[Launch in T minus 10 minutes] The standardized announcement came and Max made an announcement of his own.
[Get your wagers in with Command, to the second. The closest bet to actual drop time gets this drop's prize. One Can of Comor's finest Apple Pie filling, and a carton of cigarettes.]
The Pilots all quickly sent in their messages, in case the Lander dropped much earlier than expected, but the mood became much less tense.
At seven minutes and forty-eight seconds, the Lander shuddered and then went into freefall, marking their official launch time. Max would check who was the official winner later since the satellite data had finally started to come in and he could see the situation on the planet.
The Klem had already landed, but from the looks of it, they hadn't had time to spread very much yet. He also got the targeting data for the Five Battalions arrivals. One on each flank of the Klem invasion, and one exactly in the center.
A Hammer and Anvil deployment, where the enemy would be driven back against an immovable stone in the middle of their ranks. It was a highly efficient strategy, but it relied on the center force holding out for the entire battle and not getting overrun by the enemy, a virtual impossibility when fighting the Klem.
Given a few days, they would have spawned thousands of warriors the size of Line Mecha, with long, spiked front appendages that could tear through the sturdiest of armors and the strength to pull limbs off the Light Mecha. Given a week, the infestation would move to the second stage, with creatures larger than Super Heavy Mecha that could overrun the best-defended fortresses.
They had much more firepower than a previous generation force their numbers, but this battle was going to be a very ugly one.
"Did you perhaps get the Regimental Commander's daughter pregnant on your last shore leave? Maybe his wife as well?" Major Ivanov asked when he saw that the First Battalion would of course be the center of the force, the anvil for the others to hammer the enemy against.
"Look at it this way. At least you don't have to march anywhere. Just stand there and the enemy will come to you. Plus, this is Colonel Max's favorite deployment. A strategic bridge, a Uranium mine, no matter where he is sent he gets to stand there while the rest of the continent tries to kill him." Nico responded, then sent data on their landing point and potential defenses to the Company Commanders.
With five artillery-capable Super Heavy Mecha, they weren't helpless, it just wasn't going to be fun dealing with waves of giant insects. From what Max heard, the bipedal ones weren't too bad. They were among the deadliest, but the crawling ones and the centipede-type ones were much more disturbing for the troops and were often equipped with innate corrosive bodily fluids that would eat through armor even if you killed them at close range.
Having no infantry in their ranks was a small blessing on this mission.
The Landers began to shudder as they entered the atmosphere, on a slightly steeper approach than usual, since the opponent's current abilities were unknown.
There were no sounds of impact or warning lights that would indicate that the Lander was taking damage as it hurtled through the atmosphere until the last thirty seconds.
[Warning, severe electrical storm ahead] The lander announced.
Lightning strikes often made for very rough landings as they overloaded circuits, or prevented the Anti Gravity plating from engaging, and today was no exception. With a bang, all the interior lights of the Lander went out, leaving Max in the dark until the emergency lights kicked on a half second later.
"Power and guidance are still up, but gravity control is running at sixty percent," Nico informed him, making Max sigh.
That was a survivable landing, and they were unlikely to take any injuries, but the crates containing raw ore and spare parts would not be so lucky, and the interior of the lander was going to be a mess when they got to the ground.
"How are the other landers doing?" Max asked, checking the sensor data of their landing site to make sure they were in fact landing in a clear field and not in the middle of an ambush or a rocky landslide.
"Minor damages, all systems marginally operational. We should have our full force when we reach the ground." Nico informed him, so Max sent out the orders to form an encirclement around the landers and clear the area of any hostile presence.
They were close enough for thermal imaging now, and it was obvious that just clearing the Landing Zone wasn't going to be an easy task. There were hundreds of Klem Warrior and smaller signatures in the area. The smallest of them were known as the Klem Worker Drones, or simply Drones, and individually they were no threat to a Mecha, but in a large group they could be deadly, eating through hoses, armor, and even structural supports as they swarmed over the Mecha's chassis.
[All Units, beware of the Drones and don't let the unit get overrun. Let's see how much they like the Fusion Flamers.] Max instructed, getting the final response just before the first lander touched down.
The Mecha stormed out in a furious wave of gunfire, mowing down all the Klem who were unfortunate enough to be near the landers, and then spreading out to clear the area. The pattern repeated with each Company's lander with Max and his command group being the last out.
There was nothing left nearby for him to shoot at, so Max activated the sensor link between himself and the other Super Heavy Mecha, which gave him indirect fire solutions all over the map.
That was a new feature the old generation didn't have, and Max hoped that the others enjoyed it as much as he was going to. The extra sensors were an incredible upgrade to his targeting abilities, letting him see anything that the Company Commanders could see without having to rely on the satellite data.
[Area Clear, Sir.] Pippin reported, finding no more heat signatures or movement within range of their sensors.
[Excellent work everyone. Send any damaged units to the repair racks and get the men to work building fortifications. Build them tall and strong, we expect to be here for a while.] Max ordered, then looked over at Nico, who had a small smile on her face as she sorted through sensor logs and began making the updated blueprints for the position's defenses.
