Max searched the planet’s surface until he found the perfect spot to drop off his forces. There was an industrial city near a huge lake in an open prairie area, with frequent rock outcrops that could easily hide a Heavy Mecha. Badlands, they were called on Kepler Terminus, but Max wasn’t sure if that was their official designation.

There were two Omwat Mecha Regiments in the area, and a city defense force of unknown strength, so the odds weren’t that bad for Terminus, and they could establish a foothold that would let them move out through the region and work on eliminating the rest of the invading forces.

The simple number suggested that if they didn’t act fast, there wouldn’t be much left to save. Fifteen Mecha Regiments per side was enough to destroy everything worth destroying on a planet within a matter of weeks, even if the defenders did their best to save the infrastructure.

It would be even worse if Terminus were on the attacking side since the Super Heavy Mecha had incredibly capable artillery mounted to them, so they didn’t need to bring in any additional forces to level a city and move on.

The Cutters were just finishing the distribution of infantry when Max got the official arrival notice of the Reavers and Cygnus forces at their targets. They had used portals to speed up the process and had decided to split the attack on the Omwat homeworlds, with each force taking half as reparations, while a combined force of Cygnus and Reavers would be sent to each Border Planet that was under attack.

That way, neither ally took heavier casualties, at least not by much, and the Border Nations would see that they were working in good faith.

The Mercenaries were also on their way, looking to get in on the action so that they could salvage the Omwat Mecha for themselves once the battle was over, in lieu of payment for their services.

Everyone but the Border Nations viewed the situation as a win, as they were all getting significant gains out of it, while the Border Planets would have to bear the brunt of a massive interstellar battle.

Omwat would be required to pay reparations, likely through the sale of their military assets, as their nation was about to be split up like a holiday turkey, but the Border Planets would get funding to repair the damage, as well as access to the new technologies that the Reavers had developed, which would let them make state of the art, futuristic cities on the affected planets.

[Cutters, you have your destinations. We expect minimal anti-orbital fire, as the cities have not yet fallen. Get in there and drive the Omwat back, then cleanse them from the badlands.] Max ordered.

[Copy that, Commander.] The pilots of the Cutters replied in unison and turned their ships toward the planet.

Max was about to join them when a message from Mary Tarith arrived at his Mecha from an incoming Reaver vessel, carrying a full Mecha Regiment to reinforce them.

[I like your new strategy. Capture the largest enemy vessel to add to your fleet every time you engage in battle. At this rate, I will have to start looking for fights, or my own Son In Law will overtake my fleet.] Nico’s mother laughed.

[Pure coincidence, I swear. But we’re not doing badly, are we? Two Cruisers and a Destroyer in the last couple of weeks alone. I’m keeping those, by the way. I will find crew for them later or split off my Battalion Leaders to take charge of them once we get one more ship.] Max replied.

[See, for such a young Commander, you do us all proud as Reavers. My Regiment will be just south of yours, reinforcing the military-industrial facilities. We will meet later.] Mary Tarith informed him, then Landers began to launch from the Carrier that she had arrived aboard.

The data that her ship had transmitted to the allies indicated that this force was implemented the same way that Max’s had been, with four Super Heavy Mecha per Battalion and Five Battalions in the Regiment, using entirely new pattern Mecha.

The Omwat were going to have a very bad day down on the planet’s surface, and there was still two Cygnus Regiments inbound on the far side of the planet.

With the Cutters on their way down, Max dived down toward the surface of the planet, intending to take a position above the city to ensure that the Omwat forces couldn’t overrun it before his men arrived.

He was joined by hundreds of Drone Fighters, as Nico used every spare Pilot and infantryman that they could train to expand the remotely controlled force.

Attacking from above, they were already taking shots at enemy forces in the open when Max arrived over the city, bringing a cheer from the defense force that had dug themselves in along the outer perimeter of the city.

[Keep your heads down for now. The Drones will hold their attention for a while, but they are fragile, and heavy weapons will take them out soon.] Max informed the defense force leaders.

[Will you be staying here with us, Lord Commander?] A wheezy female voice replied immediately after, giving the impression of a lifelong chain smoker nearing retirement age.

[I will make this my Command Post for the day. I have an entire Regiment coming this way in the next few minutes while the Drones distract the enemy.]

The Cutters were already coming over the horizon, firing their retro thrusters to slow their approach as they spread out to deploy their forces in a defensive line.

It was unfortunate that they couldn’t just blast the area level and eliminate everything with the Orbital Lances, but this was an inhabited, friendly planet, and they likely wouldn’t take it well. Especially not when Max could see a network of roads winding through the badlands on his scans.

If they weren’t mining the area, it was a major tourist attraction, and destroying that would breed even more ill will than lost infrastructure.