The Mech Touch (Web Novel)-Chapter 6872 Balance Breaker

Once the Saint Commander completed her attempts to familiarize herself with the copies of the three new mech models, she began to think how the Larkinsons could best employ them to the benefit of the clan.

Casella continued to look thoughtful as she exited the cockpit of the E-MULE.

Ves approached with a curious expression on his face. "So what do you think about the mechs that will constitute the initial core of our mech force?"

The first-class multipurpose mechs ordered by the Premier Branch clearly had a large impact on her mentality.

Even if she piloted a genuine first-class ace command mech, the Minerva Mark II was an exception rather than the rule. She could not apply the same standard onto other mass production mechs.

Yet when she piloted the Dracoloid and the Omega Thresher for herself, she found that the Red Association designed them so well that there were plenty of aspects about them that surpassed her own ace mech!

If not for the fact that she was unable to effectively resonate with them, she would have been able to display much better combat power while piloting these battle ready machines!

The E-MULE on the other hand might not possess any notable combat power by itself, but its energy reserves were quite huge. Their ability to support other mechs by supplying them with spare energy and shield power was quite formidable as long as they rationed their resources carefully.

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The thought of being able to command half a regiment's worth of these mechs excited her to no end!

"I am eager for us to receive all of the mechs and outstanding starships." Casella spoke with clear enthusiasm in her voice. "1000 of these mechs alone are probably capable of defeating the entire expeditionary fleet if we leave out the high-ranking mechs on both sides. If we include my Minerva Mark II on the side of the Premier Fleet, none of the existing expert mechs of the expeditionary fleet can stave off defeat. My Command Field is such a powerful force multiplier that my limited forces can easily tear apart tens of thousands quasi-first-class mechs."

Ves raised his eyebrows. "Is the performance disparity that huge?"

"Yes." Casella said. "The first-class mechs hit much harder. Two or three shots are more than powerful enough to eliminate most of our quasi-first-class mechs. They can also resist far more attacks even if we leave out the effects of my Command Field and Dragon Scales. Most importantly, their mobility is significantly better. This grants total initiative to our first-class machines. They can control the range and dictate when and where to fight. My forces can completely harass any lesser mech force to death by resorting to continuous hit-and-run attacks."

She was completely right about this. None of the 3 first-class mech models were slow. Mobility had been one of the most important selection criteria.

Their power reactors generated so much output that their flight systems could perform at much higher levels. That also made them more expensive, but it was completely worth it in these cases.

The Dracoloids in particular possessed the greatest edge in mobility. They might not be able to run rings around quasi-first-class light mechs, but the dragon mechs could still overtake them and make sure to claw them or breathe fire into their direction.

The first-class mechs already possessed all of these advantages without taking support link technology or Casella's Command Field into account.

Once these variables came into play, let alone the expeditionary fleet, even a fully equipped RA mech division would not be able to gain any advantage!

"Do you have any special opinions about the initial selection of first-class mech models?"

"We chose well." Casella responded. "The three mech models are completely sufficient for our needs. The multipurpose nature of the Dracoloid and the Omega Thresher makes them inherently versatile. I can comfortably assign various missions to them without worrying that they will fall into a disadvantage. While our Premier Fleet still possesses several noticeable gaps, it is not difficult for us to position our mech force to prevent enemies from taking advantage of our vulnerabilities. At most, we have to restrain ourselves."

The Saint Commander continued to gush about the initial form of the first-class mech force that she would soon command.

She did not sound enthused. She sounded hopeful.

"Do you understand the power we command after the Premier Fleet comes together, sir? We hold the power to turn major defeats and victories. We can prevent many star systems in the Upper Zones from falling. We can confront the most powerful enemy assault fleets and bloody their noses so badly that they no longer have enough assets left to participate in the war."

"You sound as if we have gained enough power to single-handedly turn the war around."

"I am not conceited enough to believe that to be the case, but… we may be able to make enough of a difference in the Red War to prevent an Upper Zone from falling." She responded.

That still sounded a little too boastful to Ves. There were many first-class mech corps numbering up to 50,000 mechs each that were fighting hard to repel the alien invasion.

The Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet together may be able to defeat small-to-mid-sized alien naval concentrations, but it was not possible to confront anything larger.

The Minerva Mark II and the First Sword Mark III may be able to produce a lot of surprises on the battlefield, but there came a point where they could not overcome the enemy's numbers advantage. This was why Ves still lacked a certain degree of confidence.

The ace commander clearly took notice of his skepticism. "The Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet are limited in numbers, but that also excuses us from assuming greater responsibilities. I do not envision our forces engaging in static defensive missions. Instead, it is better for us to rotate between battlefields and serve as critical reinforcements that can tip the balance in a hard-fought battle."

"Are you suggesting that we act as roving troubleshooters, Casella?"

"Yes. Our fleet is small and mobile enough that we can move quickly between star systems. Our logistical burdens are low and we are under no obligations to defend fixed territory. We can adopt a mercenary outlook and offer to defend important star systems that are under siege. I can promise you that there will be plenty of groups that are willing to shower us with rewards if we help them protect their strategically important territories."

That actually sounded like a great idea. Instead of roaming around the Upper Zones and taking the initiative to fight the native aliens without any explicit rewards, the Premier Fleet could charge a hefty price to intervene in any battle!

Even if the Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet did not field a lot of mechs, the inclusion of an ace command mech and a superdimensional ace swordsman mech could make a massive difference!

Ves thought about it a little more and believed more and more in the power of the two ace mechs.

The Minerva Mark II should not only be able to Commandeer a lot of Larkinson mechs, but also extend the same benefits to tens of thousands of third-party mechs!

As long as the mech pilots fielded by other forces did not reject Casella's offer to empower their mechs with true resonance, the Saint Commander could completely upgrade all of those high-end machines to temporary quasi-expert mechs!

As for the First Sword Mark III, her pilot may still be an underdeveloped junior ace pilot, but the full superdimensional conversion should already turn the living mech into a highly effective phase lord killer!

Lesser phase lords shouldn't stand a chance against a superdimensional mech that could cut apart their spatial barriers with ease!

Without the protection of their precious spatial barriers, these phase lords did not have any other way to defend themselves against a rampaging ace mech!

Their large true bodies may buy them a bit of time, but since the First Sword Mark III would be fully clad in superdimensional armor plating, it shouldn't be possible for them to eliminate the absurdly tough ace swordsman mech!

With one ace mech that excelled at wiping out entire fleets and another ace mech that could decapitate enemy champions, the Larkinsons should always be able to tip the balance of a difficult battle no matter what advantages the enemy possessed.

If the native aliens sought to overwhelm their human adversaries by relying on superior numbers, the Minerva Mark II could easily help the defenders wipe out a lot of phasefighters and warships!

If the defenders were being overpowered by the enemy champions, then the First Sword Mark III could quickly relieve the pressure by killing or repelling the alien phase lords!

Enemy forces that possessed an advantage in both low-level and high-level troops were trickier to defeat, but the intervention of the Premier Fleet could still give the defenders hope of attaining victory.

"If possible, I want us to do more than putting out fires across human territories." Casella said. "Although it is risky, I think it is even better if we can engage in offensive operations."

"Are you saying that we should cross the border and attack the planets that the aliens are using as staging points for their invasion?"

She nodded. "Yes. Many forces are unable or unwilling to attack because they are obligated to defend their existing territories. We are not burdened by this responsibility, so we can choose to engage in defensive or offensive actions."

"What you are suggesting is exceedingly risky, Casella."

"We can make use of all of our sources of intelligence to plan out our routes and evade any serious threats. As long as we scout our targets and make sure to avoid contact with ancient phase whales, we should be able to raid a star system that is being used to supply and support the alien fleets that are passing through. If we can attack these alien bases, we can not only plunder phasewater and other valuable supplies, but also wipe out the rest, thereby hindering the operations of many alien fleets."

Ves looked skeptical. "While I do not necessarily oppose these actions, I doubt that my escorts are pleased with letting me risk my life in these dangerous operations."

"You and your family can always stay behind with the Bluejay Fleet if the mechers and fleeters do not allow you to move forward." She responded. "The Premier Fleet should be strong enough to raid many alien staging points. The aliens have not invested heavily in their defenses. The only threats we need to take seriously are the alien fleets that have stayed in order to resupply. So long as not too many of them are lingering in the star system, we should be able to inflict serious damage without incurring too much damage in return."

Damn, Casella really looked forward to going on the attack. She believed that doing so would do more to stall the alien invasion than defeating the alien fleets that constantly arrived in this specific corner of the Red Ocean.

Ves believed she was correct. Red humanity only seemed to lose when fighting so many battles within its territories. Humans truly needed to take the fight to the enemy and wreck their infrastructure.

It wouldn't stop the alien fleets entirely, but it could disrupt their rhythm and delay their advances.

This was exactly what red humanity needed!

The more time the Premier Fleet could buy, the greater the chance that a peak ace pilot successfully broke through and become a powerful god pilot!

"Let's discuss the possibility of engaging in offensive options at a later date." Ves told the Saint Commander. "In any case, we shouldn't plunge into the deep right away. We need to train and temper our first-class mech pilots first before they are ready to take part in riskier operations. We can always reconsider if it turns out that our soldiers are not up to par."

"Hm, you are correct. I may be too hasty in planning to go on the offensive."