The Mech Touch

Task Force Predator dove into the Nyxian Gap without fear. The relatively sparse concentration of asteroids did not hinder the advance of the fleet all that much.

Even so, none of the Larkinsons let down their guards. The Nyxian Gap already fell outside of the scope of civilized space for the most part, and that meant that different rules applied.

The abundance of ship and mech wreckage floating between the asteroids already served as sufficient warning. Those who traveled through the fields of Wreckage Paradise had to contend against the possibility of ambushes at any time.

It was only because the Larkinson Clan was too big and strong for most pirates to challenge on their own accord.

That did not mean the pirates let off other prey, though!

After several days of total silence, the task force finally stumbled upon their first pirate encounter!

Surprisingly enough, pirates did not target the Larkinsons. Instead, they were in the process in wearing down a damaged and exhausted Peacekeeper outfit!

The forward scouts of the Flagrant Vandals discovered the active battle first. The Inheritor light mechs sneakily hid their energy signatures behind the asteroids and pointed their passive sensors towards the ongoing battle.

At the same time, the Inheritors relayed the sensor data to another patrol of Vandal mechs that was stationed further back via a tight beam connection.

There was almost no chance that the sensors of the pirates would be able to pick up this transmission!

Once the Princely Jackal received the sensor data, Commander Orfan-Larkinson immediately woke up from her boredom.

"Huh, a battle you say?"

"Yes, ma'am. A Peacekeeper outfit is in distress. A total of four light carriers and a damaged supply ship are being protected by just seventy spaceborn mechs, and their numbers are slowly diminishing even as we speak."

"What about the pirates?"

"We haven't detected their starships. The pirates must have parked them onto the surface of an asteroid further back. All we can tell you so far is that the pirates are swarming the Peacekeepers with around 300 mechs."

"If they have so many mechs, why aren't they finishing off their prey in an instant? Why are they dancing around as if they are afraid of burning their toes?"

The sensor officer tapped a console, causing a projection of a couple of very familiar-looking mechs to appear.

"Doom Guards?"

Their shape was unmistakable! Though the outfit applied a different coating to the mech, the striker mechs still possessed the imposing might as befitting the LMC mech!

Their fearsome glows along with the sporadic billowing flames they unleashed continually stopped the pirates from charging in and mobbing their prey from multiple directions.

Even if the mechs deployed by the Peacekeepers were superior to that of the pirates, the latter still held all the initiative!

"We have already run the serial numbers of their ship through a database identified the outfit in question, ma'am. The Livid Giants is a registered Peacekeeper outfit that has been in operation for eight years. The Giants are led by Commander Ulbert Rilven, a military veteran."

"Mhmmm." Commander Orfan leaned her head against her fist. "That's clear. No average mech commander can instill such good coordination to his mech pilots."

Even though the Livid Giants mechs had to cover a lot of angles, they nonetheless maintained a tight defensive perimeter. The handful of Doom Guards they used as trump cards weren't enough to explain why they survived so long against the pirates!

"What about the pirates? Have you identified them yet?"

"According to the intelligence provided by the Black Cats, they are presumably Davy's Ghosts, one of the more formidable pirate gangs that show up in Wreckage Paradise every so often. They haven't made any notable achievements. They deliberately maintain a low profile and attack the weak."

Orfan sneered. "Typical. The Swordmaidens are a thousand times better than these scum. Warm up my mech! Let's clean up the trash right away!"

"Ahem, ma'm!" Another officer became alarmed. "We have already relayed the data we've gathered to Major Verle and the Scarlet Rose. We are to standby and await for further instructions!"

An ugly expression appeared on the Vandal Commander's face. "Damn. I forgot. We're not calling the shots anymore. I can't believe it took so little time for me to take orders from the little brat instead of the other way around."

The Larkinson Clan officially took the Flagrant Vandals under its wing. Everyone was a Larkinson now, though the Vandals often didn't bother using their compound names to reflect that reality.

Nonetheless, even if they felt a little bit willful about preserving their original identities, there were some lines they simply weren't allowed to cross.

Several minutes passed by as the main elements of Task Force Predator moved closer. Commander Orfan slowly noticed that the mechs deployed from their carriers weren't in a hurry to advance.

In fact, many of them were taking the long way around the site of the battle!

Soon enough, Commander Orfan received a call from Major Verle.

"Commander, the clan patriarch wants your Flagrant Vandals on standby. When we are ready to engage Davy's Ghosts, you are to block their way towards our main fleet. Unless the pirates attempt to storm your position, your men must refrain from attacking."

"Are you kidding me?!" Orphan exploded. "There's some easy prey in front of us, and you're telling us to stay put?! You were one of us, major!"

"I understand your frustration, but this is the will of our new superior." Major Verle calmly responded. "Look at our entire task force. It consists of a collection of different forces, some of which are more battle-tested than others. The Flagrant Vandals have existed as a mech regiment for decades and we have built up a considerable martial tradition. All of your men are all former servicemen who have lived through both the latest Bright-Vesia War and the Sand War. Only the Swordmaidens come close to matching our accumulated battle experience!"

The bigger picture slowly dawned upon Commander Orfan. "That kid wants to train his less experienced mech pilots?"

The major nodded. "In fact, I raised this suggestion as well. As long as there aren't any other threats in the vicinity, we plan to surround the engagement site so that Davy's Ghosts have nowhere to go. Once the pirates are trapped in our jar, we plan to let our rookies have a taste of actual battle!"

Though Commander Orfan didn't like it, she silently agreed with this rationale. Davy's Ghosts posed no threat to the Larkinsons. Even if they brought ten times more mechs, the Living Sentinels alone could have easily toppled them over!

Once the Larkinsons heard what they were about to do, everyone became excited!

Though three-hundred pirate mechs possessed a substantial amount of destructive power, not a single Larkinson believed that Davy's Ghosts would be able to last very long.

They already showed serious strain in trying to overcome the tough defenses of the Livid Giants.

Once the Larkinsons arrived from the flanks, the pirates would inevitably feel even greater pressure!

The encirclement took some time to establish. In the meantime, the Livid Giants sustained more damage. A few more mechs had been shot to pieces. A couple of mechs pilots lost their lives as the pirates cruelly fired at their ejected cockpits. Only a handful managed to escape death as their comrades used their own mechs as shields!

Despite all of these tragedies taking place, the Larkinsons still calmly obeyed their orders. No one disobeyed orders and left formation in order to rescue the beleaguered Peacekeepers.

Sitting on the bridge of the Scarlet Rose, Ves calmly petted Lucky's back as he observed the giant projection displaying the battlefield from multiple perspectives.

"The Livid Giants are reaching their limits, sir." Major Verle spoke as he employed his considerable judgement and experience to determine how much fight the Peacekeeper outfit had left. "We can't wait to complete the encirclement any longer. We should dispatch our rookies immediately before it's too late."

Ves frowned a bit. He studied the map and saw that it shouldn't really matter much anyway. There was no way the pirates would outrun his forces at this rate.

"Very well. Give the orders. Let's see whether our rookies can match the performance they have shown in the practice simulations!"

Once the rookies received the orders, the prepared formation of Avatars and Sentinels quickly flew forward.

Not a lot of mechs flew into the sensor range of the startled pirates and Peacekeepers!

On the surface, only three mech companies surged forth. Most of them consisted of a collection of premium commercial mech models piloted by the mech pilots of the Living Sentinels.

It was a bit unfortunate that there weren't a lot of LMC mechs flying in their midst.

The only mechs that bolstered the confidence of the Sentinel mech pilots were the Bright Warriors flying in their midst. They adopted various configurations in order to respond to any possible situations that might occur.

To the Larkinsons, it became clear that their clan patriarch mainly wanted to exercise the Living Sentinels!

Out of all of his mech forces, the Living Sentinels numbered the most, but their individual strength was the weakest.

It couldn't be helped. Unlike the Avatars of Myth who hired the best, the Living Sentinels hired a greater number of less impressive mech pilots.

Though all of them enjoyed excellent training resources since they joined the Larkinson Clan, Ves was not in the habit of pampering his mech pilots.

They needed to earn their keep!

Though Commander Magdalena Larkinson vouched for the battle readiness of the rookies she assigned to this mission, Ves was not as confident.

He wanted to see for himself whether the recently-hired Living Sentinels earned the right to wear their grey-and-white uniforms.

"Whoever is in charge of Davy's Ghosts has finally called off their siege." Major Verle noted.

The pirate mechs no longer wasted time on exerting pressure on their prey. Even if they managed to achieve a breakthrough, the cost would definitely be significant and they would also leave themselves open to the approaching enemy!

The first instinct of a pirate when facing unexpected reinforcements wasn't to confront the enemy.

Instead, it was running away in the opposite direction as fast as possible! Davy's Ghosts did not even pretend to muster up a defense. The stained, scarred pirate mechs simply activated their flight systems as much as possible while they hurriedly ran away!

The sight looked pathetic. There was no order or discipline in their retreat. Davy's Ghosts fielded many different mech models, and each individual machine exhibited various levels of neglect. This caused the mobility of the mechs to be all over the place.

The result was that the swarm of pirates quickly strung out into a very disorderly string!

Despite the vulnerable nature of their 'formation', if you could even call it that, the Livid Giants showed no desire to pursue their enemies.

The Peacekeeper outfit lost too much strength, making pursuit unwise. There wasn't necessarily any profit in it either and its commander was also a bit wary towards the newcomers!

Just as the pirates thought they were able to shake off the Living Sentinels that appeared out of nowhere, a considerable number of mechs suddenly appeared in their path!

Rows and rows of resplendent gold-coated Bright Warriors and other Avatar mechs formed a nigh-impenetrable wall!

Even if Davy's Ghosts were completely unfamiliar with the Bright Warriors, the mechs already seemed invincible to the panicking pirates!

The pirates tried to fly straight downwards in an attempt to evade the blockade. Yet they only adjusted their course for half a minute before more Avatars mechs showed up!

No matter where they fled, the pirate mechs encountered enemies in every direction.

In their despair, Davy's Ghosts could only try to flee to the opposite direction, which was seemingly unblocked.

In order to do that, the pirates had to fight through the approaching units of Living Sentinels!

With their very lives at stake, the pirate mechs all banded together and charged at the weaker and less ostentatious mechs of the Sentinels!

"Break through at all costs, lads!"