When those earlier interstellar warships bearing the golden Chu-character emblem on their hulls had appeared, there were, perhaps, still some who hadn't taken notice. But when this T4 Boreas appeared, almost at once every ship present knew of it. Because this warship was simply too enormous!
The T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship had a full 4,800 meters of hull length — that was big enough, surely? A carrier starship was the largest in volume of its class of ship-type; without chasing after speed, the larger the hull, the more interstellar fighters and drones it could hold. But so huge a T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship, set before the T4 Boreas, was for all the world like a small child standing beside a grown man. A hull length of 7,800 meters was enough to make the T4 Boreas the focus of all eyes the instant it made its entrance!
Behind the golden Chu-character emblem was the hull number: C07.
"Chu River Star Region, Governor's Corps Third Fleet, come by order to lend support!" A crisp, spirited woman's voice rang out over the public channel. In truth, the moment one saw that golden Chu-character emblem, this fleet's identity was quite plain. And thereupon, two more T4 Boreas crossed the star gate, appearing to left and right of the North Wind God C07. Their hull numbers were, respectively, C08 and C09.
Three T4 Boreas!
A corps-grade fleet, fitted out with three T4 Boreas — besides the Chu family's Governor's Corps fleet, who else could enjoy such luxurious treatment?
"The Chu family! It's actually the Chu family's fleet!" The eldest son, Xu Yifan, looked in astonishment at this interstellar fleet before him — a fleet of only 300 warships in scale, and yet like three round rising suns come up within his heart. He'd never in his wildest thoughts have imagined that the Chu family fleet would, of all things, appear here.
Among the various star-region governors, if one asked whose Governor's Corps fleet was the strongest? There was but one answer. The Governor of Chu River! Bearing upon his person the three titles of Five-Star Marshal, Imperial Duke, and Governor of Chu River — Old Master Chu's power was very great! And on top of that, the Governor of Chu River was himself of a military background, with a natural fondness for interstellar warships. Of the Chu family's yearly income, nearly half was allocated as military-armament budget! The largest military-armament budget of all the star-region governors. Were it not for the Chu River Star Region's special position, the royal house of the Starlight Empire would, by all estimates, long since have been unable to tolerate the Chu family's existence.
"Young lord… perhaps we… are saved…" The adjutant, just now, had eyes brimming with hot tears; he looked at these 300 Chu family interstellar warships before him. Though only 300 had come — a mere one of the 10 fleets of the Governor of Chu River's Corps — this combat power was something no one dared to slight. Once, someone had ranked the various corps of the Galactic Alliance by combat power; the Chu family corps was an existence that could rank in the top 10! One could well imagine the terror of its combat strength!
These 300 interstellar warships before them — save for those three Boreas — were, uniformly, all T3-grade interstellar warships! For, mind you, the Starlight Empire's notion of gradually phasing out T2 warships and fully equipping with T3 warships was only a thing of these last few years. But the Chu family corps had begun to deploy it long since! This treatment, by all estimates, only the royal house's handful of corps enjoyed.
T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · bridge.
Zhao Chen looked at this interstellar fleet before him, and it had to be said, he was a touch envious. When would he, too, be able to lead a host of T3 warships galloping through the stars in so awe-inspiring, dignified a fashion! Those three T4 Boreas above all — Zhao Chen had a certain feeling of Cao Cao laying eyes on another man's wife.[1] His own System couldn't build them for the moment; how about… borrowing one off Old Master Chu to play with sometime?
And at this point, Secretary Lilith very swiftly brought up a data panel — the fleet configuration of this Chu family fleet.
3 T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleships
10 T3 Dragon-Croc-class Medium Interstellar Battleships
5 T3 War-Falcon-class Medium Carrier Starships
20 T3 Flame Lion-class Medium Interstellar Battlecruisers
40 T3 Shortsword-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers
30 T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers
50 T3 Cavalier-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers
150 T3 Nightwatch-class Interstellar Heavy Frigates
"This Chu family Governor's Corps Third Fleet has come with 308 interstellar warships in all," Secretary Lilith reported.
An exceedingly comprehensive and militarized ship-type outfit. The great majority were T3 warship series already known within the Starlight Empire. But among them there was, too, one model of warship Zhao Chen knew exceedingly well. That was, naturally, the T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer, whose technology Zhao Chen had licensed to the Chu family to produce.
By the numbers of the two batches produced before, the Chu family ought to have around 90 T3 Flame Dragons in active service, a portion of which had joined the border Empire military, obtaining combat data in real engagements. And upon learning of this T3 Flame Dragon's excellent combat ability in actual combat, Old Master Chu would naturally arrange to bring them into the Chu family's most elite fleets. By Zhao Chen's understanding, the Chu family's Governor's Corps had, all told, 10 fleets; the nearer to the front the number, the more they were the "own flesh and blood," and the stronger their combat power. But by all estimates, the first batch of T3 Flame Dragons wouldn't be arranged among the several fleets at the front — for with a battle sequence once fixed, suddenly adding an unfamiliar model of warship would need running-in on the side of combat coordination. And a fleet of a grade like the Third was just right; once a combat system was formed, it could be applied to each of the future fleets fully equipped with the T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers, achieving the effect of a swift running-in.
And it was just then that a video-comm request popped up; Zhao Chen accepted. A video window appeared before Zhao Chen; on the other end was a familiar lovely figure.
"I'm not late, I trust?" Chu Xuan blinked.
Zhao Chen cast a glance at the time. "By the time we agreed on, you're five minutes late."
"You—" Chu Xuan reflexively wanted to retort: five minutes, what did that count for? But she recalled a teaching her grandfather had once given her. Never mind that an interstellar warship was enormous — in battle, time had to be precise to every single minute! At certain moments, an error of a minute, of a few dozen seconds, could well change the course of a whole engagement.
"That's enough — you came very fast already." Zhao Chen let a trace of a smile show. Had he not made his preparations in advance, having had a premonition that some event would befall the Morton System, there'd have been no arriving this quickly at all. And to receive a single message from him, hurriedly outfit a fleet, and in so short a span of time lead a fleet from the Chu River Star Region to the North Wind Star Region, then reach the Morton System — to accomplish it in this bare span of a few hours was already enough to show the operational efficiency of the Chu family fleet!
"I've sent you the current battlefield situation. And the worst piece of news among it is that, within the hive-race fleet opposite, there's at least one T4 Hive Mothership — at this position!" Zhao Chen marked out, on the star chart he'd sent over, the position of that T4 Hive Mothership. Because the T4 Hive Mothership moved rather slowly, its position was, on the contrary, quite easy to pin down.
"Only one discovered, then?"
"Only one confirmed for the moment, but we have to make ready for the worst; my expectation, in my heart, is that the hive-race fleet has three T4 Hive Motherships! So… our most pressing task is…"
Zhao Chen and Chu Xuan met each other's gaze, and almost at the same instant opened their mouths.
"First destroy that T4 Hive Mothership!"