The Mech Touch

Chapter 7578 Costly Backup Option

"Ves." A familiar voice called over a private communication channel.

"What is it?" The Dark Apostle responded with a tinge of annoyance in his voice.

"What is it?" Ves repeated in order to prevent the speaker from addressing the wrong individual.

"The battle is not progressing as ideally as we wished." Jovy Armalon continued to speak. "Despite the best efforts of your Saint Commander and your giants, this newfound alien coalition has proven its mettle. We have suffered significant casualties and we are only going to lose more men and assets as this engagement drags on. What is worse is that the dark miasma will come back eventually. Time is not on our side."

"I know." Ves hissed in return. "I am trying to figure out a solution."

"That is good to hear, because we have already formed one ourselves. Remember one of the contingency plans we have discussed in our past meetings. During the period when your initial has successfully repelled the dark miasma, I directly reported to my superiors. They are considerably alarmed at what our enemies, both new and old, are doing in the Hypeh-Tekas System. I have already received their emergency resolution. They are willing to pay a steep price in order to bail us out. However, it is going to cost you as well."

Blinky's feline expression darkened when he heard that. Ves knew exactly what Jovy Armalon had in mind.

The forces of the Bluejay Fleet and the Premier Fleet were indeed in a very bad spot. They had already committed all of their assets, only to fight their alien opponents to a standstill at best.

They had practically no spare capacity left to strengthen their offensive and destroy the alien temple that they had identified as the core of an extremely powerful planetary-scale spell array.

The destruction of this central facility was crucial. It was not only the source of all deathborn in this star system, but also served as the apparent headquarters and staging ground for the invaders of the nearby supermassive galaxy.

In fact, destroying it entirely was not the most ideal decision. They needed to send in mechs to raid the facilities and collect every scrap of useful intelligence and samples as possible. Red humanity needed to understand this latest emerging threat, as this would be hardly the last encounter with the mysterious deathborn race.

They could accomplish all of this with ease if they successfully managed to bring over backup from the Red Association and possibly the Red Fleet.

Yet…

The only way to do so was to activate the altered and upgraded Greater Beyonder Gate in Bridgehead One.

Doing so would undoubtedly involve a transaction with the selfish and profiteering Cybernetic Empire.

The Polymath's relationship with her former peers and fellow tier 1 galactic citizens was complicated, but no one believed she would allow anyone to use the powerful gate in her possession for free!

Since any rescue attempt would definitely benefit Ves and the Larkinsons, he had no doubt that the Red Two would insist on demanding a huge repayment from their clan!

This was why Ves did not immediately approve of Jovy's proposal.

While the Larkinson Clan was most definitely able to pay off the costs of a possible rescue attempt, Ves was unwilling to bear such a heavy debt.

The Larkinsons would take a hit to their prestige and find themselves more beholden to their rescuers.

The best and fastest way to clear up so much debt was to surrender a hefty amount of mid and high-grade superdimensional matter.

Yet that would impose a lot of delays in Ves and Gloriana's ambitious plan to transform all of their present and near-future ace mechs of their clan into superdimensional machines!

In short, the clan's attempt to grow into a powerful and sovereign organization in the Red Ocean would definitely be set back by at least a decade if not more!

"There is one more point of concern." Jovy spoke up again. "As you know, once the dark miasma engulfs our fleet entirely once again, we will lose our access to the galactic net once again. It will become much harder to coordinate our actions with our headquarters. If we want to call in backup, then it is best to do so now when conditions are still favorable. Nobody knows whether we will be able to guide the Greater Beyonder Gate into opening an interdimensional gateway to the right coordinates."

He was right. The RA liaison's words added more urgency to the situation.

Ves truly couldn't make up his mind on this matter.

"Casella, what is your opinion?" He asked the Saint Commander on another channel.

"Our forces have been pushed to their limits, but the same can be said for our enemies." The Saint Commander responded. "I have already identified a divergence of goals between the two alien groups. The Blackwater Summoner and his clique have already lost their motivation to fight. They have already recalled multiple warships and are preparing to evacuate from the battlefield entirely. That said, they are clearly leaving behind much of their cannon fodder in order to bleed us as much as possible. These alien soldiers will most likely become demoralized by the cowardly actions of their supposed gods, but they will still obey their orders to the end. The deathborn are much more committed to stand and fight, but are mostly biding their time. Once the dark miasma has been fully restored, they will no doubt bear all of their fangs."

"I see." Ves hummed. "This means that our combined opposition is at their weakest point at the moment. If we want to achieve a breakthrough in this battle, it is best to do so now. It will be too late when the dark miasma has returned in full."

"Send us over!" The Dark Apostle requested in a firm but pained voice. "My giants and I are not in the best shape, but we can still bash in more aliens."

"No!" Ves strongly objected.

"Ves is right." Casella responded. "You are already a spent force. Your defenses are shot and your exhaustion is clearly evident. If the enemy has any surprises at the temple, then you will likely lose most of your men. Your own life will hang in the balance, and that is absolutely unacceptable as far as I am concerned. Recognize your own reality. Your fight is already over."

As much as the Dark Apostle wanted to object to that description, a part of him feared that he might truly get done if he recklessly insisted on going on the attack again.

"So what can we do?"

"Our mundane forces are already fully committed." Casella stated. "Multiple warships can still launch strategic weapons, but we believe the aliens still possess sufficient orthodox and unorthodox defensive measures to intercept the warheads. Besides, not everyone will agree to escalate this conflict to such a level."

Ves was broadly aware that notable vessels such as the Tarrasque and the Babylon Excavator secretly carried weapons of mass destruction.

He might not know their exact quantity and properties, but they definitely existed in order to deal with exceptional problems where holding back was a sin.

Was this one such situation where they could justify the use of some of the cruelest weapons in red humanity's arsenal?

Ves did not dare to answer this question.

He would much prefer to win this battle in a manner that would provoke their enemies from employing weapons of mass destruction at an apocalyptic scale!

Ves considered their options.

Calling for backup would be the easy way out. While success was not guaranteed, the enemy would no longer be a threat once lots of reinforcements arrived from afar.

However, Ves still felt unwilling to prematurely end his Nemesis Campaign with such an ugly decision.

A stubborn streak inside of him insisted on ending this fight on his terms rather than that of others!

Ves directed his attention to the faltering Riot Mark III once again.

Casella knew what he was doing.

"Freeing up the Riot Mark III will restore the spearhead that can plunge straight at our opposition's weak point. Out of all of the ace mechs at our disposal, I can think of no better choice to crash our enemy's meticulous arrangements. However, the premise to all of this is that Saint Rosa Orfan successfully regains control over her own rebellious machine. Can you help with that, Ves?"

That was a heavy demand. Ves stared at the farcical struggle between the Riot Mark III and its deathborn lord tormentor.

"I can try." He reluctantly said. "But not from afar. I need to get closer."

The Dark Apostle tightened his grip on the Withering Sting. "I still have an intact arm left."

"It is not wise to go alone. Take us as well. We will shield you with our bodies if we must." The Fiery Axe unquestionably offered her support.

Blinky shook his head. "No. The Dark Apostle and I shall go alone. You guys are all laden with loot and injured comrades. Bringing them back is a greater priority. Besides, this deathborn lord is one of the worst kinds of opponents that you can face. He clearly specializes in mental attacks. If he is strong enough to overcome the extraordinary willpower of Saint Orfan, he will find it even easier to exploit your vulnerable psyches. Do not deny this truth. Ascended Giants may be strong in body, but their minds and spiritualities are not as developed."

"We all have our companion spirits." The strategos of the Flesh Choppers retorted. "Isn't that supposed to compensate for this weakness?"

"You are not wrong, but they are too young and underdeveloped to provide the level of resistance that is necessary. Trust in my judgment. You and your fellow giants are simply not ready to fight this asymmetrical battle. Leave this burden to me. I am much better equipped to resolve this problem."

While the Ascended Giants felt even more ashamed for their weaknesses, they could not deny his logic. They reluctantly separated from their polemarchos and headed back to the Armitage under the protection and supervision of the Victrix.

The Dark Apostle flew towards the beleaguered Riot Mark III without any escort. This made him feel vulnerable.

"Are you sure you can do it, Ves?"

"As I have said, I don't know. I have an idea, though. Let us see whether it will work."

He had been mulling over some of the flaws and shortcomings of Saint Orfan and her bonded machine.

The fundamental problem was that the D-mech had turned from an ally into an enemy of its pilot.

The Prophet's Bane had more reasons to side with the deathborn lord than his own 'partner'!

Since that was the case, the easiest solution was to forge a temporary peace between the pilot and machine!