Road Of Advancement

"Right, none of the mech class or types are useless. There are only useless commanders. Every mech type excels in a particular way. Using their specific abilities to the greatest effect is the role of the commander." Redford stated.

"Heavy mechs are generally seen as the pinnacle of power on a battlefield, but they're very vulnerable in close range. Same goes for medium and light ranged mechs. They might be more nimble, but they lack options to deal damage on close range. Whenever a mech pilot is forced to employ his mech in an unsuitable role for its weight or combat role, it's a failure on the commander's side."

"In order to maximise the impact on the battlefield of each mech specialisation is key. A mech pilot will have a preference for a certain role and therefore certain specs on a mech. A specialised mech with a compatible mech pilot will be much more useful than a generic mech with a random pilot."

"Like the snipers you've just witnessed. Under the right circ.u.mstances, they're a great boon to their team. You'll see more examples in the next match." Redford said.

Another two-hundred dots had been loaded in a new environment. This time it was a flat-land with a little water to the east of the defensive bulwark. The families elite regiment Ligues Guares under command of Hedwig Duran had loaded in the environment as the attacking side. On the defenders' side, commander Quincy Ingres of the first Abelardo regiment was organizing his troops.

The last match, a spaceborne hostile invasion, would be fought between the second Abelardo regiment and the second Viril regiment, respectively under commanders Reginald Trudeau and Arin Levi.

This time Redford did not say anything. Theodore knew the drill by now and started to analyse the battlefield, the mech roster and any motives he could distinguish.

At first glance not much changed on the defenders' side. The roster was still made up of twenty-five heavy ranged mechs, fifty medium mechs and twenty-five light mechs.

The heavy mechs were of the heavier sort, weighing roughly 100t. These monstrous machines had very little mobility, but their firepower was incredible. With this little movement capability, they functioned more like small arms-platforms. They were like mini-fortresses by themselves. There were both ballistic cannoneers and ranged-laser mechs.

The medium mechs were split equally ranged and melee mechs. Commander Ingres seemed to expect a clash on the mid-field. It wouldn't be wise to employ this much melee mechs if you had any certainty that you could keep the attackers at bay.

This time, instead of a more generic medium-build mech roster there were a few distinct changes. Some of the medium mechs were low on weight and their profile indicated they were rather agile. There were also medium mechs pushing the boundaries, close to heavy mechs.

The lighter medium mechs, according to the family catalogue were a mix of skirmishers and strikers. A few of the heaviest mechs were snipers. According to the catalogue their weight was attributed to the necessary mechanical strength in their arms and back. The recoil demanded a strong frame, yet the arms required great precision. These design demands had lead to a heavier, more robust medium mech with a thick muscular structure.

The light mechs were designated as scouts and strikers. The use of these scouts was very wide. From recon in the surrounding to stealthy-flanking. They built smaller and lighter, favouring agility over armour. They were equipped with various strengthened sensors and detectors.

Their use would be to detect any troops in the surrounding and to negate any attempt of the attackers to discern any information defensive positions. They would send out all kind of strange and signals to jam out any probes when deemed necessary. Making it impossible for the attackers to discern the position of the defenders and what their roster line-up was like.

The list of specialised mechs was longer than in the battle before. They more or less outfitted general high-quality mechs from the family catalogue. They had decided not to specialise their mech-roster. Which was rather strange now that Theodore thought about it.

His curiosity could not be satisfied easily and he himself could not come up with a reason why not to specialise the roster, even more so after Redford had literally just told him how important it was to specialise. In the end, he asked Redford.

"It was not that they did not want to, it was that it would be quite useless to them. They're trained to protect convoys and transports. Few of them have extensively trained to perform the best in a certain role or mech. They're generalists. Specialisation is only useful when you have pilots who can make the most of their mech and role."

"In this case, commandant Ingres is forced to specialise because he knows what he'll be facing. Luckily his first regiment has a lot of former military combatants. Though a bit rusty, they will make good use of their specialised mechs. However, you'll find that the Guares will perform significantly better in their roles."

During their conversation, the forces had already clashed. The battlefield was organized and clean, both sides held up well and there were still little casualties on either side. It seemed it was a pretty even matchup.

Commandant Hedwig Duran had chosen to field a whopping seventy-medium mechs and thirty light mechs. He, unlike the other commandants, did not field a single heavy mech! He either disdained the use of these deadly machines or had chosen differently based on strategic reasons. Theodore dit did not know why, but this simple fact did garner his attention.

Based on Theodore's knowledge, heavy mechs were a welcome addition to any regiment. They gladly accepted the burden on their logistics, their finances and fuel consumption if they gained a few of these deadly machines.

The attackers were very well organized, moving in small squads as they pushed upwards on the mid-field towards the defensive settlement.

Even though they were running in against a storm of enemy fire, their casualties did not rake up!

This amazed Theodore as he had expected the continued amount of fire-power to take its toll on the attackers.

As he analyzed closer he quickly figured out what the cause of this phenomenon was. The front was pushed by knight mechs, who teamed up with a ranged mech. The sturdy shield kept them more or less safe from the ranged defenders, as the ballistic and laser power was not high enough at this distance to dish high damage to the exotic-laden shields.

The mech pilots of the mechs skilfully used the shield to deflect or absorb the unleashed fury of lasers and projectiles. If they were targeted on their thick shoulders or bulkier armoured parts they would not even use their shield and take the punishment head-on.

This lead to a situation where the attackers ranged mechs could somewhat leisurely return fire and the mechs staying in a battle-ready condition.

On the flanks, two columns of striker mechs were starting to gain traction as they moved up the field. Their quick movement, unpredictable patterns and unpreceded agile movements made them hard to target. They seemed to move in a straight line, however, in reality they were moving right and left by small margins without losing speed as they closed in!

They were like medieval cavalry! Yes, you can take down a few, but the rest soldiered on! And their impact would definitely be big once they made contact!

In return, de defenders mobilised their medium mechs to intercept them. Making a defensive line around the structure, with spear and pole users in the front in the hopes to deter the attackers.

With the pressure mounting on the flanks, more and more fire was focused on the flanks. This did lead to more casualties on the attackers' side, but the attackers now ruthlessly advanced through the middle now!

Sniper shots were heard and spear mechs on the defenders were immobilised! They had hidden so long, just like the last matchup! But now they showed their value. About ten snipers had taken aim and taken out the feared spear-mechs. Quickly after this, contact was made between the strikers and the defenders. Many casualties ensued, but the intervention of the snipers had made the difference in the attackers favour!

After the strikers lost momentum, chaos wreaked havoc on the flanks as both sided engaged in close combat. This slightly favoured the defenders but they were now vastly outnumbered.

The snipers continued to take out mechs left and right and the knight teams had broken through the middle.

The resistance did not last long before the victor was announced; A complete victory for the Ligues Guares under command of Hedwig Duran.

"The specialised mech on the defenders' side hardly got a chance to shine. The attacker constantly pressured and outmanoeuvred the defenders." Theodore sighed.

A slight smile formed on Redfords face as he commented "Correct. The defenders were playing right up the ally of the attackers. But you cannot blame commandant Ingres, in all fairness he made the right decisions. He, however, was clearly out of depth with the situation. Though arrogant, commandant Duran is not inept."

"You remember that moment when Duran introduced himself, that you could feel that pressure building on your persona? It's a cheap trick you learn as an officer in the army. With the right genetic aptitude and enhancement your concentration level becomes so high you can affect a small area with mental pressure."

"In the army, we learn to channel this concentration in order to affect or subordinates and demand respect and attention. It's a very effective tool to assert your command and authority."

"This concentration is honed and polished over time in the military. With enough violence and bloodshed around you will find that there's a slight mix of killing intent fusing into their concentration. Ruthlessness becomes nature to those who fight regularly. "

"Since Duran had mastered this little trick, he's certainly not a push-over and must have served for a good duration in the army. Considering his record he never promoted, so he's only this much." Redford grinned.

"At the end of our training, I want you to be able to resist my aura as I concentrate on you. My only demand is that you keep your head up and that you look in my eyes. For your information, my aura is intense enough to have commandant Duran shit his pants." Redford told seriously, ending on a light joke.

"Well, enough of the talking. We'll commence the next match-up. I expect you to deliver a report on the last match-up tomorrow. Since you got the essence of the last match correct, it shouldn't be much work."