"Reporting — a demon legion fleet is found.
"By inference from the earlier intelligence, it should be part of the Agares Legion's fleet, near two hundred thousand interstellar warships.
"It wants but ten minutes at full sailing speed for them to enter our radius of fire!" Her subordinate reported this word to Ye Xiaotong in haste.
Hearing it, though it had long been looked for.
No few departments upon the bridge grew somewhat tense for all that.
"How stands the resting and supply of the several fleets?" Ye Xiaotong asked her secretary officer at once.
The secretary officer answered, "We have but now destroyed the King-of-the-North Legion; our time of rest is not ten minutes old.
"By the scheme of rest and supply we drew up beforehand, three hours at the least are wanted for the whole Eighth Legion fleet to complete its supply and rest."
Three hours.
The enemy will by no means give them three hours.
"Get word to the Guard Fleet, and ask how much time they want for rest and supply," Ye Xiaotong said, her face set.
In the operation against the King-of-the-North Legion before this, that the King-of-the-North Legion should be destroyed within so short a time.
This Owl Dragon Guard Fleet may be said to have put out no little strength; and had they not threatened the King-of-the-North Legion's picked fleets directly, and destroyed the greater half of its T5 warships besides.
This campaign could by no means have ended so easily.
And her Eighth Legion would have paid a more grievous price in casualties besides.
"I have got word to them; the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet wants five hours to be wholly rested and supplied!" the secretary officer answered.
Ye Xiaotong was silent a while.
And just at this time the communications sergeant beside her called out, "My lady, word comes from the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet.
"They say they may attack of themselves and hold off the Agares Legion relief's assault, and so win our Eighth Legion time to rest!"
Ye Xiaotong's brows drew together; then she said, "Tell them at once.
"They are to withdraw to a safe district and go on with their work of rest and supply.
"Within five hours they are not to take part in any fighting whatever.
"And as for the Agares Legion here, our Owl Dragon Eighth Legion will answer for it!"
Upon this field, though the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet does not by its relation belong to the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion.
Yet since Zhao Chen and Charlotte are both away, Ye Xiaotong stands highest in rank, and has the right to give the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet its orders.
Before the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet came, Charlotte had set out certain orders besides.
That in the campaign's command upon the broad line they should take their orders from Commander Ye Xiaotong; and in the fleet's actual command in the fighting, the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet should determine for itself.
So that this present order the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet must obey.
And the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet being so disposed of, this threat of the Agares Legion must have some means found to deal with it.
"After the fighting with the King-of-the-North Legion before, our Eighth Legion's loss rate has reached 20 percent.
"Of thirty thousand interstellar warships, those still able to fight are under twenty-two thousand.
"Happily, in the matter of military stores and ordnance, our preparation is ample." Ye Xiaotong looked at the interstellar sand-table before her, and muttered it to herself.
Very soon she made her dispositions.
"Pass my order: the First Fleet and the Second Fleet are to attack of themselves and meet the Agares Legion!
"The remaining fleets to go on resting and await the word.
"And be ready at any moment to join the fighting!"
Hearing Commander Ye Xiaotong's order, within a small video window at the side a fleet commander cried out at once, "It will not do!
"This is too dangerous; your First Fleet, of all the fleets, took the higher loss before, and needs rest and supply the more.
"And now must face the Agares Legion besides, come on in the fullness of its strength.
"And your flagship belongs to the First Fleet — this… this safety of yours…"
"This is an order upon the field.
"You have only to carry it out!" Ye Xiaotong rebuked her in anger, without any courtesy at all.
Thereafter the eight fleet commanders could only follow that order, and let their own fleets go on resting and supplying.
While those two fleets went slowly forward, and then began to draw up their ranks and set their array.
Making ready to meet the Agares Legion opposite.
The array of it may be called somewhat far from even.
Upon the one side under five thousand interstellar warships that have been through a hard battle; upon the other twenty thousand interstellar warships come killing up in their full might.
And these five thousand warships would attempt, of all things, to bar the fury of twenty thousand warships opposite.
This… is truly hard to believe.
But these two Owl Dragon fleets did just so!
Before long the gunfire of the ships upon both sides began to strike without cease.
And though the performance of the Owl Dragon warships surpasses the Demon Race warships of like grade opposite, yet what help was there when the difference in number was so wide?
More and more Owl Dragon warships of the two fleets were covered by the enemy's fire; but they did not fall back a single step, and even, in certain parts of the field, held the enemy's ships down with fire of their own!
This sight was for all the world as if two boys with wooden swords in their hands stood barring the way before a thousand hosts and ten thousand horse.
And what the eight fleets in the rear could do at this moment was to quicken the work of their own rest and supply.
The crews working aboard those interstellar supply ships saw this scene too.
And every one of those hands wished he could serve for five men in one.
Half an hour later.
Those two Owl Dragon fleets had, with five thousand warships only, held off by main force half an hour of fierce assault by two hundred thousand warships opposite.
And of course these two fleets had paid the loss of above eight parts in ten of their warships besides.
Of the five thousand warships that yet remained, there were now but above a thousand left!
Yet these thousand Owl Dragon warships, having no order from their commander, held to their positions and would not fall back in the least!
A fight to the death!
And in the course of it the commanders of the several fleets in the rear asked leave to fight of Commander Ye Xiaotong several times over.
Though even that T5 flagship in which Commander Ye Xiaotong herself stood was taking the enemy's gunfire and fierce assault.
Ye Xiaotong would not let them end their supply.
"That is near enough.
"Pass my order: the Third Fleet, the Fourth Fleet and the Fifth Fleet are to come up in reinforcement.
"And fight the enemy alongside the First Fleet and the Second Fleet!
"The remaining five fleets go on with the work of supply and rest!" Ye Xiaotong's order came down.
Some rejoiced and some were troubled; though those who were troubled might set their minds somewhat at rest, since at the least the Commander had let other fleets take part in the fighting.
Yet those three Owl Dragon fleets had completed a part of their supply only, and had not recovered to their full state.
But for all that, their showing upon the field was exceedingly outstanding.
And they even held down for a time above a hundred thousand Demon Race warships opposite.
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Star-shield energy value fallen to the red boundary district, under 10 percent!"
Hearing the alarm sounding at her ear.
Ye Xiaotong took no heed of it whatever, but kept her eyes upon the interstellar war sand-table.
"Pass my order: one hour from now the remaining five Owl Dragon fleets are to join the fighting!
"And at the same time let the Owl Dragon Guard Fleet join the fighting within two hours, and destroy the Agares Legion's picked warships opposite."
The secretary officer beside her, hearing these orders, looked at Commander Ye Xiaotong with some astonishment.
Only now did she understand that her own Commander meant this time to do a great thing.
The order they had received before was to hold this body of relief up, and no more.
But her own Commander would swallow the other side whole!
And should it truly succeed — first taking every ship of the King-of-the-North Legion, and then destroying half the Agares Legion's ships.
That would beyond doubt raise the Owl Dragon Eighth Legion's name to a height never known before!