Chapter 962: Rendezvous with the Guardians

On the shipping lane heading toward the Ka Lun Star jump point.

Nail unbuckled his safety belt and, like most of the soldiers, remained in his shock-absorbing seat.

Outside the porthole, other ships of the same formation could occasionally be seen.

Beside him, Iron Slag tapped on the armor plating and complained in a low voice.

"We've been sailing for nearly twenty hours, and we haven't even seen a shadow of the enemy, yet they want us to run for our lives like startled Kata Beasts."

Nail reached out and patted Iron Slag on the shoulder.

"General Gelan and General Metake are not fools; they must know something we don't. 'Swarm' protocol... the name alone makes one feel uneasy."

The Fengqi marine nearby, named Keerte, suddenly spoke up.

"It's supposed to feel uneasy. It means the generals believe that if we line up for a head-on exchange of fire, our chances of winning are slim. That's why we have to be like mosquitoes, bite once and run, hoping to bleed the giant to death with countless small wounds."

Iron Slag couldn't help but retort.

"Five hundred thousand 'Guardian' Super Soldiers! And we still need to use this kind of tactic? I heard one 'Guardian' can tear apart a heavy walker with their bare hands! Five hundred thousand! That's enough to flatten several star sectors!"

Keerte shook his head slightly and said.

"Tear apart a walker with bare hands? You've watched too many training camp promotional videos, big guy. Was General Suo'er's orbital defense platform torn apart by bare hands? Look at the clips from the internal briefing; those 'Space Marines' don't show strength any worse than the 'Guardians'."

Just then, a prompt tone sounded inside the ship.

At the same time, the captain's slightly excited voice came through the internal communication:

"Attention all personnel, our ship is about to rendezvous with the support fleet from the 'Guardian Project' home planet—'Shengkai Star'. This fleet carries one hundred thousand 'Guardian' Super Soldiers and will accompany our unit to the Ka Lun Star assembly point. Maintain current heading and prepare for inter-fleet communication coordination."

Iron Slag said with an excited expression.

"One hundred thousand 'Guardians'! Look! What did I tell you! Our Super Soldiers are here!"

Nail leaned toward the porthole and peered outside.

Not long after, off the side of the fleet's heading, a fleet was exiting from another jump point, adjusting its formation to rendezvous with them.

A soldier who had studied Star Alliance ships quite a bit whispered.

"That is the 'Firm Bastion', one of the flagships of the 'Guardian' Legion! It is said that its shield generator is custom-made and can withstand a full broadside from a battleship's main guns!"

The two fleets merged in the void, forming a much larger mixed formation.

"Look! Those are the 'Guardian' troop transports!"

Iron Slag pointed at several ships with shuttle-shaped appearances and shouted.

Behind the side observation window of a Guardian troop transport, several tall figures appeared.

They wore streamlined Shimmering Power Armor, generally standing nearly three meters tall, even taller than those "Space Marines" in the records.

At the same time, in the joint command communication channel of the mixed fleet.

A virtual meeting space was constructed.

The holographic images of the supreme commanders of each fleet appeared one after another.

The commander of the First Mobile Fleet, Colonel Walton, scanned the newly joined members.

The commander of the Third Mobile Fleet, Colonel Liara Fan, an Erasin female, had a tall figure and pointed ears that were very conspicuous in the crowd.

The commander of the Fifth Mobile Fleet, Colonel Geluke, from the Kelinmu, had a short, sturdy build wrapped in a custom general's uniform.

Finally, there was the Legion Commander of the "Guardian" Third Legion, "Fist of the Firmament", Akutulesi Nuoen.

His holographic image was more solid and taller than the others; even in the virtual space, one could feel the invisible pressure brought by that custom Power Armor. His face was hidden beneath a majestic, winged helmet, with only the cold blue light emanating from the helmet's eyepieces. His voice, processed by the communication device, was deep and carried a metallic resonance:

"Colonel Walton, Colonel Fan, Colonel Geluke. The 'Fist of the Firmament' Legion has arrived as ordered, awaiting deployment."

Colonel Walton nodded slightly.

"Legion Commander Norn, welcome. Your arrival greatly strengthens our forces."

Colonel Liara returned the salute gracefully.

"It is our honor to fight alongside the 'Guardians'. I hope we can coordinate closely."

Colonel Geluke was more direct.

"Legion Commander Norn, let's skip the pleasantries. General Gelan activated the 'Swarm' protocol, and General Metake ordered us to assemble at Ka Lun Star. I presume you have already seen the data transmitted back by General Suo'er; what are your thoughts on the upcoming deployment?"

Norn's gaze swept across the group, and he spoke calmly.

"The view is simple. The enemy is powerful, but not invincible. The existence of the 'Guardians' is to deal with such threats. I suggest that after arriving at Ka Lun Star, we use my legion as the main force to strike directly at the border of the Seventh Star Sector and find the enemy's main force for a decisive battle. Using the individual advantages of our Super Soldiers and the technical advantages of the fleet, we can crush them in one blow, retake the Seventh Star Sector, and eliminate that so-called Xiuluo Holy Star Alliance and the Emperor they speak of."

Colonel Walton's brow furrowed.

"Legion Commander, I understand the desire for battle you and your soldiers have. However, the orders from General Gelan and General Metake are clear: 'Swarm' protocol. This means avoiding a head-on decisive battle with the enemy's main force, at least at the current stage."

Norn said confidently.

"I understand the generals' caution, but being too conservative will only miss the window of opportunity. Part of the reason for General Suo'er's failure was his inability to commit enough powerful ground forces at the beginning to contain the enemy's boarding operations. If we concentrate our superior forces and take the initiative, we can catch them off guard before they consolidate their defenses. Dispersing forces for guerrilla warfare will only lead to being picked off one by one by the enemy."

Colonel Liara spoke up, attempting to ease the atmosphere.

"Legion Commander Norn, your courage is admirable. But our understanding of the enemy is still very limited. Their fleet size, specific troop deployment, navigation capabilities, and even their social structure and war potential are all unknowns. A rash decisive battle carries too much risk. Although the 'Swarm' protocol is passive, it can preserve our strength to the maximum extent, gather intelligence, and figure out the enemy's patterns and weaknesses."

Colonel Geluke also chimed in.

"That's right. And Ka Lun Star is just an assembly point and outpost. According to General Metake's orders, we also need to rendezvous with support forces from other star systems in the Sixth Star Sector. Look at the star map."

Geluke operated the controls, projecting a real-time star map into the center of the meeting space.

From the vast star territory of the Sixth Star Sector, hundreds of fleet blips of varying sizes were converging toward the direction of Ka Lun Star.

These fleets had different markings; some were escort fleets sponsored by mining groups, some were remnants of border patrol squads, and some were even the private armed forces of local nobles.

They varied in size and equipment, but at this moment, they were all responding to the star sector's call, rushing toward the same goal.