Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.
With ring upon ring of light,
interstellar warship after interstellar warship appeared out of empty space.
Those who had been tense and flustered, seeing these warships appear, had suddenly something to lean upon.
For upon the hulls of these warships was the crest of the Owl Dragon Empire's fleets!
Which meant that these were no lord's fleet, nor any system security fleet.
But the Owl Dragon Empire's fleets, true and genuine!
"These look to be the Owl Dragon Legion's First Fleet Group!" Someone had made out the meaning of the marks and numerals upon their hulls.
At those words,
hearts were lifted at once.
To their minds, even were it some T6 warship.
Before the Owl Dragon Empire's fleets it counted for nothing at all.
"Look there, the surface of that star is stranger still. It seems… it seems as though something upon it were moving!" Someone had been watching the star's changes all this while.
That star was now half turned black.
And faintly there could be seen some strange matter upon it.
"I am Liu Xiaowei, commander of the Third Fleet, Eighth Legion, First Fleet Group of the Owl Dragon Legion."
A video window appeared outright before the eyes of this system's flagship fleet-leader.
Such is the privilege of the Owl Dragon Empire's fleets.
They may connect directly to the command system of any subordinate warship.
And even, at need,
they may shut down any Owl Dragon-line warship whatever by remote control.
Ask why?
Ask, and the answer is: what belongs to the Owl Dragon obeys!
This pig-headed fleet-leader straightened at once: "Reporting. Fleet-leader of the M011 system security fleet."
"We have received your application for relief. Report the present situation." So Commander Liu Xiaowei asked the local security fleet-leader, while at the same time setting her own people to gather the state of the scene.
Which greatly increased the efficiency of it.
The pig-headed fleet-leader began at once to tell her every piece of intelligence he had.
And seeing the three thousand warships she had brought with her, he had something firm beneath him too.
Though the enemy opposite was a warship thought to be of T6 grade,
they here had three thousand Owl Dragon-line warships.
Which are no vegetarians either!
"An SSS-grade wanted criminal, the Black-Bristle Pig King… claiming a T6-grade interstellar warship… and the strange condition of the star." Commander Liu Xiaowei heard these reports through.
They matched, broadly, what her own secretary-officer had gathered.
"Commander, the radar of several of our warships shows that the star opposite is now in a most unstable condition. And that star's fluctuations… are not at all like a star's… There are… there are a great many strange things there." The secretary-officer added it beside her, with a grave face.
"Report the present situation to the Marshal. And pass word to the whole fleet: enter a state of battle. There are two objects of battle. The warship thought to be of T6 grade, controlled by that SSS-grade wanted criminal. And the other is that strange star. And besides, give notice to this system's administrator…" Commander Liu Xiaowei paused, and said gravely: "Open the Star Gate lanes. Find a way to evacuate every soul in this system, and quickly. Use every interstellar transport that can be used! And if they are not enough, contact the nearest several systems and bring their transports over."
"Aye!" The secretary-officer went at once to see to it.
Commander Liu Xiaowei looked with a grave face at what lay before her.
Before they carried out this task, their Marshal Charlotte had given them liberty of action.
Where they judged there was need, they might make whatever arrangement fitted.
And to choose to evacuate the people of a whole star system is beyond doubt a most serious thing!
If the thing were judged wrongly, a great many resources would be spent behind it for nothing.
But the reason Liu Xiaowei gave this order without hesitation.
Was that she felt the sense of a crisis.
And that sense came not from that so-called T6 warship.
But from the unknown matter that was staining the very star black.
Before coming, she had received a most secret document, and within it was recorded a video of an attack by unknown creatures.
"Send interstellar scout craft close to this star, and find out what the true state of it is. Save squads Seven, Eight, Nine and Ten, let the remaining squads make ready for battle, and destroy that warship calling itself T6 in the shortest time possible. Remember to hold the battle formation, and lessen our own casualties." Commander Liu Xiaowei made her dispositions at once.
"Ah… my lady Commander, is there anything you would have us do?" At this the pig-headed system fleet-leader, who had kept the connection all along, asked in a small voice.
Only then did Commander Liu Xiaowei mark that this fellow was still there.
She said: "Withdraw from the battlefield at once, and cover the system's evacuation. In the course of it there will certainly be those who will not comply. Remember that this system now stands under war control. Any who do not comply are to be held as resisting the Empire's decree: at the lightest, detained outright; at the gravest, they may be killed upon the spot!"
In that instant the pig-headed system fleet-leader was overawed by the killing air about her, and dared not think of going against her in anything.
"Aye." And having assented, the pig-headed system fleet-leader looked one last time at that star being stained black without cease; and why he could not say, but he had always a feeling of the deepest unease.
It was as though he were gazing upon something not to be gazed upon.
Once the system fleet had withdrawn,
what followed was naturally the regular army's time.
Commander Liu Xiaowei looked at the interstellar holo-table before her, staring at that target which called itself a T6 warship.
Within this fleet of theirs there was as yet no T6-grade warship in the establishment.
The highest grade was the T5.
The largest share was still the T4, together with some part of the T3 warships being retired.
For all that, Commander Liu Xiaowei had confidence that she could take this T6 warship.
For to them a T6 warship was nothing strange, nor any mighty foe past reaching.
Among their courses of further study there was one upon how to deal with T6-grade warships.
"Notify the fighting fleet: carry out the T6 hunting-and-killing plan." Commander Liu Xiaowei needed not even to set it out herself; one order sufficed.
The plan of battle, long since drilled by every starship and every small fleet, began at once to run.
The T4 and T3 warships hid behind the T5s, taking the T5 warships for their shields.
And a great mass of interstellar drones took flight besides.
At the same time the interstellar missile ships made ready to fire.
And a flight of Owl Dragon interstellar scout craft drew near that star, blackening little by little.