Galactic Star Calendar 3034, early June · the Owl Dragon System · simulated battlefield region.
"What is the First Squad about? Have you forgotten your task! See to your own business and let the rest alone!"
"Second Squad, what is the matter with those ships of yours! Not one of them meets the standard for combat efficiency!"
"Third Squad, how many times have I said it — once an order comes down, the formation must be opened out within the time required!"
On the command channel, a woman's voice went on ringing out in reprimand.
The body of Owl Dragon officers looking on at this simulated action were all of them thoroughly startled by it.
The wolf-girl Baixue leaned to Xue Xiaoxiao's ear beside her and asked in a small voice, "I hear the two of you were classmates before. Was Commander Su Lan like this at the academy as well? These standards she demands… are very high…"
Xue Xiaoxiao was brought up short, and thought back to the gentle, refined Sister Su Lan of the academy.
And then listened to the woman warrior on the command channel roaring as though she could tear a starship apart with her hands!
Which left even her a little afraid.
She could not help swallowing. "She wasn't like this at the academy… but… I have no idea why, since Sister Su Lan took the Owl Dragon Fourth Legion… she's turned like this. When she had charge of the T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starship before, she was very… peaceable."
As Xue Xiaoxiao spoke she reached out for the snack bag beside her — and found instead that she had taken hold of something long and smooth.
She shrieked at once and pulled her hand back. "Medusa! Your hair is stealing my snacks again!"
For seated on Xue Xiaoxiao's other side was Medusa, several of whose snake-locks were at that moment chewing away at Xue Xiaoxiao's snacks.
"I hadn't noticed. I'll pay you back a bag in a while." Medusa said it mildly, and then returned to the subject. "Don't make light of the difficulty of commanding a legion fleet. That is 3,000 warships! And Commander Su Lan's temper has always been to seek the finer and finer, and to allow no fault at all — one could see it in the combat doctrine she drew up for the T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starship. Though this too has to do with her having only just taken the post; she has never commanded a legion fleet of such a scale before, and has put too great a weight of pressure on herself. Once she is used to it, it will be well enough."
Set against student sorts like Xue Xiaoxiao and Su Lan, Medusa had once commanded vast interstellar legions herself, and naturally had rich experience in the matter.
Xue Xiaoxiao nodded in understanding.
"Truly, I envy Su Lan for being able to take her own legion fleet through a simulated action — and to shoot and fire the guns besides. I should like to take my own fleet through a simulated round of shooting too. Just one round! And the Commander-in-Chief won't agree to it." The wolf-girl Baixue said it now with her lip pushed out in discontent.
Hearing which, Xue Xiaoxiao and Medusa beside her rolled their eyes outright.
And at the same time a voice sounded. "You might consider what ships that fleet of yours is made of, and how much of my money one salvo would burn."
And at the same time a fist came down on the wolf-girl Baixue's head.
The wolf-girl Baixue held her head, put out of countenance.
Xue Xiaoxiao covered her mouth, enjoying the misfortune.
300 interstellar missile ships — and lately, by what she heard, one more besides, a T4 Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship for her flagship.
A scale of that kind.
One salvo. And of the former alone, the T3 Judicator-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships, at that number of 300—
50 billion star coins fired straight off!
Good heavens above.
When Xue Xiaoxiao had counted that figure out on her fingers at the time, she had been astounded.
So far as she knew, the total monthly output of the five resource star regions out beyond had only just broken 500 billion star coins!
Which is to say that the five resource regions, digging away for a hard month, sufficed for 10 of the wolf-girl Baixue's rounds.
What a way to burn money that was.
And that without reckoning the consumption of that T4 missile ship!
And the reason Zhao Chen had put off drawing up the full assault plan against Qin Xiaotian until now was, in part, exactly this — to lay up resources; or when the hour came there would be ships and no shells, and a whole lot of nothing to fire!
"Then may I not test just one? That Hell-Angel…" the wolf-girl Baixue said in a small voice.
"When it comes to the fighting later, there'll be enemies enough for you to test on." A woman's voice sounded now.
Hearing that voice, something leapt in the wolf-girl Baixue, and she turned her head at once in excitement.
For there stood Charlotte in uniform, gallant and striking, looking at them all with a smile.
And Zhao Chen stood behind the wolf-girl Baixue.
At the moment Charlotte appeared, every officer present rose to their feet.
That they had not risen at once on hearing the Commander-in-Chief earlier was not for want of respect; it was that in private the Commander-in-Chief was very easy with them all, and required them not to hold to too many formalities — to be as friends.
And their being so stirred at Charlotte's appearing was because it had been so long since they saw her.
For on account of the fighting over in the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth, Charlotte had been posted abroad by the Commander-in-Chief.
For all that, everyone knew Charlotte's importance to the Owl Dragon Legion.
She and Lilith might be called Zhao Chen's left and right arms!
"General Charlotte! When did you come back?" The wolf-girl Baixue was the more stirred of all, and came straight up in front of Charlotte, the tail behind her swinging without pause.
For Baixue had been Charlotte's subordinate before, and they were on good terms.
"Only just now." Charlotte said it with a smile.
Zhao Chen explained from beside her, "Considering the weight of this military action, I looked into how matters stand over in the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth; the fighting there tends toward the stable at present. So I have called Charlotte back, and she is to have charge of the Owl Dragon First Legion again! And at the same time to assist me in commanding this plan of action."
Hearing an arrangement of this kind, everyone was very glad.
The company began talking away merrily, all of them curious about how Charlotte had fared in the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth.
And the beast-folk among them, like the wolf-girl Baixue, above all — for their homeland was the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth, and they hoped too that the strategic plan there might be achieved soon!
The keen-eyed Medusa, watching the company at their talk, found one odd thing in it.
Which was the Commander-in-Chief and General Charlotte.
The two of them had come at the same time; yet for some reason, to this hour the two of them had not once met each other's eyes — and even when their eyes did chance to meet, each would look away at the first instant.
Medusa, keen in her instincts, caught the scent of something wrong on the moment; her instinct told her that between the Commander-in-Chief and General Charlotte there must be some matter not to be spoken of.
"Very well. Our mainstay is back. And the appointed hour draws nearer and nearer. Next, I hope everyone will press on with their preparations. And make ready for this war that is coming. The Starlight Empire has been in disorder far too long; it is time it were brought to quiet." Zhao Chen looked at this body of women commanders under him, and said it in earnest.