Chapter 53: Tested

According to the satellite feed, the retreating mecha simply kept going, all the way to the capital.

By mid afternoon, they still hadn't seen any threats close enough to engage, and Max began to wonder what was going on. It wasn't clear if the front line battles had stretched their resources too thin to bother with objectives like the one they were on or if the enemy was regrouping.

Sunset brought the answer. A reinforced mecha wing with two companies of infantry and a bomber squadron. Textbook rookie Commander tactics.

Twice the numbers that the defenders can count on, with a fully mechanized final assault, led by expendable infantry. The exact reason that Max's veteran neighbor Dave hated everything to do with Kepler Military Commanders.

Compared to their neighbors, Kepler had an enormous population, with many more habitable worlds than would be expected for the size of their territory. But that led the Commanders to only value the elite and treat the rest of the population as expendable materials.

[Stalwart, we have brought anti infantry rockets from the rebel munitions bunker to the lander to resupply you with. Do you want your Mecha topped off before they arrive?] Captain Catan asks Max, striding into the damaged lander.

[It is best if we do. Since they have numbers on their side, we need to cut that advantage down as much as we can. Get some scouts out to mark ground targets in advance, that way I can indirect fire on the marked points.]

That is not a standard Kepler technique, and is viewed as a waste of valuable ammunition by a Crusader Class Chassis. Captain Catan doesn't mind in the least, sending a detail with orders to keep Stalwart stocked. They don't have much compatible ammunition in storage, but they do have a little extra, and they have just retrieved a full Battle Cannon Magazine from the fallen Crusader that didn't explode.

Beyond the small city that they are stationed in is a large open area of fields. For the scouts placing targeters, that is perfect, allowing them to make a grid pattern encompassing a full two Kilometers out. Every point is recorded and relayed to Max for the map in Stalwart's Heads Up Display. All they need to do is call the points now and he can hit them.

The first attacks to arrive come from a bomber wing. They came in at extreme high altitude, out of range of the Anti aircraft guns, and dumped an inordinate number of munitions towards the city. Looking at the incoming waves, Max decides that they've almost certainly overestimated the strength of his forces.

[Incoming. Everyone to bunkers.] Max calls as Nico and the Anti aircraft vehicles light up the sky with explosions, don't their best at reducing the number of incoming bombs.

From that height, they have a long time to do it, but the sheer volume of the barrage is too much for only four sets of guns, and the city is pummeled by the bombardment. They manage to keep the worst of it away from the infantry bunkers and the courtyard, but even their highest priority locations take some damage.

[Do we still have eyes on the incoming Mecha?] Max calls, stepping out of the smoldering Lander. It took a direct hit to the top, but as it was already damaged beyond flight capability, the extra dents and broken frame joists are no big deal, the structure is still holding.

[We have eyes on target. The Scouts avoided any direct impacts.] Comes the response right before the call out of locations starts.

[Infantry entering A1 through A12.]

[Zone A full. Infantry Entering Zone B]

That's what Max was waiting for, and he fires a barrage of anti infantry missiles at fifty points simultaneously. They won't get full coverage, but the next volley is staggered, aimed for the gaps between the previous points.

[Get me a reload on the rocket pods.] Max orders the support staff who swing the crane around with a loading rack of rockets at the ready. The process will take a couple of minutes, so Max hopes they don't mind the Battle Cannon going off.

The light Mecha, believing that the automated defenses are now expended, charge through the craters towards the city. Max can only fire every half second or so, but the Battle Cannon is doing all it can for fifty shots, leaving the barrel smoking and glowing, and the magazine empty.

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[Reload on the Battle Cannon, and break out the sprayer, we need to get the barrel temperature down.] Max orders, then drops his empty magazine so that the crew can replace it with the full one they pilfered.

The inside of the metal box that was their lander becomes a steam sauna the moment the sprayer hits the barrel, but slowly the overheating warnings go away in Max's display and he's ready to go again.

[Light Mecha, move forward into the city and find cover. Shoot and retreat once the enemy enters the city.]

Most of the incoming light mecha were destroyed by his targeted bombardment, but they are much more agile than infantry, and at least six survived.

The scouts know their role well, and each of the enemy light mecha gets tagged with a tracker when they enter the city, so the light mecha under Lieutenant Becki can begin hunting them.

They're all damaged, some severely, but still dangerous targets, and Becki had managed not to lose a mecha yet this mission. He wasn't going to throw that away by being in a hurry now, not with five Crusaders incoming.

All five carried the same equipment pattern, a Thermal Spear and a hand. The thermal weapons are great for mining, as they can even melt rock, so colonies like this preferred them for their utility. The downside was the very short range, only a few hundred meters at the very most.

With their escort down, the Crusaders split up, rushing the city to look for targets.

[Do not tag the Crusaders. They will slag any building they suspect you are in. Just let them approach.] Max orders, receiving affirmative grunts from the infantry.

They're not even trying to be subtle, smashing through abandoned brick buildings as they rush to get in range with their deadly thermal weapons. Max's vision lights up with targeting solutions and he begins to fire again now that his Cannon has cooled a little.

They're still spraying it down, and he's firing slower this time to avoid permanent damage, but he can see that at least two of his rounds hit home, Seriously damaging their targets.

Like the Thermal Spear inside the Rending Claw, these Mecha are using are fuel fired weapons, and Nico is making the most of it, putting Rail Gun rounds into the tanks and coating two more in liquid fire.

The woosh and howl of the ruptured tanks burning has the infantry, safely hidden in their bunkers, covering their ears, but the Mecha have turned off outside sound, hearing very little through the multiple armored layers of their hulls.

Two bursts from the Gatling Battery finish two Crusaders, while two more burn to the ground, but Max has lost track of the last for a moment.

It comes bursting through a building, flames roaring in his direction, but Tarith's Rage is up and out of her hiding spot, charging him with her sword behind her while her Ion Destroyer plants a solid hit on the intruder's right arm.

The Thermal weapon goes silent as its structure is torn apart and the pilot turns to grab Nico's weapon arm with his Mecha's hand. The pilot didn't expect the sword though, being so uncommon among Kepler Pilots, and the sirens on Tarith's Rage sound a victorious wail as the broken mecha is lifted into the air and smashed mercilessly to the ground.

Nico pulls her sword free of the mechanical carcass and returns to her hiding hole without a word over the intercom, pulling the battered lander door and netting back over her carapace armor and returning to sentry duty.

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