Mecha: Return of the Pioneers

Chapter 2042 Brad, the fleet is now in your hands!
"Father."

As He Ming was processing documents, a small figure jumped out from the pile of documents and hopped over to him.

He Ming put down his pen, opened his palm towards the tiny figure, and let her stand on it.

"Elise, what brings you here?"

This tiny figure, no bigger than a palm, is the body that Elise evolved from a miniature ELS individual from the ELS asteroid that came to support He Ming during the previous black hole crisis.

"Father. It seems the Mother's side has started to take action. VEDA has also sent a message, hoping that Father can make the necessary preparations."

Little Elise slowly and deliberately relayed the message from the Celestials, emphasizing the return of Lisa Kujo, Lockon, and Sergei, as well as the reason why she didn't actively contact Heming.

"Really? Judging from their combat strength, it shouldn't be a big problem. But the Ghost Faces are indeed an unstable factor."

After learning the news, He Ming pondered for a moment and then called Brad over.

"General."

Brad was recently promoted to colonel and officially took over his former position as commander of the Punishment Force.

"Yes, have a seat, Brad. I just received word that there's been some trouble with our allies. I might need to go there. I'm afraid you'll have to take charge of Punishment for the time being."

"General! No, I am not up to the job. Don't laugh at me. Just the daily work of the Punishment Force is already overwhelming."

Brad quickly waved his hand, indicating that he could no longer handle any more intense work.

He could clearly see that the youngest general in the Earth Federation was probably thinking about going out and having fun again.

Seeing that Brad refused without hesitation, He Ming was not angry.

After all, Brad's confidence to refuse him stemmed from Rebil and Thiam's repeated instructions to him.

Therefore, He Ming did not make things difficult for Brad and directly dialed Rebil's number.

"Yes, it's me. I'd like to speak with General Rebil. Does General Rebil have time? Oh, sure! I'll wait."

While He Ming was on the phone with Rebil, Brad, who was increasingly anxious because he was afraid that He Ming would really run away, finally noticed little Elise sitting on top of the pile of documents staring at him.

The palm-sized silver metal figure looked like a delicate toy, but little Elise gave him the feeling of a living, breathing life.

"Could it be someone from that metallic asteroid?"

With a sudden flash of inspiration, Brad quickly guessed almost exactly where little Elise came from.

Little Elise tilted her head and looked at Brad, waving to him in a friendly manner as a greeting.

Brad was curious and was about to wave back when He Ming interrupted him.

"Colonel Brad, Chabro Headquarters hereby appoints you as the acting commander of the Punishment Fleet. This order is effective immediately until I return having completed my mission."

"Yes, General. No, that's not right! General. What mission? What mission requires you, a general of the Earth Federation, to personally take charge?"

Brad stood up abruptly and asked anxiously.

He Ming stretched out his finger and pointed at little Elise.

“Just now, Elise sent over intelligence from the other two Earths. The local military is preparing to wipe out all of the Ghostfaces’ pawns in one fell swoop to prevent a black hole-like crisis from occurring.”

Upon hearing He Ming's words, little Elise put on a serious face and nodded repeatedly, indicating to Brad that it was absolutely true.

Brad sighed helplessly, clutching his hands. "Why don't we bring the Punishment Fleet over too, General?"

"No. Punishment must remain in command. Moreover, the fact that Punishment is not on the move does not mean I have no troops to use."

He Ming patted Brad on the shoulder, then reached out and let little Elise jump onto his shoulder before opening the door and leaving.

"Brad, this office is temporarily yours."

Brad's expression twitched, and he felt utterly bewildered.

"What kind of nonsense is this? Is this what Hathaway called Lundbel?"

Having finally found a reason to dump the tedious and boring paperwork on Brad, a refreshed He Ming strode towards the hangar with little Elise.

Little Elise, perched on his shoulder, curiously observed He Ming.

"Father, you seem very happy."

"Yes, that's right. I'm very happy. Finally, I don't have to deal with all that paperwork anymore. This is a day to celebrate!"

He Ming said in a firm and powerful voice.

"Really? Actually, if you give us those documents, we can finish them within an hour."

Little Elise blinked and offered a suggestion that surprised He Ming, but which he would not adopt.

"No. This is fine. There's no need for you to get involved in this."

"Let's go! We'll gather some men and then set off!"

To get to VEDA, you naturally need to choose a good ship.

Among the resources He Ming currently possesses, there are quite a few good ships, but the Earth Federation has very few ships capable of reaching VEDA in a short time.
Besides the Nadeshiko, there happens to be another such space battleship, the Hugh Charis.

This was the same new type of warship that He Ming noticed when he liberated Lapis from Nilgar Heavy Industries.

When He Ming saw the information about this warship, he was somewhat surprised as to why the ship had been developed and manufactured ahead of schedule.

However, considering the chaotic and volatile nature of the world today, it is understandable that Nigel Heavy Industries manufactured the ship ahead of schedule.

Therefore, in this situation where the space jump system is urgently needed, this ship has become He Ming's best choice at present.

“Lapise, this is Elise. She is her brother’s child. What you see now is just a small part of her.”

After finding Hoshino Ruri and Lapis looking at the menu and wondering what snacks to eat in the rest area, He Ming took the opportunity to introduce Little Iris to them and also informed them of their upcoming departure.

Hoshino Ruri pondered for a moment.

“Brother. If this mission doesn’t take too long, I’d like to go with you. Besides, Lapis hasn’t had any real combat experience yet, so she might be a bit unpredictable.”

Hoshino Ruri's concerns were valid.

Even if Hoshino Ruri didn't say anything, He Ming would consider having Hoshino Ruri come along to help Lapis quickly familiarize herself with her powers.

"Well then, let me put in a good word for you about the Nadeshiko! Anyway, the Nadeshiko will be in a period of rest and recuperation for the next two or three months. After all, you've all been busy for so long."

"Yes! Everyone on the Nadeshiko will surely be very happy!"

(End of this chapter)