"How is it there are only this many interstellar transports?" Zhao Chen asked, knitting his brows.
Lilith said helplessly, "These are all the interstellar transports we can, at present, find and requisition from among the civilian sector."
"The civilian sector?" Zhao Chen caught the word within her words, and said with narrowed eyes, "So that's to say — there are, in fact, still interstellar transports to be had?"
Lilith heard the somewhat crazed notion in Commander Zhao Chen's tone, and said with some worry, "But those all belong to other lords… even to the Empire military…"
"I'm asking, right now: which interstellar transports are there that can be mobilized! Never mind whose they are!" Zhao Chen asked in a tone that brooked no dispute.
Lilith gulped, raised a hand, and switched out a set of data. "This is the whole of the data on interstellar transports registered within the North Wind Star Region. Besides the interstellar transports we requisitioned along the way here, there is, in fact, another portion of interstellar transports belonging to the various lord-nobles, and even to the Empire military."
"Do these interstellar transports have transport tasks of their own?" Zhao Chen asked outright.
"By the intelligence we've obtained, a portion of them are carrying out transport tasks that are… the hauling of the private property of the various systems' lords, and even nobles. And even so, the rate of usage is often under 50%," Lilith answered.
Zhao Chen knit his brows. "This pack of fellows — a time like this, and still they think only of that fly-head-sized profit of theirs! Lilith, find me, in the shortest time possible, every interstellar transport that's in an idle state, or that's hauling those lord-nobles' little treasuries!"
Because the North Wind Governor had granted Zhao Chen a certain special authority, Zhao Chen could now access the North Wind Star Region's intelligence network directly, and could naturally query the present locations of each of the registered interstellar transports. Some, indeed, even down to the detail of the very planet, the very starport, they were at!
Some tens of minutes later, Lilith reported up to Zhao Chen a set of data. Summarized upon it was a portion of interstellar transports, chiefly T2 interstellar transports.
"The great majority of these belong to some powers of standing and face within the North Wind Star Region; if we lay hands on these powers' interstellar transports, it may bring us no small trouble." Lilith reminded him.
"Any trouble it brings won't be coming to me." The corner of Zhao Chen's mouth curved up, and he at once relayed his order. "Issue another order to those T3 Blizzards carrying out combat tasks: along their nearest planned voyage routes, they're to go, in passing, and forcibly requisition these interstellar transports — say it's the North Wind Governor's order; and if any dare refuse to obey, they're permitted to use any means whatsoever! In short — I want more interstellar transports!"
On the four words "any means whatsoever," Zhao Chen deliberately weighted his voice.
"And go to this location as well, to 'borrow' a batch of interstellar transports." Zhao Chen pointed at the position of a certain star gate. At this gate's position, Zhao Chen had, well in advance, arranged the matter with Li Yaqi of the Northern Goose Group — having her make a show of sending an interstellar-transport fleet voyaging to this position, to then be "forcibly requisitioned" by him. Li Yaqi would, to the outside world, likewise denounce Zhao Chen — but in truth she'd be cooperating with this operation of Zhao Chen's.
Zhao Chen rubbed at the tip of his nose. "Whatever the case, if I can mobilize a few more interstellar transports and carry a few more people to safety, then that's a few more."
"Yes!" Lilith heard the resolve within Commander Zhao Chen's words, and at once set about deploying the task.
And at the same time, Lilith admired the Commander from the bottom of her heart. For the sake of rescuing these common folk he'd never so much as met, Commander Zhao Chen was, of all things, willing to make an enemy of those noble-lords! Commander Zhao Chen's spirit was worthy of song and of tears!
Zhao Chen looked to Charlotte beside him, still commanding the combat operation on this planet. "Charlotte, I need this planet's bugs brought under control in the shortest possible time! Only so can the efficiency be maximized over these coming days of the evacuation operation. I have no wish, when the time comes, to still have a pack of bugs on the planet making trouble for me."
Charlotte said in earnest, "24 hours' time — I'll clear away all the Hive Motherships on this planet and around this planet, and at the same time clear away over 90% of the ground-crawling interstellar hive-race units on the planet!"
Zhao Chen nodded in satisfaction, and went on, "As far as possible, notify the planet's common people to gather at the shelters or at some large buildings — and wait for us to carry out the evacuation work on them!"
"But there's a problem in this: when the interstellar-transport fleet comes, who is to be evacuated first?" Charlotte raised a great problem of the century.
At a time of fleeing calamity like this, who was to be evacuated first was an enormous issue. Because everyone understood well: the longer one stayed on this planet, the greater the coefficient of danger. No one wished to stay a single day, or half a day, longer on this planet.
By the normal way of things, in an evacuation, one would certainly first move out those noble scions — for their standing was there for all to see; they belonged to the privileged class. But that was bound to cause chaos among the lower-rung common folk on a still larger scale. And so this was a great problem of the century.
Zhao Chen thought it over, and said, "Draw lots for it. Record every person's information data on this planet, and then have the system randomly draw each batch of people to be evacuated. And in the midst of this, if there's anyone who protests or obstructs, lower the probability of their being drawn according to the degree of harm of their behavior; and if some more extreme behavior occurs, they may be imprisoned, or even shot dead on the spot!"
Charlotte nodded; she was much in agreement with this method. Though it did, in a certain sense, increase the workload, happily a great deal of this planet's basic facilities were still intact; relying on the central computer system to conduct this planet-wide lottery-evacuation needed only half a day's preparation time.
"Very well; I'll go arrange it right away per your instructions," Charlotte said.
……
A city on the planet's surface.
After the interstellar warships came to lend support, the Hive Motherships in the air had basically been wiped out clean, and the ground-crawling interstellar hive-race upon the ground had likewise suffered a great slaughter — so that, at the least, there'd be no more scenes of unbridled, unrestrained massacre. And at the same time, the planet-wide broadcast comm system, now taken over by the Owl Dragon Fleet, activated just then.
"All people of the Sapphire System's Third Planet — we are the Owl Dragon Fleet, come by order to lend support, to render aid, and to arrange your evacuation and dispersal. Next, we will promulgate a wartime evacuation decree; we ask that you all cooperate with us unconditionally. Article One: All people are asked to proceed to the shelter or large building site nearest them; those will be the assembly points from which your evacuation is later arranged. The information on these evacuation points will be synced onto this planet's public channel, and everyone may look it up for themselves. Article Two: The first batch of personnel to evacuate will be arranged for evacuation in 15 hours; at that time we will scan and number the personnel information at each assembly point across the planet, and each person, by their biological information, will receive a number. This number can be by the unit of an individual, or by the unit of a family or some group; the greater the number of people in a unit, the lower its probability of being drawn. Those whose numbers are drawn will obtain the permission to evacuate in that batch. No one may raise any objection to this; and should any behavior harmful to this resolution be discovered, evacuation qualification will be revoked — and, indeed, one may be shot dead on the spot. Finally, we ask you all to set your minds at ease: we, the Owl Dragon Fleet, will do our very utmost to help you all evacuate this place."