The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2593

Chapter 2593: Training Progress

Over a thousand mechs flew in space. They formed several dispersed formations and maneuvered in close coordination with each other.

Many mechs flew at least fifty meters apart from each other. Every element had to fly close enough to each other in order to make formations effective, but packing them too close left them vulnerable to powerful explosions.

The risk of collision also played a significant factor. If the mech pilots weren't skilled or disciplined enough, then a single mistake might lead to a chain collision that could tear an entire formation apart!

This was one of the reasons why pirates and poorly-trained mech pilots flew around in a chaotic swarm. The mech pilots did not even trust their own comrades to fly responsibly, so they only felt at ease if mechs were at least 100 or 200 meters away from their own machines.

Suffice to say, these loose groups conveyed no significant advantage other than minimizing collisions and making it harder for them to get taken out by a single powerful explosion.

As the silver-coated mechs of the Living Sentinels maneuvered in space in much tighter formations, the Larkinson Clan took a different route.

Every Larkinson mech force emphasized formations in their training regimes. Many of the mech pilots that the clan managed to recruit in recent months were all elites or highly-qualified rookies.

They possessed the skill, discipline and confidence to pilot their mechs in tight formations. However, due to their diverse backgrounds and origins, they were all used to different configurations.

The Sentinels and the other mech forces wished to integrate the new recruits into their own unique systems, then they needed to conduct a lot of drills.

The newcomers had to get accustomed to the new formations right away. They needed to become so familiar with the set of formations of their mech troop that it became instinct for them to find the right place!

As for the veterans, Commander Casella Ingvar did not keep them idle. She came up with a mentorship scheme whereby two different veterans assumed responsibility for at least 8 new recruits.

With two veterans working together, they could keep each other in check while offering multiple perspectives. The new recruits did not strictly have to obey or adopt the advice of the veterans, but it was generally a good idea to listen to the survivors of the grueling Nyxian Gap Campaign.

The Sentinel Commander oversaw the formation drills in the command center of the new flagship of Living Sentinels. Just like the Avatars' Purplefeather, the Steadfast Vigil was a larger combat carrier that held up to 60 mechs.

The Vigil also served as a command vessel. With her well-equipped command center, enhanced sensor and communication arrays and upgraded data processing capabilities, she was more than capable of commanding a mech regiment.

In fact, it would have been even better if Commander Casella could command her troops in a fleet carrier, but beggars couldn't be choosers. Compared to the flimsy third-class light carrier the Sentinels had before, the Steadfast Vigil was at least twenty times better!

An ample amount of officers and specialists sat behind their work stations. They monitored various readings or communicated with the mech pilots deployed in space. The coordination between the command center and the soldiers in the field was not entirely seamless, but it was already better than what most outfits were able to accomplish.

To Commander Casella, coordination was essential to her mech force. Unlike the Avatars of Myth whose elite mech pilots could fight tacitly and with greater situational awareness, her Sentinels were not as good.

She wasn't disappointed with her mech pilots. The Sentinels adopted minimum recruitment standards as well. Even if their standards weren't as high as the Avatars, the mech pilots they recruited had to be good enough to become eligible to serve in the military.

They also had to be disciplined and obedient enough to follow instructions.

There were very few Larkinson mech pilots who didn't make the cut. The Larkinson Clan did not recruit useless people. If the mech pilots who applied to join the clan could not even satisfy the Living Sentinels, then there was no point to absorbing them into the clan!

Ever since she assumed command of the Sentinels, Commander Casella focused on fulfilling two important goals.

First, she needed to restore the morale of her men.

Second, she needed to integrate every Sentinel mech pilot in a single, cohesive group.

From how crisp the different mechs of the Living Sentinels were fighting against a larger force of projected practice targets, Casella believed she was close to completing those goals.

The main projections vividly depicted entire mech companies of Princess Jeckas moving in unison in aggressive wedge formations. The large groups of swordsman mechs resembled shark teeth as they sank into their practice targets from two different directions.

The new Vima Suns fired their laser rifles in coordinated volleys that limited the evasion opportunities of every target. What was notable about the new spaceborn rifleman mechs was that the Larkinsons had upgraded their weapon loadouts.

Each and every Vima Sun wielded modified laser rifles that each integrated a luminar crystal!

The augmented laser rifles allowed the Vima Suns to output a bit more damage while wasting less energy in the form of waste heat. This was a considerable improvement that allowed the rifleman mechs to punch above their weight!

It was too bad that their defensive capabilities remained just as poor.

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