The Mech Touch novel Chapter 957

The Dragons of the Void were some of the most persistent and annoying enemies that Ves had ever encountered! Even now, they hadn’t given up on intercepting the remnant fleet.

The only consolation was that the remnant fleet barely exited the deep frontier. They currently passed through one of the most desolate areas of the Faris Star Region. Very few outfits made their homes here due to the lack of human presence. Ves figured that sandmen ships still outnumbered human ships this far from the border.

Nonetheless, the Woolox Star System hosted a small space station where a number of dependents of the Dragon Alliance made their home. The Swordmaidens received word that some of those subordinate pirate outfits suddenly mobilized into action and transitioned out of the star system in a hurry!

Not only that, but their destination brought them closer to the route the Flagrant Swordmaidens would likely pass!

As Major Verle informed him of the approaching threat, Ves relax a little bit. "Just to be clear, sir. It’s not the main forces of the Dragons of the Void coming after us, but some hick pirates that became affiliate members of their alliance, right?"

"Correct. Even so, the estimated number of mechs the pirates can muster is of great concern. If their carriers are all filled to the brim with spaceborn mechs, then we can easily expect over two-hundred mechs bearing down on us at once!"

As the head designer, Ves knew quite well how many mechs the Vandals could muster at this time. So far, the mech technicians all exerted their utmost to raise their strength to seventy operational mechs.

The Swordmaidens should be in a slightly better state. So the Flagrant Swordmaidens would probably be able to field a hundred-and-fifty mechs perhaps.

A complicating factor was that the lack of supplies and materials left many of their mechs in a state of disrepair. There was only so much the mech technicians could do to patch up all of the missing and damaged parts!

"Do we know what we’re up against, sir?"

"We do. The agents in Woolox who sent word to the Swordmaidens also included every scrap of intelligence they gathered about the outfits arrayed against us. Individually, they’re nothing to be concerned about, but together they are a force to be reckoned with. Here is all the information you need."

Ves accepted the data pad that Verle slid over his desk. He browsed the summary and raised his eyebrows. "Kaso’s Remediers. Medium pirate gang. Slick hairs. Small pirate gang. Blind men. Small pirate gang. I didn’t see these names the last time we visited the Woolox System, sir."

"The pirates that usually take refuge in the Woolox System aren’t very well off. They wouldn’t be forced to base themselves in the most distant known space station in the frontier if that’s the case. Pirates continue to come, but most are never heard of again in time. The sandmen probably got to them. Yet new batches of pirates keep pouring in. From what the agents gathered, the three outfits you mentioned aren’t exactly in the best books of the Dragon Alliance."

Ves looked at the number of mechs these pirates could muster. "We’re going to have a hard fight on their hands if they managed to corner us and force us into a battle. Is there no way to outmaneuver them and avoid them entirely, sir?"

"The Dragons of the Void doesn’t have much of a presence here, but we suspect that they planted many hidden listening posts in the star systems in this area. There isn’t much of a chance to keep our route hidden from this strike force. While it is possible for us to take wide detours to prevent their interception, that will waste vast amounts of time, giving the Dragons of the Void enough time to muster up a proper interception fleet from their core territories and send them out to cut off each direction we can take."

In other words, time was of the essence. They needed to get past the obstacle of the Dragon Alliance’s fast strike force in order to rendez-vous with the ’friends’ of the Swordmaidens.

"What did the Swordmaidens say about the threat? They know our opponents better than we do, sir."

"True. As far as the Swordmaidens are aware of, Kaso’s Remediers are the ones to watch out for. Not only are they able to field more mechs than the other two gangs, they also possess a very wide and varied mech roster. Kind of like us, in a way. Much of their mechs are garbage but there are a few notable machines reserved for their officers that can give us a run for our money."

Their modus operandi sounded similar to what the Flagrant Vandals did in civilized space. They excelled at raiding lightly-protected trade convoys and shipping fleets.

Of particular note was that they existed the longest as well, which meant they developed a substantial martial tradition and wouldn’t make too many mistakes on the battlefield.

The other two gangs seemed less concerning than the Remediers.

"The Slick Hairs fancy themselves as sophisticated thugs. They’re known for how much time they spend on grooming their slick dyed black hair."

"Sounds like they belong in a theater rather than the frontier." Ves snorted.

"It’s a gimmick, yes, but it’s one that unifies them and brings them together, much like the obsession of swordsmanship among the Swordmaidens." Major Verle replied, taking it much more seriously than most. "The Slick Hairs mostly field a mix of light skirmishers and other assorted cheap mechs. Visually, they’ve modified their mechs by giving them the same slick hairdos."

As Ves browsed the image captures of the mechs fielded by the Slick Hairs, he had to admit the hairdos gave the mechs a sense of class that they didn’t actually deserve. Beneath their slick hairs and polished exteriors, Ves spotted the telltale signs of neglect and faulty repairs.

It reminded him of the shoddy mechs of Walter’s Whalers.

Verle turned to the last pirate gang. "As for the Blind Men, they aren’t blind. They just call themselves that for reasons I can’t be bothered to explain. While their rituals and customs are strange, they are known for their marksmanship. Their spaceborn rifleman mechs are all armed with laser rifles tweaked for power. While their fire rate is rather poor, leading to an awful performance at close range, their rifleman mechs are quite fast."