Chapter 2649: Duty Calls
Once Ves finished handling the new Odineye, he essentially completed all of his personal preparations.
He could do more, of course, but there simply wasn't enough time to accomplish anything meaningful.
Rather than tiring himself out, Ves decided to relax and spend the final hour before the start of the battle on checking up on key personnel.
"How do you feel about the upcoming battle?" He asked his favorite expert pilot.
"We're not prepared for this fight." Joshua replied. "I can see, hear and feel it from the personnel around us. Our clansmen are worried. They aren't as confident as before. For a long time, the Friday Coalition has been a giant in everyone's minds. We're not so far removed from our third-rater roots. A few years ago, none of us ever imagined we would be able to match up against the Fridaymen. They're just too powerful."
"Ah."
Ves overlooked this detail. His vision was set so high these days that he essentially put himself at the same height as the Fridaymen. That didn't mean the rest of his clansmen had followed suit. It appeared he needed to do his best to pep them up just before the battle commenced.
"Thank you for telling me that, Joshua. While it is true that we are not the equals to the enemy Fridaymen and Vicious Mountainers, the fight isn't hopeless for us. We have glows, battle formations and plenty of other tricks up our sleeve."
These were unconventional advantages that granted the Larkinsons a chance of overturning the upcoming engagement. However, if his mech pilots failed to leverage them well enough, the superior base capabilities of the enemy could easily run them all down!
Every mech pilot knew the score. Aside from the prime mechs, the Transcendent Punishers and Valkyrie Redeemers, the Larkinson Clan was far behind when it came to powerful mechs. A victory would definitely be bittersweet once the casualty figures become known!
As Ves chatted with Venerable Joshua, elsewhere a different pair of people was preparing for the upcoming fight.
"I don't want to go out! I've already retired from the battlefield! I'm a mech athlete, not a soldier!"
Raella jabbed her elbow against her boyfriend's suited form. "You've already been at it for hours. We're not letting you off the hook again! I'm even stepping onto the battlefield!"
Desperate times called for desperate measures. The Larkinson Clan truly couldn't afford to let any of its mech pilots sit back and relax. Major Verle had called upon the reserves to step forward and pilot any spare machine the Larkinson Clan had left.
In truth, there weren't many mechs that were still lacking mech pilots. The spare mechs mostly consisted of obsolete third-class mechs such as the Adonis Colossus or the various prototypes of the ongoing mech design projects at the Design Design Department.
As a pair of young mech pilots at their prime, both Raella Larkinson and Vincent Ricklin were at the top of the list of reserves. It was unconscionable for them to sit out the battle that threatened the continuation of the entire clan!
"Nyeow!" A white Persian cat angrily swiped her claws on Vincent's leg. "Nyeow!"
"Hey, be careful, Minxie!"
If not for the tough material of his piloting suit, he would have bled at this moment!
Raella snorted and crossed her arms across her own piloting suit. "That's what happens to cowards. If you don't want to turn every Larkinson against you, then you better take part in the battle."
"I can't do anything!" Vincent complained. "My mech is too weak! It might be good enough to fight in the Sand War, but any second-class mech can easily chop my hybrid mech in half. I don't see why my shabby old Adonis Colossus can possibly make a difference. I'm not as lucky as you. I bet you don't have to worry about a single attack drilling straight through the cockpit of your new mech!"
As a skilled skirmisher specialist, the Larkinson Clan offered Raella the opportunity to pilot one of the prototypes of the Ferocious Piranha Mark I Version B.
To be honest, Raella wasn't sure if she was up to the task of piloting the powerful premium light skirmisher. She still honed her piloting skills, but she was mostly engaged in her desk job these days. She didn't even have enough time to learn all of the aspects required to pilot a second-class mech.
Despite these shortcomings, Raella was still one of the most suitable mech pilots left to pilot the spare prototype. She did not even think of shirking this responsibility. Just because she didn't like to fight and kill on the battlefield did not mean she was ignorant.
"You just need to sit back and provide covering fire for us." Raella softened her tone. "I've heard that the mech technicians will supply your mech with a powerful rifle. Just do the best you can from the rear. If any enemies get past our lines, just do your best to distract them from their goals. I don't think you'll have any trouble with that. Your mech is quite eye-catching."
Vincent groaned. "I regret piloting the Adonis Colossus. Can I request a swap?"
"Stop joking and get moving!"
"Nyeow!"
Elsewhere, Captain Vraken paid a surprise visit to the Black Cats. When Calabast saw the grand captain enter her territory, she immediately grew upset.
"What are you doing here, aunt?" She hissed in a low tone.
"Can we talk in private?"
"Tch. Fine."
Both women entered one of the isolated compartments that were specifically built to prevent any leaks.
Calabast strode inside while wearing a thick, black infiltrator suit with many modules and gadgets attached to the surface.
When Captain Daria-Maria curiously scanned all of the gear, she raised her eyebrow. Compared to her high-quality but relatively standard officer-grade hazard suit, the spymaster of the Larkinson Clan looked ready to sow chaos in a Fridayman base!
"Where did you get all of this gear?"
"Wouldn't you like to know." Calabast smirked. "There is an entire galaxy beyond the Hexadric Hegemony, you know. As long as you have money and connection, you can obtain damn near anything."
"Mhmm."
The compartment briefly fell silent as Calabast eyed her distant aunt with a hostile expression.
"Why must you be like this? No matter your current allegiances, we are still family. It doesn't matter what our dynasty says. You grew up as one of us. You are still a Vraken to me. Can't I show some concern for you as your good aunt?"
"FAMILY DOESN'T EXIST IN THE VRAKEN DYNASTY!" The spymaster burst out. "Don't think I'm unaware of what you are plotting! You're trying to exploit this crisis to establish a friendly connection with me. I have no interest in letting you get your way."
Daria-Maria sighed. "I won't deny that I have this goal in mind, but my motives aren't as nefarious as you think. The further we distance ourselves from our home star sector, the harder it is to connect with like-minded people. There are only so many Hexers in the expeditionary fleet and there are scant few Vrakens at our level."
"The fact that you feel you are missing companionship does not interest me in the slightest. I don't feel alone at all here. There are tens of thousands of Larkinsons that I can befriend. I've already become acquainted with hundreds of them. They may not be as.. clever as a Vraken, but they aren't hiding any daggers behind their backs."
"I'm disappointed in you, Calabast. Consorting with all of these random Larkinsons will only lower you to their level. You should know better!"
"Hahaha!" Calabast abruptly laughed. "The fact that you look down on my clansmen says everything about you and the dynasty that I have divorced myself from. Mark my words, captain. You'll be eating your words in a decade or so. These Larkinsons you are dismissing will become much greater than any Hexer once we achieve success in the Red Ocean!"
The older woman at least had the decency to smile. "I'll be happy to be proven wrong, but don't get your hopes up yet. We'll first have to survive this battle, and that is still very much in doubt."
Both of them lost some of their cheer. They were much more aware of the threat posed by the Fridaymen. The elite mech units that the deep strike fleet carriers must be bringing into range was capable of fighting the best soldiers of the Hex Army to a standstill.
No matter what, they still had to take part in this battle regardless.
"Why did you come?" Calabast repeated her earlier question.
"I wish to prepare some contingency plans with you. No matter what, we cannot allow the Friday Coalition to accomplish their primary objective."
As a Vraken, Calabast knew what Daria-Maria was talking about. She did not disagree in principle.
"Let's talk."
In a different location, Taon Melin was about to board his Prophet's Fist. He was well aware of the pivotal role that he and his fellow Ylvainan mech pilots were about to play.
As the main source of firepower of the Larkinson Clan, the Transcendent Punishers were vital in crushing the enemy mechs.
Each miss, each delay and each misstep could easily result in the deaths of more Larkinsons!
Fortunately, the Living Prophet was with them. James Ylvaine had brought them all a lot of peace.
"Taon." The aged form of the Living Prophet approached the former chosen of Zeal. "If this battle is about to tip over.. we may need to make some sacrifices."
The Ylvainan mech pilot looked troubled. "I don't understand, sir."
James smiled. "You don't need to play stupid. You have spent enough time with me to know what I am alluding to. As the Bright Martyr often likes to say, there is a price for everything. I still have a bit of wealth left in my bones. My only regret is that I can't spend more."
"Your Holiness, is there…"
"Believe in yourself, Taon." The Living Prophet patted the mech pilot's suited shoulder. "While I welcome your devotion, this has always been your flaw. True faith transcends any individual. Even I am not indispensable to your beliefs. When you exact your punishment on the enemy, do it for yourself. You are your own god, Taon. The sooner you recognize this, the sooner you understand the essence of my tenets."
After a brief and unusually intimate talk, the Living Prophet bid farewell to the Ylvainan mech pilots and left the mech stables.
No one knew where he was going.
Taon clenched his fist before turning around to board the Prophet's Fist.
"I will never allow the enemy to push us to the brink!"
Aboard an entirely different capital ship, two expert pilots were waiting for the mech technicians to make their final checks.
The Charlemagne and the Jeanne D'Arc stood ready to launch an assault.
Venerable Ghanso Larkinson and Venerable Relia Foster both looked ready to fulfill their respective goals.
"Don't hold back." The female expert pilot warns. "If I see you sandbagging during this battle, I will cut down your mech myself!"
"Don't bother with your threats, Vesian." Ghanso growled back. "I don't recognize any 'Larkinson' in the enemy fleet as my kin. You should be afraid of the opposite. I might slay so many false Larkinsons that there aren't any left for you to kill!"
"Hmph. If I wasn't assigned to guard you and your follower mechs, I could give you a run for your money. My Jeanne D'Arc is wasted as a bodyguard."
An alert finally sounded throughout the hangar bay. Both expert pilots ceased their little game and flew into the cockpits of their respective mechs.
Soon enough, the two expert mechs smoothly slipped through the hangar bay hatch. The mechs joined many other Fridaymen mechs and entered into a formation.
The Scarra had joined up as well. The quasi-expert mechs gently moved to their assigned positions, their deadly rifles already warming up for the battle to come!