There was no need to praise it excessively, but no reason to belittle it either. The XV139 Supreme Mek had a Barrier Shield capable of withstanding Titan-grade weapons, while its Fusion Annihilator Cannon and Pulse Cannon arrays could inflict effective damage on Titans. It was a genuine Titan-grade Mek.
In appearance, it resembled an Ironclad Dreadnought like the Chief Librarian: a box in the middle with a viewing window, square Missile Pods on either side, two enormous cannon barrels on its back, terrifying weapons held in its two mechanical arms, and a pair of mechanical legs beneath it.
Mororis: "Oh, oh! That one's awesome! Annos, I want that too!"
The Chief Librarian was wildly enthusiastic about this battle. One look told him that victory would bring new technology. This was his favorite kind of war. The next time he woke up, he could have new equipment.
Er, Annos needed to recover from his injuries first.
The T'au had deployed two XV139s on this front, and Supreme Battlesuits from the other fronts were heading this way.
Two against two-the T'au still felt reasonably confident. That meant they needed to keep our other three Titans occupied.
The T'au air force was now under considerable pressure. Its orders came from senior commanders who foolishly hoped to reuse the tactics of the Damocles Crusade: tie down the enemy Titans with their powerful air force, ambush the human troops with concentrated fire, and have battlesuit-equipped Fire Caste warriors lure away the enemy Space Marines while fighting a retreat.
If these forces were scattered, the "Imperium of Man" would no longer be able to punch through the T'au defensive positions like a single clenched fist. The "Imperial troops" would be dragged into a meat-grinder war of numbers and overall strength against the T'au, eventually losing because