War Core, Chapter 33.

Chapter 33.

As Jiro’s units finished their upgrades, Hugh pulled his troops off the line to queue up next to the factory. Due to its location just outside the western end of the city, Hugh didn’t think the factory would survive for long once the enemy’s main force arrived. Any further upgrades would likely need to be completed at another location unless the GCA used their technological wizardry to create a new factory somewhere else inside the city. Hugh kept the same upgrade order for his forces, infantry, light mechs, medium mechs, then finally, his air mechs.

While Jiro’s troops had been working through the process, David built replacements for his losses, sending them out to the ambush locations to try and cobble together more units for the human cores. The Krixnas core announced that he would be able to rebuild four infantry mechs for Hugh and seven for Jiro. It wasn’t all that much, but each of these mechs was one that he wouldn’t have otherwise. As Hugh’s first troops walked into the factory, the anticipated system prompts regarding options and replacements were seen.

The following replacements are being allocated to your force. These units will be produced after upgrade choices are made.

1. Infantry mechs (25).

2. Light mechs (3).

3. Specialized light mechs (2).

4. Medium mechs (2).

5. Specialized medium mechs (2).

6. Air mechs (2).

Hugh was confused over these specialized mechs, they weren’t something he had researched yet, but if the GCA was going to give him freebies, Hugh wasn’t going to complain. A separate update on his new units followed the initial prompt, describing the new units.

Specialized units are deviations of a current mech platform. The base chassis of the mech remains the same, but specialized weapons, armor, and other upgrades may be added or changed from the standard variants. The two units you have unlocked are the following. Additional units may be converted from your existing units during the upgrade process.

1. Flak battery light mech. The turret and any secondary weapons are removed from your light mech and replaced with a single 20mm air defense cannon. With excellent range and a rapid rate of fire, the flak battery can make the skies above your forces a deadly place for enemy air mechs. The new weapon can be used in a dual-purpose role but when targeting ground-based mechs accuracy and range are greatly reduced.

2. Fire support medium mech. The turret of a medium mech is removed and replaced with a single 120mm mortar with an extended range. Able to fire indirectly at specific map grids designated by the core, the fire support mech is most effective when linking with friendly units that have a direct line of sight on enemy forces. The fire support variant is unable to depress its weapon to engage close-range targets and is only protected by the single hull-mounted thirty caliber weapon. Having limited armor compared to a standard medium mech, the fire support variant should be kept in a safe location, away from the front line.

Both new weapons systems would be useful, and Hugh was excited to put them into action. His mechs would be upgraded to tier 7, which was also unlocked heavy mechs for Hugh. The new unlock came with a decision for Hugh, was it better to transform some of his medium mechs into heavy mechs that were entry-tier units, or should he keep them as they were since the tier 7 medium mechs were formidable given that they carried the same high-velocity gun his avatar currently sported.

“Jiro, I don’t see any medium or heavy mechs in your army, can you give me any insight into why you kept all infantry and light mechs?” Hugh asked, wanting all the information he could get in order to make a smart decision.

“I wanted to focus on just a couple types of ground units, that way I can upgrade them to a greater extent. I wanted a more elite force with lots of upgrades rather than a menagerie of unit types. Heavy mechs are great, but my infantry units have been where I focused most of my core upgrades. By focusing all my upgrades there, I can create more bang for the buck. In this fight, I was also able to count on your medium mechs for extra fire support,” Jiro answered.

Hugh wasn’t sure he agreed with Jiro, sure, it was working out well since they were teamed up, but there was no guarantee that they would remain teamed up for the rest of the battle. Once they separated, Jiro would lose the fire support that Hugh’s mechs provided. While he wanted more upgrades, Hugh also had the feeling that this wasn’t the last fight and as they increased their tier level, the heavy mechs would become a formidable force. If he was honest with himself, Hugh couldn’t resist creating heavy mechs for the first time, he had run simulations, but what the GCA created as a heavy mech for his core was still a bit of a mystery.

“Thanks, Jiro, I’m going to go with the heavies. Hopefully, they’ll keep our cores fighting together, I think our forces complement each other pretty well,” Hugh replied, pushing the approval to change half his medium mechs into heavy units. An unexpected notification appeared when he tried to make the choice.

You have unlocked heavy mechs for the first time. Given the human vehicles your mechs are based upon, a new option is available for you, the Main Battle Mech. This mech unlocks at tier 7 and replaces both the heavy and medium mech options, blending a bit of both to create a flexible platform that can perform adequately in either role. Earlier variants of your medium mechs will be improved to guide them toward this joint role weapon. You will lose the massive firepower of the ultra-heavy mechs at tier 10, but your mechs will have a higher level of upgrades than a typical opponent of the same tier.

That was something unexpected, and at first, it seemed an easy no. Once Hugh thought about it for a bit, the decision became less clear in his mind. Heavy mechs were the ultimate machines on the battlefield, and at tier ten, the ultra-heavies were absolute monsters. The downside to them was the enormous number of resources they required to build. A large and lengthy battle might only see a few of these powerful machines, but if Hugh could instead field a large force of these main battle mechs, he might have the advantage in anything other than a stand-up slugfest. The option did promise to grant him more upgrades over a standard medium mech, which should help even the odds, especially since the upgrades were supposed to go into effect on his medium mech line before he even reached tier 7 to unlock the main battle mechs. Hugh hit yes, accepting the main battle mech as his standard unit for this and all future battles.

You have chosen the main battle mech option, the heavy tier line is now permanently locked out for your core.

All medium mechs are now upgraded to the tier 7 main battle mech.

New mech unlocked, the M26 Pershing main battle mech. This mech features a high velocity 90mm main gun. Secondary weapons include a fifty-caliber cupola mounted machinegun, and a pair of thirty-caliber weapons. One thirty caliber machinegun is attached coaxially to the main gun and the second is hull-mounted. Armor is substantially improved over your previous M4 based mechs and a light shield generator is standard.

You have expended an upgrade point to add shields to your medium mechs, given that this is now a standard feature on your main battle mechs, this point has been refunded, but can only be used on a main battle mech upgrade.

Your avatar has been upgraded to the M48 Patton main battle mech. This mech features a 105mm main gun and three fifty caliber secondary weapons. A heavy shield generator is standard as well as a plasma grenade launcher system that can fire explosive or smoke-based grenades a short distance.

Hugh couldn’t wait to see how his new avatar and medium mechs looked like main battle mechs. Given that the avatar seemed to be based on units that were a couple of tiers above his current mech level, he could safely assume his main battle mechs would be the same variant at tier nine that his avatar was about to be upgraded to. Hugh tore his thoughts away from his new avatar, there were more upgrade options to choose from before his troops could finish up.

He had three regular upgrade points, one avatar point, one main battle mech point, and one universal upgrade. According to Jiro, the universal point let him choose a single upgrade for each class of mech, making it very valuable for Hugh who now was sporting four mech types. He started with infantry upgrades, looking for anything new among the old favorites.

Infantry mech upgrades:

At tier 7, the Targeting Enhancement Package has been automatically integrated into your units.

1. Plasma grenade launcher. Upgrades your units with a shoulder-mounted grenade launcher, doubling the range of your grenades. In addition, the launcher holds four grenades instead of the three that your units are currently able to carry. Reloads are slowly created over time, further enhancing this weapon system.

2. Secondary weapons. Adds a pistol-caliber weapon integrated into the mech’s off-hand. This weapon has only a limited range and rate of fire but the heavy plasma slugs they fire are optimized for close combat engagements.

3. Melee weapons. This upgrade creates a melee weapon appropriate to the combat pod operator’s preference. An initial targeting and combat integration system for melee combat is installed in the mech which will evolve and improve as the mech levels up.

4. Camouflage. This upgrade creates a coating over your infantry mechs, making them 20% more difficult to spot on enemy sensors and reducing the accuracy of all directly targeted attacks by 5%. This upgrade improves as the mech levels up.

5. Armor enhancements. Reactive armor plates are attached to key areas on your infantry mechs. When hit by any plasma-based weapons, these panels vaporize, diffusing the energy of the blast and reducing damage from a single strike by 50%. Each panel can only be used once but can be replaced in the field should you have access to any repair facilities. While somewhat bulky, the reactive panels are lightweight and unlike other armor upgrades, do not impose a speed penalty.

6. Support weapon teams. A small percentage of your infantry mechs will be upgraded with support weapons. At this tier, you may choose between a crew-served machinegun, a light mortar, or a single-use anti-armor rocket.

There were several new and upgraded choices for Hugh to pick, and he was glad to see the targeting package was now standard equipment. Adding both secondary weapons and melee weapons would give his troops some real melee and close-range capabilities, but the plasma grenade launchers were calling his name. He used his universal upgrade for the launchers and made a note of the others, he would have three free points to spend, and some of the infantry options would likely be near the top of the list for him. Next, he jumped into the light mechs.

Your light mechs have been upgraded to the M24 Chaffee. This new variant has improved power and speed over its predecessor despite mounting heavier armor protection. The main gun is upgraded to a 75mm weapon and is supported by a pair of 30 caliber machineguns, one mounted coaxially with the main gun, and one mounted in the hull.

An anti-air variant of your light mechs has been unlocked. This variant now features the M24 chassis and mounts twin 40mm anti-air mech weapons. The weapons are dual-purpose and can fire at ground targets, but while in this mode, range and accuracy are decreased substantially. All secondary armaments are stripped out during the conversion, and it is not recommended to have these mechs on the front lines unless it is absolutely necessary. Additional light mechs may be converted to the anti-air variant at this time, up to a maximum of 4 additional units.

Light Mech Upgrades:

1. Overdrive. This upgrade allows the powerplant of the M24 to give a short-term speed boost to the mech, improving speed by 25% for one minute. The strain on the powerplant makes this ability only useable once every hour.

2. Shield Generator. Upgraded from earlier designs, the light mech shield generator now provides complete protection instead of only protecting against threats to the front of the mech. Absorption capacity is increased, but it is much less powerful than the shields on your main battle mechs.

3. Smoke generators. This upgrade allows the mech to generate a dense cloud of smoke around it, hampering enemy sensors and granting concealment for the mech and units around it. This upgrade is universal for all light mech types but is incompatible with medium or heavy mechs.

4. Camouflage package. This package includes a paint scheme and electronic coating that are designed to blend into the natural surroundings. Any light mechs equipped with this upgrade have a 75% reduction in their scan profile when standing still. The effectiveness of the camouflage is reduced while moving. The firing of any weapon will negate all camouflage effects for a short time.

The new tier seven design sounded like it would be quite an upgrade over the previous version. With better speed and a much more powerful main gun, Hugh would get a lot more use out of the mechs. As far as his universal upgrade pick, it was a tie between overdrive and the camouflage package.

He could see great synergy if he could pick both options. Hiding and ambushing enemy mechs with the more powerful main gun and then sprinting away from any counterattacks could make his light mechs a skirmish force to be reckoned with. Until he knew all his other options, Hugh was going to go with the overdrive ability, it would work great to help get his units out of a bad situation or enable him to respond quickly to an unexpected threat. It was time to check out his new main battle mech options, but he was leaning toward using one of his upgrade points for the light mech camo.

Your main battle mech fire support variants have been updated to the M26 Pershing chassis. The 120mm mortar has been replaced with a longer range 105mm cannon. This upgraded weapon is more accurate and can now function in a direct fire mode when needed. A single thirty caliber machinegun remains in the hull mount and despite the main gun’s ability to engage in direct fire, this mech has a lighter armor structure and should be kept out of front-line combat. The option to transform up to half of your existing M26 mechs to the fire support variant may be chosen at this time.

Main Battle Mech Upgrades:

1. Indirect fire attachment. This attachment mounts a light mortar to the rear of the mech, allowing for longer range, indirect fire. Targeting can be selected via map grids and direct spotting will improve the somewhat poor accuracy of these weapons.

2. Ablative Coating. Creates an outer layer on the armor of the mech that vaporizes when hit by laser or plasma fire. The particles disrupt and dissipate these weapons, reducing damage taken by 10%. Numerous hits in the same location will wear away the coating, negating any bonus.

3. Rapid Shield Recharge. Push more power to the shielding unit when damage overloads the system, immediately bringing it back online with a 10% charge when completely discharged. This ability puts a strain on the power supply of the mech, lowering its speed by 25% for the next five minutes. The rapid recharge can only occur once every hour.

4. Beehive close defense system. This upgrade places explosive mines at strategic points around the mech. Command detonated, these mines do significant damage to light units within 25 meters of the mech. Best used to push back swarms of infantry, the beehive system can only be activated once per battle.

Hugh considered his options. Given that the upgrades would likely cross over to his avatar, he was leaning toward the ablative coating for some extra protection, or the indirect fire attachment to give his mechs more long-range punch. The beehive system was also attractive, given the fighting style of the Ssath and their propensity to swarm on their opponents. The shield recharge feature could be a lifesaver, but when it activated, you were probably in a bad situation that you needed to get out of ASAP, which made the drawback of a temporary lower speed even more of a detriment to this choice. Based on the coming battles, Hugh chose the beehive close defense system for his universal upgrade pick. Next on the list were the air mechs, which had been somewhat neglected with upgrades due to their limited numbers.

Your air mechs have been upgraded to the P47 Thunderbolt fighter mech. This mech features an impressive thrust profile as well as a powerful punch with its primary armament of 4 fifty caliber machineguns. Ground mode for this air mech is now a viable option given its relatively strong armor, and its firepower being accurate in every mode.

Air Mech Upgrade Options.

1. Additional firepower. Add a pair of fifty caliber guns to the Thunderbolt, improving its firepower by 33%. These weapons are true dual-purpose, striking both air and ground targets with equal accuracy, regardless of the mechs current mode of operation.

2. Shield unit. Upgrade your P47’s to include the same shielding unit used in your light mechs, improving survivability without sacrificing the performance penalties that usually come with heavier armor.

3. Multi-role Enhancement Package. This suite of upgrades improves targeting and tracking against both air and ground units. Later upgrades will unlock additional weapons mounts giving your fighter-based air mechs improved air to ground capability.

With their limited numbers, Hugh wanted something that would keep his air mechs alive and in the fight longer. Enhanced ground attack abilities weren’t high on his priority list, if he was resorting to using his fighters to fend off enemy mechs on the ground, it was a last resort type of situation. While more guns was always a good thing, Hugh used his universal upgrade pick to give his air mechs shields, he needed the few he had available to hang in the fight longer if they were pressed again by Ssath air power. Last on the upgrade list was his avatar.

Avatar Upgrade Options:

1. Point defense weapon. A small laser weapon will be mounted to the turret of your avatar. This weapon is capable of targeting incoming missile and indirect fire weapons, detonating them long before they become a threat. The targeting and threat assessment is handled automatically, and the weapon is too low-powered to be used effectively for ground combat.

2. Ammunition selection for the main gun. Your main gun can be configured to fire two additional types of ammunition. This upgrade is universal and will function with any new medium or main battle mech design.

The first type is the fragmentary round. This round will separate into multiple, smaller bits of plasma that cover a large area, making it very useful against multiple, lightly armored enemies. Note that this new ammunition type has a severely reduced effective range.

The second type of ammunition is a fin-stabilized extended range round. Using some of its mass as additional propulsion, this type of round has a 25% greater range than a standard round, but does less damage given that some of its mass has been consumed to propel it to a greater distance.

3. Turtle Mode. This mode causes your mech to switch off all offensive and maneuver options, pushing every bit of power to the shields. Once activated, the turtle mode will remain in effect for sixty seconds. This upgrade is in addition to the Rapid Shield Recharge, should that option be selected at some point by your core. Turtle mode can only be used once every battle.

The options were limited to three choices, and of the three, Hugh decided on the turtle mode. He had a feeling that ammo selection would pop up on the main battle mech tree at some point, and he didn’t want to use up an avatar point on that just yet. With a universal upgrade and an avatar-specific upgrade available, Hugh added the point-defense weapon and the turtle mode. Making his avatar hard to kill was important since his destruction would leave the rest of his army helpless. Of all his mechs, the avatar choices seemed to be the most lackluster, perhaps it was because his avatar was already the equivalent of a tier nine main battle mech.

He had three more upgrade points to use. For his main battle mechs, he added the indirect fire attachment, it should be very effective at whittling down the swarms of infantry the Ssath seemed to favor. At higher tiers, it might even give him something to fire back against the Ssath artillery mechs he was sure to face again. For his second pick, Hugh went with the weapons teams for his infantry mechs. He was fighting a lot of holding and defensive actions where those types of systems shone. Given that he already had indirect fire weapons on his main battle mechs as well as a couple of artillery mechs now, Hugh held off on the infantry mortar teams and instead chose to do a mix of machineguns and anti-armor rockets for his support weapons. For his last pick, Hugh added the camo upgrade for his light mechs, giving him a stealthy and deadly ambush force. All the choices were made, now, he just had to wait while the factory went through the upgrade process on his existing mechs and built his assigned replacements.