Max’s scouts headed out right away and made for the suspected Narsian position. From what they could see it was a scout outpost, only intended to relay messages and watch for Kepler Mecha movements through the very rural areas in the foothills that didn’t have much strategic value.
As they had feared, the Narsians had dug in, creating trench lines and bunkers that would give them a high degree of defense against incoming fire, while also making them harder for the Kepler forces to spot.
The Crusader Class Mecha has very good sensor systems for detecting signs of the enemy at long range, but Ari knew there was a high probability of the giants noticing her even though she was near maximum sensor range. So, instead of getting close and then retreating, she made a straight pass, as if she was headed into the swamp with a small patrol.
That was a common enough activity since there were multiple forces in the area and the swamp was almost impossible to scan from orbit. An hour later, they turned and came back, again at a fast walk, as if they weren’t expecting to find what they were looking for outside of the marshy areas. The second pass was closer, to double check enemy numbers and fortifications, but still, they didn’t attract any hostile actions by the Narsians.
[Stalwart, this is Bulwark. We have enemy numbers. Total over thirty hostiles with four heavy weapons emplacements at the designated location. We will retreat out of range and wait for further orders.] Ari informed Max so that he could send out the Cadets.
“You heard the nice young lady. It’s time to go. Remember to put mecha with combat shields up front if you have them, they can take at least a hit or two from the Plasma, even if they are the small ones for the Line Mecha.” Max called out into the hangar full of Cadets, who were to be led by their teachers..
This wasn’t a drill or a training exercise, and nobody wanted to lose friends today, so the Teachers had spent all morning carefully planning their approach. Vincente had made it very clear to them that no battle plan survives first contact, so instead they had focused on getting into position to do maximum damage to the Narsians during that first engagement, then a handful of plans depending on how things went from there.
Once they moved out, Max brought the entirety of the Special Tactics Unit, infantry included, to the halfway point between the academy and the Narsians. This way, if the cadets needed to retreat they would be only a few minutes away and able to intercept the Narsians before they could wipe out the untested youth.
This time the convoy didn’t look so horribly inept. The few days of training that they had time for had really smoothed out the controls of most of the Pilots, and the sight brought a smile to the face of Alpha Squad when they passed by.
[Well, they at least know how to walk. Do you want us to come to you or remain here on the flank?] Ari asked when the mecha passed by in the distance.
[Just stay there. I suspect they’ll need us sooner rather than later. But if they were actually intending to sneak up on the Narsians, they would be doing an amazing job. None of them is watching the flanks, or scanning for threats, it’s like they’re out for a walk in friendly territory. The Narsians are going to think they will walk right by until the Instructors give the order to fire.] Max replied with a chuckle.
There was a particular innocence to unskilled Pilots who had never seen combat that just made their piloting look nonthreatening, and these Cadets had it down without any conscious effort.
[Should we welcome them with a couple of Battle Cannon rounds?] Vincente asked once he saw that the light mecha from the academy were almost in position.
Dropping a few shells on the Narsians wouldn’t be a big problem, but their orders were to let the Academy take care of it and only intervene in an emergency.
[As much fun as it would be, we’ve got orders. Wait for them to call for a rescue before we start shooting.] Max sighed, watching the mecha get into position.
They had split into two columns, by class and were splitting off to move to either side of the location where the Narsians were dug in. Even though they were out of easy weapons range, only an idiot wouldn’t know what was going on by now.
[They know the Narsians can see them, right?] Ari asked, not believing what she was seeing.
[If they don’t they’re about to learn.] Paul replied, keeping a close eye on the sensors for signs that the battle had started.
Suddenly the signatures that were the Narsians lit up with energy and heat, then a group of them raced towards the Line Mecha in the distance as the Cadets opened fire.
They might not have experience, but the Instructors at least knew the theory and opened fire from maximum weapons range. That would give them the most time to intercept the giants that were racing to get into close combat with the Line Mecha. One-on-one, the smallest of the Kepler units didn’t stand much of a chance against a heavily armored Narsian in close combat, even if they were competent fighters, which very few of these Pilots were.
[Unit 3, focus fire on the targets leaving the trenches. Keep them from reaching us. Unit 1 and 2 keep shooting.] A youthful instructor’s voice came over the command channel before he swore and changed his radio to the proper frequency.
From the looks of it, the Line Mecha were doing a good job of avoiding being overrun, even if they were using too many mecha to ensure the charging forces didn’t reach them.
Some mecha had fallen to the Narsian heavy weapons, and a lot more were damaged. The closely packed line was just too hard to miss. But the heat signatures in the trenches were becoming scattered, and then they finally broke and retreated into the swamp.
The Cadets didn’t pursue the retreating giants and Max decided that was probably a good thing. Without the advantage of numbers and position, they would be doomed. In the swamp, it was just too easy to ambush them.
[Good work Cadets. I will update your training regimen when we get back. Remember to retrieve all dropped equipment and the disabled Mecha.] Colonel Sanders instructed, glossing over the fact that many of those disabled units would have dead Classmates in them.
His vague instruction style is working though, and the Pilots aren’t thinking too hard about the reality of the fight and are simply following orders. In only a few minutes they have collected everything they came with and are returning to base.
[Captain Catan. Double tap those Narsians and collect the heavy weapons. Nobody has ever complained that they had too many Plasma Cannons for their bunker.] Max ordered quietly and the infantry commander gave him the thumbs up before going to restock his unit.
The Narsian Plasma Cannons were sized better for a Line Mecha than an infantry unit, but they were self-contained and had a tripod, which made them a great choice for bunkers. Free weapons are the best weapons when you’re putting them somewhere that you expect to sustain the most incoming fire.
[They’re not even trained, do you think it’s alright to keep sending them on missions?] Paul asks Max over a private channel.
[The teachers or the students? Neither has any experience. But they want to fight, and it’s not like we have the option to just say no. I’ve already informed Central Command of the state of readiness here, and they’re doing as much as they can, but you have to be ready for them to be fully deployed to a hard target, and us with them.] Max responded.
The lack of communication was becoming an issue for Max. He liked it way better back on Belmont when at least he knew what was going on around him. The limited signals here, intended to keep the Narsians in the dark, also kept him in the dark with no idea what might be coming his way until orders were given.
If only Nico was here to hack the Satellite signals and give him a view of the big picture.
[Major Max, we have more orders. Central Command wants everyone here above the minimum enlistment age to move out towards a conflict in the city in grid ST12. At infantry marching speed, that would be two days. Central Command also had a personal message. Your New Friend from Belmont will be meeting you there.] Ari informed Max the moment that the signal came down from Abraham Kepler.
A new friend on Belmont? That must mean that General Mons was on the planet and they were going for a full-scale city invasion. Emperor Help them, this was going to be a mess.