Chapter 109: Long Walk Back

[Everyone double-check the dead and then fall in for the trip back.] Max ordered, using the light Ion Rifle mounted as a coaxial weapon on the front of his mecha to 'poke' the corpses, checking for any response.

Even those who were very good at playing dead would twitch a little when shot after all.

A few survivors were found and disposed of in the name of safety, but the mecha are ready to move in under a minute, retracing their steps through the swamp and back towards the mines.

[There's something wrong with the radar. Change of protocol. All units will search the surroundings as we go using thermal and energy trace scanners. Do not trust any single scan to give accurate information.] Nico declares suddenly, startling Max.

What she found unusual about the radar was a mystery, Max didn't see any enemies on it for her to have questioned. But after a few seconds, he too noticed the error. When the formation shifted slightly going around trees and deep spots, the number of units in their squad would fluctuate on the radar, which it shouldn't if the data being displayed was coming from their own scanners.

Just like the incident with the drop pods, their computer systems were being tampered with, only in this case Mecha's internal systems are secure, so the only thing that can be changed is the signal that comes back to the radar.

Max sends a Command channel emergency pulse with a new encryption code, forcing every mecha in the unit to automatically update their frequencies and security codes. It is an automated procedure and is often used to prevent infiltration when fighting other mecha using societies that might have infiltrated them.

[All Units, Comms check. Let me know if anyone is having issues.] Max instructs. Only the command mecha have the decryption code for the command channel, so though the rest of the units would be forced to update by the signal if they were being monitored, the enemy was unlikely to have gained access to the signal itself.

One by one the units at the mine report back in, showing that none of them have any issues, so Max decided that the issue must be more local to them.

[Keep your guard up. I think the radar interference is coming from nearby. The Narsians might be hiding their true numbers from us.] Max informed the unit as they made their way around a larger island.

Almost as if his words were prophetic, the movement alert from the Corvette Class mecha on point pinged enemy movement. Roughly twenty Narsian-sized heat signatures at five hundred meters and closing fast.

[Scouts hold position, all other mecha, keep moving. Don't let them know we have detected them.] Max ordered, moving one step back so Nico and Ari, the two close combat members of his unit that were on this expedition could take the lead.

They couldn't play dumb forever though, and once a third of the unit's sensors sent Stalwart the signal that they had detected enemies, he ordered the formation to a stop and into a defensive circle.

Under normal circumstances, this would be a nearly perfect ambush for the Narsians, but since the Kepler Mecha already knew where they were, there was no sense of disorganization as they moved. Nobody needed to look for targets, as they had already locked on and chosen the recipients of their first volley.

[Fire at Will] Max's order triggers a barrage of weapons fire, tearing down trees and vaporizing swamp water as heavy weapons designed to eliminate much larger and more heavily armored targets are turned on the Narsian infantry.

The casualties don't slow the giant's charge though, and the Narsian forces slam into the Light Mecha at a full run, their alloy weapons crashing into durable armor plating with incredible force, knocking many Line Mecha from their feet and damaging many more.

They seem to have realized that Max is the commander this time though, possibly a relayed signal from the last group that Max fought. Plasma fire flies his way in steady bursts, even while his Pulse Lasers work frantically to thin the enemy ranks.

[Keep up the fire rate, I've got you.] Ari calls, moving Bulwark in front of Max's Stalwart, with her combat shield planted in front of her crouching form, preventing the vast majority of incoming fire from hitting him.

A splash and the sonic boom of the Rail Guns on Tarith's Rage draw his attention for a moment, and Max sees that Nico is using the immense weight of her mecha to pin targets to the ground, stepping on them to keep them out of the fight until she has time to shoot them with the weapons mounted on her gauntlet.

The Narsian battle armor holds up well against her wickedly serrated sword, at least for what it is, and most targets are only torn open and flung away instead of chopped in half. That makes them easy kills for the Light Mecha, who target the breaches in the armor.

Nearly a hundred giants fall in the first minute of the battle before the Narsian Commander sounds the retreat and they race out of sight through the trees.

[Commander, I believe that was a probing attack. Probability suggests that the enemy strength is much higher than the reported number in this combat zone.] One of the wing commanders, a Major named Alphonse calls over the radio.

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Max is almost certain that he is right, but there isn't much to be done about it at the moment. The base is already on high alert for attacks, and they are doing the best they can to get back before they are isolated and surrounded.

[Noted Major. I suspect you are right, but with the errors in the orbital data, and the radar glitches, we don't have much proof to report back to Command yet. What we do know has been sent.] Max replies with a hint of sadness.

The command team aboard the Abraham Kepler is all about logic and data. The gut feelings of units on the ground and anecdotal evidence are often overlooked in favor of solid evidence when it comes time to make a deployment or send supplies.

With their additional delays discussing enemy tactics, the unit didn't even get moving again before Max's sensors detected hostile heat signatures, moving towards them from the site of the first battle.

[Looks like the Narsians came to see what the fuss was. Get a move on everyone, this is going to be a running battle. Fire and move or we will be stuck out here for days until they have exhausted us.] Max ordered, leading the way while sending Nico to the back of the column so her enhanced sensors will be the closest to the approaching Narsian forces.

High above the planet, the crew aboard Abraham Kepler and the three newly arrived ships were in a panic. All communication with the planet was being jammed, and the troops on the ground had been receiving falsified data for over a day now.

They had been unable so far to find the source of the signal, and as far as they knew, no communications had gotten in or out successfully. Everything was intercepted, and false reports were being sent back.

They had even gone as far as releasing spare Crusader Class Chassis on orbital walks outside the ship, and relying on their data since the systems of Abraham Kepler had already been compromised once. For the most part, everything looked good, but the satellite feeds were all tampered with, severely limiting the quality of their sensor data.

[Move to a four-point encirclement at high orbit. The ship's systems scan as secure, so we can use them for coarse data and attempt to establish communications directly with the surface again.] Admiral Ackbar of the newly arrived Organa Kepler ordered the others as the senior Naval officer on the mission.

[Moving to Position] The other ships responded at once, beginning their shift.

Direct line of sight might not tell them everything they needed to know, but they still had the reports collected before the interference started to go on, so they at least had a rough estimate of the situation on the ground as of a day ago to base their next waves of drops on.

That wouldn't be any real help to Max though. He had just sent a coded message to Command, intended for General Tennant, but the response was incorrect. His signal was not making it to Abraham Kepler, whose staff would know the code words, and was instead being responded to by whoever intercepted it.

[Nico, before those Narsians make it to us, see what you can do to get a direct signal to the fleet. Our reports are being intercepted and the responses we are getting aren't coming from Command.] Max orders, hoping his friend's Innate Talent of Technology Control will serve him better than his own learned hacking skills.

The column gets five more kilometers back towards the camp before the enemy catches up to them, starting a running battle that Max doesn't see ending any time soon.

Being in the lead position, the wide scatter of his Pulse Lasers and the overwhelming force of the Plasma Shotguns allow him to save ammunition in his Battle Cannon for emergencies, while still clearing the way for the column to keep moving.

On his left and right flanks are two more dual energy weapon equipped Crusaders, one with twin Laser Destroyers, and one with dual Ion Destroyers. The setup is a bit redundant in Max's mind, as using matched weapons reduces your versatility, but it's not up to him what other Crusader Pilots choose or get assigned as weapons for their Mecha.

At least the Ion Destroyers can be set for either concentrated blast or wide area blast, which creates the ten-meter diameter energy balls that Tarith's Rage has been spitting out all this mission. They aren't as deadly, but the Narsians aren't as armored as a Crusader Class mecha, so it isn't as big of a deal.

The twin lasers though are intended for heavy anti-armor. While they are deadly against Mecha, it might possibly be the worst matchup against hordes of light infantry. The only redeeming feature is that the pilot can reduce power to increase the rate of fire, treating them more like a heavy machine gun. Without extreme talents like Max's targeting skills, the capability is largely wasted, but it looks terrifying, with the wide blue pulses flashing in the air as the mecha fights off the Narsian approach.

[Rear zone clear. Extra attention on both flanks.] Nico's signal means that the enemy has overtaken them, moving past her position and that they are most likely preparing for an all-out attack from both sides the moment that they think the column is vulnerable.

[Close ranks. Move in a double file column until further notice.] Max orders, mentally preparing himself for the next attacks and checking his map to see how far they have left to go.

Too far. Thirty Kilometers. But they might still make it before dark.

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