The Mech Touch

What everyone in the Golden Skull Alliance feared came to pass.

The gravitic sensors already detected a massive spike in readings in the Fordilla Zentra System.

The odds that a random trading convoy or some massive migration fleet would choose to enter this random, lifeless star system was minimal.

Yet a fleet larger than almost anything the Larkinsons had witnessed just happened to be entering this neighborhood at roughly the same time the dwarven patrol vessel was supposed to receive additional reinforcements!

According to the rude and arrogant Ferril inspection captain, he merely called over an assisting force in order to speed up the inspection work of the hundreds of ships of the Golden Skull Alliance.

If the dwarf was speaking the truth, then the wave of reinforcements should have just consisted of a handful of frigates carrying a small army of inspectors.

The behemoth fleet that transitioned into the star system was much more than that. That became evident as numerous impressive-looking fleet carriers appeared into view.

"Fifteen fleet carriers." Someone whispered on the bridge of the Spirit of Bentheim.

A shudder ran through many people's spines.

The quantity of capital ships already pressed a heavy weight on the shoulders of the human visitors. A normal host would never spontaneously dispatch a huge fleet led by fifteen whopping fleet carriers just to conduct a routine inspection!

What was even more impressive was the uniform clouds of combat carriers. Each of them roughly consisted of the same ship classes, signifying a high degree of standardization and professionalism. To see these combat carriers lining up in precise formations before slowly slowing moving forward in unison sent another shudder through everyone's spines.

"There's not a single non-combat vessel in the fleet."

These dwarves came for one single purpose, and Ves did not believe they just wanted to stretch their legs.

The three mech divisions of the Ferril Provincial Army came prepared for combat. They left behind every vulnerable vessel so that they would have less weaknesses to worry about.

Three fleet carriers stood out from the rest. Whereas the majority of fleet carriers looked like standard models that resembled barrels in space, the flagships of the mech divisions were all unique vessels that each possessed their own characteristics.

The Great Ram shared a couple of parallels with the Spirit of Bentheim. The flagship of the Molten Hammers was a broad cigar-shaped vessel that featured much thicker armor than any capital ship in the star system.

Of particular note was her bow. The shipwrights had shaped it into a giant ram head, complete with curled horns that gave the vessel a much more savage presence!

"This ship can't actually ram other ships, right? It would be a suicide attack if the Great Ram recklessly charges onto another hull!"

Ramming was never a reliable tactic unless the tech disparity was insanely high. Ves and many other technically-proficient personnel could already tell that if the Great Ram attempted to charge a ship like the Spirit of Bentheim, she would most definitely collapse in on herself!

This was because the ramming vessel had to endure the same force as her victim. Newton's Third law of motion was no joke! No matter how much the dwarves reinforced the structure of this fleet carrier, the Great Ram didn't look sturdy enough to withstand the unimaginable forces unleashed during a collision against a solid-enough object!

Impracticalities aside, her giant ram head still looked incredibly intimidating. The Great Ram essentially encapsulated the fighting approach of the Molten Hammers.

"She's extremely heavily-armored. She boasts multiple layers of dense hull plating on every side except her stern. While her maneuverability is also extremely low, she actually boasts an oversized propulsion system, allowing her to accelerate fast enough to not slow down the rest of the fleet too much."

There were other characteristics about the Great Ram that looked unusual. For example, she boasted a thick underside that could withstand a lot of punishment. She also boasted just 60 bunkers, which was less than average than a ship of her size could accommodate.

Obviously, the Great Ram was primarily focused on defense rather than offense. It was the Ferril Provincial Army's version of the Graveyard, except the dwarven fleet carrier was much more oriented towards combat and didn't look nearly as shabby.

However, compared to this slow and plodding fleet carrier, the flagship of the Slug Rangers posed a much greater concern to the Golden Skull Alliance.

Whereas the Great Ram lacked too many bunkers to pose an immediate threat, the Lemogo Distat immediately caused a lot of alarms to ring inside the heads of the military commanders.

Her design deviated the most from a standard fleet carrier. She was narrower than the Great Ram and did not boast an exaggerated amount of armor. Her hull still looked sturdy enough to withstand a lot of bombardment and her maneuverability was probably a bit more decent.

What really stood out from Lemogo was her bunkers.

She had a lot of them. It only took a short moment for the Larkinson Clan's long-ranged sensors to count all of the reinforced bunkers.

"The Lemogo Distat carries a total of 200 bunkers. She's practically made to serve as a firing platform for artillery mechs!"

This was the closest thing to a warship that ordinary states were allowed to field. Though the Vulcanites hated the rules imposed by the Big Two, which they considered to be a cabal of tall folk, even the dwarves weren't stupid enough to cross the clearest red line set by humanity.

The Lemogo Distat actually boasted the smallest mech capacity out of all of the fleet carriers. So much of her volume was dedicated towards hosting bunkers and supporting the artillery mechs within that she did not need to fulfill any other function.

What stood out from the bunkers was that they weren't as recessed as typical bunker implementation. Instead, they stuck out from the surface of the hull like huge pimples.

These high bunkers increased the angles in which the artillery mechs inside could direct their fire. Otherwise, it would have been a lot harder for a mech positioned on the starboard side to fire at a target that was positioned forward, behind, above or below the Lemogo Distat.

Sure, the oddly-shaped bunkers made the fleet carrier look like a disease-ridden vessel, but they ensured that at least two-thirds of the Cracker mechs ensconced inside would be able to unleash their formidable firepower at any time!

The Roost was plainer than the rest. The main fleet carrier of the Hivar Roarers resembled an oval nest as she was designed to carry and support 800 mechs. Her hull plating wasn't as thick as the other two flagships but her mobility was noticeably better. Her 77 bunkers weren't anything to write home about.

The ships of the three mech divisions each stuck fairly close to each other while at the same time maintaining their own spaces. The direction of their headings was clear, though.

They were all navigating straight towards the expeditionary fleet!

While this took place, the ongoing talk between the expeditionary fleet and the dwarven patrol captain took on a different turn.

The dwarven patrol captain had kept Minister Shederin Purnesse locked in a circular argument for several hours. It was only now that he finally said something different.

"Ah, our main inspection teams have just arrived." The dwarf captain schooled his face and tried to reassure the tall folk. "Please stand by and wait for their approach. They shall be conducting their examinations soon."

"Your newly-arrived friends have come with many more combat vessels than what is necessary to conduct a routine inspection." Shederin plainly pointed out.

"Ah, according to our new laws, we must take extra precautions to protect our border. One of our rules is that we must field more ships and mechs than the parties that wish to enter our space. Please do not be concerned. This modest detachment from our great mech army will only take action should you break our rules or if the inspections have uncovered prohibited contraband.

"We are an expeditionary fleet that comes in peace." Shederin firmly stated. "We have already changed our minds about crossing deeper into the Vulcan Empire. As soon as we are ready, we will promptly depart from this star system and head straight back outside this star sector. It is unnecessary for your forces to conduct an inspection."

The dwarven captain frowned. "We cannot allow you to go. Your behavior is suspicious. Whether you wish to proceed with your journey or not, you are already in our empire's space. This means you are already subject to our rules. It is our obligation to make certain that no one violates our laws. Cease your new plans immediately and surrender to our examinations. I will not warn you twice."

"We are not subject to your empire's laws!" Shederin took on a strong tone! "We have told you over and over again that our MTA pass provides us with immunity to your local laws and customs. If any of your empire's vessels ever come within combat range of our expeditionary fleet, we have no choice but to assume you intend to attack us in clear violation of the rules of the MTA. We have the right to defend ourselves and we shall do so in the most violent way possible!"

Even though the charade was up, the dwarven captain continued to act cluelessly and did his best to stall and deceive the tall folk.

Ves shut down the channel. It was a waste of time to listen to the dwarven captain's lies any further.

Instead, he turned to General Verle's projection. "Your thoughts?"

"The dwarven punitive fleet is highly consistent in terms of numbers and other traits. It appears that the Ferril Provincial Army liked to organize its units in an orderly manner. The chances are high that we will have to fight against 15 dwarven expert mechs."

"Damn." Ves softly cursed.

This was indeed a bad scenario and one that the Larkinsons did not want to see. The Ferril Provincial Army may lack actual battle experience, but that also made it easy for its units to remain at full strength.

War was a massive drain on funding, manpower and resources. This has caused states that engaged in frequent war like the old Bright Republic to have trouble with allocating a sufficient amount of assets and other necessities to its mech regiments.

Not so for the Vulcan Empire. The Molten Hammerse, Slug Rangers and Hivar Roarers were not affected by attrition at all and arrived in their strongest posture!

"A lot of their starships are on the slow side." Ves pointed out. "Is it possible for us to just keep accelerating away and wait until all of our FTL drives have finished cycling?"

"I'm not certain that will work, sir." Verle replied as he analyzed the estimated specs of the dwarven vessels. "Their fleet carriers are indeed slow, but their combat carriers feature a respectable amount of acceleration despite the thickness of their hulls. They can still catch up with our expeditionary fleet if they are willing to overload their propulsion systems. This will allow them to bring their mechs close enough to entangle us in battle, thereby slowing us down and anchoring us to this star system long enough for their heavy fleet carriers to catch up. So in short, we can't run away unless we choose to jump away early and leave behind half of our fleet that hasn't finished cycling their FTL drives in time."

Even though accelerating away from the dwarven combat vessels wouldn't allow the expeditionary fleet to avoid battle entirely, it could still buy a few more hours for the Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers.

Yet was there any point to delaying the confrontation?

"The dwarven fleet is too intimidating." General Verle judged. "The longer it looms behind our back, the more it will impact our morale. Attempting to move away is already an admission of inferiority on our part. We have already made a lot of preparations and we don't need much more time to prep our fleet for battle. I believe it is unwise to delay the inevitable. Let us meet the dwarven aggression with our heads lifted high rather than hunched down."

"Then so be it." Ves concurred. "We shall never allow the dwarves to humiliate us! We are Larkinsons! We are unbowed!"

The Golden Skull Alliance chose not to reconsider its plans after seeing what the Ferril Province had sent. Though the dwarven punitive fleet looked a bit more formidable than anyone thought, it could still be overcome in the right circumstances!