4240 The Witches Have Come
"THE WITCHES HAVE COME!"
From the moment the local authorities detected the arrival of an enormous fleet that was projected to carry well over 200,000 threatening mechs, it was as if a bomb had exploded throughout the Pima Prime System!
In fact, it was not just the millions of colonists in the star system that reacted with a combination of shock and dread at the news.
The rest of the Friday Colonies and even the entire Friday Coalition back in the old galaxy all became gripped by nightmares of the Komodo War.
Had the remnants of the former Hexadric Hegemony gone crazy?
It was one thing to launch opportunistic raids at the vulnerable and frankly overstretched outlying outposts of the Friday Colonies.
It was another thing to launch a bold and brazen assault at the richest, most valuable and most developed stronghold in the colonial state!
For years, a significant portion of the economy of the Friday Colonies centered around Pima Prime. The Gauge Dynasty poured so much investment in the port system that it had quickly turned into a major trading nexus as well as an industrial powerhouse.
By drawing in a lot of resources and converting them into vital processed goods such as strong alloys, powerful mechs and vital starships, Pima Prime had quickly risen up to become the biggest economic engine of the Friday Colonies.
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This granted its residents an unsurpassed sense of superiority and security. None of the Gaugers that had taken the opportunity to apply for transfer to the Red Ocean ever thought that an enemy would dare strike at Pima Prime directly.
Not only was it located in the interior of the Friday Colonies, but also hosted a vast array of defenses.
Every important settlement and major city district enjoyed the protection of formidable titan shields.
Around 14 formidable mech divisions and a scattering of other miscellaneous units of the Sundered Phalanx were garrisoned at Pima Prime.
The Kosic Ring that had taken up a lot of valuable construction capacity over the years had steadily grown more challenging to overcome.
The ring of space stations and defensive platforms surrounding Pima Prime V could even be observed with the naked eye at certain times of the day.
Along with the awareness that Saint Jeremiah Gauge, one of the supernovas of the last war, watched over the entire star system had given its residents the impression that the risks and dangers of the Red Ocean simply did not apply to them. They all believed themselves to be better than the other poor folk that had to endure the constant fear of getting targeted by pirates, aliens or other frontier scum.
"They lied to us! Pima Prime was supposed to be one of the safest harbors of the Friday Colonies!"
"Have the Hexers programmed the wrong coordinates in their navigational systems? They can't attack us! They're crazy! Have they forgotten about our Saint!? Why haven't they chosen to attack Rotes Cewma or New Rammes instead?!"
"I should've stayed home like a good boy instead of accepting a 20-year contract to help build up our colonies in the Red Ocean."
What the local residents couldn't not come to terms with was how the Hex Army skipped over all of the other weaker colonies in the entire region and aimed their offensive straight at the strongest pillar of the Fridaymen's colonial ambitions in the Magair Middle Zone!
Not even the aliens dared to confront ace mechs so easily. Many times these angry but powerful aliens underestimated the comparatively tiny mechs that produced all kinds of anomalous fluctuations, and many times the aliens learned why high-ranking mech pilots were so revered in human space!
It did not take much time for many people to figure out why the Hexers were so confident about provoking Saint Jeremiah Gauge.
"What the hell is the Golden Skull Alliance?"
"Wait, this private group actually has an ace pilot? I've never heard of that!"
"Damn, Saint Reginald used to be a member of the Garlen Empire! Every mech pilot from that state is mad, and that counts double for their high-ranking mech pilots!"
As the prospect of a dramatic escalation in hostilities between the Friday Colonies and the Hex Federation began to dawn upon all of the citizens, many of them quickly sought to secure their own safety by whatever means possible.
Passenger vessels became stuffed to the brink of overloading their life support systems as the most wealthy and well-connected colonists quickly secured passage out of the star system!
The local administration also acted quickly and activated the appropriate contingency plans.
Though the people in charge of the important port system still maintained their confidence in their own defenses, they nonetheless contracted or commandeered every single trading vessel within reach.
Hasty movements took place as the local factories and other critical production centers quickly transported their most valuable and critical goods and industrial assets into one cargo hold after another.
"We don't have any cargo space left!"
"Then make more room, you useless oaf! We are not leaving until we are able to load this 3D printer into your ship. It is worth over 40,000 MTA credits and we are not leaving it behind for the Hexers!"
Though the sudden evacuation proceeded more chaotically than planned, the Gaugers nonetheless managed to transfer a lot of valuables to various different starships on short notice.
In line with the attitude of hoping for the best and planning for the worst, a lot of assets that were prohibitively expensive or difficult to replace were sent out of Pima Prime as soon as possible.
As the cargo ships headed towards the nearest Lagrange points in order to transition out of the star system as soon as possible, a few of them began to encounter hostile Hexers way in advance!
"What?! How can the Hexers be here already?!"
"Where did these women come from?!"
"Wait! Those combat carriers! They're… they're the Warp Ravagers!"
Just minutes before the first attacks arrived, Hexer-built combat carriers had whizzed across space at a pace that allowed them to exceed the speed of light!
This not only enabled the special squadrons of the Hex Army to enter the inner system without any warning, but also put them into positions where they could intercept crucial cargo vessels carrying goods worth at least hundreds of millions of MTA credits!
As the Valkyrie mechs and other fast and maneuverable Hexer mechs rapidly approached their prey, they either hijacked, looted or outright blew apart the cargo ships depending on the circumstances!
Whenever the Sundered Phalanx dispatched nearby patrols to intercept the Hexer mechs and starships that were wreaking havoc to the evacuation plan, the culprits in question all warped away well in advance, making it nearly impossible to chase after the destructive Hexer units!
The abrupt raids that had begun well before the main invasion fleet had arrived at the doorstep of Pima Prime V generated a lot of commotion within the floating Palace of New Beginnings.
"No cargo ship leaves Pima Prime without escorts." System Governor Mabrius Gauge dictated. "We cannot allow the Hexers to set our development back further."
"But sir! The more escorts we assign to the outgoing cargo ships, the less mechs we have left to defend Pima Prime V."
The appointed governor of the port system did not show any signs of panic or consternation. As a stalwart who had lived for over two centuries, the leader entrusted with taking charge over the Gauge Dynasty's holdings in the Magair Middle Zone knew it was crucial for him to maintain his composure.
Still, the dilemma he was faced with troubled him to no end. The Hexers may be aggressive, but underestimating them often led to disaster.
Since this had all of the appearances of a well-planned offensive operation, the Hexers must be confident in their ability to overcome the defenders.
If that was the case, then the Gaugers needed to do their best to minimize their losses by evacuating as much critical industrial equipment as possible.
As long as those productive assets made it all the way to New Rammes, then the Gauge Dynasty would still retain enough industrial capacity left to make a possible comeback in the future.
However, with the infamous Warp Ravagers of the Hex Army harassing their evacuation lines, it became a lot more dangerous to proceed with this action!
"The Warp Ravagers are a problem." The governor of the powerful and wealthy port system stated the obvious.
Of all of the Hexers that have harassed the Friday Colonies over the years, the most infamous and feared ones belonged to the Warp Ravagers!
Officially, the Warp Ravagers constituted a new special operations unit within the Hex Army.
In reality, the Warp Ravagers merely gathered the most bloodthirsty and aggressive Hexer soldiers who were filled with hatred towards the Fridaymen.
When these ferocious soldiers obtained control of special combat carriers that were equipped with additional standalone warp drives, they eagerly took revenge against the Fridaymen for the outcome of the Komodo War by raiding the shipping in and around the Friday Colonies!
Though the various forces of the Friday Coalition tried to catch and corner these raiders whenever possible, the Warp Ravagers hardly suffered any losses over the years due to the enhanced mobility of their warp-capable combat carriers!
Now, these professional raiders openly taunted Pima Prime's defense forces by performing their raiding activities barely a stone's throw away from Pima Prime V!
Unfortunately, space was big and it took a lot of time for the local patrols to rescue the beleaguered trading vessels.
"What do you think, cousin?" Governor Mabrius Gauge asked in the open.
The powerful presence of an ace pilot who had interfaced with an ace mech spread across the main hall of the Palace of New Beginnings.
Though the ace mech wasn't visible, the system governor knew that the Gauge Dynasty's trump card was hidden in a secret space that was built right in the middle of the floating palace!
"There is no room for half-measures." Saint Jeremiah Gauge voiced his own opinion. "The Hexers are too strong for that. Trying to have it both ways will only result in ending up with nothing. Either we make a stand with everything that we have, or abandon Pima Prime to the mercies of the Hexers."
Though the ace pilot gave the impression that the Gaugers had multiple options, in truth there was only one viable choice that Governor Mabrius could take.
"The Gauge Dynasty never flinches from the Hexers!" He declared as his courage and his fury towards the Hexers flared! "We have defeated the Hex Army in the past, and we shall defeat it once more! We cannot afford to lose everything we have built in Pima Prime, and we must not besmirch our reputation by losing a battle against our archenemies. Our honor and our duty demands that we must hold our ground and protect our colonies to the last man if need be! Not a single soldier in Pima Prime is allowed to retreat!"
It was politically and culturally unacceptable for the soldiers of the Sundered Phalanx to surrender or run away from this massive clash. The lives of millions of citizens who have settled on Pima Prime V were at stake. Governor Mabrius Gauge and the rest of his leadership council would become the sinners of their dynasty if they failed at this junction!
Saint Jeremiah Gauge apparently liked what he heard from his uncle, because his combative aura began to expand until it enveloped the entire Palace of New Beginnings with the desire to fight the Hexers to the death!
"Good! Good! Good! I have always felt we have left the job unfinished by leaving the Hexers in the Red Ocean alone. Now that they have brought the fight to us, we can finally begin to exterminate this misandric scourge from human civilization. This battle shall be the beginning of the end of the Hexer people!"