As long as the native aliens were not idiots and posted proper scouts and listening devices in the Screed Tanner System, then they most certainly detected the human arrivals in advance. Even if the ships of the Premier Fleet and the Bluejay Fleet maintained a high warp factor as they moved closer to the center of the star system, the fact that they were engaging in a form of superluminal travel in realspace did not mean that they could reach the native alien stronghold before the light of their passage got detected. That only worked if the native aliens were completely negligent in occupying the star system, but that was clearly not the case. Stealth ships such as the Morpheus had already observed the native aliens kicking up a storm shortly after the arrival of the two fleets. This clearly showed that the aliens already detected the arrival of uninvited guests in their star systems. They all understood the danger and were scrambling to ready their phasefighters for deployment and their warships for serious combat. On top of that, the aliens also prepared their fixed defenses, which admittedly was not much, but could still make a difference in the upcoming battle. "The intelligence we have gathered is accurate. Our forces are about to confront 13,000 phasefighters, 133 warships, of which 16 of them are classified as alien battleships belonging to various different races. While the quantity of hostile capital ships is fairly low, every enemy hull is built within the last four years. Each of these hulls are fairly modern and incorporate human technologies to an extensive degree." "What of their phase lords?" Saint Dise asked. "We have yet to gain visual confirmation on any of the greater or lesser phase lords, but they are most certainly poised to deploy. The only point in our favor is that the different fleets are clearly not accustomed to coordinating with each other. They are keeping their ships far apart from each other. This will lower the probability that they will get in each other's way, but it will also make it harder for them to mutually support each other." "How well guarded is Karnak Base?" The ace pilot asked next. "It is covered by a strong titan shield dome. The alien soldiers are also manning their stations and conducting rigorous patrols. The base defenders appear to be highly alert. They are not taking our arrival lightly." The ace pilot studied the data on the large azure energy shield that served as the primary layer of defense of Karnak Base. "Where are the probable locations of the shield generator and the primary power generator of this base?" She asked the staff officer. "Here." The female officer adjusted the projected image. "These are the probable locations. It is likely that this base holds multiple redundancies, but these sites should be fairly critical, so taking any of them out will seriously disrupt the operation of Karnak Base, especially if you can inflict other damage to the infrastructure." "Got it. Thank you for the information." After Saint Dise was done with absorbing the latest intelligence, she dismissed the staff officer and looked up at her proud machine. The First Sword Mark III looked like a metallic armored warrior that was ready and eager to test her mettle against the formidable defenders of Screed Tanner VI-F. The prospect of challenging three greater phase lords at once did not seem scary anymore now that she had undergone full superdimensional conversion! At this time, the eager ace mech had already been loaded inside a large metallic shell. The First Sword Mark III was certainly not going to be launched from the gravitic catapult 'naked'. It was possible to do so, but the exit velocity of the machine would be limited by its inherent tolerance towards G-forces. Getting accelerated out of the catapult without any buffers or protection was like getting struck by a giant mech-sized hammer! 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎 Superdimensional or not, the Larkinsons did not want to take the chance that the sudden gravitic shock to the First Sword Mark III would damage her more vulnerable internals, much of which were much more fragile than the machine's superdimensional structural components. This was why the big shell was for. It incorporated powerful inertial dampeners and other tech that enabled it and its payload to safely endure a strong gravitic push. It was also damn expensive to build and replace and took up valuable space in the fleet carrier. Fortunately, they were reusable, though the Larkinsons manually had to retrieve them from the battlefield. Right now, the surrounding mech technicians and engineers had already completed their final inspection of the contraption. "How beautiful." Saint Dise spoke. "Don't you think so, Ves?" She turned her gaze towards the two floating cats. One of them was Ferrum, which had just begun to host Blinky. The other was Lucky, who still looked unmotivated to take part in the upcoming mission. "Meow…" "Nyow nyow." "Meow meow meow!" "Nyow!" "Me-meowww…" Well, the cats certainly looked energetic. They would need it if they wanted to infiltrate Karnak Base and mess around while the rest were fighting up in orbit of the moon. "Can you even say anything that I can understand?" Ferrum turned towards Dise and shook his head from side to side. "Why am I not surprised? How will we be able to communicate?" "Nyow." "I see. Well, it is your choice. I am just your chauffeur this time. Let us get you settled." The two cats floated after the female saint as she lifted off from the deck and entered the cockpit of her powerful machine. The long sword box that was designed and built to hold 33 sword fey hovered silently behind the ace mech's back. Due to technical reasons, the sword box was not physically attached to the back, as it would get in the way of her excellent flight system. If necessary, the sword box could be discarded or even used as a makeshift shield. The cats did not enter the cockpit. They would have to get off at one point. It was very inconvenient and also dangerous to open up the cockpit entrance just to allow two passengers to disembark. Instead, they occupied a specially built protective cage that the Larkinsons had installed onto the mech frame. "Meow meow." "Nyow nyow nyow." Both Lucky and Ferrum did not have much room for maneuver inside the cramped box. This made the gem cat a lot more uncomfortable. At least Ves was able to abandon his mechanical cat avatar if anything went wrong. The same could not be said for Lucky! [We are launching in around seven minutes if no new variables have emerged.] Everyone grew more quiet and focused as they worked hard to put the final preparations in place. Numerous priests and other weirdly dressed collies had been spending time on blessing and bestowing other unknowable effects on the first-class multipurpose mechs. The Larkinsons looked bemused at the return of superstition. They did not intervene any further and allowed the collies to do their own thing. Who knew whether all of these rituals had a noticeable effect on the success rate. The First Sword Mark III meanwhile got completely locked into place inside the gravitic catapult. The shell then got loaded into the gravitic catapult. This was a tense moment for the Larkinsons. Loading in the shell meant that they have removed most of the obstacles that stood in their way of solving the problem. [3 minutes until the activation of the gravitic catapult. Saint Dise, can you confirm that you are still in a good condition?] "I do not require any further assistance." She said. "We are ready to take the fight to the enemy at any time." [1 minute to launch.] The gravitic catapult's activation had become very obvious now. Not only was it drawing energy from multiple sources, it was also trying its best to contain the powerful energies in order to delay until the right timing had arrived. That moment drew much closer. Saint Dise could practically feel it in her frame. She held her greatsword with its tip pointing down close to her body. Of course, the ace pilot did not thrust the tip into the material or the shell, or she would risk compromising it further. The gravitic catapult loudly hummed. It absorbed and concentrated so much energy that it could easily explode and destroy a considerable section of the fleet carrier! All of that juice had to go somewhere soon, or else this dangerous scenario may actually unfold. [Are you truly ready and willing to exit the ship by launching from the gravitic catapult?] "Yes." Once the captain received this notification from the powerful ace pilot, he personally pressed the fateful button. The Gravitic Catapult entered a new stage at this point. After a brief delay, the entire contraption discharged its energy nearly all at once, enabling it to successfully complete its objective! The shell containing the First Sword Mark III did indeed surge out of the bow of the Vulcan's Glory and raced towards the distant enemy like a lone artillery shell. Due to the fact that the Larkinsons had launched the First Sword Mark III early as instructed, it would take minutes for the powerful ace mech to arrive. This left the two dark mechanical cats in a miserable position. They had vaguely felt the launch of the main channel, but the shell's excellent inertial dampeners made them feel isolated and left out of the party. "Meow!" "Nyow." "Meow meow." "Nyow nyow." From the moment the shell got launched, Saint Dise and the First Sword Mark III pretty much signed up for a dangerous duty. They had to raze hell among the native aliens without any form of backup for an uncomfortably long period of time. It would take precious minutes for the mechs and warships of the two fleets to enter into actual engagement range. Perhaps it may be foolish to launch the First Sword Mark III so early, but Saint Dise believed in their strength and did not think the native aliens could stop them so quickly! As the gravitic shell had traversed a certain distance, it finally opened up and allowed the ace mech to fly free. However, just because the First Sword Mark III left its now-useless shell did not mean she had lost any speed. She was still charging towards Screed Tanner VI-F with great momentum! The native aliens must be scrambling to figure out what was coming, if they could even detect the recently built ace mech. Unlike other machines, the First Sword Mark III had been impregnated with Solus Gas, which dampened her emissions and reduced her detectability by a drastic degree! Many electronic sensors were able to detect the empty gravitic shell, but not necessarily the mech that emerged on its own! No phase lords had yet to take the field, perhaps believing that their services would not be necessary during this phase of the battle. By the time the native aliens belatedly managed to detect the charge of the First Sword Mark III with the help of their optical sensors, it was too late! The defending forces could only hurry up and begin to raise the power level of the azure energy shields before an immensely powerful projectile slammed into the massive azure energy shields that previously protected Karnak Base! Almost an instant later, the same machine crashed through the roof, walls and other important structural elements that kept the building intact! Though the First Sword Mark III had actively sought to slow down at the end, the pet still came out fairly strong! The powerful energy shield that previously covered Karnak Base like a dome had disappeared as well, making the facility and its rich plundered treasures a lot more valuable! More than a dozen seconds later, dozens of swords erupted from the crash site. The superdimensional blades cut through the bodies of most surviving aliens and only needed a slight amount of effort and time to cut through more material goods! The First Sword Mark III had gotten her first taste of blood in her new form!