Galactic Star Calendar, 25 July 3034, 01:00
Five hours had passed since the fighting broke out across the Black Tiger Star Region.
Those five hours had been, to the Black Tiger chieftain, quite simply a day drawn out into a year.
Because of the need to contact the reinforcements of every power, the Black Tiger chieftain could not lead a fleet to the field in person, and could only send his son out in his place.
"48 hours is required, is it? But our situation here is exceedingly urgent; could you not— It must be 48 hours… very well then. I am obliged to you."
The Black Tiger chieftain hung up a video communication wearily.
He had just been in contact with a rather strong tribal power that was not one of the twenty great tribes.
In times past, facing a small or middling tribal power of that sort, he could have ordered them about with a lift of his chin.
But in the space of a bare few hours—
word of the Black Tiger Star Region had already spread abroad, and the attitude of every power toward the Black Tiger tribe had shifted with it.
Reinforcements that plainly could have been dispatched within 10 hours were now, he was told, going to need 48.
The reasons were nothing but this and that: legion fleets must be assembled, crew members on leave must be recalled, war stores must be prepared, and so forth.
"The Giant Lion tribe's reinforcements — when can they arrive?" the Black Tiger chieftain demanded loudly of his subordinate.
The subordinate answered, "Because the Black Fox Third Large Star Gate in the Third Star System, which serves as our star-gate traffic hub, has been lost to our control— the Giant Lion tribe's relief fleet will need five hours at the least to reach the field. From our sending the plea for aid to the Giant Lion tribe's consenting to dispatch relief, three hours have already passed. It is estimated that in two hours more the Giant Lion tribe's relief fleet can reach our Black Tiger Star Region; and the Minotaur tribe's relief fleet has promised to arrive within five hours. The Fox-folk tribe's side states they are readying a relief fleet, but as their fleet strength is rather weak, they require a little time to prepare. As for the others, including the Dragon-folk tribe, they say we are to go on holding out. 10 hours from now, their first batch of relief fleets can arrive!"
"Two hours more to hold out at the least…" It was as though a great boulder pressed upon the Black Tiger chieftain's heart.
Two hours…
In wars he had met with in times past, two hours was a very short thing.
But now, to him, these two hours were truly far too long.
"How stand the battlefields in each place?" the Black Tiger chieftain asked.
"Whether or not it is because the enemy is intercepting and jamming our communication signals— the intelligence we have obtained from the various battlefields is limited. What can be confirmed is that the Black Tiger King Naval Port in the First Star System has suffered grievous losses; the most recent report by contact was that many of the star port's main channels had been destroyed, and great numbers of interstellar warships were blocked inside the port. The situation gives no cause for optimism. The Black Tiger Interstellar Military Works in the Second Star System lost contact 30 minutes ago; the situation at that time was that the defensive line had fallen and great numbers of enemy starships were pouring into the Military Works' industrial zone… estimated… losses no small ones. The Black Tiger Third Large Star Gate in the Third Star System is already lost; the star gate came under attack, and though it was not directly destroyed, it cannot function normally. By our estimate, hope there is gone. As for the Black Tiger Trade Port in the Fourth Star System and the Black Tiger Resource Mining District in the Fifth Star System, since the garrisons there were never many… so…" The last of it the subordinate did not speak out.
But the Black Tiger chieftain had understood already.
Five strategic points of the first importance to the Black Tiger tribe, and three of them had fallen in the space of a bare five hours.
The remaining two were presumably in a very bad way as well.
"This war… even if we win it in the end. Our Black Tiger tribe's strength… will be much diminished from what it was." The Black Tiger chieftain said it with a grave expression.
His subordinates held their tongues.
Because the Owl Dragon Legion's offensive truly was too terrible — terrible past anything they had anticipated.
They had never imagined that the several strategic points should collapse so fast.
Nor had they imagined that the Owl Dragon Legion would launch an offensive all at once.
The Black Tiger chieftain shut his eyes, and after some seconds of silence—
he raised a hand, opened a shielding device, and dialed a certain person's communication address.
On the other side appeared a fellow with a dragon's head and a human body.
The other had perhaps foreseen long since that the Black Tiger chieftain would put this video call through.
After a communication of a bare few minutes.
The video communication was cut.
The Black Tiger chieftain seemed to have had all the strength drained out of his body.
He summoned his subordinate again. "Make preparations. One hour from now— a Dragon-folk fleet group will arrive at our Black Tiger Star Region. And three more Dragon-folk fleet groups will arrive within five hours after."
"But was it not said before that—" The subordinate was surprised, but soon grasped something.
That communication a moment ago was likely a certain choice the Black Tiger tribe's chieftain had made.
The Black Tiger tribe was already injured to the sinew and bone; even if this war were won, their standing would be much diminished from before.
And so the Black Tiger chieftain had made a new decision.
But however that might be.
That a Dragon-folk fleet group, 30,000 interstellar warships, could arrive at the Black Tiger Star Region within one hour was without question a thing to hearten the spirit greatly.
"Report — our patrol fleet has discovered a fleet outside the home star, closing at exceedingly high speed! They seem… they seem to be Owl Dragon Legion interstellar warships." A petty officer suddenly came running up to report an urgent message.
Hearing it, the Black Tiger chieftain rose straight to his feet and exclaimed, "The Owl Dragon Legion? This… how can this be! How could the Owl Dragon Legion's interstellar warships possibly appear here so fast!"
"That we… do not know either," the petty officer answered with his head down.
"Useless! A pack of useless creatures. Pass my order: assemble at once every interstellar warship that can be gathered, including the civilian interstellar warships — requisition every one of them by force! And find out clearly for me whether what is coming truly is the Owl Dragon Legion; and if it is— how many interstellar warships!" the Black Tiger chieftain barked.
"Yes! Your servant goes to see to it!"
This news of the Owl Dragon Legion's coming killing up all at once had thrown every one of the Black Tiger chieftain's plans into disorder.
For it must be understood that the regular forces now on the Black Tiger home star came, counting every last hull, to only 6,000 interstellar warships!
If the Owl Dragon Legion truly had come, then how could this possibly be fought?
"It will not do! The home star cannot be allowed to fall. Pass my order: contact the young lord and have him lead his fleet back at once! And at the same time contact the fleets of the other star systems; every one that has the capacity is to hasten here in support!" the Black Tiger chieftain roared.
"Yes!"
A few minutes later.
Intelligence on the Owl Dragon Legion fleet that had appeared came in at last.
But this intelligence was like a thunderbolt out of heaven.
And at the same time another message arrived as well.
"Chieftain — we cannot reach the young lord!"
The Black Tiger chieftain stared dumbly at the imagery captured by the deep-space telescope. He saw Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships, one after another, 1,000 at the least in number!
And this was not the crux of the problem.
The crux of the problem lay in this: outside the hulls of those Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships sailing at the front, there was something extra.
Those were lances fitted on, one after another, and upon every lance was run through the body of a Black Tiger tribe crewman.
So that fresh blood had dyed these Owl Dragon-series interstellar warships red.
Suddenly the Black Tiger chieftain's pupils dilated: he saw that at the prow of that rumored T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship there was an extra crest of blood red.
That was the White-Tiger tribe's crest!
And there too a corpse was held up upon lances — though the treatment was not the same.
That one was run through by several lances at once.
And that corpse was, astonishingly, his own son.
The Black Tiger tribe's young lord!
"No! No! No!" The Black Tiger chieftain roared until his heart and lungs seemed to tear.