The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1645

Chapter 1645 Clouds Over Cloudy Curtain

The tragedy that took place at the Sydney Superior System stunned everyone in the Bright Republic!

After the sandmen managed to break through the defenses of Sydney Superior VI, the planet became flooded with animated sand!

While the citizens on the ground tried to fend off the sandmen with their newly-erected defenses, their firepower was simply too insufficient to resist the tides of sand that swept over entire cities!

Over 400 million people died in the following week! Without reinforcements from elsewhere, the stranded citizens were unable to prevent the sandmen from engulfing each and every populated settlement on the surface of the once-great planet!

The fall of Sydney Superior had far-reaching effects. No matter how much the Bright Republic attempted to plug the gap, it did not change the fact that the sandmen gained a much more solid route to the interior of the Bright Republic, including Bentheim!

The mood in the Bentheim System had grown much more severe as the entire port system shifted into an even greater state of war readiness. Martial law had come into effect and even more production facilities ceased producing consumer goods in favor of producing critical supplies.

Many people who had the ability to leave Bentheim had already done so recently. Hardly anyone thought it was a good idea to settle there when it was highly likely that it would come under heavy assault by the sandmen!

Ketis was not an average visitor.

Unlike most people, she did not fear the threat of the sandmen. Having lived in constant danger in the frontier for most of her life, the danger looming over Bentheim was like a walk in the park for a Swordmaiden.

Besides, if the situation at Bentheim really deteriorated, she was confident that Ves would find a way to pull her out. She wasn't blind to how powerful her latest mentor had become.

His support gave her the capital to face the challenges at Bentheim head-on!

As she emerged from the spaceport at Dorum with a floating luggage coffer hovering behind her, she looked around for her new host.

"Ketis! Over here!"

A woman with a strong military-esque bearing strode forward and embraced Ketis in a tight hug!

"Ooph! You're stronger than I thought!" The newcomer noted with surprise. "Did Ves lie to me or something? You're built like a warrior!"

"I'm just a mech designer." Ketis replied coyly. "Can you bring me to my new home? I'm a bit uncomfortable standing here in public."

"Sure! Follow me! I've already prepared your new digs! You'll love it! As long as you don't mind living among the Blood Claws, I'm sure we'll be getting along well!"

"That's great."

"By the way, are you sure you want to stick with us? We're about to be deployed in space in order to meet our obligations to defend this star system from the planet. There's going to be a lot of fighting in the future."

"This isn't the first time I've participated in a war, Raella. I've learned a lot from Ves. One of the reasons he sent me here was to gain more practical experience with working with mechs. I need this to push my comprehension of mechs to the next level."

"I see. I'll take care of you as much as I can. I owe it to Ves to see you through this war. By the way, how is he doing back on Cloudy Curtain?"

While Raella Larkinson welcomed Ketis with open arms at Bentheim, a heavy shadow cast over Cloudy Curtain.

Since Cloudy Curtain was right next door to Bentheim, there was a small but very possible chance that some of the sandman fleets might wander into the rustic star system!

The cloudy weather depressed the locals even more as they tried their best to resume their lives.

Fortunately, the locals did not have any reasons to panic. Their home planet was already home to two powerful forces. Along with Ves and his organizations, the Cloud Whalers weren't weak either despite having lost a lot of mechs and men in their failed attempt to wrestle away some turf on Bentheim.

The recent settlement of billions of refugees and the building spree that followed from that also raised Cloudy Curtain's importance. Various other powers hired a decent number of mercenaries to protect their investment.

The Mech Corps also stationed some forces in the star system to coordinate the defense effort.

Cloudy Curtain was anything but defenseless!

Commander Magdalena Larkinson of the Living Sentinels greeted Ves as he arrived at a training facility. A lot of Sentinels along with a couple of Avatars were exercising their bodies or training their skills.

While it wasn't entirely necessary for mech pilots to train their bodies, it undeniably helped for various reasons. Subjecting mech pilots to simulated combat and live practice sessions all the time would eventually lead to disjointment and other detrimental outcomes.

"Are the Living Sentinels ready to defend what we've built here?" Ves asked.

"As I've already mentioned, sir, just because my Sentinels aren't eager to deploy to the front doesn't mean they'll run when the war has reached their homes. I've surveyed each and every Sentinel in my employ and already filtered out those who are unwilling to do their part when they are truly needed."

"How many people have you fired?"

"Not as much as you think. Many of the Sentinels have already embraced their new lives here. Don't forget that many Larkinsons are a part of the Sentinels. The prosperity you've provided to the family is a key reason why they are determined to protect its source!"

Ves smiled. "I'm gratified to hear that. How are the Avatars who have stayed behind fared in Commander Melkor's absence?"

"They're doing well. Melkor has mostly left behind the younger Avatars and the recent recruits. While we haven't been able to facilitate their training as much as we want, they're all highly motivated to prepare themselves for the tough battles ahead."

Both of them directed their attention to a small sparring ring where a couple of young Avatars in training outfits jumped at each other under the watchful eyes of older Avatars.

Ves expected more from the Avatars. They knew that, so they readily embraced the their higher-intensity training regime!