’ll defer to your judgement. ”

”In that case, I intend to follow instructions. ”

He expected her to do so.
She used to serve in the Mech Corps, after all.

”Can you tell me why? ”

”While it ’s a bit abnormal that the sandman admirals decided to divert to Cloudy Curtain, we can ’t assume that it ’s a one-time exception.
Not a single star system in the Bright Republic is safe.
We have to prepare for the worst, and that means that we need to make decisions in light of attrition warfare. ”

The sandmen loved attrition warfare.
They didn ’t value their lives at all and were more than willing to sacrifice hundreds of sandman fleets to exhaust the defenders of a single star system!

”If that ’s the case, then we should sacrifice our least valuable assets first.
I don ’t see how it benefits us more if we accrue considerable damage to our most powerful mechs.
The starfighters are far less valuable! We ought to place them in the vanguard instead! ”

”I understand where you are coming from, Ves, but… for now Captain Monlin wants us to sacrifice material assets rather than precious human lives.
While the old generation starfighters don ’t pack the new Sandbreaker weapon system, their ballistic gun mounts still pack a considerable punch.
Letting as much of them stay alive as possible will pay off in future battles. ”

A relatively unimportant star system as Cloudy Curtain didn ’t receive much attention from the Mech Corps and Starfighter Corps.
It shouldn ’t have been a surprise that the Equinox Stingers wanted to keep up as many machines intact as possible.

”Will our forces intercept the sandmen, or let them approach this planet? ”

The government already installed a loose belt of defensive platforms in geosynchronous orbit to the planet.
The amount of firepower they could contribute was considerable, but the downside was that the sandmen would have already reached the final lap when they entered the range of the final defenses.

”Captain Monlin will never risk the population of Cloudy Curtain in an attempt to reduce the casualties suffered by the forces under her command.
She has her orders.
She must protect the lives of those who are stuck on Cloudy Curtain.
She can ’t allow a single grain of animated sand to go through and make landfall! ”

In the end, the Mech Corps got their wish.
The entire base of the Silver Sentinels became a hive of activity.
Though not every Sentinel was eager to fight, this was one instance where every able mech pilot had to step up and fight!

If the sandman fleet managed to bull through the defenders, the lives of billions of humans were at stake!

Any mech pilot who shirked their duty and avoided battle would immediately be dealt with by the military police after the battle had ended!

Light carriers landed directly in the base of the Sentinels and conveyed numerous Dawnbreakers, Desolate Soldiers, Aurora Titans and other spaceborn mechs into orbit.

Over a hundred grave-looking mech pilots boarded the vessels as well.

If Ves could gather all of his forces, he could easily field over three-hundred mechs at once.
Sadly, he sent a portion of his Avatars and Sentinels to the front.
He also dispatched his Battle Criers on some errands.

In truth, he could have committed even more defenders, but Ves did not wish to leave the Mech Nursery vulnerable.
There were far too many assets there that still needed protection.

As Ves waited for his own ride, Commander Magdalena addressed one more topic before she accompanied her Sentinels into space.

”Can we depend on the Glory Battalion, sir? ”

He immediately shook his head.
”Don ’t get your hopes up.
Their primary mission is to protect Gloriana ’s life.
While we all know that the detachment assigned to accompany Gloriana is powerful enough to crush the aliens, the Glory Battalion will never fight for our sake. ”

Gloriana was still unconscious and would remain so for at least a day.
As long as she was out cold, she would never be able to object to being taken away from Cloudy Curtain.

”That ’s a shame. ”

”This is why it ’s important to cultivate our own second-class mech mech force, commander.
As long as we possess enough strength, we don ’t have to rely on others for help. ”

The two eventually parted.
While Commander Magdalena planned to command the Avatars and Sentinels from one of their carriers, Ves decided to observe the battle aboard the Barracuda.

While Ves was tempted to accompany Magdalena more, he didn ’t want to get in the way.
He wouldn ’t be able to contribute much anyway.

Moments later, he boarded the Barracuda with Nitaa, Crindon and Lucky.
He was tempted to bring Gavin and Raymond as well, but they wouldn ’t be of any use in a battle.

”Welcome aboard the Barracuda, Mr.
Larkinson. ” Captain Silvestra greeted his arrival.

”It ’s been some time since I last stepped on my ship. ” Ves remarked with a smile while he carried Lucky.

”Meow. ”

”Oh, shut up.
If worse comes to worst, I won ’t have to order the Barracuda to descend back to the surface in order to pick you up! ”

That was extremely unlikely unless the sandmen somehow mastered stealth technology.

The group headed to the bridge which immediately became a little crowded as it hadn ’t been designed to accommodate too many people.

”Crindon.
Please assist in monitoring the communication channels.
If there is anything going on behind our back, I want to know right away. ”

”Yes, sir. ”

As the Barracuda lifted off and ascended to the surface, Ves settled himself on a spare seat while observing the proceedings.

He already watched a lot of footage of battles against the sandman, but that was not enough!

If he truly wanted to understand the sandmen and how they changed in comparison to his previous personal encounters with them, then he needed to get closer to the action!

He needed to get close enough for his heart to pump like a war drum!

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