The Mech Touch

force Harkensen I, it ’s only a matter of time before reinforcements arrive. ”

”How long do we have? ” Ves asked.

”According to the intelligence we ’ve gathered, we need to complete our business within forty-eight hours.
Any longer than that and our projections enter into a deeply pessimistic state. ”

Once the Reinaldans mobilized an overwhelming amount of mechs to dominate the planet and its orbit, the Vandals lost their chance to get away.

Even though many vacationers complained about the forced delays before they could finally depart from the planet, the Reinald Republic was not an affable state at this moment.
No matter how much weight the tourists and outfit commanders threw around, they could not contend against the government ’s determination to sniff out the terrorists and exterminate them to the last man.

”I don ’t understand why the Reinaldans are so hung up about keeping everyone in their place.
They ’re pissing off billions of tourists by keeping them imprisoned on the surface. ”

Though the initial outburst of violence had faded at the end of the day, the living conditions were far from ideal.
Both native Reinaldans and wealthy foreigners alike suffered from the lack of order under equal measure.
Their impressions of the Reinaldan Republic worsened by the hour.

The logistics officer thought about it for a moment.
”The Reinald Republic is going for the long game here.
To us, it might not seem worth it, but to the Republic, the only way they can really salvage their reputation is by hunting down the majority of the culprits.
Finding a couple of scapegoats won ’t do. ”

Ves understood this argument, but he really didn ’t agree with it.
The human suffering occuring on the surface could have been relieved to a large extent if many of the visitors left the planet.

”Maybe there ’s a greater motive involved. ” Ves put out another guess.
”Redeeming their reputation is a basic goal, but the bigger issue is that certain influences have put Reinald in their crosshairs.
So long as the Reinaldans can capture enough enemies, they ’ll eventually be able to find out the true source of their problems. ”

”That makes sense.
However, the extreme reaction from the Reinaldans may also be for a more basic reason, Mr.
Larkinson. ”

”What ’s that? ”

”The enemy obtained something that the Reinaldans really don ’t want to let loose from their grasp. ”

When Ves heard this possibility, a small bomb exploded in his mind.
This reason made a lot more sense than any notions about redeeming honor or trying to figure out the mastermind behind this plot.

He still remembered that a week earlier, Harkensen III became engulfed with a spike of violent incidents.
Perhaps the things the secret combatants fought over was also present on Harkensen I.

”Well, you ’ve given me a lot to think about, that ’s for sure. ”

Once everyone ate nutrient packs for breakfast, they resumed their work.
Mech technicians crawled over the disassembled mechs like bees in a hive.
Each of them contributed their own efforts into restoring the salvaged mechs to some form of functionality.

Vedette ’s WW-1 became the first salvaged mech to come to life.
The test pilot who turned the mech online put the restored mech to its paces.

A lot of problems popped up due to the overly-hasty work, but Ves didn ’t mind them too much.
The Vandals could deal with them for the time being.

”We ’ve obtained our first mech! ”

With a working example at hand, the remaining work crews became much more productive.
The importance of WW-1 was that it provided a solid direction for the rest to work towards.
They didn ’t have to come up with their own solutions to overcome difficult problems anymore.

In the afternoon, two more mechs came online.
Dubbed WW-2 and WW-3, their overall integrity was worse than WW-1.
In a pitched battle, their weak and patched-up armor coverage could easily lead to their downfall.

The Vandals didn ’t ask for much, luckily.
Even a basic mech would do as long as it could move and pose a threat.
The true worth of the mech lay in the ability to elevate their group over the heads of others that didn ’t possess any working mech!

On Harkensen I, almost no private outfit or group possessed a mech! Owning even a shambling mech meant that their battle capabilities instantly multiplied by a thousand.
Even the Reinaldan peacekeepers would keep their distance from the Vandals now that their mechs could pick them off from a distance!

If the Vandals possessed a single Water Wraith when they initially approached the shipyard, they never would have bothered to fight the thugs who occupied it first.
The shipyard would have already emptied out by the time the mech approached into firing range!

”Now we are talking. ” Captain Orfan grinned as she stopped by the workshop area.
”With these beauties in hand, we can finally step up to the next phase of the plan. ”

”And what is that? ” Ves asked.

”Why, taking them out for a spin! Now that we ’ve become the top dog, it ’s time to take what is ours! ”

Once the last Water Wraith became operational, the Vandals left WW-1 behind to guard the shipyard.
They took WW-2, WW-3 and WW-4 and placed them at the head of three large expedition groups.

Their goal? Loot more ships and supplies!

The three mechs wandered off into the city, walking well ahead of a convoy of aircars and other vehicles bringing hundreds of Vandals along.

Whenever the local bullies attempted to repel the Water Wraiths, the Vandal mech pilots ruthlessly retaliated by firing back with their heavy cannons.
Even a single kinetic projectile was sufficient to obliterate their strongholds!

Tyrannical! Flagrant! The instant the Vandals regained their power, they didn ’t hesitate to throw around their weight!

Once the Vandals demonstrated their willingness to use the weapons in their possession, the other outfits instantly became honest.
The Vandals extorted their aircars and other supplies at gunpoint, and there was nothing the victims could do about it.
Naturally, the Vandals didn ’t go too far with their robbing spree.
Once they obtained sufficient aircars, they let off on the rest.