1204 1204 Asset Maps
Mapping the assets was the next thing that Max focused on as the two AI systems worked to get troops deployed in the most efficient way, and Nico went wild on a group of Klem Leapers that kept burrowing and hiding in the trees to get away from her unit.
He was going to call her back, since she was getting very close to another enemy unit, but it was Myceloids, so he had Sylvie send her some reinforcements instead. Nico would just get angry if she found out that she missed an opportunity to duel because the Klem wouldn't stay put and die.
The distribution of units in this world didn't make any sense. They hadn't been dropped in a supportive fashion, there were large regions with only light units, and others with only heavy units mixed with assassins. Then there was the region around the base, where everyone was evenly clustered, but some units were so tight together that they could barely deploy.
To Max, it looked like the Myceloid God just picked the three bases and evenly spaced them, then randomized everything else.
But they made for great beacons to send Mecha Companies to. Most of the enemy units that they were coming across weren't much larger than that, and with the advantage of orbital intelligence and gathered forces, the battles were going much more smoothly than Max had expected at the start of the battle.
While there were only fifty primary groups spread out over the planet, as Max began to map them, he realized that they had not arrived together, and that the number was closer to five hundred groups in fifty clusters.
Most of them had found each other quickly, but others were just wandering aimlessly, cut off from communication. Unlike the Myceloid God, who could mentally contact his people, Max had to use technology for the job.
The Great Enemy didn't have anything powerful enough to mentally contact everyone, but the lesser Energy Beings could contact each other, so wherever they were, there was some level of coordination to the larger battle plan.
Max suspected that there might be a Greater Energy Being hiding here somewhere, but he hadn't found it or any solid signs of its thoughts yet.
By the time that nightfall came to his side of the planet, Max had a pretty good idea of what was going on around the battlefield, and they had gotten support out to all fifty clusters, along with some additional resources for the ones that hadn't been brought in with proper equipment for this level of conflict.
It was almost like the Myceloid God just grabbed a lot of Alliance forces at random, and didn't make sure that they were compatible, or even battle ready.
Some of the outlying groups had been Planetary Defence forces, asleep in their barracks when they were transferred, and they only showed up with what was in the building, no heavy weapons, no vehicles or anything else that they would need.
Mostly, the forces had been taken from active fighting forces, though. Nico had finally finished with both the Klem and the Myceloid scouts that came afterwards and was headed back to base, while the Drone Bombers were keeping things under control around the base. As far as being stuck as part of a planetwide war went, this wasn't too bad.
It was certainly better than things were for the more remote units, who had been under constant attack from nearly the moment that they arrived. The central base had been sending them reinforcements as they were needed, but the attacks hadn't stopped, and even if they tried to sleep, it was with the knowledge that they would wake up to even more constant combat.
That should slow down for most of them over the next few days as the weak and disorganized were eliminated, and the groups began to consolidate their territory, but Max was planning an aggressive offensive against the Great Enemy, with the aim of weakening them before the Myceloids who had gone the long way around the inland sea that separated them made it within the perimeter of the base defences.
That should give him about a week, with the Myceloid travelling on foot, and there were other groups that they would run across to slow them down.
If things went perfectly, they would never make it close to his base, but they were wily creatures, and their God was here to help them with strategy, which was making them much more intelligent than he remembered.
They were still roughly the same size, but the weapons and equipment that they were using were far improved from what Max remembered. They were even using trucks and tanks this time, though they were only beginning to build them now at their base.
After seeing that, Max began to wonder if this was retaliation for some perceived slight by the rebel Gods, and the Myceloid God was showing off the true power of his people, who were not primitive barbarians, no matter how much they often acted like it.
If they weren't on opposing sides, Max would love to see the Myceloids fully embrace modern weapons technology, and not just what they were pilfering after battle.
[Unit at XC417, immediately pack and move forty kilometres to the north.] Max ordered as he watched the units move, then picked out another opportunity.
[Unit at XC422, move ten kilometres west and remain in stealth.] He added.
With the movement, three Great Enemy units should pass right by them and meet up with Myceloid troops instead. Then the human units could deal with the winner, or move to attack another unit entirely.
They might not be happy about moving, but it would prevent them from being surrounded, and hopefully from having to fight for a few hours. If the Myceloid God was going to treat this created world like a Castles board, Max was going to fight the battle like a game of Castles, and let his opponents destroy each other.
