A tightly packed swarm of odd looking machines moved through space in a slow looking manner. To the eyes of many people, this swarm was incredible slow, but to the sensors and machines that observed the swarm, it was moving at a very fast pace.
The machines in this swarm looked like they were a cross between machine and biological matter, making them a very unsightly thing to look upon. This swarm was the Mantis swarm that was on a course to Montreya. If it managed to reach the planet, then it would be able to cause untold damage unto the planet. It was the duty of the defense force which consisted of the entire military might of the planet to stop the Mantis swarm before it could get into high orbit of the planet. If they were unable to stop it, then the S-O Weaponry would be put to work.
"Look at them. Grubby looking insects." Roman muttered on the transmission channel. Get into formation, we've discussed this beforehand." He ordered. The mechs of the Storm Busters moved to a specific corner of the defensive formation. They were deployed along with several other elite units that were deployed with much more powerful weapons.
There were the Gorgon's Fist Unit, the Sweltering Beam Unit, and the Storm Buster Unit. These three units were the most elite mech units that the planet of Montreya had. Each and every pilot possessed a piloting aptitude of grade B or higher.
The Gorgon's Fist Unit was a specialized unit that relied entirely on physical attacks. Their ranged mechs carried a load out of only physical rounds, completely eschewing laser attacks of any kind.
The Sweltering Beam Unit's name was quite self explanatory. They fielded mechs that were entirely tuned to the use of high powered laser beams and energy weapons. They usually took up the rear of any formation during space, air, or land combat.
As for the Storm Buster Unit, they were more of a mixed bunch. Out of all the Special Units, they numbered the most. This was because their recruiting standards were not as strict as that of the other Special Units. Their doors were open to anyone who had a C+ piloting aptitude, allowing at least 30% more recruits to apply for recruitment in the unit.
They fielded a mix of ranged, and close combat mech units. Their ranged units features a mix of both laser wielding units and units that utilized physical rounds. Of all the elite units, the Storm Busters were viewed as the least elite, if there was any way to put it, but even with the fact that they were actively looked down upon by the other elite units, the superiors had to stick to the fact that the Storm Busters really knew how to prove their worth. Whenever they showed up, they got the job done, sometimes even better than the other units. This brought on criticism upon the other units, which in turn fueled their hatred and disdain for the Storm Busters even more.
With each passing moment, the swarm got closer to the planet of Montreya. It was at this moment that the fighter force dispatched by the planet engaged the enemy in direct combat.
Beams of light and hot, exploding physical rounds slammed into the forces of the mantis swarm, forcing them to scatter in order to minimize damage. They fired their own weapons, relying solely on energy weapons. While this might seem like a boom to the defense forces, as they only had to worry about only one type of damage, this also meant that the mantis had made much more headway into the application of energy weaponry.
In the dark, vast expanse of space, a soundless battle was taking place. Fighter units fell silent as they acquired critical damage that put the out of the battle, or they exploded into silent, but bright balls of expanding flames. The pain of the pilots in those moments were only heard, and maybe felt by their comrades, or their commanding officers that managed the battle from back on the space station.
[Mech units, prepare to engage!] Came the much anticipated order over the general transmission channel. The fighters had already done their jobs, the survivors already turning about to dock at the space station. Roughly seventy percent of the fighters had made it out of the initial engagement, but the majority of them suffered from various levels of damage that could prove critical if they continued fighting. It was at this point that the mechs would come in to contribute to the fight. The fighters had already handled their equivalents in the earlier scuffle, and would be redeployed to take out the single mantis frigate that had joined this raid force later on.
Maximiler gripped the gauss rifle in the arms of his machine when he heard the command. Roman also relayed his own commands that the Storm Buster unit was supposed to follow. Along with his words came a data package that showed the composition of the enemy force. The mech equivalent of the enemy force was roughly fifty percent that of the human mech force. The Storm Busters would provide flanking support, only engaging in harassing the enemy from the sides, while the other units would do their own thing. The main mech force would be in charge of the main frontal clash, so they wouldn't have to worry about anything.
"Hey, rookie. Look, no hard feelings, but try and just stay at the back. Provide the necessary support and use the data the analysts back at the station will send ya, 'kay? I just don't want anything going wrong in the mission. I've got family down there, and I want to protect them, got me?" Roman opened up a private channel between his mech and Maximiler's just as their unit began moving into their position.
"I understand. I'll do what I must, no need to worry about me." Maximiler replied. He himself had no issues with Roman, and if the Unit Leader was willing to own up to his words, and speak like a proper man, then he would listen.
"Good. Best of luck to you. Let's all make it though together." With that, Roman closed then channel, leaving Maximiler to his own thoughts.