The once pitch-black star-universe was, in this moment, lit up on account of a battle; everywhere one could see the flames of explosions — even, indeed, some burning 'pillars of fire.' Above all in that interstellar fleet which was the focus of the interstellar missiles' attentions.
"Chu Xiong, tell me — how would it be if our interstellar fleet laid in some interstellar missile ships? This array does look rather fine." Chu Changhe sat in the captain's chair, arms folded across his chest, calmly savoring the sight before him.
Though Chu Changhe had, before this, seen combat footage of the Owl Dragon Legion's interstellar missile ships through various video materials, the feeling of seeing it with his own eyes was another thing entirely.
"It's very flashy, yes — but the expenditure is huge too. These are all T3-grade interstellar missile ships, 30 of them. A single salvo alone launched upward of 500,000 missiles; reckoned at the standard price, that's at the least around 5 billion star coins. That's enough to build who-knows-how-many T3 Flame-Dragon-class Medium Interstellar Destroyers for us." Chu Xiong analyzed at his side.
Chu Changhe nodded, rubbing at his stubbled chin.
"That much is true enough. This ship-class looks flashy and its might is great. But the expenditure is too terrifying… and yet, a war-implement of this sort…"
To keep up an existence such as the interstellar missile ship, one had to possess an exceedingly vast financial power — though of course, if the interstellar missiles could be produced on one's own, that would save no small expense.
"When he and Xuan-er wed, come what may I'll have him fit me out with a few of these interstellar missile ships as the bride-price. And throw in a year's supply of interstellar missiles besides… and after that, when I purchase interstellar missiles, another round at cost price…" Chu Changhe had by now already begun scheming after this interstellar missile ship of Zhao Chen's.
After all, a powerful interstellar warship of this sort — no fleet commander whatever could refuse it; the one worry was the matter of expenditure.
And since Zhao Chen could afford to build this interstellar missile ship, and use it so recklessly besides, it showed he was fully able to produce, on his own, the interstellar missiles this interstellar missile ship required.
In this moment, Chu Changhe liked this granddaughter's-husband of his more and more — it was for all the world as though he'd caught sight of a great fat sheep.
"But fighting on like this isn't the whole of the matter either. The imperial legion fleets are sure to close in and surround us; the enemy's legion fleets will grow more and more in number. We ought now to think of a way to break out." Chu Xiong was somewhat worried.
Chu Changhe, for his part, wore an air of perfect ease.
"Rest easy. That fellow isn't some raw recruit. A commander who could wholly annihilate the Third Prince's 20,000 interstellar warships with 3,000 — would he not know of this problem? For now, let's just watch this fine show. In the past it was always I who commanded the battle; this time I can be a bystander — the experience is rather good, too. Oho — that interstellar battleship's a fierce one! Beautiful! That shot had all the old dash of my own younger days!"
…
"Next, aim at that one on the left! Six main cannons, salvo fire! You dare bandy words with this young miss — you can't know how thick and how fierce this young miss's big guns are!" Xue Xiaoxiao planted one foot on the captain's chair, one finger pointing at the enemy ship in the holographic image before her — struck, its whole hull spouting flame.
Xue Xiaoxiao excitedly sought out her next quarry.
The bridge crew beside her watched this captain of theirs with a wry smile.
At future in-legion gatherings, they'd truly be too embarrassed to tell others that this was their captain.
It'd be more than we could live down.
Xue Xiaoxiao naturally didn't know her bridge crew's assessment of her.
Right now her mood was simply blissful.
A dream she'd held all along, she'd finally realized.
To use her own giant guns to ravage those interstellar warships one by one, to watch those interstellar warships suffer such bullying under her giant guns — the feeling was one of utter, streaming exhilaration.
This T3 Imperial-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship — never mind that bow cannon, even the might of its main and secondary cannons was very great.
One might even put it this way: the main cannon it was fitted with could, mounted on some other T3 interstellar warship, be used outright as a bow cannon.
One can well imagine just how terrifying that might was.
On the other side · the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship, ship number two
Su Lan stood within the command platform, around her the holographic interstellar-fighter control mode, whereby she could, at this captain's will, issue commands to these interstellar fighters and interstellar drones.
In the matter of controlling interstellar drones, Su Lan was, basically, point-and-strike — a single command from Su Lan sufficed.
Su Lan was, in this moment, for all the world like a pianist; her slender fingers slid across each position before her, command upon command relayed forth to a light, airy sound.
It left the bridge crew, watching this 'fairy' now and again, somewhat lost in a trance.
It felt as though their captain were not commanding a battle, but plucking the zither-strings between the stars.
So elegant!
Toward this captain fallen out of the heavens, they might at first have had some doubts of her ability.
But after several trial-voyage trainings before this, very nearly every crew member on the bridge was won over from the bottom of their heart.
After all, Su Lan was an honors graduate of the Northstar Starship Military Academy — the ability and the gift were there, the more so since her elective specialty had been precisely this matter of carrier starships.
And the T3 Phoenix-class Heavy Carrier Starship was itself excellent; combined with an excellent captain like Su Lan, it naturally produced an even more excellent chemistry.
T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser, ship number one · bridge
"The intelligence captured by the T3 Silver-Rat-class Light Interstellar Stealth Reconnaissance Ships we scattered out shows that the Second Prince Qin Ming has already given the order to annihilate us and Chu Changhe here at any cost whatever. He's already dispatched a great many interstellar legion fleets from round about — the total number comes to very nearly 100,000 interstellar warships! And besides, even the strongest Royal Legion under his hand has been moved out. The Royal Legion, like us, is fully outfitted with T3-grade interstellar warships; and rumor has it there are, besides, upward of 10 T4-grade interstellar warships among them," Secretary Lilith reported.
"The Royal Legion…" Zhao Chen felt some anticipation; he very much wanted to try just which was the stronger — his Owl Dragon Legion or this Royal Legion.
But when he looked at Charlotte beside him, commanding the battle, he knew this wish couldn't for the moment be realized.
For in the battle plan Charlotte had drawn up, the Royal Legion simply wouldn't make it here in time.
It seemed this king-against-king contest could only be left for the next time.
"Charlotte — I ask nothing else of you. But remember one point: you must, without fail, annihilate for me at the least five T4-grade interstellar warships in this battle. I want to make that Prince His Highness feel a true, fleshly pain," Zhao Chen said gravely.
Five T4-grade interstellar warships — it looked no small task.
But Charlotte merely nodded slightly, and began choosing for the Lord Commander five of the enemy's T4 interstellar warships, her expression for all the world as though she were picking, from within the sheep-pen, five lambs awaiting the slaughter.