[201-400] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 304: Best Intentions

Countless mechs had been deployed to the surface of the Glowing Planet. Of all the different models, certain ones stood out from the rest.

For example, take the Havalax. Dumont's debut design might not be the most valiant offensive knight, but some mercenaries didn't care about the bad reputation it had acquired as long as they received enough discounts.

They brought their newly purchased mechs to the Glowing Planet and expected to dominate in any close-ranged engagements. What they actually experienced was nothing of the sort.

"This is ridiculous! How come it's run out of energy so quickly!" One mercenary cursed as his mech switched to ultra-low power consumption mode after all of its energy cells had been drained. "These new undercharged energy cells are so stupid! How can I keep running my mech with just thirty percent of its previous capacity?"

Some of his colleagues laughed over the communication channel. "Serves you right. I told you so that you'd regret spending the company credits on the Havalax. Even with normal energy cells it can't even last a single duel!"

To be fair to the Havalax, the duel had been something of an anomaly. The Havalax should easily be able to last half a standard day at normal power consumption.

However, such a meager amount of operating time wasn't as impressive as other mechs who would easily be able to last an entire day without replenishing their energy cells.

"This thing is a giant trap. It's great in a battle, but it's awful everywhere else. I'm going to put it up for sale as soon we get back."

While the couple of Havalax pilots grumbled about the poor performance of its design on the Glowing Panet, the pilots of the Blackbeak enjoyed their greatest moments.

As one of the few fuel-based mechs on this planet, they faced very little risks from the start. The constant skirmishes and occasional long-ranged raids also helped the Blackbeak fit in. The handful of mercs who piloted the exclusive gold-label Blackbeaks all performed above and beyond their usual standard.

For example, on a desolate field of crags and low rocks, ten pirate mechs were frantically running away. One might expect those ten mechs to be chased by a squad or platoon of mechs, but in actuality only a single Blackbeak hounded them from behind.

"This monster! Why won't he give up!!" A pirate moaned. "C'mon, run faster!"

None of the pirates seem to suggest they turn around and gang up on the Blackbeak. They already tried that, only to get demolished one by one.

"Let's split up!"

"He'll hunt us down one by one!"

"Are you kidding? He'll only be able to kill a couple of us before he loses track. Let's do it!"

The pirate mechs split up in different directions. Rather than bewilder the Blackbeak, it stopped holding back and put more power into its durable engine. As far as its pilot was concerned, the pirates had consigned themselves to death by ceasing to move in a cohesive formation. The Blackbeak hunted down the mechs like a cat chasing after a pack of mice.

"Keep running, you little rats. Even if you get away, you won't be able to supply your mechs."

Besides the handful of gold label Blackbeaks on the Glowing Planet, the silver and bronze label versions also acquitted themselves well. During the time when the undercharged energy cells hadn't been developed yet, they took the lead in defending the bases. Their strong, stable and exemplary performance had elevated their reputation to the point where most knight mech pilots yearned to obtain their own copies.

Many mech designs developed in recent years hadn't been tested in large-scale campaigns. The Glowing Planet served as a crucible where the best and most robust designs gained an edge over those which featured too many superfluous elements.