As they approached the village the squad of scout mecha slowed and then stopped.

[What are they doing?] One of the convict Line Mecha pilots asked over the secure channels.

[Did you think that they were dumb enough not to notice a brand new trench complex all around a village that’s only supposed to have a single special forces squad in it? They’re deciding what to do.] Captain Tarsus laughs at him.

They all wait anxiously to see what course of action the Mecha are going to choose.

[Show yourself and report.] The Lightfoot Pattern Crusader demands.

[Squad 32 stand up.] Nico instructs, rising up out of the dust and rubble._.

Convict recruits wear prison uniforms until they are pardoned, so squad 32 is still wearing prison coveralls under their body armor.

[Hotel Juliet Six and Tarith’s Rage have reinforced Bridge Control. What is he Good Word Patrol?] Nico’s artificial growl comes through on the Rebel channel.

The squad remains in place for a moment while they confer. The patrol squad number checks out and the name matches the name on the Mecha which isn’t painted in any regulation color scheme.

[Prepare to activate the Radio Jamming from the lander in 5.] Nico says softly over the intercom as the scouts confer.

[Dispatch..] The Lightfoot gets out before the jamming signal activates and Nico unleashes the full firepower of Tarith’s Rage on the lightly Armored Rebels.

A single overcharged blast of the Ion Destroyer takes a leg off the Lightfoot while rail gun rounds eviscerate a Sentinel, punching through both armor and engine before exiting the back of the unit.

A split second later, Mecha fire in both directions fills the air. About half the Lasers successfully connected with Tarith’s Rage, making the shielding flash and flicker.

Max remains hidden on the off chance one of them got off a signal to the rebel command. The lower the Rebels think their capabilities are for now the better.

The return fire from Lieutenant Becki and Mecha Squad 1 who are in the South Trenches combines with the Infantry’s Ion Cannon emplacements to tear apart the remaining Sentinels, their lightly Armored Chassis incapable of surviving such firepower.

The design isn’t used in direct combat for a reason, the front has large windows which are easily broken by other Mecha. None survive the first volley.

[Collect the scrap and see if any of those Sentinels are salvageable.] Max calls as Nico puts a another volley into the Lightfoot, causing it to explode.

[Better safe than sorry.] She responds to Max’s unspoken question.

[With a bit of luck we should be able to make at least six functional Sentinels out of this mess. But if we want more functional Light Mecha, Tarith’s Rage needs to go easy on the Rail Guns. Seriously, they went in one side and out the other, I’ve never seen anything like it, the entire Mecha is scrap.] Sergeant Enns from Bravo Company complains.

[For now it is more important that they don’t stand back up when we go to check them. Six Sentinels is still a lot more firepower for the Trenches. See what you can get working and set them up on the north side overlooking the river. The Laser Cannons have great range.] Max sends out his instructions and the crews get to work.

The only real benefit to a civil war is that you will know how to use the enemy equipment, because your team is using it as well. Finding six more bodies who can at least work the targeting systems on the Sentinels shouldn’t be too hard. Plus, they won’t even need to move the Mecha, just use it as a heavy weapons bunker in the trench.

The cogwheel trench is designed for mecha defense, with evenly spaced wider areas where they can remain crouched and still allow other defenders to move behind them, but there is enough offset between emplacements that an Explosive blast won’t travel down the length on the trench.

No soldier in their right mind really wants to be assigned to a trench, but given the option, it isn’t the worst place to be during a Mecha assault. For that reason, when they are off duty, the soldiers return to the barracks, or to hiding spots in the village instead of remaining in the trench, but when battle starts they will get into the holes to avoid being in the direct line of fire.

[Gentleman, we have a surprise trophy from the enemy Sentinels. A pilfered supply of Kepler’s finest synthmint cigarettes. I have split the spoils with Captain Tarsus, and he has agreed that at the end of tomorrow, one lucky soldier will get an entire pack.]

Many of the soldiers smoke to relieve stress, but these cigarettes go for a full week’s commissary rations a pack. They are the sort of high quality luxury only senior officers and politicians get, a real treat, especially for the Convicts, who didn’t have any commissary credits to begin with.

The dinner ration packs contain a small pack of cheap smokeable stimulant sticks, but that is hardly comparable to the cool and smooth flavor of synthmint.

The crew in charge of the kitchen brings the units on duty a hot meal, using the insulated serving containers from the convoy’s supplies and everyone settles in for the afternoon wait.

Nico has hacked the Rebel communications codes, so they can be ready and properly greet anyone who might be coming, but so far, nobody has been, and it makes Max wonder if the scouts got off a warning signal.

Fearing the worst, he has the few anti Mecha mines they brought placed randomly about a kilometer from the river and the village, and the mortar tubes set up throughout the ruins.historical

They don’t have enough for a sustained bombardment but they do have enough that they can make an infantry column wish they had never tried to take this location.

While the day drags on, most of the scouts return, having placed a camera net around their location. Now they can watch for threats from relative safety, while they hide in basements and crumbled houses.

The infantry managed to get a bunch of playing cards and a 3D chess set to the surface with them for entertainment but Max is hoping that one of the convoys they intercept will have more. Entertainment is an essential to troop morale on a long mission, especially one where they expect to be constantly attacked like this.

For now, everyone is in decent spirits, with hot food and reliable shelter, and Max intends to keep them that way. Alive and only mildly annoyed.