Galactic Star Calendar 3036, early March
The Dragon Emperor · the great council hall
The tables and chairs that had been there were every one taken away.
At this moment there stood here, ranked in even order, company upon company of Owl Dragon officers, and upon their faces a look of excitement and pride brimmed over.
And upon the uniforms they wore, at the shoulder, there was now a blazon bearing the number eleven.
Which stands for the number of the Owl Dragon legion in which they serve.
Before the ranks stood four persons.
One in front, three behind.
Ta, ta, ta.
The sound of military boots striking the floor came, and Zhao Chen appeared in the hall in formal dress, and behind him followed Lilith and Charlotte, both in the formal dress of their several posts.
Ta.
That one sound was every officer present drawing his body straight, stiff as so many steel spears.
"Reporting, Commander — every commanding officer of the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion from the rank of captain upward is assembled.
"Your instruction!" said the woman standing foremost of the ranks, her head high and her breast out.
Zhao Chen walked before this woman and looked with a smile at her whom he knows better than well.
Zhao Ruyue.
A bare year since joining the Owl Dragon Legion, and raised to be an Owl Dragon legion commander — all of it upon Zhao Ruyue's own effort, and the result besides of the vote of all ten legion commanders now in office.
Zhao Ruyue stood out above the rest.
And has become, since the enlargement of the Owl Dragon legion fleets, the eleventh legion commander.
"Zhao Ruyue, step forth," Lilith called from beside them.
Zhao Ruyue stepped one pace forward and stood before Zhao Chen.
"I now deliver my appointment.
"Zhao Ruyue is properly to serve as commander of the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion." As Zhao Chen spoke, Lilith beside him stepped forward bearing a brocade box.
Upon it lay a shoulder-badge of purple and gold with a dragon device, and in the middle the characters 'eleven.'
Zhao Chen took out this shoulder-badge and set it upon Zhao Ruyue himself.
The two women behind her both cast looks of envy.
"Set your mind at rest, Commander; your servant will assuredly lead the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion in valiant battle!" Zhao Ruyue drew her body straight, saluted, and roared it aloud.
The sound could be heard through the whole hall.
"Zhao Ruyue, return to the ranks.
"Midai'er, Leona, step forth," said Lilith.
Zhao Ruyue drew one pace back, and the two women behind her stepped out and stood before Zhao Chen.
The two joined the Owl Dragon Legion within a step of Zhao Ruyue, and may be reckoned her schoolfellows besides.
"Midai'er and Leona are properly appointed to the post of deputy commander of the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion." Zhao Chen having spoken the order.
This time it was Charlotte who came forward and took from the new brocade box Lilith held out two shoulder-badges somewhat unlike the first, and set them upon the two women.
And as Charlotte set this badge upon Midai'er, she patted this half-sister of hers besides, and cast her a look of encouragement.
Midai'er too was wild with joy; and were the present scene not so formal.
She would likely have flung herself weeping into her own sister's arms outright — she may at last fight shoulder to shoulder with her sister again.
While Leona looked at her own shoulder-badge, and then at Zhao Ruyue's.
Zhao Ruyue felt Leona's look besides, and cast her a smile.
Leona cocked the corner of her mouth, as though to say: one day I too shall command an Owl Dragon legion!
Had any other served as commander of the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion, Leona might have been unconvinced.
But if it be Zhao Ruyue, within herself she is convinced.
For Zhao Ruyue's ability in certain matters is indeed very fair.
And though Leona has never with her mouth owned it, yet within her heart she has long since acknowledged this rival.
"Hu Xin'er, step forth!"
Hu Xin'er came out; and though the creature wore Owl Dragon uniform, yet whether it be the gift of her race or no, there is a witching color about her in the lifting of a hand or the setting of a foot.
A little sprite indeed.
"Hu Xin'er is properly appointed to the post of secretary officer of the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion."
This time it was Lilith, the Owl Dragon's highest secretary officer, who conferred the rank upon Hu Xin'er.
And Hu Xin'er, the rank conferred, let her eyes fall instead upon Charlotte beside Lilith, with something of disappointment.
As for the other fleet captains and ship captains, those Zhao Ruyue and the rest arrange.
Before long the ceremony was walked through.
And from this the Owl Dragon Eleventh Legion may be reckoned truly founded!
"I did not think that within a bare two months thirty thousand interstellar warships could be built." Zhao Chen said it with feeling, looking at those thirty thousand new-made warships ranged outside the Dragon Emperor's viewport!
"This is thanks to the several chief engineers' labor, and to the planning of the three great empires' industrial bases as they now stand, which furnish the Owl Dragon base with half-finished goods of the middle and lower technologies, and greatly lessen the building time of a single warship.
"And there is this besides: that the several Owl Dragon legion fleets have not been in haste to make up those warships lost last year," Lilith explained beside him.
The second cause does indeed hold a very great part in it.
And that too is by Zhao Chen's order.
First set up the foundation of the new legion fleets — for once founded, they want a stretch of time besides to form into fighting strength.
Whereas those old legion fleets, filling in their missing hulls, can recover their former fighting strength quite easily instead.
"How great is the gap in interstellar warships in our ten old legion fleets now?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Charlotte knows this part best; she said from beside him outright, "There is a gap of some hundred and fifty thousand warships yet."
A hundred thousand?[1]
Hearing it gave Zhao Chen a pain in the skull.
It is truly because the losses in that campaign at last year's end were too great.
But it was worth it for all that; six demon legions of the Demon Race traded away — it may be called a great victory!
"How many warships can we produce in a single month now?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Lilith said from beside him, "Though at last year's summing-up we reckoned that in three months we could build thirty thousand Owl Dragon warships to the Owl Dragon Legion's establishment.
"Yet afterward, upon the three chief engineers' adjusting.
"If such houses as the Northern Goose Group, and certain consolidated military industries of the three great empires, be joined together, this efficiency may be greatly raised.
"Leaving out of account the consumption of raw materials.
"Producing by the present requirements, a single month can in fact produce fifty thousand interstellar warships — though the greater part of them are T3-grade.
"And a part of those must be sold to the Angel Race for the military purchase orders."
Zhao Chen nodded; this too he knows.
The military industries beneath the Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group are at present exceedingly busy, and must answer a great quantity of tasks of production.
"Summed up, then: while we hold to making one Owl Dragon legion every two months.
"And with the ten old Owl Dragon legions wishing to recover their former number of warships, we must wait at the least until the middle of this year.
"And that upon the condition besides that no campaign whatever break out," Lilith gave out the figure.