The revolution had begun!
After centuries of peace and stability, the Life Research Association became embroiled in a conflict that could only be described as a civil war!
As a society that had long operated under the stable but stagnant order of the conservative faction, a lot of grievances had built up over the centuries.
The opposition factions resented the dominance of the conservatives.
Rival biomech designers hated their direct competition.
Minor bureaucrats wanted to get rid of their incompetent superiors.
Mech pilots wished to prove their skills in actual battle.
In hindsight, the citizens of the LRA acc.u.mulated so much pent-up urges and d.e.s.i.r.es that many of them welcomed the outbreak of violence!
Finally they obtained an opportunity to unleash their darker side!
This was why the initial outburst produced so much death and destruction. When the adherents of the respective factions opened fire on each other, many other citizens who didn’t share any relations to the ongoing political turmoil took the opportunity to pursue their own agendas!
Because the vast majority of people hadn’t received any advance warning about the start of the revolution, these brazen acts of violence were largely devoid of planning and forethought.
After all, no one expected the Supreme Sage to experience an accident that pretty much left him dead!
The abrupt exit of the long-time ruler of the state caused a lot of people to believe that a void had formed at the top. With the conservatives split and besieged from all sides, the government was in complete disarray!
Without sufficient guidance or instructions, the overly-rigid government institutions were far too slow to respond to the rapidly unfolding chaos.
Let alone suppressing the troublemakers, the authorities weren’t even able to defeat the defectors from within!
"Johnny! Why are you attacking us?! We’re brothers in arms! We formed a pact with each other!"
"Hahaha! What a joke! I only s.u.c.k.e.d up to you because you’re the district commander’s crony. I never liked you from the beginning. The corrupt regime must fall, and getting rid of you will help my buddies in taking over this city!"
"You’re mad! You won’t get away with killing me. This is treason!"
"Hiding the Supreme Sage’s death and experimenting on his body is true treason! Compared to the crimes of your friends, our cause is righteous!"
Everyone formed a different idea of what was right and wrong. As long as someone wanted to enact a plan, they came up with many possible rationalizations to justify their actions.
Perhaps even the madman who activated Ruuzon Arena’s war mode came up with his own excuse! freēwebnovel.com
Around two-thirds of the people who bought a ticket and witnessed the design duel had died! Most plunged helplesssly to their deaths, while others got smacked to pieces by the berserk tree tentacles!
Only those with flight capabilities had a chance to escape the initial onslaught, but their suffering had not yet passed.
Below and above them, hundreds of biomechs began to battle each other!
Throughout the long centuries of stable development, many institutions had already become politicized. The lack of war caused many mech units to experience little upwards mobility. Aside from becoming more competent, the best way to attain a higher position was to play the game of politics!
This caused many Planetary Guard members to develop second loyalties. Aside from answering to their nominal superiors, they also answered to their patrons, faction leaders and other helpers.
Now that the regular hierarchy had become paralyzed, some of these law enforcement units no longer executed their primary missions.
Instead, they listened to the instructions of others who weren’t above killing their own comrades in order to further their grand ambitions!
While the mechs that went rogue only amounted to less than 10 percent of their respective units, the unfolding chaos quickly swept in other combatants!
Neutral or ignorant mech pilots were suddenly compelled to hit back after their mechs mistakenly got hit by stray attacks.
Others felt compelled to assist their buddies, not realizing that they inadvertedly signalled that they had joined a side!
Some just listened to the orders of their captains and commanders without hesitation, thereby turning themselves into unwitting tools.
More Planetary Guard mechs attempted to suppress attackers from both sides, only for them to be regarded by an enemy of every group and faction!
In fact, Prosperous Hill VI was not the only planet that exploded into violence, though it was certainly the worst due to its population density, economic interests and development level.
The other planets of the Prosperous Hill System became affected as well. Intermittent conflict broke out in major cities and sites with considerable value such as beast preserves and biomech production facilities.
No one knew how long this revolution would last or what the next day might bring, but some far-sighted leaders were already attempting to secure valuable infrastructure and war assets in order to prepare for the long haul!
Fortunately for most citizens, the conflict outside of Prosperous Hill was much more limited. Many planets didn’t host as many competing interests or valuable industries. Some regions that fell under the sway of a strong and authoritative leader had remained fairly calm as loyal troops quickly suppressed any troublesome elements.
Comments
The readers' comments on the novel: The Mech Touch