The Hell-Angel ace fleet group · Seventh Corps Fleet · the flagship
"My lady, we've been sitting idle here for thirty-odd hours. We haven't fired a single shot yet. Have they brought us here to be an honor guard?" the deputy captain said beside her, somewhat impatient.
The corps commander glared at her subordinate, then said, "You know how important we are. You know our weapons can't be brought out lightly. Once we fire, it means a vast consumption of war resources. As for consumption alone, our Empire can bear it; no problem. But the resupply after? Never mind that our interstellar missile ships' resupply would take up other friendly ships' resupply time and places. A single interstellar missile ship of ours alone needs a great deal of time to resupply. Which means we'd have a long window of no fire. So this fleet of ours won't be used unless the moment is critical!"
"But… at least let us fire a few shots. Watching others fight to their heart's content while all we can do is stare," the deputy captain muttered in a low voice.
"Firing a few shots, the interstellar missile ships the front-line fleets carry themselves can do that job. And once we get an order to fire, it's a matter of a wholly different grade. Wait. Wait for orders." The corps commander looked at the interstellar holo-table before her.
Though there was no task assigned, she was watching the interstellar holo-table before her every moment,
all to make sure she could go to battle stations the instant a task came.
At the same time a great deal of data gathered in the war on the enemy's warships appeared before her as well.
For the missiles interstellar missile ships used all had terminal guidance, and could hit a starship precisely in the area chosen.
So if a warship's close-in defense strength, hull armor strength and other figures could be known ahead of time,
in the attack they could prepare accordingly, and make the attack as effective as it could be.
……
The Devourer Civilization · forward operational headquarters
"As things look now, this Owl Dragon Empire has strength we didn't foresee before. Forty combat hours have now passed. And on the battlefield their lines show no sign of loosening at all. They even grow braver as they fight us, and handle our warships more and more skillfully."
"That truly wasn't expected; we thought this Owl Dragon Empire, founded not even three years ago, was nothing to fear at all. At most the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups would make some trouble for us. But who'd have thought that, so far, the ones who've fought us most would be this Owl Dragon Empire's legion fleets? The Sacred Elf legion fleet groups, if anything, haven't thrown themselves wholly into the fighting."
"I warned you before: we can't be the least bit careless with this Owl Dragon Empire. After all, by the intelligence we have, this Owl Dragon Empire's universe is one of the Great Existence's few chief targets. Before this, it struck several times in a row, and never took this universe. They even have a Mechanical Race legion fleet that has held the Great Existence's Pitch-Black Legion fleets locked in battle in the outer domain, and has fought on right up to now!"
The three commanders of the Devourer Civilization sat together, discussing the war before them.
They were each a trusted commander under one of the Devourer Civilization's Three Sovereigns.
The Three Devouring Sovereigns all believed in Order, and were all of the Devourer Civilization, working together year in, year out.
But they were on guard against one another too, and would naturally not hand their own legion fleets to the others' charge.
In military operations like this, each would set a commander of their own in charge of commanding their legion fleets in battle.
These three Devourer commanders now were the battlefield commanders of this war.
"Then what now? Go on by the original plan? In the past forty combat hours the battlefield hasn't spread to the size we expected. Not even a fifth of it. If we fight on like this, the final result will likely fall far short of what we expected."
"With the battlefield we control so small, setting down a Soul Altar has the problem of too little defensive depth. It could very easily be stormed and destroyed by the enemy. As things look now, these Owl Dragon legion fleets and Sacred Elf legion fleet groups have the ability to do it."
When the two Devourer commanders had given their views, they looked at the remaining one, the eldest, whose word also carried most weight among the three: the old Devourer commander.
The old Devourer commander thought a moment and said slowly, "As things look now, what I suggest comes to no more than three courses. First: go on with the present battle plan; perhaps, as you just said, we can't reach the expected battle objective, but perhaps too the enemy's logistics can't hold out till then. Second: in the three battlefields opened so far, we add more interstellar fleets; for that we must apply to the Three Sovereigns. Third: much like the second, it's also adding forces, but not adding them to these three battlefields; instead we use the reserve plan and open new battlefields. By the intelligence we had before, this Owl Dragon Empire's main fleets number no more than three million. And the Sacred Elf Empire has only sent them five million warships in support; no more than ten million warships in all. By the fighting strength as it looks now, in truth we do need to add some forces. To go from the present fifteen million warships to thirty million is the best choice. But for that we must apply to the Lords, the Three Sovereigns."
Hearing that they were to apply to the Three Sovereigns,
one Devourer commander said somewhat hesitantly, "The plan was to use the fifteen million warships in hand to complete the first stage of the battle plan, and add more after. Now, not even forty combat hours into the fighting, we apply to send reinforcements. The Lords, the Three Sovereigns, may think us wanting in ability, and punish us."
But the other Devourer commander said in a deep voice, "There's sense in what you say. But all three of us can see that if we fight on as things are, unless the enemy runs into some great trouble of its own, our original battle plan is bound to fail. Then we'll be punished just the same. Rather than come to that pass, better to confess our fault now."
The old Devourer commander looked at the Devourer commander who could not make up his mind. "I'm for reporting to the Three Sovereigns now, and applying for more legion fleets. Now it's up to what you say."
Seeing the other two both of that mind,
this Devourer commander steeled himself and nodded agreement too.
Then the three, after preparing what to say, applied together to report the state of the battlefield to the Three Sovereigns.
In a gloomy great hall
the holograms of the three Devourer commanders appeared; all three lay prostrate on the ground, not daring even to raise their heads.
Above all when they had finished reporting the state of the battlefield, every one of them kept even his breathing very faint, afraid of disturbing the three Sovereigns.
"What you mean is that, as things stand, near ten million enemy warships, facing our fifteen million warships, have made it impossible for us to carry out the Soul Altar step of the battle plan." A thin figure sat on a throne high atop the steps.
"Y… yes… Among them, the Owl Dragon Empire's legion fleets' fighting ability far exceeds anything we imagined, beyond even the Sacred Elf legion fleet groups'. Were they not so few, our fifteen million warships might very well hardly have held the line of the first wave of attack. Their legion fleets have wholly retired T3-grade warships, and are fitted out throughout with T4 and T5 and a small number of T6-grade warships. And with every type of ship, working together in battle they reach very high fighting ability!" The old Devourer commander lay prostrate on the ground, reporting these things.
He knew every word he said now bore on the lives of all three of them.
In the Devourer Civilization, whatever your post, whether great commander or head of a great family,
before the Three Sovereigns you were nothing; one thought of the Three Sovereigns, and even one of the Devourer Civilization's five greatest families of a moment before might be wiped out in an instant.
That was what was terrifying about the Three Sovereigns.
"But I see your showing hasn't been so good, has it? You've even let them fight to a ten-to-one loss ratio. Doesn't your command bear any blame for that?" A cheerful voice came from the shadow of a huge fat one.
Hearing these cheerful words, the three Devourer commanders broke out in a sweat at once.
Compared with the Sovereign of the gloomy voice, the thin one, this fat Sovereign was more frightening still; for all his cheerful laugh,
of the Three Sovereigns he was the most unpredictable in his moods.
"I've read the battlefield reports; what you say is all fact. The fifteen million warships given you alone are indeed not enough to carry out the plan of attack. Then let it be as you say. The three of us will each send you five million more warships. As for how to fight it, work that out yourselves. We want only one thing: a result." The armored shadow spoke.
Hearing this Sovereign speak, the three Devourer commanders breathed easier at once; with this lord speaking, they had kept their little lives.
"Let the Three Sovereigns rest easy. We will surely take the Owl Dragon Empire!" the old Devourer commander cried loudly.
The other two Devourer commanders echoed him one after another.
"Withdraw. The interstellar legion fleets given you will arrive within three days."
"Yes."
The meeting ended, and the three Devourer commanders' figures dispersed.
"You really are generous; you say send more, and you send more," the fat Sovereign said cheerfully.
"What else would you do? The facts are before us; this Owl Dragon Empire is a hard bone. And when we contacted the Great Existence before, you both received the Great Existence's will too: whatever it takes, the Owl Dragon Empire's universe must be taken. If you don't agree to send more, I won't force you," said the armored Sovereign.[1]
The fat Sovereign laughed. "Don't get angry; I never said I didn't agree, did I? It's only five million. There, there, have them."
The thin Sovereign said nothing, which counted as consent.
……
The Owl Dragon Empire's universe · combat hour one hundred
Luoyang City
"Watch Main Lane No. 4; there's something going on there; don't let it jam!"
"Hurry up the B-zone loading berths; that interstellar transport is going over its loading time!"
"Get on to the star gate. Everything goes by wartime requirements; and if they suddenly let an extra batch of warships through over there, they have to tell us! With the flow suddenly rising, we can't cope on our side!"
All around Luoyang City, starships large and small could be seen streaming in and out without end.
All at once it made Luoyang City busier and more prosperous than the other three cities apart from Chang'an City.
It had to be said war is the catalyst of everything.
War can destroy a city, and at the same time make a city shine in a short time.
But it put enormous pressure on Luoyang City's staff too.
Luoyang City's command center
"Not one step can go wrong. Not only outside! Inside our Luoyang City too. Luoyang City's population has gone up fivefold from before the war to now. True, it's still far from the population ceiling Luoyang City was designed for. But with so many more people suddenly to manage, problems are bound to come up. And now, at this juncture, no problem of any kind is allowed. Whichever department has a problem, I'll hold that department's head responsible. Don't come crying to me then. I won't listen to any of that crap!" Dong Lan said sternly, looking at the heads of every department in the meeting before her.
Dong Lan, a major general of the Owl Dragon Empire,
now held the post of Luoyang City's city lord, and was at the same time supreme head of the Luoyang System.
As everyone knew, Luoyang System No. 02, neighboring the Luoyang System, was now under invasion by the Devourer Civilization,
in the stage of war.
And the charge on the shoulders of neighboring Luoyang City was naturally no light one.
"City Lord, we know too this is no time for excuses. But every department really is badly short of hands. A shortfall of at least 50% everywhere. The staff set up to work in three shifts: now they're all on at once, and it's still not enough. Take my own department: we're in charge of transferring supplies. In the past forty hours my people have averaged less than ten hours' rest! Go on like this, and the machines can take it but the people can't!" the head of one department could not help complaining.
City Lord Dong Lan glanced at this person; she did not rebuke him outright, but said in a deep voice, "I know about the problems you've all raised. I've reported this problem to my lady the Supreme Secretary-Officer too. My lady the Secretary-Officer has promised to send us a batch of people within the next ten hours. And later another batch will be brought over. On the present footing, it will double the staff of our Luoyang City! I know this moment is very hard. But I still hope all of you can grit your teeth and hold on. This is for our Empire!"
The many department heads nodded silently.
Complaining was one thing; even if these problems could not be solved, they would still hold fast at their posts.
The meeting ended.
The holograms dispersed one after another.
City Lord Dong Lan rubbed her temples.
"City Lord, get some rest. You haven't closed your eyes for thirty-odd hours either," her secretary urged her beside her.
"I can't sleep; the moment I close my eyes now it's all the business of our Luoyang City. His Majesty the Emperor trusted me: five cities, and one of them put in my hands, Dong Lan's. I can't, and mustn't, let this city go wrong in my hands!" City Lord Dong Lan said, flat and decisive.
Just then her communicator lit up.
It was an emergency communication of the highest grade.
She connected it at once.
"Dong Lan, latest news. Invaders have appeared at two new positions around the Luoyang System! Luoyang System No. 11 and Luoyang System No. 04."