Galactic Star Calendar year 3032 · mid-August.
Zhao Chen, without a moment's halt for rest, hastened back from the Capital Star to his own Owl Dragon System.
It had to be said, the identity of an imperial marquis was, as things now stood, quite useful.
When using those star gates, he, this marquis, had priority — passing through smooth and unobstructed all the way.
The return journey saved half the time of when he'd gone to the Capital Star.
"Reporting — my ship has disengaged warp-navigation mode. We're now back in the Owl Dragon System; it's estimated that 10 minutes from now we'll enter the range of the Owl Dragon base." this T3 Blizzard's captain reported to Zhao Chen.
"Back at last." Zhao Chen stretched himself out lazily.
Five days ago, Zhao Chen had given the order for his own Owl Dragon Legion to make the far journey to the Grey Moon Star Region to rescue his eldest sister, Zhao Ruyue.
At the very first moment the rescue operation was smoothly completed, Zhao Chen's side had, in fact, received its "feedback." That was, of course, the reminder that the mission was complete.
This mission's reward was comparatively simple.
10,000 System points, 50 task points, and a T3 Templar-class Medium Interstellar Combat Mecha technical blueprint.
An interstellar combat mecha might, in importance, be no match for an interstellar warship — but in interstellar warfare, it was an indispensable link.
Originally, Zhao Chen had already had the consideration of redeeming a T3-grade interstellar combat mecha, to equip aboard his interstellar warships.
And now it was well — someone had brought a pillow just as he'd grown drowsy.
As the distance to the Owl Dragon base drew nearer and nearer, in the imagery upon the bridge, the T3 Phoenix surfaced into view in the distance.
Zhao Chen stood up, and looked at the female captain beside him, wearing a somewhat reluctant, loath-to-part air.
"I've got to head back now. This whole journey's travel was quite fine."
The female captain watched the receding figure of Zhao Chen departing; the women-soldiers within the bridge, too, each wore the look of a lover jilted.
A chance like this to spend a long stretch of time in the Commander's company — there was no telling whether they'd ever meet with such a thing again in this whole life.
T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship · bridge.
Zhao Chen looked at the familiar crimson-red hull paint-scheme; the crew, seeing the Commander, stood one after another to greet him.
"Welcome back, Lord Commander." Lilith looked at Zhao Chen with a smile; at her side was the captain's chair, long since made ready.
Zhao Chen returned to this familiar spot of his.
"Because we were both on the road the whole time, I didn't come to a detailed understanding of your combat situation in the Grey Moon Star Region. Report it to me once more now."
"Very well." Lilith raised a hand and called up several data panels, saying, "This rescue combat operation. We sortied very nearly the whole fleet, relying on the second T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship, which had only just entered service; the coordination of the two T4 Lucents let us, after completing the rescue mission, swiftly withdraw. In the course of the combat, we faced the interstellar legion fleet headed by the Starlight Empire's Third Prince Qin Hu, close to 10,000 interstellar warships, whose combat power was equivalent to the level of a second-line imperial army. The campaign consumption was around 1 billion star coins; we lost three T3 Triceratops, five T2 Black Rhinos, and a certain number of interstellar fighters and interstellar drones. Personnel casualties, 323. Enemy-kill data: engagement duration one hour 15 minutes; enemy interstellar warships annihilated, close to 3,000."
Zhao Chen looked at the loss data and said, "These losses of ours are, after all, no small thing; this counts, one might say, as the greatest loss of all the campaigns we've been through."
"Yes," said Lilith. "Chiefly because this time the enemy's strength was, too, the strongest we've encountered. 10,000 interstellar warships of the Starlight Empire's imperial army — though of only a second-line imperial army's combat power, such a number nonetheless caused us no small trouble. Happily, we were only doing a rescue operation, and after rescuing the target we swiftly withdrew; Deputy Commander Charlotte said that, at our current strength, to go on fighting would be, beyond doubt, certain defeat. And the enemy had, besides, a T4 Boreas; two of our T3 Triceratops were, precisely, struck and downed by that T4 Boreas's attacks."
This battle's opponent — though similar in number to the three legion fleets they'd crossed swords with earlier, of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth — the form of the fighting was utterly different, and so, for the Owl Dragon Legion, the difficulty was entirely distinct.
When facing the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth's three legion fleets, what they'd employed was a warp interception, an ambush operation — slaying them flat-footed and unprepared.
Some of the Warhammer enemy ships had, indeed, been destroyed before they'd even opened their star shields.
The Owl Dragon Legion had, at that time, held an absolute advantage.
And this time, the Starlight Empire's 10,000 imperial-army fleet had been kept in a combat state.
Though the Owl Dragon Legion had, still, made a surprise strike, this time the opponent had been on guard, and its formation comparatively loose.
To have, at the cost of casualties and battle-losses this minimal, attained the annihilation of 3,000 interstellar warships, and to have besides rescued the Princess's royal fleet — this counted, one might say, as quite a fine result.
But this suddenly arisen rescue battle had, too, made one point plain.
And that was the insufficiency of the Owl Dragon Legion's strength.
The Owl Dragon Legion could not yet conduct a frontal, large-scale engagement with an opponent of matching strength; the moment the battle-line stretched out, and a large-scale interstellar pitched battle in full array unfolded, then even if the Owl Dragon Legion won in the end, it would, more than likely, be a victory won at grievous cost.
This was the gap in depth and foundation.
"How has the arrangement of the Princess's royal fleet come along?" Zhao Chen inquired about these hot potatoes he'd rescued back.
Were the Starlight Empire's upper echelons, as things now stood, to learn that the little Princess was in his hands, then the Prince Faction, who truly held the power, would absolutely not let Zhao Chen off.
"In accordance with your earlier instruction, the whole of the Princess's royal fleet has been arranged at the Lion King System, and placed under closed management; no interstellar warship may leave the Lion King System's military-control zone without permission," Lilith answered.
Zhao Chen nodded with satisfaction.
Having rescued the little Princess back — to speak truly, Zhao Chen hadn't yet thought out how to deal with her.
Whatever the case, for now the news that the little Princess was in his hands could not be exposed, and so he'd first arranged them at the Lion King System.
"How many interstellar warships does the Princess's royal fleet have surviving?" Zhao Chen asked.
Lilith reported it point by point. "Of those we rescued back this time, there are 832 interstellar warships in all — but a third of them are comparatively severely damaged. Had it not been for our Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship, those interstellar warships couldn't even have conducted a warp jump, and simply couldn't have escaped. The remaining two-thirds of the interstellar warships, too, are damaged to varying degrees. Of the two T4 Boreas, one is very severely damaged, and repairing it may be rather troublesome. As for the remaining one — that is, the little Princess's command ship — that counts as somewhat better; but even that is only so comparatively speaking."
"And my sister? Where is she now?" Zhao Chen asked.
Lilith answered, "Over this stretch of time you were away, Miss Wan'er accompanied your eldest sister on sightseeing here and there within the Owl Dragon System. In accordance with your permission, Miss Zhao Ruyue was granted level-one permissions, allowed to enter all interstellar warships."
Zhao Chen nodded; it was time he went to see this eldest sister of his.
"Make the arrangements — I want to see my eldest sister."