Debauchery Worlds 8 (Patreon)

Debauchery Worlds

Chapter 8

-VB-

A-2

2980.08.22

Three weeks ago, our company was making headway into setting up the germanium mine. Before we could truly get started, the governor-general called us and alerted us to a sizable Draconis Combine dropships and jumpships appearing at one of the jump points. She expected that we would have a maximum of three weeks before they would land.

We were expected to fight.

Last time, we faced three battalions. This time, they were sending three regiments worth with twenty dropships.

This. This was a serious invasion and one that we weren’t sure if we would be able to survive if we took it lightly. Even if we pulled out all of our tinkertech, the sheer numerical disadvantage would see us die like how the better-armed American soldiers faced the stick-carrying Chinese conscripts during the latter half of the Korean War.

To that end, we recalled everyone in the field back to our compound and began to prepare ourselves.

Three weeks was a long time for a Tinker to come up with something. With seventy Tinkers, we just needed the raw resources.

-VB-

General Rachael Jamakawa

2980.09.01

There were two weeks left before the enemy dropships landed, and her soldiers worked the best they could to prepare Polis and David II against the overwhelming might of the Draconis Combine.

It was also obvious why the snakes had sent twenty dropships for their counter-invasion; when a near regiment strength of combined arms lost an invasion within a week, either the Federated Suns was lying about the strength of their invasion or their elites landed to sweep the board.

Whether it was the former or latter, the only answer the Combine could give was three full regiments to wash the dishonor of losing a world so quickly and to eliminate the elite battalion that did exactly that.

This was a problem for her.

She didn't have a battalion of elite mechwarriors but was definitely still going to be on the receiving end of the Combine's shrieking rage anyways. She could have dealt with the invasion on a more conventional ground if she wasn't fighting three full fucking regiments with a barely operational regiment!

But if she knew that the enemy was coming after her, then she could prepare her troops and the city. She might even be able to turn the outer edges of the city and main avenues into killing fields.

"... making a trap, huh?" she muttered to herself.

That was an idea she could go with.

But before that, she needed to know what the mercenaries were doing to prepare for the invasion.

-VB-

Captain Anderson

2980.09.02

“So you’re here to see what exactly we’re doing?” Commander Marris asked.

“Yes, commander. I understand that this may come off as disrespectful, but you weren’t a mercenary commander or a mech…warrior until just two months ago. The general, as such, feels a little uncertain as to your capabilities in a planetary theater of war where your initial equipment is limited.”

The commander merely raised an eyebrow. “Well, I’ll show you around.”

Michael blinked. Just like that? Most mercenary commanders would be hesitant to show anything about their operations when it wasn’t an MRB-backed inspection.

He followed the commander out of the commander’s office and back out into the mercenary compound. It had changed rapidly in the past month.

For one, the residential buildings had expanded in number, quality, and size; most buildings stood at over ten floors now, weren’t made out of pre-fab but sturdier concrete and bricks, and looked more occupied than most of the city outside.

In fact, the population density of the mercenary compound with its factories, warehouses, and residential buildings looked to be higher than the city at a first glance.

“Ah, yes, the civilians. Many of them came to us when they saw that we had a reliable source of food. Even if it was tasteless at first. Had to solve that food issue after the recruiter hired the hundredth person out of pity.”

“... I’m sorry but that sounds like a security risk.”

Commander Marris nodded. “It is. That’s why every single person has been warned that if they are found where they are not supposed to be, then there is a very high chance that they will be shot on sight.”

Michael didn’t know what to say to that.

“Aside from murdering people being bad and illegal, I don’t know what to say to that,” he replied. “Even if it is on private property and done to prevent military espionage and sabotage.”

Commander Marris just smiled. “Well, if such cases happen, then I will be sure to not report any.”

“You’re colder than you look, aren’t you?”

“Considering that I was also the one who approved of those pity case recruitments…?”

“Point.” He paused and then cleared his throat. “... Might I ask something?”

“Sure,” the commander replied as they walked around the corner toward what looked like an entrance to underground facilities. It was basically a large garage with a downward slope inside it, and there were people moving vehicles in and out of the place.

“What is it that you and your company seek to do? Aside from making money, of course.”

The commander hummed as he led Michael down to what the captain could now see was the first level of vehicle and mech bay. The large vehicle elevator at the back was especially impressive in how smoothly it moved while bringing up a …

“I am not familiar with that mech,” he hummed and glanced at the commander.

“We mixed and matched some of the parts together and then gave it a new armored chassis,” he replied with a shrug.

“And the feet attachments?”

“Those are meant for horizontal movement. We’re calling them landspinners for now.”

“And they improve speed for your mechs?”

“Oh, for sure! Our modified Trebuchet weighs in at around 60 tons and can speed up to 100 kilometers per hour.”

Michael wanted to ask if that was a joke. A normal Trebuchet weighed in at 50 tons on average with an average top speed of 86 kilometers per hour. Increasing both the mass and speed of a mech was … not impossible. It was, however, very unlikely.

… wasn’t that what he thought when he first saw their modified Locust? This must be just another ridiculous modification like that. It looked like a Trebuchet, yes, but there were significant changes that were very clear. LRM-15 launchers that Trebuchet was very well known were missing in this modified mech. Instead of a pair of LRM-15 launchers, armor plates sat on the chest… and just now a pair of arms extended out from the back and to the front with guns attached to them.

It didn’t quite look like a Trebuchet anymore with an additional pair of arms and the lack of its infamous LRM-15 chest weak points. Those additional arms also carried machineguns, which made this version of the Trebuchet extremely well guarded against anything in its weight class and below as well as infantry. It didn’t need to use its 3 lasers to fend off the infantry, which gave it more flexibility in combat.

“It’s not good for uneven terrain, though,” the commander hummed. “But since most of the fighting will be around the city and the plains here, it won’t matter.”

Michael nodded. That was true. Most of David II was undeveloped, and what few developed areas were mostly around the spaceport.

“Well, it seems like you are extremely well prepared,” he told him.

“This is just the start of our preparations, though.”

Michael tried not to sigh. Of course, the mercenaries had something else up their sleeves. “What else do you have, then?”

The commander grinned.

“Have you heard of MACs?”

-VB-

Sho-Sho (Major General) Ranfai Wo

2980.09.02

Though he did not need to, Ranfai sat within his personal mech, a Griffin-1DS medium mech handed down from mechwarrior to mechwarrior in his family for four generations. He sat here and meditated because he was unsure of how to win this counter-invasion.

The entire Davino invasion was an information black hole.

They arrived in five dropships, a respectable force for an invasion. They landed, and exchanged deaths with the honorable defenders for a week.

And silence. In that silence, Davion took control over Polis and then David II.

More silence. No spies made it alive on David II. No message from loyalists ever made it elsewhere.

An information black hole. Not even merchants had things to say other than the very basic information.

Finally, the dragon could not wait anymore and began a counter-invasion to wash away the dishonor of losing a planet in under a week. The Coordinator gave him the honor and gave him three regiments to see it done.

It had to be enough because even if the Davions did their best to reinforce this world, they would have two regiments at max.

If he lost three regiments here to a mere two?

Forget dishonor. His family would pay the price for his failure.

… There was no option for him here but to succeed, and with three regiments, he would win it.

It wasn’t like they had some sort of super mercenaries like Eridani Light Horse that got smuggled in here without anyone noticing. Even if the Combine’s information network on the ground was lacking, they still had their eyes on the usual jump routes.

Yes, he would win.

The real question, he realized, was whether he would win with light or heavy casualties.