The day after Pilot Craig arrived they were relieved by a full contingent of infantry, who would be staying in Belmont long term as a part of the security force, since the locals had proven they couldn’t be trusted.
Max’s orders were to leave with his men in the morning to regroup with the 42nd mechanized and the remainder of the Kepler 111th infantry to catch a ride back to the Abraham Kepler.
Even the experienced soldiers of Bravo Company weren’t sure how much of this loot they would be allowed to keep. Normally what they bring back are trinkets and sidearms, things that fit in their personal lockers. While the Sergeants and officers could fit Plasma Cannons in their locker, that was unlikely to be permitted by the ship crew, on safety grounds.
If they were required to turn it over they would be compensated for anything determined to be legitimate spoils, and they were explicitly given the right to loot the technology facility.
[I need all tablets submitted to Tarith’s Rage for inspection. We aren’t giving up every bit of new technology we found here just because we can’t physically carry it.] Max calls out over the intercom, and the platoon leaders head for Tarith’s Rage, interested in meeting the ultra aggressive close combatant in the flesh..
Nico has moved the Mecha to take a position on one knee next to a patio on the office building. That places her cockpit even with the railing, and the top hatch of Tarith’s Rage swings open.
While they climbs the stairs, Nico rolls out a length of chain mail as a walking pad, for safety on the slippery surface of her upper carapace. The blood infused wax they used is an incredible product. No dirt sticks to it, and even now it is as slick as ever.
“Welcome, one at a time, please bring me your loot. I have hacking related System Talents, so I will record any valuable information and return them so you can claim full credit.” Nico informs them over the Crusader’s intercom.
They had thought she would exit, or at least stand up to receive them and come in to sight, but neither happened, and instead they are going to her.
First up is Lieutenant Becki, who has already met her in person. He hands the tablets his unit collected down to her, and half a minute later, he can see scrolls of data filling her Mecha’s screens. She really has hacked them and recorded everything she found interesting.
“Good find. There is a modified power cell in one of those that will let Line Mecha get 6 extra shots from an Ion Cannon between recharges.” That is a pretty decent gain, they will be well rewarded once the Abraham Kepler has this technology for their constructor machines.
A young Sergeant named Morrison manages to get in line next, so excited that he almost falls off the walkway that Nico laid out.
“Welcome Sergeant. It is a pleasure to meet you.” Nico greets him while he gapes in shock at the interior of her Crusader.
The outside is all red, black and bronze, with barbed wire and hanging chains, so he had assumed that the interior would be similarly brutalist in design, but what he found was a light gray and pink bedding set in a regulation tan interior and a petite, raven haired female pilot sitting on the bed with her boots off and the coveralls of her pilot uniform tied at her waist, revealing the regulation black tank top underneath.
If he hadn’t seen her fight, that friendly smile might have tricked him into believing she was a kind and delicate girl fresh from training. But she is an Alpha Ranked Pilot, Morrison has no doubt that she could beat him senseless if he offended her.
“We have recovered these dozen hard drives and two data tablets, Captain.” He says formally.
“Relax, I don’t bite.” Nico laughs, and Morrison watches as she holds them in her hands and the data begins scrolling across her Mecha’s main screens.
“I think we have our winner early. Plans for both the new High Explosive Battle Cannon Rounds, and the Man Portable Plasma Cannons.” Nico cheers and throws a small bottle of something up to Morrison.
He goes to pocket the mystery reward, but Nico stops him. “Drink it and pass the bottle back.”
She probably wouldn’t poison him in public, so Morrison downs the bottle, realizing it is a shot of the ship’s home brewed Rum. He tosses the bottle back and she winks, handing him up the data drives and tablets.
Liquor isn’t completely forbidden on mission, but it certainly isn’t in the regulation load out for a drop, Pilot Nico must have hidden it in her personal effects for a special occasion.
One after another the patoon leaders come to get their finds analyzed, most containing research notes and base logistics information which is important to the intelligence teams, but aren’t the big score that they were hoping for.
“If that’s everyone, store that data for transport and get ready to move out.”
When the details come through, they find that the gathering point for pickup is only fifty Kilometers away. Now that they have vehicles, that will be done before lunch, so they set out at first light, stopping every half hour or so to pick up more infantry, until their vehicles are overloaded inside and out with troops headed for the pickup location.
In total they have about three hundred soldiers by the time they arrive, but they had to pick up the survivors of seven companies to find that many. At full strength a Kepler Infantry Company is 1000 men, 10 platoons of 10 squads of 10 men.
When they started, Bravo Company was barely a tenth that strength, due to the heavy losses the Kepler 111th had taken over their tour, and it looks like things got much worse after this battle. It wouldn’t surprise Max if the Regiment was retired early, or folded into another combat unit to bring their numbers back up.
If even eight companies don’t have enough survivors for one full strength company, there isn’t much hope for them to be deemed combat effective after this engagement.