Chapter 57

　　"The other House Guard Starships will reach us within the hour, but the Imperial Guard won`t have a force available for at least six to eight hours," Talha informed Kal as she returned from the Command Centre.

　　"Is there something you could do? These pirates will likely be in the wind by the time they arrive. There`s no telling how much damage they can do if we don`t confront them soon. Once they realize their trap isn`t working, they may be assault worlds directly to draw us to them." Kal asked Samuel.

　　"This sector isn`t their only priority. The Guard is spread too thin to respond quickly in the numbers you require. They rely on their reputation to keep the peace, and nothing I say can change that. You may need to face this foe alone, as the Emperor predicted." Samuel replied, shaking his head.

　　"With our other starships, do you think over two thousand Mechs won`t be enough?" Talha asked with doubt. She couldn`t believe that a rogue group of Brigands could contend with what they had here, let alone the reserve forces Kal was bringing.

　　"I suspect they know exactly how many people we`ve recruited over the last few months and have prepared accordingly. I will not let them escape to hurt innocents, but I won`t act without reinforcements from the Guard. We may nee-" a ships-wide announcement cut off Kal, the lights changing to red while warning alarms sounded.

　　"Multiple spatial anomalies detected! Seven Starships incoming!" A crewmember announced over the ship`s intercom.

　　"Already? I just sent the message out, and it`s too quick for them to arrive." Talha stated, confused. Aside from that, why would all arrive at the same time? They should still be preparing their equipment, and she expected them to come in separate groups from different worlds under Kal`s protection.

　　"We`re under attack!" Kal stated, his instincts screaming at him that his statement was true. Next to him, Tamara was already running to Rise` the vanguard against whatever forces were about to assault them.

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　　Gareth Quade floated in his Erebus`, waiting impatiently for his father to act.

　　His team communications channel was filled with idle chatter, the others drifting around the icy planet below as they waited for orders. The crew securing the Pirate Starship were still onboard, combing the seized vessel for any threats or hidden traps.

　　"Warning, spatial anomaly detected." A mechanical voice sounded through Gareth`s cockpit, cutting off the conversation as they turned their attention to the outer permitter. A massive undulation warped and twisted the stars and space behind them, interfering with their sensors as seven Starships materialized.

　　"Are we expecting reinforcements?" One of Gareth`s comrades asked, his voice clearly showing his confusion as the Starship emerged from the Jump. Only when they fully appeared, their storage holds already opening to release their Mechs, were any misconceptions of their allegiance removed.

　　They were plain and unadorned, with no House Symbol or corporate allegiance displayed. Dozens of Light and Medium Class Aesir-manufactured Mechs burst from their holds, their frames trailing flames as they surged towards the Baron`s forces.

　　"Holy shit! We`ve got contacts!" Gareth`s comm link blared out dozens of similar statements as the black void was filled with the explosions of missiles and the bluish-white energy of Lasguns. The few guards they had posted around the perimeter were quickly overwhelmed and surrounded by foes.The author`s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

　　Hanging back from the others, Gareth did the bare minimum to appear to join the conflict, always slightly missing his targets while he dodged their fire. This was the most dangerous part of his mission as a traitor, but his father had warned him not to show his true allegiance until he was called upon to act.

　　Finally, after a minute or two of intense conflict, more Nyx` and Erebus` mobile suits from Kal`s Starships arrived, and the battle reached an entirely new level.

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　　Kal rushed into the Command Center with Samuel and Talha, only to see a scene of confusion and turmoil. Hundreds of Mechs were fighting in space, their metallic surfaces reflecting the faint illumination of the distant sun and the bright lights of energy weapons.

　　He watched in horror as Mech after Mech exploded, or were vaporized by the destructive power of PPCs, or had their cockpits pierced by accurate Lasgun fire.

　　Casualties mounted on both sides, the conflict reaching a brief stalemate as more and more Mobile Suits joined from the waiting starships. But Kal`s forces, while having higher quality suits, were outnumbered over two to one, and that disadvantage was showing.

　　The Starship rocked around him as a massive volley of missiles detonated in the nearby space, wiping out a dozen of his Mechs in an explosion of heat and radiation, overloaded reactor cores bloomed in the darkness like tiny stars. Debris shattered against the metallic surface of Kal`s Starship, leaving deep pits and dents in the structure.

　　"Warning, Engine destabilized. Artificial Gravity failure." The mechanical voice notified them as the ship`s systems failed. Kal and the crew felt the weight of their bodies leave them as they floated gently in the air.

　　Above the unnamed, icy planet, thousands of Mobile Suits wheeled and fought, desperate to survive.

　　"Talha, when are our reinforcements arriving!?" Kal shouted over the warning alarms and yelling crewmembers. Beside them, Samuel was calm, gripping the commander`s seat by the back to steady himself.

　　"Not for another hour, at least!" She shouted back, trying to coordinate a defence against the onslaught.

　　They wouldn`t last another hour, not with the rate they were losing Mechs. Their line nearly crumbled until a streak of crimson energy, as wide as a Starship, shot out from behind the line of Mechs.

　　The energy beam swept across the battlefield, engulfing over a dozen Pirates Mechs, including several Medium Class, before punching a hole through one of the seven Starships.

　　The vessel hung there, floating in the dark void, before the energy cascaded back through its Engine, causing catastrophic failure. Rather than Jumping, the void claimed it like a black hole, drawing all matter around it into a single pinprick of light.

　　A few Mechs, hovering too close to the starship, desperately tried to escape but were pulled in by its irresistible gravity.

　　The damaged Starship blinked out of existence silently, taking the Mechs and debris with it and leaving a gap in the line of Pirate vessels.

　　Rise` had finally activated, leaving the hold of Kal`s Starship and engaging the enemy.

　　Its PPCs and Lasguns could fire almost continuously, overwhelmingly powerful, vaporizing everything that opposed it. Tamara sped through the battlefield, the four Wings` of her Mech spread out about her.

　　Heat funnelled from her weapons through the rear of the Mech, glowing red in the darkness. Any errant shots that managed to strike the machine deflected off of it harmlessly by a shimmering blue field that surrounded its figure.

　　Unlike its weaker counterparts, the PPC energy from the Rise` could be maintained longer, allowing it to sweep across her opponents Mech`s for seconds at a time, cutting long paths through them. Wherever it turned its attention, enemy Pilots died.

　　Watching the destruction that the single Assault Class Mech was causing, Kal sighed in relief. Even facing a dozen Heavy Mechs, the Rise` could hold its own, its thick shields and overwhelming firepower able to hold them off. Tamara`s presence had stabilized things for now.

　　Fenrir Heavy Class Mechs hurled themselves at Rise` in an attempt to slow it down and overcome its defences, but Tamara was too agile, her wing`s thrusters moving her Mech like it was an extension of her own body.

　　She glided through the battle, always striking where the enemy was weakest, her shields and protective wings blocking any attack that could harm her. Firing her Lasgun, she pierced the torso of a Fenrir, burning a hole through its chest before slamming a wing into its body, shattering the Heavy Mech to pieces and moving on.

　　"Incoming Transmission, Baron. It`s from the Pirate Leader." A crewmember called out to Kal, the console in front of him lit up with notifications.