"Report — in the defense-sector Deputy Commander Su Lan is charged with, five hive-race fleets have appeared, 5,000 hive-race interstellar warships in all! By their voyage-tracks, they should be trying to assault the Owl Dragon System's military restricted zone — that is, the zone where the interstellar industrial ships are gathered!" Secretary-officer Marcie contacted Shen Bing by video comm just then.
Marcie was a succubus too, one of several fine succubus secretary-officers Lilith had cultivated.
Shen Bing looked at the positions of those several hive-race fleets on the interstellar holo-table, and where they were voyaging.
One could see that, between their present position and their voyage-destination, there was a blue ring of light.
The corner of Shen Bing's mouth curved up a little; she said blandly: "It's fine — Senior Su Lan knows what to do."
"At present, progress on the various local battlefields is quite smooth; the loss-rate of each small fleet is under 5%, and combat consumption is being held down as best we can. And Chief Engineer Annie's factories are shifting capacity toward producing combat resources as far as possible; by the present situation— —so long as no over-vast hive-race fleet appears, the situation stays within our grasp," Secretary-officer Marcie said.
"That's best, but don't take it lightly either. Before the Commander-in-Chief returns, our nerves must all stay taut!" Shen Bing said gravely.
"Understood."
……
Bringing the view to the battlefield Su Lan was charged with.
Su Lan had just wiped out a hive-race fleet of 1,000 Hive Motherships before her when she got the intelligence that another 5,000 hive-race fleet had appeared on her side.
"5,000? That's a bit too much pressure. And our interstellar warships have just been through a fight; the combat materials aboard the ships all need resupply. Otherwise it'll be hard to hold out through the next wave of large-scale fighting against 5,000 hive-race warships; once the combat-resource supply can't keep up, our fleet will suffer wide-ranging losses!" a subordinate looked to Deputy Commander Su Lan.
Su Lan swept an eye over the interstellar holo-table, not a trace of worry on her; she said outright: "Save for the interstellar cruisers, all other interstellar warships turn back — head to Storm Fortress No.3 in the rear to rest and resupply. Then the interstellar cruisers form a harrying squad, to lure these hive-race fleets toward Storm Fortress No.3. If all goes well, we can fight the enemy at Storm Fortress No.3. And even if the hive-race fleet doesn't go to Storm Fortress No.3 — since their final aim is our interstellar-industrial-ship fleet-group, they'll surely have to swing around. The time of that swing-around is enough for our fleet to finish resting and resupplying."
The subordinate grasped Su Lan's arrangement, and at once went to carry out the command.
Next, Su Lan's 300 interstellar warships split in two.
10 T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers and one T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser were kept back; all the other interstellar warships turned back.
Su Lan's own flagship was that T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser; leading the 10 T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers, she pressed on.
She soon saw the black, blotting mass of the hive-race fleet.
Facing the vast hive-race fleet, Su Lan was not the least flustered.
"Come about — sterns toward the hive-race fleet, harry without cease and lure these hive-race fleets on," Su Lan said.
"Yes!"
An ordinary interstellar warship might not outrun a hive-race fleet.
But what Su Lan had brought this time were T3 Blizzards and a T4 Vermilion Bird, interstellar warships famed for their cruise speed; though they were lacking in firepower, harrying these hive-race fleets with a kiting style of play was no problem at all.
These hive-race fleets plainly had no mind to swing around either; soon the five hive-race fleets linked up, forming a vast bug-swarm of 5,000, and, a dark, teeming mass, went on chasing Su Lan.
Several hours later.
Before this dark, teeming mass of hive-race fleet, there appeared a huge blue star-port.
A T3 Storm Fortress-class large star-port!
This was a star-port Zhao Chen had specially built earlier — a military-grade star-port.
As of now, 10 of them had been completed!
Six lay in the Owl Dragon System, guarding the Owl Dragon System's six directions like gods.
One lay in the Lion King System of the Reef Star Region, protecting the star-gate there.
One lay in the Morton System, likewise protecting the star-gate there, ensuring the safety and smoothness of the resource production there.
Two lay respectively in Resource-Star-Region No.5 and No.3 outside.
These were each in the border zones with the Holy Radiance Empire and the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth — their strategic purpose needs no telling.
Back to the matter at hand!
"Commander Su Lan, this is Storm Fortress No.3. Lane No.17 has been cleared; C17/01 through C17/30 are ready for you, and you may enter port to resupply at any time. Storm Fortress No.3 will enter Tier-1 combat state; please instruct!" the star-port head's image appeared before Su Lan.
"11 interstellar warships enter port to rest and resupply; Storm Fortress No.3 and my interstellar fleet will carry out the No.5 combat plan against the hive-race," Su Lan said.
"Understood."
Su Lan's 11 interstellar warships entered the lanes, then entered the dry-docks to await resupply and refit.
Star-port command room.
The star-port head who'd just spoken with Su Lan, Fan Susu, was at this moment gazing at the data the star-port radar had scanned — one could see the dark, teeming mass of hive-race-unit signals charging straight at the star-port.
"Weapon modules deploying, progress 95%."
"Star-shield module readied, may deploy at any time."
"10,000 T3 Storm interstellar drones have entered combat standby!"
"300 T3 Phoenix-class interstellar fighters have entered combat standby!"
Subordinates reported the various situations without cease.
At the same time, were one to look at this star-port from outside, one would find that this seemingly ordinary star-port—
—had, at the several lane-zones giving into the port, dropped thick blast-gates, to protect the inner lanes and dry-docks; they could be opened only with the command room's leave.
At the same time, upon the star-port's surface, defensive weapon after defensive weapon — orbital cannons, defense cannons, and the rest — finished extending, all aimed at the dark, teeming mass of hive-race fleet ahead, ready to fire at any moment.
Beyond that, one could even see 10 weapons on the order of a T3 interstellar battleship's bow cannon.
This was a military fortress!
Besides all this, the 200-odd interstellar warships Su Lan had withdrawn in advance were already standing by to the rear flank of the Storm Fortress, awaiting the moment to enter the battlefield!
"Report — the hive-race units the Hive Motherships have dropped have entered the close-defense guns' firepower range!" a subordinate shouted.
"All weapons but the main guns — open fire! Launch the interstellar drones and interstellar fighters! Deploy the star-shield on the frontal battlefield, to defend against the Hive Motherships' plasma-cannon attacks!" Fan Susu handed down the command.
For a moment, this Storm Fortress began the first battle since its completion, terrifying firepower pouring forth.
Lasers, shells, beams, missiles — weapons of every kind and description unleashed.
And around the star-port's rim appeared besides 100 single-face star-shields, whose deploying direction could be controlled; though they couldn't defend the star-port on every side, by the present look of it, that was already more than enough.
"All fleets, hear the command! Lock onto those Hive Motherships; when we launch the attack, destroy these Hive Motherships first!" Su Lan handed down the command at the same time.
As the hive-race fleet clashed head-on with the Storm Fortress, her interstellar warships would make decapitation strikes.
This was their tactic!