The communication with the Angel Race over.
Zhao Chen thereupon reached Ah-Yin upon the Machine Race's side.
At this moment there was no longer that cold, machine-like look upon Ah-Yin's face; within those man-seeming eyes of hers there showed a certain cast of anger and of strain.
This mechanical life is growing more and more like a true form of life indeed.
"The Demon Race has opened an invasion upon you, and has taken governance of two of your star gates outright.
"And is even threatening the very existence of your royal court," Zhao Chen said plainly.
"If you are mocking me.
"I own it: what you said has all been borne out." There was something in Ah-Yin's manner as of shame turned to anger.
For not long since she had vowed to Zhao Chen that the Demon Race could not possibly invade the Machine Race.
And now the Demon Race's legion fleets have come killing to the very outside of their Machine Race royal court — which is a slap upon the face, and a naked one.
"I have no meaning of mocking you.
"I hope only that you may hear the opinion of me, your ally.
"Had you taken my advice before, and strengthened your guard within your borders, and kept a high wariness against the Demon Race.
"These things might not have happened.
"Is it not so?" Zhao Chen spread both hands and put it back to her.
Ah-Yin said nothing.
Nor did Zhao Chen go on wrangling upon that question; he looked at her. "How stands your case now?"
Ah-Yin cast an eye at Zhao Chen; this time she was no longer proud and prickly. "Two star gates have fallen, and are within the Demon Race's governance.
"And at the same time it is reckoned the Demon Race will put above a million warships into the attack upon our Machine Race royal court, and the assault is exceedingly swift.
"At present some demon legions have already opened attacks upon our royal court's outer parts.
"Our royal court's present garrison is three hundred thousand only, but we have begun to draw legion fleets from about us to come in support.
"For the present there is no very great difficulty."
"I hear that in your attacks upon the two star gates, and in the sending of support to your own royal court.
"You have put out two million Machine Race warships in all.
"I ask it presumptuously: can it be that your Machine Race has these warships only?" Zhao Chen asked, his voice low.
"What do you mean by that?" Ah-Yin put it back to him. How many warships an interstellar power holds is a thing of the deepest secrecy, and she could hardly tell Zhao Chen merely because Zhao Chen asked.
And the more so at so delicate a time as this.
"At present, upon the face of it, the Demon Race has moved two million warships, dividing its road in two.
"One road attacking toward the Angel Race, and one attacking your royal court.
"But I suspect the Demon Race's true object is your royal court.
"And that the force they have moved is by no means only what shows upon the face of it.
"And so I advise that you had best move as many warships as you may.
"Or you may suffer greatly," Zhao Chen warned her.
The system having given out such a mission, Zhao Chen has ground to suspect that this military operation of the Demon Race's may go beyond imagining.
"We shall make our arrangements by the case in fact," said Ah-Yin.
"Is your mistress still out of reach?" Zhao Chen, by the other's bearing, guessed that she had a thorn against him still, and whether she would truly do it hangs in the air.
Zhao Chen can only set his hope upon that little girl.
At the least that little girl is easy enough to talk with.
"You ask too much." Ah-Yin's look went cold.
This robot is truly one into whom neither oil nor rice will go; whoever designed her system, could they not have made it a little more considerate?
"If anything sudden arise in the fighting upon your side, you may reach me at any time." Zhao Chen left one word behind him at the last.
And this communication may be reckoned to have ended there.
What Zhao Chen ought to say and ought to warn of, he has done.
Were the system mission not standing there before him, Zhao Chen might perfectly well sit upon the hill and watch the tigers fight.
Only — that little girl has not appeared so long; what in the end is she doing?
And why should Zhao Chen have a feeling of misgiving that will not be still?
——————
The Machine Race · the royal court
"What is the case now?" Ah-Yin, come back into the chief command room, looked at Ah-Jin, who was setting out the dispositions, and asked.
Ah-Jin answered, "At present upon the front-line field there are above two hundred thousand Demon Race warships attacking our royal court's outer line of defense.
"There is no trace of that quasi-T6 Destroyer-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship.
"At present there is no difficulty with our line.
"And the reinforcements we have moved may enter the royal court within half an hour and make the line firm.
"And the legion fleets attacking the two star gates severally may each enter their field within ten hours at the latest.
"But when the gates may be recovered, or destroyed, cannot be determined."
Ah-Yin called to mind what that lord of a man had said to her just now.
She hesitated a while, and then warned her for all that, "That the Demon Race should raise so great a host and open this attack upon us.
"Since they dare it, that shows they have some confidence of their own.
"Besides there being some Mechanical Divine Church believers making trouble, I suspect the Demon Race's military strength may have come by some raising.
"And so I advise strengthening the watch within Demon Race territory.
"And at the same time increasing further the number of our Machine Race legion fleets!"
Hearing Ah-Yin's warning, Ah-Jin said, "What you have thought upon, I have thought upon too.
"But at present all the warships within our Machine Race's territory, reckoned to the last, come to three million only; and those industrial bases, districts of resource production and the rest all want legion fleets to garrison them.
"To move two million warships to fight the Demon Race is already near our limit!
"At most we may notify five hundred thousand more warships to be ready at any moment to support the field — but they may not lightly be moved until the last extremity!"
Ah-Yin was silent; she knows besides that what Ah-Jin says is all fact.
Such is the Machine Race's case at present.
"Had the Demon Race dared offend against us before the mistress left.
"I should assuredly have seen to it that of these Demon Race warships setting foot in our Machine Race's territory, not one went back again!" Ah-Jin said in her indignation.
"That the enemy should choose this time of all times to open their invasion upon us.
"Shows that the Mechanical Divine Church has penetrated to our own high places.
"And with their being in wicked league with the Demon Race besides.
"In this crisis we may not be careless.
"Or if there should truly be some loss.
"When the mistress comes back we shall have no account to give her," Ah-Yin warned.
Ah-Jin nodded, and looked at Ah-Yin. "I know; I mean shortly to go myself to the royal court's line and take charge of the command there.
"And you stay here and hold this place.
"However it be, make certain of the royal court's safety.
"And I too shall bar the Demon Race warships' assault.
"I will let not one Demon Race warship through!"
Ah-Yin nodded heavily, and believes what the other says.
Now what they can do is to fight the Demon Race, and at the same time to wait upon their mistress's return.