[201-400] THE MECH'S TOUCH

Chapter 394: Silver Lining

However, alongside the aid, the Republic also sent out investigators. The self-sabotage incident in Orinoco had become famous throughout the entire state overnight. The power brokers over at the capital city huddled like rats and kept their heads down in front of the ongoing investigation.

When Ves heard about the news, he shook his head. "Whoever set those bombs aren't stupid enough to leave any traces. Those investigators will probably spend a few weeks in Orinoco before they compile a meaningless report and go back to their fancy offices in Bentheim."

"It doesn't change the fact that our political opposition is completely discredited in front of the Republic." Gavin responded. While everyone mourned for the dead and started preparing for hte funerals, Gavin and the rest of the Marketing Department already started slobbering over the golden opportunity presented to the LMC. "It doesn't matter who is ultimately responsible, they're all made from the same cloth. The ruling coalition is finished."

Ves nodded. Right now, the White Doves caught the most flack of all. The raid exposed their ideology as an unrealistic fantasy that did not fit at all in the brutal Age of Mechs. Many citizens of Cloudy Curtain also fingered the pacifists as the group that was most likely responsible for setting off the bombs.

"It's all well and good to celebrate over their misfortune, but do you have to publicly lionize our own battle so much?"

Ves had changed his antigrav clothes into a dark, formal suit in order to attend an upcoming funeral. Over a dozen mech pilots died to defend the Mech Nursery, and he owed it to them to pay his respects.

Thus, he found the contrast between the solemnity between the funerals and the exuberant publicizing of their success in the media to be jarring.

It was as if the LMC danced on the graves of the fallen mech pilots in order to score some points from the public.

"Boss, don't let the losses think we've lost. In actual fact, we won. Think of how rare that is! Almost every other raid succeeded in overrunning the other rural star systems and inflicted tens of billions of credits in economic damage. The Bentheim region is bleeding, and they need to be shown a victory to prove they hadn't let the Vesians beat them black and blue!"

"What's being spread on the galactic net is too slanted!"

Right now, the LMC in cooperation with the Bright Republic's propaganda office enthusiastically spread out footage of the battle at the walls. In particular, the Marketing Department edited the footage they released in a way that made the two gold label Blackbeaks of the Avatars of Myth the main stars of the show.

Although their performance had been above and beyond, Ves found the manipulative editing to be a little too much. Their increased prominence came at the cost of recognizing the sacrifices of the other participants in the battle.

"Boss, right now, nobody cares about the dead." Gavin heartlessly replied. "You just have to switch to another news portal to see, hear or read about all the tragedies Imodris has caused. In the midst of all that doom and gloom, the public needs something to cheer about. I don't see why we can't promote our Blackbeak models along the way as well."

Ves eventually relented on the issue. He saw the advantages as well as anybody. Interest in the Blackbeaks exploded once again. The third-party manufacturers received an influx of new orders and the waiting list for the silver label Blackbeaks practically doubled in a matter of days.

In the next week, Ves spent his full time on processing the aftermath of the battle. He attended the solemn funeral. He issued the payments owed to Sanyal-Ablin and the rest. He also approved plans to repair and strengthen the Mech Nursery's defenses.