The Mech Touch novel Chapter 1979

Chapter 1979 Taking The Step

As the Bright Republic faced its bleakest hour, many people throughout the star sector watched the battle with intense interest.

The Larkinson Clan and Ves dropped everything in order to tune in to the available broadcasts of the disaster unfolding in the Bentheim System.

Though the Mech Corps and the government no longer transmitted any footage onto the galactic net, plenty of private outfits and other third parties still kept their individual feeds open for a time.

As MTA mechs started getting overwhelmed by numerous sandman monoliths and as the warships of the MTA started to experience some strain, all of the feeds suddenly shut off. Not a single quantum communication node in the Bentheim System transmitted any data to the rest of the galaxy!

For a moment, Ves and many other people were stunned. Why did the broadcasts stop?

It didn't take too long for Ves to guess the answer.

"The Comm Consortium shut everything down! Those bastards!" He shouted.

Gloriana placed her hand on his arm. "The Comm Consortium is operated by the Big Two to begin with. It's not that difficult to predict the CC would choose to shut off the feeds to avoid embarrassment."

No one knew what was going on in the Bentheim System right now. The overwhelming number of upgraded sandman monoliths were so powerful that they were even giving the MTA task force a hard time!

While Ves wasn't ready to count the MTA forces out, there was no doubt that the Battle of Bentheim was far more contentious than everyone initially realized.

"The MTA is too arrogant!" Ves vented. "It was a mistake to underestimate the sandmen! If the MTA dispatched even a single battleship, the sandmen would have never been able to pressure its forces to this extent!"

Gloriana didn't care about the Bentheim System. She found it curious that for all of his claims, Ves still cared about his old home.

Perhaps he was more of a Brighter than he admitted. He still possessed at least some attachment to the state that had birthed him and shaped him in the mech designer he was today.

"Urgh! What am I supposed to do? My relatives and many of my workers must be fretting as we speak!"

"You'll need to fill in the void, Ves." Gloriana suggested. "Since the Comm Consortium refuses to reveal what is happening in the Bentheim System, your people need reassurance more than ever. Go step up and address the fleet. I'm sure your Larkinsons need you at this time."

Ves sighed. "You're right. In a way, I'm glad the Bright Republic persecuted my relatives. At least they're not a part of this ongoing catastrophe."

As Ves prepared to address his subordinates, elsewhere a secret base went on high alert for a different reason!

At the start of the Battle of Bentheim, many guards and administrators started to watch the broadcasts. Even though they were all supposed to be focused on the job while they were on duty, the security arrangements of the secret base were so secure that hardly any incidents had taken place in the last couple of decades!

Some complacency couldn't be avoided. Compared to their boring jobs of watching over a bunch of defenseless prisoners, the fate of Bentheim and the rest of the Republic was far more important!

Though the lower ranks were still expected to perform their duties, the prison warden and the senior administrators took advantage of their expanded privileges to tap into the broadcasts of the pivotal battle.

At this time, DIVA finally made a move!

With the alertness level of the people base at an all-time low, numerous disguised female agents started to hack into databases, assassinate key personnel and activate their prior sabotage measures!

No explosions wracked the base. No alarms filled the corridors. No guards were hunting down intruders.

In the weeks that DIVA managed to infiltrate the secret base, its agents utilized superior technology to affect sabotage at a much greater level than the base builders had anticipated!

As diligently as Spotlight tried to keep its bases secure, it was incomparable to DIVA. The sheer tech and talent disparity was so vast that only a handful of DIVA agents were enough to cripple the base!

Even though the disguised women were more than confident enough to overwhelm the base in a matter of minutes, they opted for a slower and quieter approach.

Different sections of the secret base were surreptitiously being isolated from each other. Spoofed data transmissions took the place of authentic data transmissions. No matter what kind of chaos took place, only a small section of the base were aware of the danger!

As a pair of female guards in uniform approached the cells holding Melinda Larkinson and other prisoners, the doors authorized their entry even though it wasn't their shift.

The two men on guard regarded their colleagues with confusion.

"Wendy? Why are you here?"

The other guard wasn't fooled though. He immediately brought his rifle to bear against the women!

"You idiot! Remember the protocols!"

"Oh, damn, you're right!"

Even though the two guards had a friendly relationship with their supposed colleagues, the guards employed by Spotlight were trained to react quickly under various circumstances.

In a case like this, it was better to shoot first and ask questions later!

The two guards unfolded their helmets from their combat armor. Immediately afterwards, they fired their rifles, aiming squarely at the heads and hearts of the approaching women!

BANG!

FTZZZT!

A ballistic round and a laser beam struck each of the targets. Yet instead of seeing the women turn into a pile of burned or exploded flesh, two energy shields came to life, protecting the DIVA agents from the small arms fire of the loyal guards!

"Boys." The left female smirked. "They're so quick to attack. We haven't even said a single word."

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