The Mech Touch

The paramilitary force was taking an awful beating!

Yet they were not without the power to hit back!

The projections showed that the besieged side was already starting to fire projectiles at the origin point of the long-ranged artillery fire.

The counter-battery fire might not be as accurate due to the lack of preparation, but it should at least exert a bit of pressure on the attacking side!

Ves carefully observed the artillery duel as both sides continued to sling projectiles at each other.

Due to the nature of this kind of exchange, neither side resorted to energy weapons. It seemed the paramilitaries were prepared for this situation. A lot of biomechs armed with laser weapons and positron weapons decisively dropped their main weapons and took out spare projectile weapons.

Even if their models weren't optimized for physical weapons, they could still add to the weight of fire. Their accuracy might be worse, but it was already worth it if at least one in ten shots hit the mark.

Ves continued to observe the artillery duel for a while before Commander Casella realized something important.

"We need to distance our airfleet from the battle site, sir. Right now, we are close enough to make it seem as if we can take part in the battle. If we continue to stay in our current position, both sides can easily misconstrue our intentions and gang up on us in order to remove an unstable factor."

Although this possibility sounded unreasonable, Ves did not dismiss Casella's words. It would be very odd for the airfleet to stay in the vicinity of a random battle that didn't have any relations with the Larkinsons!

A typical uninvolved party would panic and move away as quickly as possible.

"Alright. Start up the emergency evacuation plan. Get us out of here as quickly as possible. Fly as far away as possible from both the paramilitaries and the unidentified attackers. I don't want to generate any misunderstandings."

"Very well, sir."

The Larkinsons did not forget that they were still stuck on a dangerous planet. It was essential to prepare a way to leave their current location as soon as possible.

Still, it took a lot of time for everyone to get back to their vehicles. It took even more time to transport all of the supplies and equipment back to their transport vessels.

In the end, the Larkinsons were forced to leave a significant amount of assets behind in order to speed up their evacuation.

Roughly twenty minutes after ordering the evacuation, the entire airfleet briskly rose into the air. Every biovehicle and biomech moved away from the direction of all of the explosions and impacts.

Every clansmen felt relieved as they were distancing themselves from the active battlefield. None of them were eager to put themselves in harm's way after surviving the outbreak of violence in Prosperous Hill VI.

Ves didn't feel too bad about this. The mobility of his fleet was high enough that it wouldn't take much time to turn around and reach the battlefield. He doubted that the situation would change in a short amount of time.

As the artillery duel continued, it had become clear that this was not the prelude of a decisive engagement.

The scout drones dispatched by the Larkinsons failed to detect any large troop movements. This meant that the third party initiated a bombardment for other reasons.

When a scout mech finally managed to reach the location of the attacking force, the colors and markings of the biomechs immediately elicited a reaction from Ves!

"It's these guys again!"

"Do you recognize them, sir?"

"It's the ultralifers!"

Both Ves and Commander Rivington did not have a good impression of these radical nationalists. They dispatched numerous soldiers and mechs on a mission to slaughter the foreigner who humiliated their state.

Although the ultralifers hadn't showed up again after Ves and his followers reached Gentle Lotus Base, the animosity hadn't gone away.

Ves found it strange that these ultralifers chose to attack the paramilitaries occupying the warehouse complex.

Why weren't they trying to finish what they started? After all, it was not exactly a secret that Ves and his Larkinsons had amassed a formidable airfleet in this area.

If the ultralifers had enough courage to attack the grey mechs, then they should have enough strength to attack his airfleet!

Ves could only conclude that the ultralifers prioritized the warehouse complex and the secrets it may hold over pursuing a trivial vendetta!

"Interesting." He rubbed his smooth-shaven chin. "Well, I'm no friends with either side, so there's no harm in letting them beat each other up. I hope they destroy each other in the process."

However, this was a vain hope. Neither side appeared to be eager to escalate the fights. After two hours of constant bombardment, the ultralifers ceased their efforts and pulled back their artillery biomechs and accompanying escort force.

For their part, the paramilitaries simply let the attackers go. The base personnel were already in the process of repairing the battle damage and clearing all of the rubble.

Ves and his advisors could only guess at the reasons why this engagement ended in such a tepid manner.

"This doesn't really make sense." Ves frowned. "If the utralifers wanted to take over this complex, then they should have waited until they could launch an all-out attack. They should have dispatched an assault force after softening up the defenders with artillery barrages. Since the ultralifers chose to pull back, they're giving the paramilitaries plenty of time to fix the damage and restore their defenses!"

Commander Rivington also looked puzzled. "The ultralifers lost the advantage of surprise. The moment they started to shell the warehouse, they exposed their hostile intentions. The paramilitary organization will definitely be on guard against another attack. This will make it harder for the ultralifers to achieve good results next time."

"There are other reasons why the ultralifers chose to attack the site in this fashion." Casella stated. "For example, the two sides might be engaged in negotiations. If the ultralifers are displeased with the direction of the talks, they may have decided to exert pressure on the other party by resorting to bombardment. Even though their efforts resulted in a considerable amount of  material and psychological damage, the paramilitaries didn't actually lose that much combat effectiveness. This means that the two sides have not completely turned into irreconcilable enemies."

That explanation made quite a bit of sense, but no one knew for sure. There could be a dozen other possible explanations.

Ves grunted. "We'll just have to wait and see. From what I know about the ultralifers, they're not exactly the most restrained bunch of people in this state. I bet they will definitely launch another attack tomorrow."

His prediction turned out to be correct. Different from last time, the ultralifers didn't engage in another bombardment.

Instead, a couple of their mech companies sneaked close and launched a brief and momentary close assault. A dozen turrets got wrecked and a lot more biomechs incurred varying degrees of damage.

After just ten minutes of fighting, the ultralifer mech companies immediately retreated.

Again, the paramilitaries didn't pursue. They remained stubbornly in place and guarded themselves against other attacks.

Even though the Larkinson airfleet had pulled back by 50 kilometers, they were still able to observe what happened by relying on scout mechs and observation devices.

There was definitely something fishy taking place. Ves had the impression that he was a spectator to another game. It felt strange for him to be uninvolved in a fight. Usually, he would find himself right in the middle of a crisis.

"Do you think the ultralifers will launch an all-out attack?"

"It's a possibility." Casella answered. "The ulralifers have acted with caution up until now. If they stick to their pattern, then they will launch another harassing attack tomorrow. However, this could be part of a greater ploy to lower the vigilance of the paramilitaries."

Ves and the Larkinsons waited for tomorrow in order to see how the situation evolved.

As expected, the ultralifers launched another tentative attack. They decided to put their artillery mechs in action again. The warehouse complex came under bombardment yet again, but this time the paramilitaries erected significantly more countermeasures against persistent shelling.

Ves expected the base defenders to fire back at the artillery mechs.

However, a couple of mech companies that belonged to the paramilitaries suddenly showed up at the flanks of the bombardment units and collided against the ultralifer artillery units!

A furious skirmish ensued! Ves watched with rapt attention as he observed a battle between two groups of biomechs. He keenly took note of the strengths and weaknesses of the different biomech models.

The short but furious engagement caused both sides to lose dozens of biomechs. After a harsh struggle, the ulralifer units received orders to retreat. They left the field while leaving their downed biomechs behind. The paramilitaries quickly picked up the valuable wrecks and disappeared from view.

Ves became more and more confused. If the ultralifers weren't confident enough to win against the paramilitaries, why did they engage in hostilities in the first place?

"At least we have managed to confirm one of our guesses. The paramilitary organization has more biomechs at its disposal. Their assault force did not come from the warehouse complex. The biomechs on guard over there are all accounted for." Commander Casella said.

This was hard proof that there were much more biomechs out there than what was visible to the Larkinsons!

Ves felt more and more at ease with his decision to lay low and retreat. Sure enough, these paramilitaries did not unveil their full strength!

However, this caused him to feel more and more powerless. There was no way he could defeat the current occupants of the warehouse complex. Who knew what the paramilitaries were doing over there. Perhaps they had already succeeded in breaking into the pinnacle lab!

"Goddamnit Lucky. Why are you still sleeping like a baby?"

If Lucky had recovered, Ves could have dispatched his commando cat in order to find out whether there was actually a pinnacle lab. Right now, he was only guessing at the truth, and that uncertainty was gnawing at him. He constantly dreamed about getting his hands on additional vials of serum.

He could create and boost a lot of design spirits! He could permanently bolster his upcoming expert mechs! He could use all of the abundant amount of life energy to create powerful new spiritual constructs!

There were so many uses for life-prolonging treatment serum that Ves was starting to feel more and more tortured by his decision to stay away.

It was as if he was undergoing withdrawal symptoms!

Every bone in his body wanted to get closer to the warehouse complex!

"Goddammit! I need to resist this impulse!"

Ves thought about subjecting himself to the Aspect of Tranquility or the Aspect of Rationality. However, he was too wary of altering his mindstate to do so. Besides, his mental strength was formidable enough that he was able to resist their effects.

He knew that the best way to deal with this situation was to rely on his own willpower to suppress his urges. Self-control was essential to his continued survival.

For a long time, Ves neglected this quality, but perhaps this was a good opportunity for him to exercise this neglected side of him. No matter how much he wanted to obtain the valuable serum, he could not afford to lose the gains he made so far. His airfleet was too weak to take part in the fighting.

However, his plans couldn't keep up with reality.

On the fourth day, the ultralifers did not choose to launch an attack on the paramilitary force.

Instead, their artillery mechs opened fire on the airfleet!

Explosions rippled through the slow-moving biomechs and biovehicles as distant attackers launched an unprovoked attack on the Larkinsons!

"We're under attack!"

"Red alert!"

"Intercept those attacks!"

Chaos immediately spread among the clansmen as they were completely caught off-guard!