Chapter 6102 Field Commander

Chapter 6102 Field Commander

Chimera Base came alive again at dawn.

Many mech pilots and support personnel woke up early and prepared for a hard day ahead.

Although many of the Larkinson soldiers were veterans of at least half a dozen battles, none of them took the upcoming challenge lightly.

The Emperor Tree loomed tall over Task Force Solus for numerous months. The calamity plant not only directed a huge amount of hostility towards the Larkinsons, but also showed a frightening capacity to learn and adapt.

Those who underestimated the capabilities of this evolved native plant organism had already paid the price. Venerable Taon Melin and Venerable Lanie Larkinson were among this blasted calamity plant's most prominent victims.

If everything went well today, the threat posed by the Emperor Tree should end before local sunset.

Everyone stationed in Chimera Base should breathe a lot easier once a threat that had been equated to an ace mech multiple times had finally met its end.

Nothing should be allowed to stand in the way of red humanity's desire to colonize the new frontier and exploit its natural resources.

Only by utilizing the bounty of planets such as Reticula Corein V would the human race gain the strength needed to survive the alien onslaughts in the future!

Every Larkinson knew what they were fighting for, so they did not harbor much if any misgivings about invading the Emperor Tree's territory and taking away everything it cherished.

Hours before the assault was scheduled to commence, Venerable Joshua frowned as he quickly walked up to the landing zone. His expression showed clear concern behind his transparent faceplate.

The reason why he felt so disturbed was not because he was worried about Venerable Isobel's mental state.

The talk last night had given him a better understanding of her condition. Though Isobel was definitely struggling to bear her burdens, she was not weak. Her willpower remained strong and stable enough to cast aside all of her doubts, if they could even regarded as such.

The real reason why Joshua felt disturbed during this early mourning was because an unscheduled shuttle landing took place.

As he stopped before the landing zone, he just managed to catch the vehicle descend from the Solus Gas-covered skies with a dozen escorting mechs, mostly hailing from the Swordmaidens.

As the shuttle smoothly landed on the surface, the hatch slid open, allowing a single figure in a menacing-looking red combat armor to step onto the planet.

A floating greatsword of transcendent quality hovered right behind the newcomer. The strong willpower emanating from the blade showed that it was hosting Sharpie like usual.

The woman already spotted Joshua and made her way over. Once they came close enough, they hugged each other without reserve, though their respective suits made the gesture a lot more awkward.

"It is strange to be walking on a planet with 1.3 g. It will take time for me to get accustomed to my greater weight."

"I love you and I miss you, but why are you here, Ketis?"

Her husband indeed grew a little less alarmed over her decision.

There was still a risk that the Emperor Tree would dispatch a horde of minions to assault the mechs stationed in the rear, but this was not that big of a threat.

The powerful Storm Swords and other Larkinson mechs should easily be able to mop up a horde of rabble.

If the Larkinsons underestimated the troop numbers of the Emperor Tree and became beset by too many creatures, then the mechs could always take advantage of their mobility and fall back to Chimera Base.

It would be a shame for them to lose the ability to support the three expert mechs tasked with confronting the Emperor Tree directly, but at least the rest of the strike force would be drawing away an important component of the enemy's powerbase.

The ability to advance and retreat in a hurry was one of the essential demands that Ketis imposed. The Emperor Tree might still have surprises in store that made it unwise for the Larkinson mech units to maintain their positions.

It would be a lot harder to keep the mech units on the move if they were also responsible for escorting a squad of Transcendent Punishers.

It was times like these that the Larkinsons wished they had a more mobile artillery mech in their mech roster. A cannoneer mech armed with an old-fashioned artillery cannon was perfect for this kind of mission.

In any case, Joshua no longer tried to stop his wife now that Ketis had made it clear that she did not intend to get close enough to the Emperor Tree to swing her sword at its trunk.

If she wanted to oversee this operation as a field commander, then so be it. He did not want to get in the way of her ambition to become stronger.

Time passed as every Larkinson prepared for the big operation. Even the ones that were assigned to stay behind all looked serious as there was a small chance that the Emperor Tree would attempt to strike their base.

Soon enough, all of the mechs assembled in front of Chimera Base. They were all accompanied by dozens of shuttles that carried additional energy cells, spare equipment and other supplies.

The Everchanger, the First Sword and most notably the Promethea all stood in front of the assembled machines.

Only the expert mechs received the privilege of fighting against the Emperor Tree within the danger zone. Bringing along other mechs was just asking for trouble. It was already a risk to bring along the other mechs given that the Emperor Tree may yet be able to deceive the minds of mech pilots.

Before the strike force set off towards the site of the Emperor Tree, Ketis chose to address her troops.

She had exited the cockpit of the Storm Sword and stood atop the head of the machine of her own design.

A thrill of excitement surged in her body as she was set to preside over a 'hunt' of a greater scale.

The Emperor tree needed to die. She wouldn't be able to gain the satisfaction of ending its life in person, but it must perish regardless.

She held her Bloodsinger in her hands and transferred Sharpie back inside her head.

From the moment her companion spirit returned to where she belonged, Ketis became filled with a strong conviction and sense of purpose!

The pursuit of power became her greatest obsession!