[401-600] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 421: Like Pirates

The higher a mech's ability to accelerate, the better it would be able to dodge incoming attacks. Fast, unpredictable dodging patterns threw off the aim of enemy pilots.

For this reason, ballistic weapons was a tad bit less popular in space, though they still played a huge role when it came to attacking ships. It took far too long for lasers to carve through the hull of an enemy combat carrier.

Melee mechs played a role as well. Light skirmishers generally boasted excellent thrust-to-weight ratios, allowing them to close the distance to elusive ranged mechs and carve them up from up close.

"Still, the lack of any cover in space makes ranged mechs the dominant types of mechs in space."

Many battles took place in orbit or in the middle of an empty patch of space. Only rarely did battles erupt in asteroid fields or any other area where lots of objects floated nearby.

The lack of any cover for mechs to hide behind heavily favored ranged mechs. Even though their targets were easily capable of dodging most enemy fire, as long as a squad of mechs coordinated their fire, they could trap their target in a cage where they would get hit no matter where they dodged.

"In short, it's a numbers game as well."

Spaceborn mechs therefore tended to be rather cheap and disposable. Their lighter construction meant they got damaged more easily and needed more frequent repairs or replacements. Fortunately, they rolled off the production lines in great numbers.

Only their mech pilots couldn't be replaced. Although spaceborn mechs skimped out on a lot of areas compared to landbound mechs, the one component they left intact would always be the cockpit.

"This way of combat still sounds really wasteful."

The nature of space combat meant that skirmishes started and ended quickly. Whoever won the fight received the opportunity to salvage the wrecks and recoup the costs.

When Ves finished sorting out his knowledge base, he realized he still possessed a couple of holes in what he acquired up to this point.

For spaceborn mechs, it's important to know how flight systems works and how to compartmentalize the interior of a frame to the point where every separate compartment was airtight.

The most complicated variable related to space combat was definitely heat management. Without ground and air to transfer much of the heat generated by mechs, mechs mostly radiated out their heat like the ancient practice of toasting a bun.

This was far too slow compared to the amount of heat a mech built up during battle, so mech designers did everything possible to extend the time a spaceborn mech could fight without becoming too hot.

The Bright Republic didn't have access to a lot of means to improve the heat management of their mechs. Therefore, the Republic's spaceborn mechs tended to be built according to endurance and efficiency rather than peak performance.

That was one area where Ves happened to know a lot.

Ves reluctantly concluded that he should be able to understand most spaceborn mech designs. He could even design a mech on his own, though it would be a lot more inefficient compared to what was available in the market.

Someone knocked at the door of his cabin. It was one of the guys who initially boarded the ship. "Mr. Larkinson? Can you come to the common room? We should talk."

"Coming."

Ves jumped to his feet and smoothed down his standard-issue clothes. The Mech Corps stocked the dressers in the cabin with a simple green uniform that carried a patch of a half-designed mech. This was how a working uniform looked like for mech designers called up during the war.