[Commander, we have reports of Omwat infantry in the region around the city. No confirmed scans, but the Drones have picked up some suspicious signals.] Nico informed Max just after night fell over the battlefield.
The data that she sent seemed to show that the shape of the ground as scanned didn't match the surface as it was viewed by the sensors, which Nico believed indicated that some sort of camouflage was being employed.
If she was right, that meant that a large infantry force was approaching the city, and they had no way to accurately predict their location or strength at the moment.
[City Defense, we have received data signals that indicate an infantry force capable of hiding from sensor detection is approaching your lines. Whether they have optical disguises is unknown, but the force appears to number in the Battalion Strength range.] Max informed their allies.
[Copy that, Cleansing Light. We have heard of this phenomenon before, and the last time that they appeared, their disguise included optical cloaks, though they were far from perfect. Our sensors haven't detected anything. How did yours find them?] The Defense General replied.
[We used Sonar on the Drones, and their map of the ground didn't match the reports of the other sensors.] Max reported.
[We will keep that in mind. I will requisition some sonar units from the fishing fleets and distribute them to the units on the line.]
The General's decision seemed like a solid one, and Max wished that they had the option for all of their Mecha, but even having it on the drones was a good start. At least it gave them a small heads-up that there might be an issue.
[Nico, increase the Drone patrols over the perimeter of the city. Try to find the Omwat force again and track them without being noticed.] Max ordered.
The pattern of the drone's flights subtly changed, but if he hadn't known what it was supposed to be, he likely wouldn't have noticed.
It only took a few minutes before the notifications began rolling in. Each drone that passed over the area reported an anomaly, but they all reported it in a slightly different position, moving at a sedate walking pace suitable to short-legged humanoids.
When they got to five kilometers from the city, Max decided to take action.
[All Thunder Guns in range begin bombardment on my signal. Carpet pattern Delta, duration 30 seconds.]
[Commence Bombardment.]
The Thunder guns rang out from five different locations all around the area, peppering the region around the designated point where the disturbance had been seen last with high explosives. When it stopped, and the dust was cleared with the help of the thrusters of the drones, Max found the area littered with not only bodies but also hundreds of Omwat Light Mecha.
There were also signs of blood trails heading for the city lines but no visual sign of the force, so their cloaking technology must still be in effect.
[City Defense, we have done heavy damage to the incoming force, but there are blood trails headed your way, and we have lost the signals.] Max reported.
A single shot rang out, and Max watched as a short body appeared on the ground, missing most of its head.
[Our Sniper Units have been assigned sonar accessories for their scopes. We will keep our eyes open and hope that the threat can be neutralized before it reaches our lines.] The General informed him.
That was an idea that Max hadn't had, but it was a good one.
[Nico, put a drone with Sonar into a position hovering over my location. They know that we can find them now, so there is no need to hide our methods.] Max informed her while the drones moved out, looking for more targets.
Hopefully, there were no lost civilians in the area outside the defensive lines, as the drones were shooting everything that moved, just on the off chance that it was an enemy soldier. They had caught some unfortunate wildlife as well, but that was a small price to pay for the elimination of an invisible enemy.
The infantry Regiment was on high alert at the moment, and nobody was allowed out of their armor for any reason. They didn't have a good way to find the Omwat infantry, and even the lightest of weapons would delete an unarmored head in an instant.
It was shaping up to be a stressful night all around, but the next morning brought good news. The Innu Technicians had managed to crack the cloaking technology, and the electromagnetic scanners on their Mecha could detect the interference. Using that overlay, the Omwat couldn't hide from the Reavers anymore, and the patch had already been sent to the Tarith Family forces to their south, in the expectation that they would face a similar threat.
Unfortunately, the mecha used by the Border Nations weren't capable of detecting the frequencies with their scanner, so they would have to rely on the Reavers to find the infantry and inform them until a method could be found to make the Omwat visible again.
[All units fall back and join the city defenses while the drones scour the area for additional threats. Initial reports indicate that we are nearly done here, but we will hold this city for the remainder of the day and move out in the morning.] Max ordered his troops.
A few more cloaked units were found as the Mecha approached the city and quickly eliminated with heavy weapons that the Omwat mistakenly thought would not be able to target them.
[What is the situation on the planet?] Max asked while he checked the reported locations of the various attacking forces on their scans.
[Most of the planet is holding well so far. Two Mecha forces to our East are currently uncontained after retreating from the defensive forces, and the locals have requested assistance due to insufficient forces to perform an offensive without risking civilians.] The communications officer reported.
Max checked the report against the data that he found and came up with an estimate of half a Mecha Regiment, widely scattered through the wilderness, which would be a pain to hunt, but if they brought the Tarith Reavers with them, they could clear it up with relative ease.
[Nico, contact your mother and let her know of the plan.] Max ordered.
