The Northern Goose Group's field.
Some hours went by.
And the hive-race fleets, beyond leaving a wreck of bug-flesh and broken carcasses across the field, had posed no very great threat to the Northern Goose defensive fleet.
Only a small number of T3 and T4 Hive Motherships could threaten the Northern Goose line at all; and when such threats appeared—
the Northern Goose defensive fleet would send a special-action fleet to close and kill them.
First a round of missile bombardment by T2 Lion King-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ships, and then a decapitating strike upon the threat targets within that area by a fleet made up of T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruisers.
This scheme was Xu Yifan's, taking its pattern from the tactics Zhao Chen had used in the Morton star-gate battle back then.
"Report — to this hour we have advanced under a tenth of the distance into the enemy's defensive depth." The subordinate looked at Marshal Zhong Yan, whose face was bad to look upon.
For Marshal Zhong Yan had been saying, over and over, that he would sweep the Northern Goose Group away within 10 hours.
And now above three hours had gone by.
And the number of Northern Goose warships destroyed came to a bare few hundred.
Whereas the Hive Motherships they had lost came already to above 1,000, and the efficiency of the assault was exceedingly low.
At this rate, never mind 10 hours — 100 hours might not see this battle finished.
"There's no wasting more time. Form a breakthrough fleet. The quasi-T5 Hive Mothership to lead the charge, with T4 and T3 Hive Motherships in company. A breach must be torn in the enemy's line in the shortest span there is, and those cursed missile ships destroyed first!" Marshal Zhong Yan ordered.
This might cost a body of elite Hive Motherships; but to end this fight as soon as possible, Marshal Zhong Yan held such a sacrifice wholly acceptable.
And then a body of elite Hive Motherships welled up out of the hive-race fleets, formed a wedge-shaped charging array, and opened their attack.
The slow-moving quasi-T5 Hive Mothership in the middle of it.
For this Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership, vast in bulk and astonishing in fighting power though it was, had its speed of movement for a weak point.
And with a great mass of Hive Motherships ahead of it checked by the enemy's gunfire, it moved the more slowly still.
Some hours, and it had not yet entered the zone of action.
"Report! The enemy have formed a charging force, with a great body of elite Hive Motherships. That Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership among them, and besides it 30 T4 Hive Motherships and 500 T3 Hive Motherships! And most important: at that charging fleet's rate of advance, the Leviathan-Monarch will enter attack range in 10 minutes, and the area it covers includes one of our defensive satellite bases." So the subordinate reported.
Li Wei knit his brows. He understood well that the enemy's greatest threat was that Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership — being a quasi-T5 Hive Mothership.
Even were his thousand T2 Lion Kings to loose a round of fire upon it, it would likely be hard to threaten that thick biological armor of its at all.
"Pass my order — all personnel and warships of Defensive Base No.1 to prepare for withdrawal!"
For a case of this kind, Li Wei had made his arrangements long since.
These defensive bases he had laid out beforehand existed exactly to make a defensive depth: first slowing the enemy's advance by the missile ships' bombardment.
And when that Leviathan-Monarch truly threatened one of their own defensive bases, that base would be given up first and the line held behind it.
And of defensive bases of that kind, Li Wei had laid out a full 30!
These were the bridgehead bases standing before the Northern Goose Group's industrial base.
And to reach the Northern Goose industrial base, this was the only road there was to choose.
Because the siting of the Northern Goose industrial base was most particular: the region all about it was a stable and permanent zone of cosmic disaster, and even a T5 Hive Mothership entering it would find escape very hard.
So a frontal attack was the only line available.
10 minutes later—
that Leviathan-Monarch-class Hive Mothership fired its bio-plasma cannon, and the green beam drove straight through that asteroid which had been remade into a combat satellite.
The asteroid came apart in pieces, and every weapon installation upon it was destroyed.
Seeing a scene of that kind, both Li Wei and Xu Yifan felt something tighten in them.
They had known the terrifying fighting power of this Leviathan-Monarch long since from the material the Owl Dragon Legion furnished; but to see it with one's own eyes made the heart quail all the same.
"Report — Combat Satellite No.1 is destroyed. 27 personnel who could not withdraw in time have been lost, and three T2 warships that could not withdraw in time were caught and destroyed," the subordinate reported.
Though the order to withdraw had gone down early, to get everyone clear was still a very hard thing.
A bare few dozen casualties was already a quite respectable figure.
"Keep close watch on that Leviathan-Monarch's position, and order Combat Satellite Base No.2 to stand ready to withdraw at any moment!" Li Wei barked.
And now Xu Yifan's video window asked from beside him, "Brother Li, at the rate this array is going, we cannot possibly hold off the enemy's assault entirely. When can the Owl Dragon Legion's support arrive?"
Li Wei's eyes went to him.
Xu Yifan added, "Rest easy, Brother Li — I am not afraid; and even were there no relief, I, Xu Yifan, would fight here to the last drop of blood. I only… wish to understand the particulars."
Li Wei looked at him a moment, and then said a thing known only to the upper ranks of their Northern Goose defensive fleet.
"The last order the Owl Dragon lord sent back before comms were cut. That we are to hold 72 hours whatever comes; and that within 72 hours relief will arrive without fail!"
72 hours. Three days.
It does not look a long time.
But Xu Yifan looked at the hive-race fleets opposite, vast in number still. This was a challenge of no small difficulty.
Yet whatever came — 72 hours or 720 — unless they fell, they would hold this place.
The Grey Moon Star Region.
"Report, Commander-in-Chief. Every legion fleet stands ready." Secretary-Officer Lilith reported it to Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen gave his order without hesitation. "Pass my command. The Owl Dragon First, Second and Third Legions are to prepare for interstellar jump; the coordinates have been sent. On reaching the coordinates, open the attack at once. The Owl Dragon Fourth Legion stands to where it is. Begin the action!"
"Yes!"
Three Owl Dragon Legions — near 10,000 warships — made ready in that moment for the lightning strike upon the Snow-Swallow Star Region!