The Mech Corps deployed an entire mech division this time. The 3rd Bentheim Division received the honor of being the first to welcome the sandmen to Bentheim!
An overwhelming amount of auxiliary forces, private outfits and irregular units made up the rest. The coordination between these disparate groups of mechs was very chaotic, and it was impossible to expect anything better.
The final and most crucial element that made up their lineup was tens of thousands of starfighters.
Since Bentheim was the heart of the Bright Republic's industry, it was the first to welcome the second generation of starfighters. All of the locally-stationed starfighter regiments received the first batches of second generation starfighters which offered substantially thicker frontal armor in exchange for reduced mobility.
Right now, none of the starfighters making up the vanguard of their lineup moved out of place. Each and every starfighter pilot stationed at Bentheim enjoyed much more training than their counterparts stationed at the front.
While this meant that the starfighter pilots also lacked a lot of practical experience, the higher ups gladly accepted this tradeoff.
More training meant more discipline. This would be crucially important in the days to come as the sandmen would likely come and test their defenses frequently.
"They've come!"
The long-ranged mechs fired first. Hundreds of specialist mechs from the 3rd Bentheim Division fired all manner of railguns, gauss rifles and kinetic rifles at the approaching swarm.
Their firepower, while powerful and deadly, hardly made a dent against the approaching swarm.
However, the mechs quickly fired their second and third salvos at a respectable pace. What Melinda found most admirable was that the marksman mechs managed to land most of their hits!
"Even I can't match this level of accuracy!"
Though the sandman swarm slowly diminished, it was far too slow to whittle it down before it arrived at its destination.
To stop the sandmen, the defenders had to put up a greater fight!
"Watch out! Heat signatures are spiking! The swarm is about to fire!"
The skies ran red as the sandmen released countless lasers against their opponents!
Though most lasers missed due to the imperfect targeting methods of the sandmen, many of them managed to score some blows against starfighters and mechs!
Some starfighters outright blasted apart as even their improved frontal armor couldn't resist the tide of thirty simultaneous laser hits!
During the initial rounds of fighting, the formation of mechs and starfighters had already been flying backwards. They just moderated their relative velocity in order to allow the sandman swarm to creep up towards them. The most effective range to engage the sandmen was at medium range!
As the sandmen constantly closed, the formation sped up until they would be able to maintain medium range against the closing sandmen.
Once they moved faster, the fateful order had come.
"Activate your particle generators and fire at will! Let the sandman dread the sight of our Stripes of Humanity!"
Almost every mech and starfighter fired at the approaching swarm, taking out tens of thousands of sandman drones in the first salvo!
Simultaneously, the machines each released stripes of different colors. The most discerning observers would be able to identify the allegiance of the units releasing the stripes by their color and numbers.
For example, as Melinda glanced to the side, she saw that the detachment of hundreds of Blood Claw mechs were still going strong!
With so many Blood Claw mechs proudly firing their Sandbreaker rifles at the sandmen, Raella should have been alright.
Melinda shook her head and focused back on her actual tasks. She could not allow herself to become distracted!
"Bentheim will never fall!"
Sandman drones fell in droves as various rounds violently slammed against them! Though the quantity of sandman drones was prodigious, the sandman admirals paid a very heavy price. Only a glancing hit saved the drones from succumbing immediately!
Melinda noted that she had only taken four sandman drones with her shots so far. "Not enough! I can do better!"
Though she had been trained in marksmanship, her skill with a rifle wasn't exceptional. The Planetary Guard didn't emphasize lethal weapons either, which made it difficult for her to keep up her practice.
Nonetheless, she was still a Larkinson. It was her duty to protect the innocent!
Even if she never imagined that she would participate in a war like this, she never intended to shirk her duty!
The ferocity shown by the human defenders quickly unsettled the sandman swarm. Though their numbers still overwhelmed the defenders, their weak lasers failed to kill the second generation starfighters fast enough!
Whereas before they used to fall in droves, now their rate of casualties had become much more manageable, especially as the heavily-damaged craft pulled back in time!
The first battle between the sandmen and defenders of Bentheim ended without any suspense.
Bentheim was too strong!