Chapter 971 971 But Maybe In A Tunnel
Once everyone was suited up and the equipment was double-checked, it was time to decide what sort of round for the Mass Driver they were going to need.
Using a Hypersonic Solid Projectile in a tunnel system was a terrible idea from almost every possible angle. Fortunately, the Mass Driver was not a fixed velocity weapon, and it could be used to propel the rounds at subsonic speeds and drastically reduce the sound generated.
Of course, a subsonic projectile in .22 calibre would do a grand total of nothing to an armoured opponent, but they still had options—namely, the high explosive rounds.
They would still detonate on impact just fine, but the explosions would defeat the purpose of slowing the rounds down.
So, a moderate approach was chosen. If the rounds were fired at only ten times the speed of sound, the noise would be tolerable, comparable to a standard projectile weapon like the ones that the enemy was likely to be using.
At that speed, it should damage the armour that they were wearing but not risk collapsing the tunnels if they were to hit a wall, and the explosions would be a bonus, no louder than the fired round had been.
"I like it. Very primitive and well-suited to the situation. I think that even the enemy will appreciate us altering our rounds so that they tear limbs off instead of just punching nice little holes in everything." Khan congratulated Nico when the adjustments were done.
Of course, a nice neat hole is not what happened when a hypersonic projectile hit the mortal body. The dispersed force scrambled their internal organs like eggs, and any sort of armour plating on the body only made it worse.
But in general, the entry and exit wounds were fairly small, except on certain species like the Klem, where the exoskeleton would be blown apart.
The explosive range of these projectiles was limited to a single metre from the point of impact, giving highly localized damage and a secondary trauma layer to the injury should the projectile manage to penetrate the enemy armour.
Max vaguely recalled that there was a war crime convention that prohibited such things for light arms use, but no such prohibition applied to artillery, of which the Mass Driver and the Mobile Suit were officially classified.
Shrinking the Mass Driver rounds and using them this way seriously stretched the definition of the word artillery, but even a Battle Cannon could be shot at an opponent from point-blank range, and they often were, so the outrage shouldn't be too extreme if anyone decided to question the situation.
"Alright, everything checks out. Let's get to the tunnel entrances and see what we can find." Khan directed her troops.
Nico and Max took up the rear of the convoy, with Khan right behind them, much to the joy of the others.
That meant that, for once, the Commanders wouldn't be the first into combat, and they would actually get to pick their own targets. But it also meant that they would be the last ones not to have a position to hold, and most of the others hadn't realized it yet.
"Tunnel entrance sighted. The Androids have cleared the entrance, and we will proceed upon your order." The first Huntress in line informed them.
"Let's get in there. The faster we are down in the tunnels, the better. Don't give the enemy time to reposition in advance of our arrival." Max agreed.
The Androids cleared the trenches around the tunnel entrance that they had chosen, and the team ran into the bunker, leading with the Fusion Flamers.
They did a wonderful job of clearing rooms, and they would keep the enemy from realizing the team's numbers if anyone were watching a helmet cam feed or something similar.
The first row of Hunters raced downward in the spiralling tunnel, which was mostly clear of enemies, while those behind them verified that the handful of victims in the room were really dead. A simple puncture through the head with a blade was enough to do the job, saving them ammunition in the early stages of the fight.
"Do you think that we should broadcast this to the locals? I'm sure that they would be impressed by our dedication." Nico suggested.
"Or horrified. One or the other. Remember that we don't want them to be more scared of us than they are of these warriors." Max reminded her.
Khan snorted in amusement, and Max resisted the urge to laugh at her thoughts. Indeed, it would be wise for the locals to be more afraid of them than they were of the warriors and their blood-soaked intimidation tactics, but that was not the most effective negotiation tactic when they were looking to make peaceful contact.
The front line had reached the bottom of the ramp, and it sounded like there was heavy resistance, with the pounding [Thud] [Thud] [Thud] of their grenade launchers mingling with the rapid popping noise of the Mass Drivers and the whooshing sound of displaced air as the Fusion Flamers were put to work again.
They would have to be careful with those things in some spots, as they didn't want to completely destroy the concrete reinforcement of the tunnels, but this first battle seemed much more intense than anticipated.
Being the last in line would put him in charge of countering offensives from behind, but for now, it just stuck him in a narrow tunnel while the front ranks fought down below.
[Third Rank is in the chamber. Push forward and clear the tunnel mouths.] One of the Huntresses ordered, and Max moved up to keep his spacing with Nico in front of him.
That brought the room into sight, and it was far more gruesome than Max had expected.
Bloody runes were carved on the walls, ankle-deep red liquid covered the floor, and dozens of large armoured bodies now filled the space, with two damaged Mobile Suits being moved to the corner.
[Report. How are the team members?] Max asked.
Most of the team members had brought a small replicator-based repair device in their gear so they could fix the suits, but the Huntresses might take more time to heal if they had gotten an infected wound from this filthy place.
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