The battlefield of the Demon Castle star system went on still.
The two hive-race nests far off grew on quietly as well.
And the Owl Dragon Star System raced against time without cease for the super-starships that were to come.
Within the Machine Race's royal court,
from the dock where that small starship had lain berthed there came a brilliant light.
The light dispersing, a figure appeared.
She slowly opened both her eyes.
"Mistress." Ah-Jin and Ah-Yin, who had long been waiting here, spoke with all reverence.
"How long have I slept?" The little girl hung suspended in midair, and asked.
"It is now Galactic Star Calendar, November 3, year 3036, mistress," Ah-Jin answered.
"Then I have slept some four months," the little girl murmured.
"Tell me, then, of this stretch of time I lay dormant. Has anything happened?"
The little girl paused, and added: "Above all, whatever has to do with the Owl Dragon and with that man."
Thereupon Ah-Jin and Ah-Yin began to set forth for their mistress the chief things that had come to pass in this time.
From the Demon Race's invasion of the Machine Race's royal court at the beginning.
To the Owl Dragon Legion's putting forth its hand thereafter, and driving the Demon Race back.
And on to the three races' allied army now besieging the Demon Castle star system.
And the two hive-race nests that had appeared of late.
Listening to these things,
the little girl was somewhat astonished: "I had not thought that within this better part of a year so many things should have happened all at once. That the Demon Race should dare to attack us."
At the thought of the Demon Race attacking the Machine Race's royal court, an angry color came into the little girl's brow.
"The timing of that attack was very coincidental. We have reason to suspect that behind the Demon Race stands the Mechanical Divine Church, and that the Mechanical Divine Church has to do with Order. All that lies behind this is in Order's controlling," said Ah-Yin.
"Hmph. Order." When the little girl spoke that word, Order, there was a chill upon all her face.
"Ah yes, the words I left for Zhao Chen before I went dormant. What has he done about them?" The little girl asked after the last thing she had charged them with before her dormancy.
Ah-Yin set it forth: "His lordship Zhao Chen accepted your request, and passed through the Gate of Gaia into the space upon that side. And upon the bearing you gave, he found a hive-race battlefield relic of ten thousand years ago. Within it he discovered a hive-race life that can exchange speech and hold communication. She is at his lordship Zhao Chen's side even now. Besides which, by reason of the terms you set at the first, we have lent the five industrial bases to the Owl Dragon, for their work of production and building. All are in operation at present, and what is produced and built is for the most part the component structures of interstellar warships. Once built, they are carried back to the Owl Dragon Star System to be assembled."
Hearing all this, the little girl was delighted: "It seems this fellow has not yet given us his whole trust. But I am rather interested in this hive-race life. That it can exchange speech with us at all. And besides… the hive-race she speaks of is nothing whatever like the hive-race we know. Perhaps this may become a chance for us against Order. Make the arrangements; I will go and see Zhao Chen."
"Then shall I make contact with the Owl Dragon Legion?" Ah-Yin asked.
Contact before had generally rested upon intelligent-machine technology: the little girl's machine consciousness would link into the other party's starship network, so that her holographic image might appear before Zhao Chen's eyes.
The little girl shook her head, and said with a grinning, playful face: "There is no need. This time I go to see him in person."
Ah-Jin and Ah-Yin looked at the little girl in some astonishment.
For it must be known that within this world.
Never yet had any interstellar race[1] other than mechanical life looked upon the mistress's true body.
And now that man might see the mistress's true body.
The deep meaning within that, both of them understood very well.
This was not merely a simple meeting and no more.
"Shall we send a fleet to follow you?" Ah-Jin asked.
"There is no need. Within this universe, at least as things now stand, there is no existence that can threaten me. Enough of talk. I must make ready to set out. Having slept so long, I must go out and enjoy myself properly! Hee hee hee!"
The Owl Dragon Star System
Zhao Chen, having made a round of inspection at the front, returned to the Owl Dragon Star System.
Matters upon the front battlefield were in Charlotte's and Lilith's charge, after all, so that Zhao Chen need not trouble himself at all.
He need only serve the office of a mascot.
And within the Owl Dragon Star System Zhao Chen was not idle either: he plunged headlong into industrial production.
With Chief Engineer Annie and the rest he labored there day and night, drawing up, revising and perfecting the plans of production and the order of the work.
All that those several classes of interstellar warship might be finished the sooner.
But this spirit of Zhao Chen's, of fighting in the front line, left the three chief engineers, some of them glad, and some of them in dismay.
"Report to the Commander: the Wrath-of-Heaven-Goddess-class Interstellar Heavy-Artillery Ship's first trial voyage has come to a perfect close. Every item of testing has been perfectly completed." A woman captain spoke in her excitement from the far side of the video window.
The trial voyage done, it meant in effect that she could go to the battlefield.
Zhao Chen knew well enough what the other was thinking.
"This is our first T6 interstellar warship. Go back to dock first, and gather the several data of this voyage," Zhao Chen said.
A trace of disappointment flashed in the depths of the woman captain's eyes.
But she obeyed the Commander's order all the same.
And then, all of a sudden, at this very moment,
a red video window sprang open outright before Zhao Chen.
"Report to the Commander: the Owl Dragon Star System's defensive radar system has detected an interstellar warship in a state of warp navigation, seeking to enter the Owl Dragon Star System. Its speed is exceedingly great. It exceeds the warp navigation speed of a T5-grade interstellar warship! We have already started up in emergency the warp interceptors deployed about the Owl Dragon Star System, and shall intercept this suspicious starship at the K22 Owl Dragon border-defense district!" So an officer charged with the Owl Dragon Star System's security reported in his haste.
Zhao Chen knit his brows.
At such a time as this, was there actually one who dared affront the Owl Dragon Star System?
It was an act very like the seeking of death.
But by the data observed, the speed exceeded the warp navigation of a T5 starship.
Could it be an interstellar warship of the T6 grade?
Yet within this universe there should be nothing of the T6 grade…
All of a sudden, a thought seemed to come to Zhao Chen.
"You may intercept the warp, but you need not attack," Zhao Chen ordered.
The star system's security officer, hearing this, thought it strange, but did as he was bid all the same.
But at this very moment the security officer cried out in alarm: "How can this be… This interstellar warship has passed straight through the warp interception belt! It has entered the Owl Dragon Star System already. Its course… is upon the Commander's own position."
In truth there was no more need for the security officer to speak.
For Zhao Chen had already seen the guest of this visit.
Round about Zhao Chen, the crew and petty officers all wore looks of amazement.
For that interstellar warship was, plain to see, a Hades!