At each of the defensive positions left behind along the route, the T3 Flame Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer was the core; the T3 Shortsword-class Medium Interstellar Cruisers, T3 Cavalier-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers, and T3 Nightwatch-class Interstellar Heavy Frigates, by contrast, served as consort ships in coordination and support.
"This T3 Flame Dragon's comprehensive performance is indeed no bad thing. And its firepower output isn't so weak either. At the least, it's not one bit inferior to the Starlight Empire's T3 Cavalier." Chitong, at Zhao Chen's side, observed the battlefield to the rear.
"The swarm's begun a fierce counter-surge! They too have realized that our target is their T4 Hive Mothership." Chu Xuan's voice came through just then.
"Commander." Charlotte looked to Commander Zhao Chen.
"I understand; it's our turn now." Zhao Chen raised a hand and gestured to Chitong. "Begin."
Within the hangar of the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship.
One could see that a great many fighter pilots were, just now, slumped limp within the hangar — indeed, some had fallen straight into unconsciousness. Because before this, every one of them had high-frequency-sortied at least 10 times! This had already reached the very limit of a fighter pilot's continuous sortie count. For, mind you, the requirement within the Starlight Empire for a fighter pilot was to be able to sortie five times running. But within the Owl Dragon Fleet, this metric had been raised to 10! For no other reason than that they were pilots cultivated by the T3 Goddess Academy.
Beep, beep, beep, beep.
And it was just then that a red light flashed within the hangar. This was the order to sortie.
"Sortie! Sortie! Sortie! Whole wing, sortie!" In an instant the hangar bustled into motion. The logistics staff began making ready each fighter for its launch. In truth all the fighters stood arrayed and ready; the chief matter was those fighter pilots.
"All who've reached the 10-sortie standard may stay and rest. Have the Second Squad's fighter pilots sortie!" Wing-Commander Pei Shengnan's words rang out throughout each of the hangars.
Aboard the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship, two sets of fighter pilots were provided. It wasn't that more couldn't be provided — it was that the Owl Dragon Fleet, just now, had only this many pilots able to fly the T3 interstellar fighters. For, mind you, a T3 interstellar-fighter pilot could, within the Starlight Empire, be called a "minor noble"; even after retirement they had quite fine living treatment — for these technical combat personnel could, should there be need, be conscripted back into service once more. And because the requirements for a T3 interstellar fighter were extremely high, the pass rate of the assessments at the various academies of the Starlight Empire was under 5%! Talent in this line was quite scarce. Even with Zhao Chen possessing the T3 Goddess Academy, to cultivate enough T3 interstellar-fighter pilots would need a considerable stretch of time. And the First Squad's fighter pilots were, of course, more excellent than the Second Squad's. Only when the First Squad's state reached its limit would the Second Squad's fighter pilots step up.
Pei Shengnan had, just now, already re-donned her tactical helmet, and was making ready to sit down into her own fighter.
"Wing-Commander Pei! The total number of your sorties has already reached 15! Your body's condition has already reached its limit; you can't sortie again!" The leader of the logistics team responsible for Pei Shengnan's fighter said with worry.
Pei Shengnan sat down into the cockpit. "My own body, I know best. Don't waste time; make ready to sortie!"
The logistics-team leader wanted to say more.
The pilot of the fighter next door laughed. "Don't bother trying to dissuade her; you may not know our Wing-Commander Pei's record at the Goddess Academy. In the T3 interstellar-fighter-piloting profession, the record for continuous sorties — Wing-Commander Pei is the holder of it, at 28 continuous sorties!"
28!
Hearing this figure, everyone was dumbstruck. And thereupon, with faces full of awe, they watched that T3 Phoenix-class fighter vanish from their sight.
One T3 Phoenix-class interstellar fighter, T3 Fire Phoenix-class heavy interstellar stealth bomber, and T3 Black Phoenix-class medium interstellar drone after another came swarming out from the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship. Before this combat task, the drone loss rate aboard the T3 Phoenix had reached 50%! But after the T3 Virgo-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ships arrived, these drones had all been replenished into place. So just now, one could see a full 3,000 T3 Black Phoenix-class medium drones form a dark-red torrent, and collide with the black torrent of the swarm opposite. The former, though fewer in number, was the more ferocious! Wherever it passed, the swarm was destroyed one and all!
"This T3 Phoenix really is quite strong…" Chu Xuan watched this crimson interstellar giant, its hull only half the size of her own T4 Boreas. And that model the Chu family fleet was fitted with — the T3 War-Falcon-class Medium Carrier Starship — before this crimson interstellar giant, was simply not worth the looking at. Its fighter-carrying capacity was under half the other's, and the fighters and drones it carried lacked such terrifying combat power besides. Small wonder that before, when Charlotte was going over the combat task with her and came to this T3 Phoenix, she'd told her she could fully trust the combat power of this T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship. That was, too, why, for this deep-strike combat task into the enemy swarm, this crimson interstellar giant was to be brought along as well. For the shorter the attack range, the more chances a single fighter or drone had to sortie!
"But… eldest miss, why is there our Chu family's emblem on this T3 Phoenix's hull?" the female secretary beside her couldn't help asking. In truth, that golden "Chu" character on the T3 Phoenix had been seen by no small number of the Chu family fleet's ship captains. How was it they'd never known their Chu family fleet had a carrier starship of this kind? Still, perhaps it was some secret research project of the Governor's. For, after all, that T3 Flame Dragon had made its appearance out of nowhere too. And these people didn't dare ask too much; they could only treat it as though they'd seen nothing.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem… this… you needn't ask too much about it." Chu Xuan coughed a few times and steered the topic elsewhere. But in her heart she knew well, of course, that this was surely that fellow Zhao Chen using her Chu family's signboard as cover! For so excellent a T3 heavy carrier starship — were it known to be developed by a Viscount of the Owl Dragon System, it would beyond doubt draw the attention of no small number of people. But with the Chu family's label hung upon it, that was a different matter. That pack of fellows would, at most, be a bit envious and jealous, and would make no further little moves.
"Eldest miss! High-intensity energy reaction detected! It's the T4 Hive Mothership's bio-plasma cannon!" the captain reported at her side.
Chu Xuan looked at the ship radar and at once asked, "Can our range reach that T4 Hive Mothership?"
"Not for the moment!"
And it was just then that Zhao Chen, over on his end, spoke up. "Chu Xuan, the swarm's interception has grown fiercer. On top of that, the T4 Hive Mothership is making ready to attack us — so I need your T4 Boreas to sortie now."
"Understood." Over on her side Chu Xuan at once gave the order. "Boreas C09 — execute the planned combat task!"
"Boreas C09, understood!" Over the comm came the voice of the other party's captain — a one-star Brigadier General! To be able to serve as the captain of a Boreas, one was, at the least, of a general's military rank!
At this moment, the Boreas C09, having received the task, quickened its speed of voyage and moved to the very frontmost position of the whole joint fleet. And it was, precisely, upon the attack trajectory of the T4 Hive Mothership's bio-plasma cannon.
The Boreas C09's all-around shield wrapped the whole interstellar battleship's hull! And at the same time, the two bow giant cannons upon it began to blaze with light. That was the strongest main weapon mounted upon the T4 Boreas-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship! Two heavy particle-cluster-laser bow giant cannons!
Two terrifying beams of light fired forth, destroying outright all the swarm blocking the Boreas C09's path ahead — and even a T4 Colossus-class Leviathan, or a T4 Hunter-class Leviathan, that its touch fell upon, was doomed to perish!
That scene was for all the world like a roaring Boreas!