There was, however, one thing that it was no good at—scouting.
Hammerhand liked to leave that kind of work to those who piloted mechs better suited to the job.
It wasn’t that he didn’t know how to pilot a mech designed to excel at scouting. He, like most pilots, had started out using support and light assault mechs.
But after years of using the larger Excalibur in combat, it didn’t feel right to be in something smaller and more mobile.
And yet, when the Prophet called on him to join him in scouting ahead of their main force, he couldn’t turn him down. He was something of a mystery, and his knowledge of Citta del Mar was certainly something to be tapped. But there was no way to force something like this.
The two larger mechs inched forward and away from the main force of joined Knights and Desert Warriors. They moved through the dense grasslands and managed to get a better view of the path ahead of them without giving their current position away.
“I thought it would be best to move immediately.” The Prophet paused and glanced at their assembled forces before he moved into step with Hammerhand. “Given the kind of loss we inflicted on FEMA City’s forces, I assumed it would only be a matter of time before they increased the numbers of their patrols around their perimeter sections, but the losses in men and mechs would mean they cannot do it immediately. It would be to our advantage to catch them unawares and unexpectant, as they will assume we are also struggling with reduced numbers.”
Hammerhand grunted his agreement but didn’t offer anything further. The Knights had held their own well enough against the attack, but the losses to their numbers had been hard to swallow. There weren’t that many of them, to begin with.
Tinker had been right to question their engaging in pitched battles like this, where skill took less precedence over blind luck and years of training and experience would be lost thanks to the effects of a stray bullet.
Of course, his mechanic and friend was right about many things. There was a reason why the man was his most trusted confidant. And while Tinker hadn’t openly stated any protest against their current objective, it was only a matter of time.
He knew the best time to engage Hammerhand in a dressing down was when outsiders weren’t around to listen in.
“You are quiet today, my friend. Why is that?”
The Knights’ leader scowled at the Argonaut. It wasn’t like he was the most talkative character, to begin with.
No, that wasn’t quite right. Tinker had often noted that he had a tendency to go on sometimes, but that was only when he felt the inspiration to do so.
“I’m making sure we won’t be followed. We’ve left a wide trail, should someone come behind us. If a scouting mech caught sight of our advance and reported it to the city, any chance of a surprise attack would be lost.”
“True, and yet we can trust in what has guided us thus far.”
“Blind luck?”
“Destiny.”
Hammerhand shrugged and settled firmly into his cockpit to guide the Excalibur through the higher routes that would give them a better view of the surrounding landscape. He could already see the vague shapes of the mesa ahead of them, almost three klicks away as the crow flew. Of course, the uneven landscape that gave their troops the cover they needed to advance without being seen would extend the distance a little.
“Ex, check the surrounding landscape for any foreign mechs that might be following us once you have a clear view.”
Commencing scans now, the AI displayed in text across his HUD, and the sensors expanded their parameters into the surrounding area in an attempt to pick up anything that might indicate that they were being followed. The AI even scanned for encrypted comm lines that could reveal if there was communication about the troop’s movements.
No signs of foreign mechs in the area, Hammerhand. Would you like me to continue periodic scans? the AI said in the scrolling text across his screen.
“Yes.”
He was always tempted to complain about the fact that a mech as complex as the Excalibur was fitted with a simple interactive AI, but a quick look into the AI core would discourage that notion. The interactive software was fairly basic but that was only because most of the processing power was used to keep the mech itself functioning, and that was no easy feat.
When they reached the top of the hill, the two avoided sky-lining themselves using rudimentary cloaking devices and kept themselves positioned lower in case someone ran visual scans from the mesa.
The sun hung over the west of the base, already on its way toward sunset, which meant it wouldn't set behind them and give the Knights and Desert warriors an easier opportunity to move through the uneven terrain without being identified. They likely wouldn’t stop until late in the night and would use the darkness for cover as well, but it was still best to know where they were going beforehand. Ex would be able to plot a course for them once they had it all visualized from the top.
The top area was used as a defensive position, and it already began to look impenetrable. Hammerhand knew from experience that it would only get worse the closer they got. Steps led to the base from the valley and circled the mesa, but they were large and likely designed to be scaled by mechs. Progress up these would be slow and open to attack from the men above every
