Of course, these mutated giant warriors were not going to take that level of disrespect without any sort of response, and Max could hear in their thoughts that they had already staged a retaliatory strike that they believed would prevent his team from leaving. 𝒆𝙣𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝙚𝙩

They were moving artillery forces around the trench lines, away from their positions targeting the city, and they had brought up a half dozen bunkers worth of additional infantry.

Once they were out in the open with the Androids firing at them, those would be much easier to deal with, but the total number was nothing to scoff at.

Nearly a thousand infantry had been readied for the fight against the single squad of Mobile Suits and a unit of Light Mecha.

After all the times that he had been underestimated, Max thought that he likely should feel appreciated now that someone was taking his team seriously despite the smaller numbers and physical size, but somehow, it was just as annoying as when they sent a single strike force after him.

“Prepare for incoming. They’re a bit upset with us.” He informed the team.

“Got it. So what, a hundred? Maybe two hundred? We can deal with that.” One of the Huntresses replied.

Khan snorted in amusement. “You don’t understand human humour. I’m guessing about a thousand plus artillery.” Khan replied.

Max nodded. “Khan is very close. We have about thirty seconds to make a plan. Do we want to fight them on the open field, or do we want to hole up in the trenches for a bit? The open would let us dodge artillery more easily, but it would open us up to a lot more light weapons fire.”

Nico and Khan stared at each other for a second as they traded private messages, and then they turned to inform the group of their decision.

“We are going to lay down a field of smoke. Move through it as fast as possible. It will keep the accuracy of the infantry to a bare minimum, as it interferes with all known sensors.

Bear in mind that includes your sensors, so don’t linger in the smoke. We will deal with the artillery using the Androids while we move, random pattern Alpha.

We move in five seconds.” Khan announced.

In sync, the Mobile Suits were up and over the wall, out into the open, where artillery immediately began to bombard the ground all around them.

Each of the Hunters took out a small object from their storage and hurled it in different directions, filling the air with thick smoke that seemed to have energy particles in it, scrambling every sensor on the suits and leaving them running forward with just their own eyes.

That didn’t stop the artillery, and Max heard occasional cursing as a shell landed too near one of the suits, but thirty seconds later, when Khan called for a count, they were all still moving.

“That’s halfway through the smoke. Keep it moving, and we will see you on the other side.” She directed.

Max could hear Nico’s thoughts go into overdrive as she considered how to recreate this smoke cloud, but he was more interested in tracking the sound of artillery shells.

They made a distinctive whistle, and the sound changed when they got too close to you. So, if it turned shrill, you needed to dodge urgently to avoid a direct hit.

The shields of the Mobile Suits would likely take one or two shots from the crude explosives, but combined with all the other near misses, they really couldn’t afford that while they were in the smoke.

Max dodged left to avoid a shell, only to hear the distinctive whistle of another coming down on his head. A quick blip of the thrusters tossed him forward a hundred metres, and the shells exploded nearly on top of each other behind him, invisible through the fog.

A few more seconds running brought him back out into clear air, the first to emerge that he could see, and nearly on course for the shuttle.

[Max is out. On my way to the clearing near the ship. I will ping it when I arrive.] Max informed the group, setting their meeting point.

[Understood, we will meet you there. Everyone, count off when you are out of the smoke so we know who to rescue.] Khan ordered.

The thruster leap had only put Max a few seconds ahead of the closest team members, and three more emerged before he could even get to the tree line.

They all called out their names and followed right behind him, then came a few more, leaving only Khan and Nico in the fog.

Clearly, neither of them was in a rush. They were more interested in not getting hit by artillery, with a side chance that they might get one last melee fight in before they had to retreat.

[That’s everyone but Khan and Nico. If you’re done with the delaying action, you can come out and join us.] Max joked.

[Understood. It doesn’t look like the warriors are chasing us into the fog. They’re waiting for the artillery to stop before they come after us.] Nico replied, then a second later, she came flying out of the fog using her thrusters with Khan right beside her.

The two Mobile Suits dodged the front wave of artillery rounds as the bombardment rolled forward and rejoined the group in the trees, mostly hidden from the enemy’s sight and sensors.

“So, what’s the next mission? The Androids are on their way back to the ship, and the fog will be up for hours.” The away team leader asked.

“That’s easy. We’re going to wait for the enemy to come to us, and then we are going to smash them for sport. In the forest, we’ve got all the advantages when we’re in a disguised Mobile Suit, so we are going to have the Androids chase them in here with us.

Once they’re in here, we can begin the slaughter, as long as the locals don’t make a move.” Nico declared, and Max could sense the smile on her face that she had gotten it out before he could come up with a less dangerous option.

“You heard the lady. Hurry up and wait time.”