When the Klem reached the designated mark, the air began to sizzle with energy weapon fire. The rest of the Hunters had taken out their Plasma Cannons and were targeting the tightest packed groups while Max and Khan shot down the closest targets, and the Canis hit everything they could.
There were so many targets in this wave that they could hardly miss, but with Max's targeting solutions, they were also mostly hitting vital spots and dropping Klem warriors with most of their shots.
"Is this data part of your Armor?" Khan asked as she fired away at a Warrior who had almost made it to the two-hundred-meter mark.
"The basic targeting reticule is part of the armor. The additional hitboxes are a result of my own AI-enhanced Functions. You can turn off the data in your helmet if it is distracting." Max replied.
"No, they're rather helpful. We have a similar function in our armor, and I had not expected to see such advanced warfare technology among the humans." Khan explained.
"I am glad you approve. I can extend it to our entire Regiment and incorporate data from all our drones and satellites to get the additional targeting solutions when I am in battle, so it saves a lot of lives for us." Max laughed as he failed to notice she had changed targets, and they both blasted the same target.
None of the Klem made it to the mark that Huntress Khan had set, which seemed to improve her already good mood, and even the men on the Canis team were no longer getting dubious looks from the other hunters.
"North Side and East. Split teams, three Canis, three hunters per side. I will take East. Max can take North. Same firing assignments."
This wave had a few Shredders among the Warriors and a hidden group of Klem Drones, who were low enough to the ground that they were almost at the defenders position when they first came into sight.
"Watch for the little ones. They don't look like much, but those mandibles are deadly." Max warned the others and then kicked one who had gotten all the way to their position up into the air so he could shoot it more easily.
The Canis stopped shooting into the distance and focused on the closest threats, not able to focus them down quite as quickly now that they had to fight on two fronts at the same time. That was why having more bodies made life easier. A dozen simply didn't cover enough ground.
They managed to get through the wave without injuries, and only sporadic fire into the distance to clean up the stragglers was necessary as they regrouped.
"What happens if we drag out the fight?" Khan asked.
"The deaths of the Klem don't change the timing of the subsequent waves, but they can change the course of the other waves. The scenario has them moving past our camp, so they will naturally come into range."
The Huntress thought about that for a moment and then pointed to a spot on their west.
"I suggest we move there. It has good firing lines, but more importantly, the cliffs will make it hard for the Klem to approach us from all sides once they realize there is a dangerous opponent here."
The whole team began to move, picking a new spot next to a coulee, where the river had dug a sharp cliff on three sides as it wandered through the area. Now, only the north would have an easy time getting to them, while east and west would be naturally diverted to the north side unless they wanted to charge up the hill for some unknown reason.
It was one of the better defensive points in the area. Max knew it was, as he had reprogrammed all the maps himself so that Nico and the others could have at least a few surprises when they played.
Letting them get too comfortable with the terrain would make them complacent during actual battles, so he had set the maps to randomize and had introduced some automatically created terrain sets so that there were genuinely new features every so often, even in a familiar scenario.
They settled into position just before the next group of Klem detected them and diverted toward their new position, circling from the East to the North to come at them without having to cross the river valley, as Khan had intended.
"More coming from the south." One of the Hunters announced, sending a Plasma bolt that way to indicate the location.
They would have to come up the hill, but there were at least five larger Klem in that group, and one of them had a ranged weapon adaptation. It was firing spikes at the hill with lousy accuracy but in high enough quantities that everyone had to duck out of the direct line of fire or risk being hit.
"Now, this is more like it. Join me in the South while everyone else takes the rest." Khan told Max with a smile.
"Got it."
Max switched to the Plasma Cannon to deal with the larger Klem and the weight of numbers, prioritizing maximum kills while leaving the scattered remnants to approach them as they pleased.
Using that method, Max and Khan manage to kill all of the large Klem and thin out the Warriors to a trickle, where they would only rarely have to fight more than one or two at a time near the ridgeline.
Max knew that the Huntress was eager to get into close combat and test herself against the Klem without her Hunter Suit, so Max kept up with the group clearance instead of focusing on the closest targets.
When the first of the Warriors began to climb the ridge, Max could sense the change in Khan's thoughts, getting excited before she charged down the hill at it, chopping the spike-limbed insect that was only a bit larger than she was, standing just over three meters tall, apart in seconds and turning her blades on the next one in line.
Max sighed and followed her down the hill, using a kick to split a Klem Warrior's chest apart as he caught its upper limbs in his hands before he threw it away and finished it off with a pistol shot.
"I am impressed. You're not bad." Khan laughed, all thoughts of tactics forgotten until the Klem were cleared from the immediate area.
That was basically how their entire two-hour mission went. The group on the hill desperately fought to keep the Klem from overrunning them, while Max and Khan fought in the river, only retreating between groups so that they could see and target the Klem from maximum range.
A grand time was had by all, and they didn't lose a single soldier, despite only having half the usual numbers. The reduced numbers also increased their individual kill counts, shooting them all up the ranking board on the wall of the arcade and drawing the attention of the other soldiers and tourists training or playing there.
"Well, now that we have worked up an appetite, how about we try out one of the many restaurants available in the common areas?" Max suggested.
"MEAT." Both the Canis and the Hunters suggested at the same time.
"Well, that's easy. Follow me, and I will find you some of the finest offerings aboard the ship."
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