"This Owl Dragon Interstellar Missile-Ship Special Fleet is to be made up chiefly of 300 interstellar missile ships, 200 interstellar escorts, and such interstellar supply ships as are wanted. As for the hull types fitted out, they'll be arranged to suit the circumstances as they stand. What is deployed at present is the T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship; and you know too that we are now building T4-grade missile ships, so in due course some T4-grade missile ships will be arranged into it as well. On the escort side, the T3 Triceratops-class Interstellar Heavy-Assault Escort will be the mainstay, with the T4 Paladin-class Heavy Interstellar Missile-Escort in support, carrying the task of protecting the fleet." So Zhao Chen set it out in detail.
Baixue nodded away without stopping, and by the look of her impatience she would have given anything to be commanding a fleet of that kind this instant, and showing what it could do upon a battlefield.
The scene of 300 missile ships in salvo — the mere thought of it had Baixue's tail swinging like a great windmill.
Zhao Chen went on, "And beyond that, the Owl Dragon Interstellar Stealth-Bomber Special Fleet is to be made up wholly of interstellar stealth bombers. Zhao Wan'er is to be that special fleet's commander, and to resign her post as deputy commander of the Owl Dragon Second Legion."
For this appointment of the Commander-in-Chief's the company had been prepared in their own minds from the moment they heard the two special fleets' names a short while ago.
Zhao Wan'er was beyond doubt the commander among them most skilled at fighting with interstellar stealth bombers.
"And me? How many interstellar stealth bombers do I get?" Zhao Wan'er asked eagerly.
Before this, the number of stealth bombers under her command had always been very small — 50 or 60, near enough.
In earlier years she could still make an important showing on a battlefield on the strength of the stealth bomber's particular performance; but as the scale of campaigns widened—
the stealth bombers she commanded had as often as not been given auxiliary combat tasks.
"500 interstellar stealth bombers. For now, 500 T3 Phantom Assassin-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bombers will be arranged; but we have a T4-grade stealth bomber already in production, and it may be fitted out in due course," Zhao Chen said.
"T4-grade!" Zhao Wan'er was past holding her excitement; to her this was joy piled upon joy.
500 interstellar stealth bombers — and with her familiarity with this hull type, she knew very well what so many of them could be made to do.
Perhaps they could not fight and kill valiantly on the frontal field; but used rightly, they could turn the course of a battle at the vital hour!
"And there is one further matter. Our efficiency in warship production at present is quite considerable. By the figures Chief Engineer Annie has reported, leaving aside the low-end capacity of those T2 Iron-Hammers of the Northern Goose Group's, the capacity of the T3 Furnace-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships our Owl Dragon System holds of its own can in a single month produce 15,000 T3 Wolverine-class Heavy Interstellar Heavy-Armored Destroyers, or 500 T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships. And the capacity of the T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships can in a single month produce 250 T4 Skeleton-King-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyers, or 15 T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleships."
Hearing these figures the Commander-in-Chief gave out, pride showed in the faces of the commanders seated there.
Industrial manufacturing power so terrifying was the very capital of their confidence before the world.
"Because of our vast starship production capacity, our warships will grow more and more numerous hereafter. Those two special fleets I have just named cannot by themselves take up the capacity to come. So I now mean to establish seven further Owl Dragon Legion establishments — from the Owl Dragon Fourth Legion to the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion, each Owl Dragon Legion at the regular establishment of 3,000 warships," Zhao Chen said.
At an arrangement of this kind the company were not astonished; with the Owl Dragon System's powerful industrial capacity this was a step they had long been able to foresee — only they had not thought it would come so soon.
"By my secretariat's reckoning of the future, and by the rate of warship wastage arising from the campaigns and actions we are now engaged in, it is estimated that the building of these seven Owl Dragon Legions can be completed before the end of the third quarter! Which comes to near enough two Owl Dragon Legions delivered each month. For this we shall need a vast body of crew to fill them, and on the crew side I made arrangements long ago; the Goddess Academy-class ships have been rearing up a great source of manpower against exactly this hour. The chief matter is the appointment of these seven legion fleets' commands. Some appointments I have arranged already; some remain to be settled. I shall now announce those choices I have settled upon, so that you too may be prepared in your own minds."
Zhao Chen looked round at the company seated there.
"The Owl Dragon Fourth Legion: its future commander is to be Su Lan. The Owl Dragon Fifth Legion: its future commander is to be Xue Xiaoxiao. The Owl Dragon Sixth Legion: its future commander is to be Medusa. As for the remaining four Owl Dragon Legion commanders, I shall make the particular arrangements in the fighting that may come, according to the showing of the senior commanders on every side. The three I have just named: go on with the work in hand for now, and at the same time you may make ready for the building of your Owl Dragon Legions to come. I shall have the dean of the Goddess Academy-class ships hand you the crew rosters, and you may begin putting your personnel systems together now."
And when Zhao Chen had finished saying it—
some were excited, some were deeply moved, some could scarcely believe it.
"Oh yeah! I get to command a legion fleet too!" Xue Xiaoxiao waved her fist in excitement.
Su Lan was not so stirred, but there was gladness overflowing in her eyes; she looked to the Commander-in-Chief, laid a hand at her breast and said, "Let the Commander-in-Chief rest easy. I will not fail the Commander-in-Chief's trust, and will absolutely forge an Owl Dragon Legion that can fight and must win!"
Medusa's eyes were rather blank at this hour; she had not thought she would be raised so far. From her joining the Owl Dragon Legion to now was little better than a year.
And this man before her was handing a whole Owl Dragon Legion into her hand to command.
What manner of trust was that?
"You needn't mind what your standing was before, nor have any misgiving. Since I have arranged these posts for you, that means your abilities are already wholly equal to them," Zhao Chen said.
Some of those earlier campaigns had in fact been Zhao Chen testing them.
Su Lan and Xue Xiaoxiao were fine students of the Northstar Starship Military Academy to begin with, and lacked only some experience of real fighting; and over this while with the Owl Dragon Legion, high-frequency battles had enriched their combat experience and brought out their gift for command.
Of Medusa there was no need to speak; this former queen of the snake-folk had fine ability of her own to begin with.
Only that on account of her particular standing, and her joining the Owl Dragon Legion rather late, there had been a period of running-in afterward.
And now Zhao Chen was short of exactly such fine officers and picked troops; and with Medusa's good showing over this while besides, Zhao Chen naturally gave his legion fleet into her hand boldly and with an easy mind.
As for that small purpose in her own heart — once the Owl Dragon Legion had grown greater in future, would seeing that little wish of hers fulfilled be any hard thing?