The sixth round: two minutes eighteen seconds. Zhao Chen won.
The seventh round: two minutes thirty-one seconds. Zhao Chen won.
The eighth round: one minute fifty-five seconds. Zhao Chen won.
……
And by degrees.
It was as though they had all fallen into a habit.
Every three minutes a pilot came out of the simulator cockpit on the one side with his tail between his legs, and then it was the next man's turn.
And without exception the winning was Zhao Chen's.
A consummate hand at the flying; whatever the battle map, he had it clear in his mind and worked it at his ease.
Every man there admired this newly arrived group leader from the heart just then.
Of his skill they had no doubt whatever.
Had he lost a round now, none of them would have thought anything of it.
Only they were curious how many rounds this group leader could go.
"How many has it been now?"
"Fifteen. Fifteen, and won every one!"
"That is past our own average count of sorties already. The group leader's constitution is strong indeed."
"Haven't you seen that to this moment he has not shed one drop of sweat?"
All about them ran the sound of low talk.
They were curious what number this run of wins would come to rest at.
At the last,
after one fighter pilot had lost and gone off with his tail between his legs,
not another man challenged Zhao Chen.
And there it ended: Zhao Chen had won eighteen rounds running.
Zhao Chen rose from the cockpit and looked about him.
He said coldly: "Who else is unconvinced?"
No one spoke. There was not the cry of a crow.
Zhao Chen looked at those who had just now been beaten by his hand.
Among them Cao Bing stood with a face like chalk, his wits gone out of him.
"By the penalty set just now. It falls upon the whole of you. Run your laps of No. 1 hangar." And with Zhao Chen's words done.
These men set off to run their laps with their tails between their legs.
Some were fortunate enough: not latecomers, but men whose curiosity had got the better of them, who had come up to challenge and been beaten, and who need pay no more than fifty kilometers for it.
And some were latecomers and challengers both, and must run a hundred and fifty.
And of them all, the one every eye was on was Cao Bing.
Not a man there knew how far Cao Bing had to run.
"Group Leader, our squadron leader…" A man of the First Flight Squadron could not keep from stepping out to plead for his own leader.
"Shut your mouth for me!" Cao Bing fixed his eyes on his man and roared it.
Then fell in silently behind the running column.
Near a hundred men, running their laps in silence about that vast No. 1 hangar.
"Excepting those squadron leaders and deputies now under punishment, the leaders and deputies of the other squadrons, and the heads of the ground-crew teams, will assemble in my office. The rest are dismissed." With that Zhao Chen made ready to go.
He saw the senior colonel still there upon the floor, and said with a smile, "Forgive me; I have business to see to at my end."
"No matter, no matter. To have seen Colonel Zhao's showing today is a thing to wonder at. Worthy indeed of a battle hero who rose several grades in a single engagement." The senior colonel praised him over and over.
And took his leave at the last, turning his head to look back at every third step.
Zhao Chen, for his part, went toward his own office.
As for those assembled in the hangar, they did not break up for a long while, but talked over everything that had happened, and did not forget to look at the men running their laps besides.
And as for those summoned to Zhao Chen's office,
not one of them dared be slack about it.
They went to Zhao Chen's office that very moment.
Not one was late; every one of them as good as a well-behaved child.
…………
When the senior colonel came back to the bridge he was called up before the captain's chair.
Song Chen sat there, seeing to the business of office.
"That man you charged me with has been settled in," the senior colonel said respectfully.
"What kept you so long?" Song Chen raised his head and asked, puzzled.
Whereupon the senior colonel reported over all that had happened in the combat hangar.
And hearing what had happened there.
A trace of astonishment showed on Song Chen's face.
"Is he as formidable as that?"
"He is. I judge he means to establish his own standing; but why he should be in so great a hurry about it I do not know. To use such means as these. Though he has succeeded, it was a great risk. Had he failed, whatever standing he has here would be gone entirely, and he would hardly bring men to obey him," said the senior colonel.
Song Chen frowned slightly.
In so great a hurry?
Could it be that he knows this operation's plan, and would therefore have the strength of this starship's fighters in his grip within a very short time?
But that is not possible.
When they had conferred before, it had been settled.
That apart from those few, no one whatever knew the whole of the plan.
Could Song Qingshan have told him?
He was, after all, the man Song Qingshan had asked be sent here.
But that is hardly likely either.
Though Song Qingshan thinks highly of the man, he is one who knows the rules.
To tell a plan of such weight to a subordinate who is no more than a colonel would be truly unsuitable.
"My lord, we have settled the hour of departure. It should be three hours from now," an officer said, coming up before Song Chen to report.
Three hours.
Song Chen nodded, looked at the star chart, and said: "Report our line of voyage to the Alliance. Tell them that we go next to the front's No. 3 command post, and shall direct from there the general assault upon the small universe."
"Yes."
As to the plan that was to follow, of setting himself out as the bait, Song Chen had told his subordinates nothing; no man knows whether the conservatives have not set some hidden watcher at his own side.
"This Zhao Chen…" Song Chen thought of the man.
At the banquet before, when he and this Zhao Chen had met each other's eyes, there had been a strange feeling in it.
But he had looked into this Zhao Chen; and apart from his showing an astonishing gift all of a sudden after that planet of his was invaded by the aliens.
The whole of his past record is perfectly ordinary, and every part of it may be looked up.
As to why he should have shown so astonishing a gift all at once, that is a thing not easily said.
He had half a mind to see this ace fighter pilot himself.
But for a Star Alliance Leader to receive an interstellar fighter pilot, colonel though the man be,
is out of the common way all the same.
And at such a time as this, Song Chen must keep such things from happening so far as he may.
So he could only put down the thought of coming at this Zhao Chen.
And leave it until this operation was over.
Song Chen gave out the last of his instructions and sat back in the captain's chair.
And looked at the star chart with something deep in his eyes.
Once this operation succeeded, he would be able to bring the powers within the Alliance wholly under his hand.
And would hold the small world besides.
And hereafter he meant to invade the other side's universe,
to grasp more of the universe's resources, and build a mighty interstellar fleet.
And so to face the calamity that is coming,
though it should make an invader of him.