As the Xenon boarding teams wrecked havoc through the various ships that belonged to the humans, the second fleet that was transitioning into the edge of the Solar System finally appeared. Although smaller than the main fleet, this Xenon fleet was still larger than that of the human fleet that had broken off to intercept them.
That said, the human fleet was not without solutions to this predicament. The Paladins that were assigned to this fleet were more than enough to make up for the difference!
As soon as the Xenon fleet appeared, hundreds of powerful beams began raining down on them. Nothing was held back and flames immediately erupted as ships burst into fireworks. The Xenon fleet did not tarry in their response and immediately fired back, causing the dark space to be lit up by a similar light show to the first battlefield.
Five mechs emerged from the hangar bay of one of the Dreadnaughts that was assigned to this front while the exchange of fire was going on.
"Most of us won't have to fight until the ships of the enemy come closer. The risk of flying all the way over at this time is too much. Right now, only Anthony and Richard will be able to contribute to the battle. The rest of us will have to wait for now." Manuel spoke over the channel that was shared between the five.
As he spoke, Moses directed his gaze over to the gap that still existed between both fleets. An unending barrage of fire was exchanged between both sides as both contested for ranged supremacy.
Mechs were inherently fragile machines. Anyone that was unlucky enough to be put under the fire of such destructive warships was sure to turn into scrap metal as soon as they were hit. Forget the fact that Paladins were made of Rilon and other valuable and hardy materials, they would at most be able to withstand a couple more hits before turning into molten metal.
"As for me, I have a way to head over quickly while dodging any attacks that come my way." Manuel gave a few more instructions before turning around and shooting off. He did not go straight through the middle to cross the distance. Instead, he went in a wide arc, a shimmering blue corona of light coming into existence around his machine as it sped away from sight.
Some of the fighters on the side of the enemy turned their guns to fire at him, but none were able to meet their mark. A couple of minutes passed as Manuel utilized his superior mobility to cross the distance between both sides. The moment he got to the other end, he dove straight into the mass of enemy, instantly leaving his mark and causing havoc.
The pitch black short swords that his mech carried exuded a red glow as they wee subjected to a special kind of heat that was produced from the Paladin. Without much thought, he plunged them into the rear of a fighter, just before its thruster section, dragging it as he flew past the agile ship.
Boom!
A soundless explosion that rocked the Paladin spread out, briefly illuminating the darkness of outer space, before it quickly died down from the lack of oxygen. Manuel moved on to the next enemy, his blades flashing like the thirsty fangs of a merciless serpent. Wherever he passed, another explosion rang out, flames furiously lashing out to lick against the freezing coldness of space.
Envy and jealousy bloomed with Moses' heart as he saw the damage Manuel was causing to the enemy. He very much wished he could also head out there to sink his blades into the hulls of the enemy ships, but it was not yet time.
Manuel was not the only one performing in this battle. Anthony was also lending a hand to the battle, the heavy rifle in his arms barking out one shot after another. It only took a couple well placed hits to send the enemy fighters bursting up into brilliant fireworks that reflected off the dark plating of his Paladin.
Moses and Richard were the only ones who were left without a thing to do. While Richard possessed a ranged weapon, it was only effective at close and medium range. A shotgun would never work in long ranged battles like this.
The fire within Moses only burned brighter and hotter as he imagined the enemy around him going up into balls of flames one by one. Unknown to him, his will was actively shaping the consciousness that resided within him, and the war machine that wrapped up his body right now.
"Whoa!" Richard's surprised voice came in through the transmission channel as he gave a little space from Moses.
"What's wrong?" Moses turned to him, only just noticing that something was wrong.
"Your Paladin. What's going on with it? It's glowing!" Richard was startled, and with very good reason too. No one told him that Moses would start glowing all of a sudden.
While the others also took note of this, in the next moment, something even more shocking than a glowing mech occurred before their eyes. Right before their eyes, Hex's shape began to morph! From a thick, medium melee oriented mech, a slimmer figure began to take form as Hex actively changed its form to suit his partner's needs!
Of course, there was no way that any of this could go unnoticed by the crew and others on the Dreadnaught and other starships of the human fleet. As the operators on the bridge quickly tried to get down to the bottom of this, Moses partially turned his attention inwards.
'Hex? What is going on?'
[I am only changing my form to better suit your current desires. You wish to fight the Xenon as quickly as possible, and there is no way you can do that with a melee mech at this moment... Thus, I have changed my parameters into that of a ranged mech so you can contribute to the battle.] Hex replied smoothly.
Upon hearing this reply, an excited and surprised light flashed through Moses' eyes. Finally, he could join in on the battle!