Chapter 5994 The Purpose of Skirmishing

Chapter 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 time and 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 time spent on improving his capacity to pilot light mechs took away time he 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 become a 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 name when 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 became decimated 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 same family 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.

"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 become much 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 became attracted 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 same pilot to exceed his limitations and become an expert pilot!

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