"Report, Commander — the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship, ship one, reporting for duty. We were delayed en route for certain reasons; I beg the Commander's punishment!" Chitong reported to Zhao Chen from the far end of the video window.
"Delayed for what reasons?" Zhao Chen asked.
Chitong, a touch guilty, glanced somewhere off-screen.
She seemed to be looking at someone.
A hand reached in from beyond the frame.
A timid voice said: "It was because, on the way over, I asked for a few more main-cannon test-firings — and the last one overloaded a bit, which set the energy system into overload…"
By the voice, Zhao Chen knew at once who it was.
"Xue Xiaoxiao?" he called in astonishment.
Xue Xiaoxiao poked her head out, smiling ingratiatingly at Zhao Chen, hands clasped behind her back for all the world like a child who'd done wrong.
She wore the Owl Dragon Legion's military uniform.
"How is she aboard this T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship? Surely not…" Zhao Chen thought of one possibility, and looked at Chitong in surprise.
Chitong's next words bore out his guess: "After my screening of the various-rank officers of our Owl Dragon Legion, I judged that Captain Xue Xiaoxiao is exceedingly well-suited to serve as captain of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship. Before this, she served aboard a T3 Imperial-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship, and mastered that T3 Imperial in an exceedingly short time, with a most outstanding showing in battle. Later she even revised, once over, our Owl Dragon Legion's combat-training procedures for interstellar battleships — very effectively! Captain Xue Xiaoxiao has an exceedingly high gift and rich combat experience in the matter of interstellar battleships! And so I picked Xue Xiaoxiao to serve as captain."
Praised to her face like this by Chitong, Xue Xiaoxiao grew a touch bashful; she said shyly: "General Chitong… you… praising me like this… I… I hardly know where to look."
Zhao Chen covered his face.
He knew that all Chitong said was fact, and he knew too that Xue Xiaoxiao had thoroughly ripe experience in interstellar-battleship combat.
Back in her studies at the Northstar Starship Military Academy, Xue Xiaoxiao had been a badly lopsided sort of student — no top scholar high on the academy's rolls.
But anything to do with the interstellar-battleship subjects, and Xue Xiaoxiao was sure to be on the list!
Toward interstellar battleships she had a mad, fanatic's obsession!
So in theory, choosing Xue Xiaoxiao as captain of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship was indeed most fitting.
But… looking at that devil-may-care air of Xue Xiaoxiao's, Zhao Chen truly felt far from easy about handing his T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship over to this girl.
Zhao Chen drew a deep breath, repeating a line over and over inwardly.
Use no man you doubt; doubt no man you use…
Once he'd settled his mood, Zhao Chen looked toward Xue Xiaoxiao: "Xue Xiaoxiao — have you the confidence to serve as captain of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship, and carry through the coming duel against the Sacred Angel Legion's T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship?"
Xue Xiaoxiao stood up straight, her gaze like a torch, and said, unshakeable: "Set your mind at ease, Commander. Of other interstellar warships I'll not make bold to speak, but in the matter of interstellar battleships I've never yet bowed to anyone. And as for this T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon, I can guarantee that within our whole Owl Dragon Legion there's not a soul who knows how to work it better than I do!" With that, Xue Xiaoxiao even threw her head back confidently.
"Then who was it that overloaded her training just now and came late?" Zhao Chen asked, narrowing his eyes.
Xue Xiaoxiao rubbed her nose sheepishly, and said in a small voice: "I… at the time I only wanted to try where the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's limits lie. Only that way, on the battlefield, can I command this interstellar battleship in combat all the more surely!"
In fact there was reason enough in what Xue Xiaoxiao said.
Because this T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship had been built in a rush, no one could guarantee there were no quality issues.
And besides, the trial-training time had been very short; the trial-voyage program had completed under a third of its items.
There was nothing to be done — Xue Xiaoxiao could only run limit-pushing trial-voyage training outright, and that was what had caused the delay.
"All right — I'll not call you to account over this. Will your having run the interstellar warship past its limits affect the coming battle? Do you need an interstellar industrial ship to inspect and repair you?" Zhao Chen asked.
Xue Xiaoxiao shook her head: "No need for inspection; it was only an energy overload at the time. And let me tell you — this T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's giant cannon… it's simply too fierce; the feel of it… truly, it's enough to send you to heaven and back!" Xue Xiaoxiao wore a look of rapt infatuation.
What manner of wolfish, tigerish figure of speech was that.
Whoever used a phrase like that to describe an interstellar warship!
"Since you love this interstellar battleship so, then if you can win the coming interstellar-battleship duel, I'll let you go on serving as this battleship's captain. Otherwise… you go back to piloting your T3 Imperial," Zhao Chen said.
Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes went wide — go back to a T3 Imperial?
What a joke.
Having used the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon's fierce giant cannon, that little toothpick of a T3 Imperial could no longer satisfy her.
"Set your mind at ease, Commander — I'll be sure to give that T4 Retribution-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Battleship opposite a good going-over! I'll let it have a proper taste of this lady's giant cannon! I'll leave it well and truly wanting more!" Xue Xiaoxiao swore her soldier's oath.
Though this oath somehow struck Zhao Chen, the more he heard it, as odd.
"There's still a day and more. You can use this bit of time to get a little more familiar with this interstellar warship," Zhao Chen said.
"Yes." Xue Xiaoxiao nodded.
She dared not grow the least bit careless now.
For this bore on her future life of bliss — whether she'd be piloting a T3 Imperial or a T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon depended wholly on the coming battle.
Xue Xiaoxiao looked at the majestic bridge of the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship before her, and at that dragon-patterned captain's chair.
This was the interstellar battleship she'd dreamed of; even in death she'd die aboard this interstellar warship.
No one could part the two of them!
No one!
Xue Xiaoxiao's eyes brimmed, in this moment, with the desire for battle.
And in this moment Zhao Chen had no idea that Xue Xiaoxiao already held this duel as dear as her own life.
He was gazing at the Sacred Angel Legion fleet opposite, looking forward to the summit contest a day away.
Only this sort of king-against-king contest could give a legion fleet a true standing.
The word "Owl Dragon" would surely ring out across the galaxy!