The matter of the Azure Star Region's Water-Lily Star System coming under bug-race attack gradually began to spread through the Starlight Empire.
For the Azure Star Region had already mobilized the whole star region's imperial military to deal with this interstellar-bug-race crisis.
A Grade-3 cosmic bug-nest and four Grade-2 cosmic bug-nests appearing at once in a single star system was a thing that had not occurred in near a thousand years!
Once a crisis of this kind went uncontrolled, it very likely would lead not only to the fall of the whole star system where it broke out, but to the surrounding systems being struck by the bug-swarm too — spreading and ravaging like a plague.
The Starlight Central Star Region · the Imperial Capital Star System · at a certain space starport.
An enormous T4 warship lay docked in the starport, and the several dozen berths adjoining it were all sealed off — even empty, no ship was allowed to dock there.
Beyond the starport, a corps-grade interstellar fleet stood guard besides.
On the hull paint of that T4 warship, apart from the two crests of the Galactic Alliance and the Starlight Empire, there was behind them a golden crest like a crown.
That was the royal crest of the Starlight Empire!
The royal crest came in three kinds — the golden royal crest, the silver royal crest, and the bronze royal crest; they marked three different strata within the royal house.
And the golden royal crest, by unofficial reckoning, had appeared on a mere scant five warships!
For to paint on the golden royal crest required not only the identity of a member of the royal house, but the leave of the sovereign of the Starlight Empire besides!
Within the ship's bridge, a girl in a gold gauze dress — her looks lovely and winsome, dainty as jade; a girl at one glance sure to become, in the future, a peerless beauty — sat in a captain's chair fashioned of crystal.
The whole bridge was laid out in a very feminine style; the personnel on the bridge were, one and all, crewwomen, each of a beauty that, set in an academy, would beyond doubt rank as class belle.
"Sister Yue, I hear your younger sister is among the imperiled two-academy fleet this time." The girl looked at the woman officer standing before her with her back turned; a back view alone, yet it showed off that proud, striking figure.
Paired with a gold-threaded white women's-cut military dress unlike the imperial military's, it set off all the more the proud figure of this uniform's owner.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness; I've already asked a friend to find a way to go to the rescue," the woman officer answered — but were one to look at those beautiful eyes of hers at this moment, one would surely find her expression plainly distracted.
"I know your heart has long been aching to fly off to that Azure Star Region. All these years, though you've not stepped forth to manage your family's affairs in that star system directly, your heart has been there all along. Your younger sister is one of the dearest of your kin. Also, I hear your younger brother, before all eyes at the Northstar Academy, piloted a T3 warship and, with the Chu River Governor's granddaughter, rushed off to the Azure Star Region's Water-Lily Star System to save people," the girl said.
Hearing that her younger brother had gone too — not only possessing a T3 warship but bringing along the Chu River Governor's granddaughter besides—
—these pieces of news, one after another and hard to believe, were wholly beyond what this woman officer had expected.
She'd heard her younger brother had settled the affairs of the Owl Dragon System, and realized her younger brother was growing — but she'd never dreamed he was growing so fast.
Not only possessing a T3 warship, but having ties with the Chu River Governor's granddaughter besides.
"Sister Yue, I know you worry for your kin. Here's what we'll do — I grant you special leave to lead a fleet of my personal guard in support of the Water-Lily Star System," the girl said with a blink.
The woman officer's face wore a touch of hesitation — one could see how complicated, how torn, she was.
"I know you're worried for my safety, but don't forget this is the Imperial Capital Star System; I still have nine personal-guard fleets, and there's no way anything could befall me here. What's more, a Grade-3 cosmic bug-nest and four Grade-2 cosmic bug-nests suddenly springing up in one star system — I keep feeling there's something not quite right about it. While you go rescue your brother and sister, you can look into it properly for me besides," the girl said.
The woman officer straightened up and said gratefully, "Thank you, Your Highness!"
Having settled a few matters, the woman officer left the bridge.
At this moment a careful eye would notice that her step was plainly quicker than usual.
……
The Azure Star Region · the Water-Lily Star System.
"Warning! Warning! The ship is under high-intensity attack!"
"Warning! Warning! Star-shield energy value at 85% remaining… 83%… 81%…"
The once-green numbers soon turned yellow, and because the rate of decline was so fast, a red warning-text prompt appeared besides.
79%… 77%… 75%… 74%…
A few breaths later, those two green bio-plasma-cannon beams dispersed at last; the star-shield still stood safe and sound at the fore of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser.
If anything, the attack of these two bio-plasma cannons had caught some bug-race units in its reach.
When a hive mother-ship launches an attack, it pays no mind to whether it strikes its own bug-race units by mistake; it launches only the most direct, most effective attack.
At the last, having borne the attack of these two T3 hive mother-ships, the star-shield energy value before Zhao Chen came to rest at "63%."
Two shots alone had consumed near a fifth of the T3 Blizzard's star-shield energy.
Had the pack of professors and instructors in the hangar seen it, they'd likely have gaped, dumbstruck.
Bear in mind — with an ordinary T3 warship, taking this attack head-on with a star-shield, a single shot alone would cost 30% in good luck, 50% in bad.
These two shots were enough to destroy the star-shield defense of most T3 warships.
Yet with this T3 warship, of all things, they'd consumed only this one-fifth!
One can imagine how advanced the star-shield defense system built into this warship was!
"Warning! Warning! Warning! Multiple energy attacks detected locking onto our ship!" the warning tone came again.
This time it was the enemy fleet's T2 hive mother-ships and T1 hive mother-ships.
Charlotte, without turning a hair, swiftly worked the interface before her, and at the last reckoned out the rough attack-lines of every attack.
"Adjust the star-shield to the [redacted] zone!" the crew worked to adjust the star-shield's position again.
"Close-in guns, dense interception fire on these several zones; secondary guns, fire at once on these 16 directions; and loose four Blizzard Light Interstellar Missiles, one at each of these four positions." Charlotte marked out attack-zone after attack-zone without pause.
So detailed it beggared admiration.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte's back — this vice-captain he'd bought was truly worth every bit!
And at this moment the T1 hive mother-ships' and T2 hive mother-ships' bio-plasma cannons had already closed in before the T3 Blizzard.
A great part of them were intercepted by the star-shield, spots of light from the impacts appearing one after another upon it.
But because they were so many, a portion of them skirted the star-shield's defensive zone.
And this was the moment those dispositions of Charlotte's proved their worth.
Interstellar missiles launch! Secondary guns open fire! Close-in guns lay down interception fire!