The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1666

Chapter 1666 Willful Contradictions

The intensifying battles raging throughout the Bentheim System couldn't be hidden at all.

Even if the military blocked every news portal from publishing articles and footage of the battles, anyone with a decent telescope could observe the battles without much effort.

They just enjoyed a delayed show due to the time it took for the light of the battle to reach the surface of Bentheim.

The only thing the government could do was to take control of the narrative by taking the initiative.

The controlled media publications each made for a rousing sight. Seeing so many mechs and starfighters acting in unison to crush the sandman fleets in order to protect the Bright Republic stabilized everyone's morale.

Though most average citizens were fooled, those who enjoyed a higher station knew better. As Ves watched yet another sanitized news broadcast, he couldn't help but snort.

"What a clever angle. The starfighters that are getting demolished by droves just happen to be outside of the frame."

He knew that while the introduction of the second generation starfighters reduced the rate of casualties, the increased aggression of the sandmen largely offset these gains!

In the end, the second generation starfighters lasted just as long in battle as the first generation starfighters.

The only real improvement the later models provided was that they carried over a lot of improvements to the ejection system. As long as the starfighter pilot managed to eject their cockpits in time, they still had a chance of fighting another day.

The Bright Republic didn't care about the consumption of starfighters. As long as they won the battle, a huge salvaging fleet would always arrive at the floating battle site and salvage as many broken frames and parts as possible.

The recycling rate of lost machines reached as high as seventy percent!

As for their pilots, though the Starfighter Corps didn't necessarily care too much about their lives, it couldn't afford to be seen as callous. If the second generation starfighter models didn't add some extra precautions, it would have been impossible to keep the starfighter pilots mollified!

As Ves caught up with the morning news, Raymond entered his office and walked up to his desk. "The government isn't very happy with you, Ves. The officials I've been in touch with have expressed a lot of misgivings about your recent decisions. They can't guarantee your safety if you insist on remaining in this star system."

Ves waved his hand towards the projected battle footage. "I don't think Bentheim is any safer."

"You don't necessarily have to go there. It's acceptable to the government if you reside on another well-protected planet. If you ask me, staying at Rittersberg is pretty nice. As the capital of our state, its security is just as good as Bentheim!"

"My answer remains the same." Ves looked up to Raymond and sensed that the old man was uncomfortable. "Why are you agreeing with the government in the first place?"

Raymond blinked in confusion. "We are Brighters. We are the servants of the state."

"Ah. I see what is going on now. Please take a seat."

When the Larkinson elder sat down, Ves shut off the broadcast and steepled his fingers on his desk.

"Tell me, Raymond, where do your loyalties lie?"

"You, of course. Formally, I work for the LMC, but since you are effectively in control of the company, I essentially work for you. Since you are the key to the Larkinson Family's increasing prosperity, I have always looked after your interests first."

Whether that was true or not, Ves wasn't sure.

Ever since Raymond assumed his leadership position, Ves discovered that this Larkinson elder was rather glib.

"I already refused the government's entreaties. Why do you insist on changing my mind? The reason why I fired your predecessor in the first place was because he forgot who he should answer to! Have you forgotten this lesson?"

The severity of the situation finally dawned on Raymond. "My apologies, Ves! It's not my intention to betray you! It's just that I fail to understand why you refuse to head for safety. Cloudy Curtain is far too vulnerable against a determined sandman incursion. The Light Hounds that are currently scouring the local asteroid belt for hiding sandmen won't be here forever. Once they're gone, we can only rely on a couple of hundreds mechs and first generation starfighters to protect your life!"

Ves shook his head. "You're overstating the threat. Aside from a single anomaly, the sandmen fail to pose a threat to me. If worse comes to worst, I'll just hop in the Barracuda and depart with haste."

"Your corvette doesn't fit many people. What about your family and your workers? Don't forget that hundreds of relatives of ours have moved here in order to pursue new opportunities. As the principal reason why they are here, you're responsible for their safety!"

"If they want to scurry back to Rittersberg or Bentheim, be my guest." Ves defiantly crossed his arms. "The LMC has recently expanded its branch office and built some more manufacturing complexes in Bentheim, right? I don't object to sending some Larkinsons there in order to hold the fort."

"Thank you for that, Ves." Raymond subsided a bit. He had received a lot of requests to move out of Cloudy Curtain. "I'll take care of this matter in person. However, you're much more important than those ordinary Larkinsons. Why must you be so stubborn? Is the government really that bad?"

Ves sighed. Raymond was a typical Larkinson who always looked up to the state. It was not a surprise that he put a lot of trust in the government.

"Raymond, let me make one thing clear. Just because I'm a Brighter doesn't mean that I should trust the government unconditionally. I'd be dead or much worse off if that was the case! When you play the game at this level, you need to remain vigilant. I shouldn't remind you that the government is not a single, unified entity, but a collection of interests who exert a varying amount of influence on its branches."