Shortly after General Ark briefed the expert pilots, the plan went into motion.
The 77th Warborn ch Division continued to operate as normal. The officers that Ark had put in charge all knew what to do and tried to maintain secrecy as much as possible. Who knew whether the native aliens or the cosmopolitans were spying on their communications. It was best not to give the enemy any indications that their high-ranking chs had suddenly disappeared.
In the anti, an RA stealth carrier quietly arrived in the Duqaste System and took in 8 high-ranking chs without letting others know.
General Ark Larkinson and the Lionheart had to be present. Ark proposed this bold initiative, and he was obliged to put his skin in the ga. He had multiple reasons to commit to this risky gamble.
Everyone pretty much knew that General Ark had grown frustrated by his lack of breakthroughs. Despite receiving an excellent high-tier expert ch in the form of the Lionheart and soliciting the advice of at least two different ace pilots, his bottleneck still hadn't budged!
Ark was not growing any younger. Although Reginald was at least a full generation older than him, Ark still worried about getting left behind by the likes of Tusa and other talented Larkinson pilots.
Even though he didn't like to admit it, his ego did not allow him to be overtaken by so many juniors!
The only way he could think of that could undermine his bottleneck and increase his chances of breaking through was to deviate from routine and put himself in a much more challenging situation than normal.
This mission definitely qualified because of the lack of any nearby support!
Though Ark masterminded this entire plan, the ch general also questioned whether it was right for him to put so many other expert pilots at risk. None of them had intended to engage in such a reckless action. It would be devastating if one of them fell due to his inability to control the battlefield.
"I can't afford to lose. The only permissible outco is victory." Ark vowed.
He could not do so without the help of one of his best friends within the Warborn ch Division.
Patriarch Reginald Cross and the Mars were by far the most powerful combination to participate in this daring operation. The two were especially brought to counter the enemy phase lord that was most certainly watching over the enemy forces at Duqaste XI.
Reginald held no objections towards the risky gambit. This was not just because he was spoiling up for a fight against a powerful phase lord, but also because he was confident he could escape any sticky situation with his ch and life intact!
To him, this operation did not pose much of a risk to him. Ace pilots like himself were just that powerful, and the Mars, which had incorporated another round of minor upgrades just recently, was performing better than ever!
"So I finally have a shot against that big old nunser Ghirard. It's about ti. I can even fight him without worrying about friendlies getting in the way of my energy beams." The patriarch of the Cross Clan said and grinned as he leaned his body next to the exquisite Mars. "Tell about him, Ark. There has to be more intelligence on him. Tell who I am about to duel against."
"Ghirard is not one of those scholarly phase lords who rose up because they were smart, wise or benefited from a good inheritance." Ark explained to his friend and greatest dependence on the battlefield. "He is a warlord who rose up from the bottom of a nunser military unit. He is not known to be a strategic mastermind, a tactical genius or logistical wizard. He is a pure fighter through and through."
"There are many kinds of fighters. You need to elaborate."
"He is known to be a tough and stubborn brawler that doesn't always win his battles, but always makes sure to survive in the end. This is why he is called the Tireless Engine in alien parlance. He is good at layering himself up with strong spatial barriers and using them to outlast his opponents. Although he does not possess any flashy spatial abilities, do not underestimate his grit. The nunser warlord is highly experienced and has trained his true body into a highly tuned biological war machine."
Patriarch Reginald's battlelust grew stronger after hearing that. "Hm. Sounds like a tough bastard alright. Saint Tusa and his fancy new Dark Zephyr Mark III can probably bypass his annoying spatial barriers and strike his weak points directly. I don't have that ability. I will have to attack the defenses of this 'Tireless Engine' head-on and hope that my ace ch's firepower can break open his energy shells."
Reginald was not afraid of this contest. The matchup was not the best, but the Mars possessed a huge amount of firepower. The trust ARCEUS System combined with any handheld weapons was usually enough to breach any transphasic energy shield or spatial barrier with relative ease!
"Don't underestimate the Tireless Engine, my friend. Compared to the Trampler of Stars that you fought against years ago, your next opponent is stronger and more formidable in many ways. Intelligence suggests that his combat power has reached the upper-tier among lesser phase lords. He is among the more powerful phase lords that you can expect to face that has yet to receive their own phasewater production systems. He will probably earn this coveted reward as long as he has successfully toppled the Duqaste System and other fortified star systems."
This ant that Ghirard would definitely put up the best possible fight!
Every lesser phase lord yearned to obtain a PPS from the phase whales. Only by implanting a crucial organ that allowed a phase lord to produce his own phasewater would he be able to unlock his full growth trajectory.
"I will beat him." Patriarch Reginald promised. "You guys just need to get those other nunser forces off my back. I cannot put all of my focus on my duel against the Tireless Engine if all of those other warships keep firing their huge cannon batteries into my ace ch. My Saint Kingdom has to work overti to reduce their damage and preserve my Mars as best as possible."
Ark looked uncertain. "We shall try our best to give you a clean shot against the Tireless Engine, but we only have so many expert chs, and at least several of them must complete our primary objective. We are not going through all of this effort and risk to take the fight to the enemy's doorstep just to give you a chance to duel against the Tireless Engine. Our overarching goal is to repel the aliens from this star system, and destroying much of their supplies will help in this regard."
"I get it, Ark. I have not forgotten about the mission. I will try and give you a hand at destroying the defenses protecting the underground warehouses if I can spare the ti."
General Ark knew Patriarch Reginald well enough to know that the latter would probably forget about everything and completely invest himself in the fight.
Ark already planned around this tendency. He actually hoped that the Mars would attract so much attention from the enemy that less of them would feel inclined to stop the expert chs.
Although it sounded as if Ark was taking advantage of Reginald, the ch general had full confidence in the ace pilot's ability to cope with all of the pressure.
Even if the Mars was unable to evacuate with the others, it could still disengage and fly back to Duqaste VII on its own power! It was equipped with a powerful transphasic flight system that should allow it to cross interplanetary distances in a reasonable tifra.
However, if the Tireless Engine continued to chase right after the Mars, it would beco a lot harder for Reginald to retreat.
That is if Reginald even wanted to turn his back on the enemy. The battle-hungry ace pilot hated the thought of retreat. He was still able to do so if there was no other recourse, but he had retreated from so many battles back when he was a high-tier expert pilot that he beca sick and tired of all of the losses suffered from these contested withdrawals.
Reginald always tried to the end if there was a chance he could win!
The man was done with losing and retreating like a bedraggled dog!
"I will transfer the remainder of the intelligence package on the Tireless Engine. Don't lean too much on your prior experiences with the Trampler of Stars. The previous phase lord we fought against was only a mid-tier lesser phase lord, and his main strength lies in mass area destruction. He is not that good in single combat, especially when his armor is compromised and destroyed. Ghirard is a proven and highly prepared fighter. He most definitely has a massive suit of armor at his disposal that can amplify his strength."
"Do you have any info on the Tireless' Engine's armor?"
"Only outdated bits of information that the cher spies have gathered behind enemy lines. According to their intelligence, the Tireless Engine prefers to wear a thick suit of armor that is equipped with transphasic energy shield generators for added defense and multiple transphasic energy cannon batteries to allow him to attack from a distance."
Patriarch Reginald did not look too impressed. These were all mundane technological solutions that only beca stronger due to the use of phasewater. Outside of that, there should be nothing special about the phase lord's gigantic suit of armor.
"What will you be doing during the fight, Ark?" Reginald decided to turn the conversation around.
"My Lionheart is one of the few versatile expert chs that can inflict area damage, so I will be focusing on destroying enemy goods and supplies at first. After that, I expect that I will need to help the other expert chs overco the enemy blockade. It will be hard for us to fight through so many enemies without any backup, but I think I am up to the task."
"Do you expect to attain your breakthrough during all of that fighting?"
"No." Ark firmly shook his head. "I do not think I am ready yet. I need to know where I stand when I fight under my own power. I have beco too accustod to fighting with the faith and belief of so many subordinates that I have forgotten about what it was like to fight for myself. I am doing this to prepare for a possible breakthrough in the battle after we have completed this operation."
The ace pilot harbored genuine respect towards Ark for preparing to fight with a handicap.
"I think you are doing the right thing, Ark. I don't know how it is with command specialists such as yourself, but other pilots such as myself ultimately believe that we can break any opposition as long as our fists are strong enough. The stronger your base power, the greater the effects of amplification. You should never neglect your personal strengths."
This was one of the realizations that Ark had made as of late. He had been trying to change several habits in order to earn the qualifications to break through. He had already implented the advice that Tusa gave him last ti and delegated more day-to-day leadership responsibilities to other ch officers.
This mission was an extension of this effort. For this risky operation, Ark just wanted to distance himself from his ch division and fight alongside his fellow peers as a simple high-tier expert pilot, although one who held a little more authority than the others.
Hopefully, his attempt to reconnect with the more fundantal aspects of ch combat would allow him to gain crucial insights on who he was and what he needed to do in order to take the next step.
He just hoped that it did not co at a high price.
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