The Mech Touch novel Chapter 288

Vesians had a penchant of starting off any engagement with a massive missile barrage. The Bright Republic’s pilots called it the Vesian Welcome Package.

At certain times, the massive Vesian opening salvos disintegrated their targets if they didn’t bring enough countermeasures. Even if the defenders did bring enough guns, the chance of a couple of projectiles slipping through could never be eliminated.

Ghanso’s Vhedra-S hastily emerged from the launch bay of the fleet carrier and flared its powerful flight systems forward in order to catch up with the formation of his squad.

Even under these dire circumstances, the mech pilots of the Volari Starhawks still maintained their discipline. The high levels of discipline, coordination and logistical support that underpinned the Mech Corps enabled it to wipe the floor with any gang or mercenary corps.

The pilots of the Starhawks followed their training and entered into a predetermined matrix formation that maximized each ranged mech’s coverage so that they could spread out their anti-missile capabilities.

"Damn it. Why did they send torpedoes this time?"

Captain Rynsel passed down word from command on the comm channel. "The incoming torpedoes are all old stock. They’re using up their aging reserves first, so cheer up folks, because their ECM won’t be as sophisticated as the newer ones.

"How old are we talking about?" Old Man Alex asked. "Are they like old-old, like last war surplus?"

"They’re using a mix of torpedo designs from the interwar period, so they’re not as obsolete as you think."

Ghanso took that as a serious warning not to rely too much on his targeting systems. A rifleman mech pilot like him didn’t rely too much on outside aid anyway. While the Vhendra-S variant lacked a bit in extreme range precision, it should be able to make up for it when the torpedoes approached into terminal range.

"Larkinson, Don’t forget we’re facing torpedoes, not missiles." Lieutenant Fairfax spoke to the side as he brandished his ballistic rifle. "The Vesians design their torpedoes to be tough as hell. They can take a lot of hits and are practically impervious to low-intensity laser fire. It’s best to switch to full-powered beams."

He already knew that, thank you. Ghanso already switches his rifle’s mode before he even launched from the fleet carrier.

He looked through the optics of his Vhendra-S and stared at the black void of stars. In the distance, he saw nothing but the void, but his mech conveyed hundreds of approaching carriers from the Vesians.

Once he switched the mode of his HUD, the empty void of black lit up in a flare of pinpricks as his mech conveyed the sharks lurking far beyond his range of vision. The eternal night disappeared in a dazzlingly enchanting confluence of light and motion.

"The torpedoes are two minutes away! This is it, lads! Give ’em all you got!"

Only a few mechs among the Starhawks fired their weapons. Only the best sharpshooters had any realistic chance of hitting the torpedoes at this range. Even if everyone else relied on their targeting systems, the ECM and physical juking of the torpedoes ensured that most attempts ended in failure. It was better to hold back until the torpedoes came closer.

Blooms of anti-ballistic missiles flared to life from the midst of the Starhawks. Over ten-thousand small but potent missiles streaked towards the Vesian torpedoes with nothing but their goal in mind. Despite the substantial amount of missiles, no one held up their hopes they could catch every torpedo.

The Vesians knew their missiles, and packed their torpedoes full with countermeasures of their own.

As the missiles curved to the side and followed an arcing intercept towards the incoming torpedoes, Ghanso finally received permission to let loose.

"Open fire!"

Ghanso held his mech absolutely still inside the formation and began to open fire with measured beams of lancing hot lasers. His mech didn’t possess the sensors to see the result of his first salvo, but the collective observation capabilities of the ships backing up the mechs provided an accurate picture of what happened at the other side.

His initial laser volley hit the head of his targeted torpedo head-on but failed to take it out. The Vesians incorporated a lot of junk exotic alloys in the nose of their torpedoes, ensuring that they wouldn’t fold in a single blow.

Fortunately, Ghanso didn’t fight by himself. A mech pilot from another squad noted the damage sustained by the torpedo and delivered the coup-de-grace with his precision ballistic rifle. The torpedo’s weakened nose couldn’t withstand the sudden kinetic impact and its payload detonated in a powerful focused blast that had been designed to punch straight through thick layers of starship hull plating.

By this time, the anti-ballistic missiles they launched also reached the torpedoes. Both waves of projectiles engaged in an elaborate electronic battle as they tried to fool their opposites without getting fooled in turn.

Over three-hundred torpedoes perished outright and around two-hundred more suffered incidental damage to their exterior.

It wasn’t enough.

As the torpedoes entered medium range, every mech with a gun opened fire. Even space knights like the one piloted by Old Man Alex fired back with their backup pistols.

Over half of the remaining torpedoes fell into quick succession. The closer range enabled mechs to worry less about accuracy and focus more on firing as fast as their heat management systems could handle the successive build-up of waste energy.

"They’re getting close! Only less than three-hundred are left! Kill them now! For a brighter tomorrow!"

Every pilot echoed the slogan. "For a brighter tomorrow!"

A sense of sacred duty filled Ghanso’s mind as he spoke those words. His aim grew steadier and his breath grew even as he methodically shot down torpedo after torpedo with the help of his fellow Starhawks.

The spirit of the Starhawks infused his neural connection between his brain and his mech and the two fought closer in sync. His Vhendra-S became an extension of his body as he utilized his substantial training take down as many torpedoes as they entered their terminal mode.

"They’re speeding up!"

The Vesian torpedoes always left the best for last. They kept a fourth of their energy reserves for the final sprint, burning it over the final seconds before impact to ensure a powerful and unavoidable collision for any bulky ship.

"Not enough." Ghanso gnarled as he sent a mental command to override his rifle’s safeties. Heat leaked out from the built-in heatsinks in his rifle and warmed up the entire frame, but the Vhendra-S handled the weapon like a machine gun, firing a succession of rapid full-powered laser beams at the rapidly accelerating torpedoes.

He only caught one torpedo while his colleagues destroyed over two-thirds of the torpedoes that made it this far.