The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1691

Chapter 1691 Hero's Entry

Bentheim!

The Sand War reached its most intense stage at Bentheim!

The battles at the frontlines had turned into a sideshow compared to the great collision between two civilizations in a single port system!

Bentheim was like a black hole that sucked in numerous sandman fleets and human reinforcements on a continuous basis. Its mere existence seemed to warp the surrounding regions, depriving them of most sandmen that would have ordinarily attacked the lesser star systems.

Whether this was a good or bad development for the Bright Republic remained to be seen.

While many vulnerable citizens temporarily escaped the threat of annihilation, the Bentheim system turned into one of the most terrible warzones in the Sand War!

Dozens of sandman fleets poured into the star system every day. While most of them were individually weak, collectively they pressured the defenders to the brink of despair.

"There are too many sandmen!"

"The attacks never end!"

"Sand! Sand! Sand! I never want to see a single grain of sand in my life ever again!"

Almost all of the Bentheim mech divisions had been recalled to bolster the critical port system's defenses.

The planet itself had turned into a hive of war production. Mechs, starfighters and supplies constantly poured out of its many factories. The supply of valuable goods and war materiel not only sustained the defense of Bentheim, but many other vulnerable star systems!

As long as Bentheim stayed in human hands, it continued to supply the entire state!

For this reason, the Bright Republic invested everything possible to strengthen its defenses.

Transport ships towed many defensive platforms in the orbits of planets and moons. The government coerced or incentivized all kinds of gangs and underground forces to defend their homes.

No one ever deciphered the full might of Bentheim's underground community. The smuggling organizations, black market associations, dark mercenary corps that hid in some of the deepest cracks of Bentheim never revealed their presence in the open.

Until now.

No matter how averse they were to fighting alongside the authorities, they couldn't let the sandmen overrun their turf and destroy all of their accumulations.

The most clever underground organizations had already evacuated well in advance. Those who were slower to leave simply couldn't anymore due to how tightly the authorities controlled the local space.

Not a single ship was able to escape Bentheim without the consent of a government institution!

Not even stealth ships managed to get away due to the near-constant scanning taking place in Bentheim's orbit! Many of the defensive platforms orbiting above the planet frequently swept their surroundings for any anomalies.

No matter how much energy the platforms expended in their scans, the government simply didn't care about the costs.

Not when the survival of the entire Bright Republic was at stake!

A dozen or so clashes took place in the outer system. The Mech Corps, Starfighter Corps, Planetary Guard and assisting forces did their best to prevent the sandmen from advancing further.

The casualties were significant. The attrition warfare the sandman seemed so eager to impose on their opposition grinded against the morale of the mech pilots and starfighter pilots who bore the brunt of the fighting.

The glows of the Desolate Soldiers and Prideful Soldiers could do so much to stave off the deterioration of their fighting spirit.

Inspiring one's patriotism and duty could only do so much against the onset of hopelessness!

After recognizing this problem, the government tried many possible remedies.

One solution that seemed effective was to promote the heroes leading the resistance against the sandmen.

Many expert pilots and military commanders made a name for themselves in recent weeks!

Venerable Ghanso Larkinson, who survived the fall of Sydney Superior, held nothing but vengeance in his heart!

"Never again!" He exhorted every warrior. "We must never allow Sydney Superior to happen again! Fight until every moving grain of sand is destroyed!"

Other Larkinsons distinguished themselves as well. Under the stimulation of constant battles, Tusa Billingsley-Larkinson and Porellia Larkinson were becoming more and more remarkable every day.

Their will to defend the Bright Republic and protect the people became stronger and stronger as more and more people placed their hopes on the shoulders of the young expert candidates.

"My predecessors bled and died for our Republic! I will not let their sacrifice go to waste!"

"I must advance as soon as possible! We need more expert pilots to stem the tide!"

The initiative to promote the heroes in their ranks successfully inspired the rank-and-file to persist.

Hope was like a candle that threatened to be snuffed out at any moment.

However, through the constant displays of heroism, the individual soldiers suffering all the hardships had someone to look up to when they needed it the most!

Expert pilots were by far the most popular role models.

While everyone admired expert pilots, they were also jealous at their luck and fortune.

Many people were born as norms. They never had a chance to become the favored people of this Age due to their lacking genetic aptitude.

Those who not only became mech pilots but also took a step further and advanced to expert pilots were considered to be double lucky!

This made expert pilots rather detached from the common folk.

They were heroes. They were noble. They also stood on a far greater height than the rest of humanity. They weren't called demigods for nothing.

While they still inspired a lot of hope, they were far too lacking in the human touch.

The problem wasn't a lack of empathy or sympathy. Expert pilots were still human in their roots, and they hadn't lost their human emotions as they advanced.

It was just that each of them possessed a quality that unconsciously caused people to look up at them. They were far from the common man or woman who someone could have a beer with, for example.

Recently, an ambitious mech pilot stepped into this void in a bombastic manner.

"Pff! What is this flashy display mech doing here?!"

"What the hell?! What is up with that belt?! Why does it look so..?"

"Ricklin's Rollers? Never heard of them! Where do they come from?"