The Mech Touch novel Chapter 2650

2650 /7079

Chapter 2650: Hard Head

The time had come. Almost four hours had gone by. At this time, the two opposing fleets had drawn very close to each other.

The smaller Umbra Task Force doggedly chased after the considerably larger fleet of the Golden Skull Alliance with the help of its faster and purpose-built carriers. Even though the Fridaymen, Praetor and Planat engineers pushed their respective vessels beyond their recommended parameters, none of them showed any restraint.

The condition of the engines, thrusters and many other propulsion systems degraded rapidly as the attackers sought to catch up to their targets as fast as possible!

The Larkinsons and their allies did not choose to shirk this battle. They still held hope for victory despite knowing that their overall strength fell short compared to the enemy.

In their eyes, it was not yet time to cut off the rest of the fleet and take their capital ships away. While it sounded tempting to flee and preserve as many lives as possible, the expeditionary fleet would have to leave behind much of its assets, thereby putting it into an even weaker position if the enemy strike force ever caught up again!

The Larkinsons, Glory Seekers and Crossers knew quite well that this was the best shot they had of overturning the enemy. They had to fight right away if they did not wish to resign themselves to months of desperate flight!

Ves and Lucky briefly reunited with Gloriana and Clixie on the bridge of the Spirit of Bentheim.

Everyone wore protective suits or armor without exception. Safety was paramount and even the extensive protective measures on the bridge could not guarantee anyone's life if a direct attack pierced all the way through the factory ship.

While Ves looked valiant in his Unending Regalia, his wife wore fashionable protective armor that was covered with hundreds of purple hexagons.

"Meow." Lucky poked at Clixie's suited form.

"Miaow."

Even pets were not exempted! Clixie along with every other critter in the fleet wore some kind of suit that was able to supply them with air and protected them from various hazards.

While the cats were exploring each other's suits, Ves opened his faceplate and leaned in to kiss Gloriana's uncovered lips.

"We'll make it through this battle." He softly whispered.

"I believe you." She said although her eyes betrayed her fear.

Ves gently held her by her armored hips. "Be brave, honey. You're not just a mech designer now. You're my wife, a lead designer and a symbol to our clansmen. It's normal to be afraid, but in times like these, you need to step up and lead by example."

"I'll try my best, but I'm not used to being so close to danger. This is only the second time in my life that I am looking down the barrel of someone's gun!"

Her nerves were shaking. She wasn't coping too well with the current situation. Hardly any of her Hexer determination was on display this time.

At the eve of battle, Gloriana had been reduced to a civilian, someone who had never been forged in the fires of battle!

Ves did not look down on her because of that. She enjoyed a different upbringing than him and followed a very different career trajectory. In fact, she was much more reflective of how a mech designer was expected to behave.

Still, his earlier words also rang true. If Gloriana wanted to become a leading figure in the clan, she needed to walk the walk. How could she earn any respect from the Larkinsons if she continued to act as a negative example?

His eyes hardened a little. "You can't show any doubt in a combat situation. Information must be conveyed and orders must be implemented as quickly and precisely as possible. Any chaos or interference can lead to deadly results. Fear is infectious. If you cannot present a brave front, the surrounding Larkinsons might become affected, thereby causing them to respond slower than normal. What if your actions lead to the death of your brother?"

That final part caused Gloriana to widen her eyes. She might not care too much about the life of a random Larkinson, but she would never forgive herself if she dragged the heels of her closest relative!

"I understand." She spoke, this time with much more conviction than before. "I will do my best to lead our assistant mech designers in analyzing the weak points of the enemy mechs."

"We will all be counting on you." Ves smiled.

This was the most suitable role for Gloriana. As someone who was extremely sensitive to flaws in mech designs, she was much more efficient at discovering the shortcomings of any mech.

"Do note that our effectiveness is heavily dependent on the quantity, quality and depth of data we receive." She reminded him. "We can't make any detailed studies on the structural flaws of a mech if all we get is snapshots and garbled noise."

"That won't be a concern. You'll get your data, one way or another. Don't forget to coordinate with Professor Cortez. He's a very experienced Senior who probably knows a thing or two about Fridayman mechs."

One of the more obscure advantages of the expeditionary fleet was the large number of mech designers riding along.

The low low-ranking mech designers in the Design Department and assigned to maintenance crews were all capable of performing a lot of labor-intensive analyses.

The high-ranking mech designers in the form of Ves, Gloriana, Juliet and the former Skull Architect could utilize their profound insights to detect tiny flaws and weak points that others might miss.

As long as all of these mech designers could be put to use, the defenders would be able to gain another edge in the coming battle!

Ves bet that the enemy fleet did not enjoy the same advantage. It was incredibly stupid to assign so many precious mech designers to a strike force tasked with performing a high-risk mission.