The Mech Touch novel Chapter 537

"When we made plans to raid the Hachew System, I expected our mechs to batter the Vesians every step of the way." Ves spoke with a perplexed expression. "Rather than acting as the barbarians at the gates, I feel as if we are more like the tax collector coming to collect the annual tax."

When the Verle Task Force emerged out of FTL in the Hachew System, the local garrison immediately panicked. Instead of readying themselves to fight to the death, the outnumbered and outgunned defense squadron immediately fled to the nearest Lagrange point and transitioned to anywhere but here.

This allowed the Flagrant Vandals to waltz towards Hachew III, the only inhabited planet in the system. Once the combat carriers that conveyed their landbound mechs made landfall, they came across deserted cities, open warehouses and meagerly defended industries.

Not a single inhabitant took up arms to defend against the invaders. Without any signs of organized opposition, the Vandals practically acted with impunity on the surface of Hachew III!

While the Vandals remained alert and ready to switch to battle mode, there was also a palpable sense of ease running through their heads. Nobody in the command center seemed suspicious that they had entered a trap of sorts.

After slogging through the Detemen Operation and getting their butts kicked by the Calico Dancer Bats, Ves had a hard time trying to adjust to the lack of obstacles put in their way. What was it about the Hachew System that made them lose their will to fight?

"Iris?"

"It’s simple, really. The ruler of Hachew III is Baron Imica of House Sabanet. His lineage isn’t as long and storied as that of a count. His defense force only consists of three companies of spaceborn mechs and four companies of landbound mechs. Do you think that’s a lot? The Flagrant Vandals can easily smash them apart, especially considering we are talking about garrison mechs!"

"Even then, it would benefit Venidse if House Sabanet puts up a fight. They’re outnumbered, but not to the extent where we can win an instant victory. If they resort to harassment and guerilla warfare, they can easily ruin our raid."

"There’s the key, boss. What does Baron Imica have to do with Venidse? The Duke of Venidse doesn’t care about a tiny baron at all! Certainly, Baron Imica can order his household troops to put up a valiant fight against us, but what will that accomplish? Victory is impossible, and at worst he might lose all of the mechs he painstakingly funded over several decades. The Hachew System barely ekes out a profit for the house, so each mech is extraordinarily valuable to him. Unless he stands to gain more than he loses, Baron Imica will absolutely refuse to throw away his mechs to a lost cause."

"That’s surprisingly rational of the baron." Ves remarked as if he had never seen a rational noble before. "Won’t he get punished by Venidse?"

"Hah! No duke can compel a baron to send the foundation of his power into a suicide mission. Garrison mechs stand no chance against proper military mechs, and that’s not taking into account that we outnumber them. Conserving your strength and denying us an easy victory is par for the course. At worst, House Sabanet will suffer a couple of years of disgrace and become a pariah in high society, but as long as they maintain their strength, they won’t have to worry about their rivals deposing them from power."

Ves frowned at that. "This sounds as if House Sabanet are more wary of their domestic rivals than a foreign enemy."

"This raid is a one-off chance. The chances that Vandals will return to raid their planet again is practically nil. They’ve probably written off their material losses as a consequence from a massive freak accident. Wealth and goods is easy to replenish, but control over an entire planet is harder to regain when lost."

What Iris said probably rang true. The Vandal mechs that made landfall sauntered over the planet like they owned it. Though many industry complexes brandished their company forces, when push came to shove, the company goons retreated without firing a single shot.

The previous displays of intimidation always turned out to be bluffs. The company forces had orders to dissuade the Vandals from picking a fight with them, but because they were vastly outnumbered, their owners were loathe to throw them away in a senseless battle.

House Sabanet already set an example for the smaller players to follow. If the big guys refused to make a sacrifice, why should everyone else be selfless? It was every Vesian for themselves!

"Compared to foreign aggressors like you, their rivals are more immediate opponents to House Sabanet." Iris continued her explanation. "In the eyes of their neighbors, they want nothing more than see House Sabanet lose all of their mechs in a lopsided battle. Once the Vandals take their spoils and leave, the rivals can swoop in to claim Hachew III from the hands of the now-toothless House."

"That sounds really messed up. If House Sabanet sacrifices their mechs in battle against us, they should receive a commendation!"

"Who would give them their commendation? Hm? Mechs are expensive. Even Venidse can’t magically compensate two-hundred mechs to a small baron on a whim. The games nobility play is a ruthless one. When it comes down to it, the best players don’t care about duty, honor or accomplishments. They only care about how many mechs you can field and how hard it is to dislodge you from power. Even between liege lord and vassal, relations are frosty to the point where they won’t hesitate to stab each other in the back when they can get away with such an act."

All of this neatly explained the cynical decision-making of the nobles who ruled the various demesnes of the Vesia Kingdom. The more Ves heard the details, the more he grew confused. "I don’t understand. How can this mutual lack of trust even work? The more you explain it to me, the more I think of the Kingdom as an unwilling collection of selfish Houses."