The Mech Touch

5994 The Purpose of Skirmishing

When Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson chose to specialize in piloting light skirmishers, he fully committed to this decision.

Good mech pilots always acted decisively once they settled on a strategy. The Larkinson Family taught him that. There was a tand place for doubts and second-guessing, but doing so after the order had been issued was counterproductive.

Tusa knew that committing to light skirmishers would lock in his career trajectory forever. All of the tspent on improving his capacity to pilot light mechs took away the could have spent on improving his competence with other mech types.

As a young teenage mech cadet, it was impossible for Tusa to possess absolute certainty in his chosen course of action.

There were many times throughout his teenage years where he couldn't help but question whether he had made the right choice.

Was he truly cut out to beca light skirmisher pilot?

Had he inadvertently missed out on discovering that he was much more suited to pilot another kind of mech?

What if he possessed a lot of talent in piloting heavy knight mechs, yet never found out because he did not sign up for the optional classes that allowed him to train in this mech type?

These questions and more constantly haunted him. Whenever he thought about giving in to his doubts, Tusa thought back on the advice provided by Ryncol and his other aunts and uncles.

The father of Ves Larkinson was not the only family member who offered guidance to him. Tusa rediscovered the benefits of carrying the Larkinson nwhen he freely obtained guidance from a handful of light skirmisher pilots within the family.

No Larkinson veteran refused to offer their advice to the younger generations of their family. It did not matter who his parents were or how well he performed in the mech academy. The older generations did not discriminate or play favorites.

As far as the current mech pilots of the Larkinson Family were concerned, they possessed an unbreakable obligation to assist in raising mech cadets that followed in their footsteps.

The better the future mech pilots of the Larkinson Family became, the greater the likelihood that they would survive the next Bright-Vesia War that would inevitably erupt!

The Larkinson Family existed long enough to live through periods when entire generations of mech pilots becdecimated after the war.

Although there were always plenty of norms left in the family to rejuvenate the bloodline, the loss of so many mech pilots always dealt a severe blow to the survivors!

This was why the Larkinsons developed such a strong collective attitude towards raising the next generation.

In any case, Tusa's love and affection for his family deepened during this period.

Tusa studied alongside descendants of other powerful families, but their internal relationships were a lot more turbulent.

Even though he had no interest in gossip, he couldn't help but overhear instances of intrigue where different branches of the sfamily tried to sabotage each other.

All of those stories only made Tusa more appreciative of the unconditional love and support of the Larkinson Family.

It was only later on that he understood that the reason for this was because the Larkinson Family possessed a strong military orientation.

Although the Larkinsons managed a sizable portfoof real estate and business investments, they were ants compared to the true movers and shakers of the Bright Republic!

The prevalence of honorable mech pilots and the lack of strong economic interests engendered a lot of harmony within the family.

Sure, the Larkinsons were a lot poorer and couldn't afford as many luxuries as the members of the founding families, but Tusa never had any reason to complain.

From the moment he chose to specialize in piloting light skirmishers, his performance in his classes began to improve straight away.

He recognized that much of it cfrom his newfound sense of confidence and certainty. The doubts and hesitation that tormented him in the past no longer distracted him anymore.

Now that he found his mission and direction, Tusa was able to put more focus in his classes. This alone was enough to overchis lack of talent and his average learning ability.

Although every mech cadet needed to becproficient in piloting knight mechs and rifleman mechs, they could all choose to forgo more advanced classes on those mech types if they no longer saw any need to branch out any further.

There were still mech cadets who remained undecided about their future choice, but Tusa was different.

Once he ceased to take any further classes in wielding swords, spears, rifles and so on, he was much more able to concentrate on wielding knives and daggers in combat.

Of course, Tusa was hardly the best knife fighter in his class. No matter whether he practiced with a single weapon or dual weapons, he regularly got trounced by classmates who practiced with them a lot longer or possessed greater fighting ability than himself.

If it was the Tusa of before, he would have felt crushed and disappointed that he failed to live up to his Larkinson heritage.

However, after getting enlightened by Ryncol, Tusa no longer fixated on becoming the best duelist.

A good light skirmisher pilot did not have to be able to defeat every opponent head-on. He just needed to be able to fulfill his objectives, which wasn't always the same.

"Why are light melee mechs called light skirmishers?" A mech instructor and retired veteran asked in front of his class of mech cadets. "That is because they are designed to skirmish. These light mechs are not meant to form solid battle lines or clash against enemy mechs in the center. They do not have the weight or firepower to keep up against their heavier counterparts. Light skirmisher mechs are the equivalent to light infantry in humanity's pre-space period. The latter usually consist of light armored irregular troops that provide a screen for the main army and fulfills a variety of objectives, ranging from scouting, harassment, anti-harassment and more. The overall purpose of doing all of this is to soften up an enemy force and possibly win the battle before it has even started."

In order to make this clearer to the mech cadets, a projection appeared that showed simulations of ancient battles. All sorts of messy infantry stalked the forests and roamed across the lands while looking for enemy troops.

Whenever the skirmishers encountered foes, they used slings, javelins and later on rifles to take potshots at their targets.

If the enemy consisted of heavy infantry or other powerful unit types, then the skirmishers only stuck around for a short tbefore retreating. This left their enemies unable to retaliate!

The simulated clips also showed other instances where light skirmishers made themselves useful.

They circled behind enemy lines and destroyed the supply trains that kept enemy armies fed.

They generated mischief at the periphery of an army camp, creating noise and launching projectiles throughout the night in order to prevent enemy soldiers from enjoying a good night's sleep.

They chased after routed enemy soldiers, relying on their lighter loadouts to catch up to fleeing troops. The skirmishers either forced the soldiers to surrender or outright killed them in order to deny precious manpower to the enemy.

"What is your first impression of skirmishers?" The mech instructor asked.

"They do not fight as honorably as line soldiers." A mech cadet spoke.

"Correct. Do you think that is wrong, cadet?"

"Uhm… maybe… honor is not as important as winning."

The mech instructor looked disappointed when he heard this answer.

"If you think that light skirmisher specialists have to abandon their honor in order to do their jobs, then you are sorely mistaken. Skirmishing used to be performed by irregular and non-professional combatants. This is why far too many people considered it to be dishonorable, but this does not have to be the case. In modern mech combat, skirmishing is a vital and honorable activity. Many missions that used to be performed in the past by skirmishers still need to be performed today. From scouting to raiding vulnerable enemy artillery units, larger and slower mechs cannot fulfill these roles as well as light skirmishers."

Tusa along with every other cadet that decided to take classes related to light skirmishers thoroughly learned what this specialization entailed.

Light skirmisher pilots had to adopt a substantially different mindset and approach towards combat.

They needed to be accustomed to operating by themselves or in small, isolated mech units.

They needed to be able to venture so deep into the field that they may cross into enemy territory.

They needed to learn how to operate independently for days on end without counting on any form of support.

One of the most important lessons the mech instructors taught was knowing when to commit and when to retreat.

"Many light skirmisher pilots need to learn how to read the battlefield and make decisions on their own." An instructor lectured to his class. "Do not expect mech lieutenants or mech captains to be present and hold your hands all of the time. Centralized command will not be present as heavy jamming and the need to keep your presence hidden will cut you off from any communication networks. Whenever light mechs encounter a vulnerable gathering of enemy mechs, the pilots of the former must decide if it is worth the risk to attack. In many cases, the answer to this question will be no. It is better for the light skirmishers to keep their distance than to commit to a fight."

The mech instructor adopted a stern expression. "I cannot tell you how many friends and comrades I have lost because they chose differently. It is foolish to start a fight where your side will lose as many mechs as the enemy. Light skirmishers are not supposed to fight equal battles. Just because you have a chance to attack does not mean you have to take it. Always maintain your awareness of the battlefield. Understand your place in it and how you can best contribute to your objectives. In many cases, the best course of action is not to go on the attack, but to do nothing."

The mech cadets all looked puzzled at that. How could they win a battle by doing nothing?

"Are you doubting my answer? You should not. I will present many combat scenarios over the course of this semester where you shall learn that light skirmishers can already contribute to a battle by hovering in the background. You see, light skirmishers are valuable because they can act as a restraint. The threat of taking action can already prevent the enemy from acting too unscrupulously. For example, an enemy mech army will becmuch more reluctant to launch an all-out assault when the opposing commander is aware that light skirmishers are waiting to soop in on his vulnerable backline. This is but one of many examples where a company of light mechs can achieve more results than an entire mech regiment!"

Tusa grew fascinated by the tactical significance of light skirmishers. The lack of strong direction and coordination bothered him, but he also becattracted by the agency of this mech type.

A good light skirmisher pilot could easily affect the entire flow of battle by relying on underhanded means such as raiding supply lines, threatening enemies into assuming a defensive posture and picking on the weak!

Sure, none of these actions sounded particularly honorable, but professional light mech pilots always made sure they adhered to a strong bottom line.

Tusa learned that as long as his intentions were noble, he would still be able to remain as upright as any other mech pilot!

Although Tusa never considered himself to be particularly smart or cunning, piloting light skirmishers still appealed to him because they indeed did not require him to possess the best fighting skills.

Just as Ryncol said, he just needed to possess the courage to take action whenever he judged it necessary.

Being too reckless was a surefire way for a light skirmisher pilot to perish in battle, but being too timid would never allow the spilot to exceed his limitations and becan expert pilot!

If Tusa wanted to beca champion that would always be remembered by the Larkinsons, then he needed to balance between courage and forbearance.