T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought · bridge.
Having witnessed the annihilation of the entire Sacred Wing Legion fleet in a bare few minutes, the whole bridge broke into cheers.
Some of the crew even wept for joy.
This was the first real battle since their months of training.
Before this, aboard the Goddess Academy-class starship, their training had been arranged by Dean Xiong Xiangxiang, and the overwhelming majority of it theoretical material.
Matched with a certain amount of simulator training besides.
Though Dean Xiong Xiangxiang had used every means to make them the best training environment and conditions she could.
They had after all never set foot aboard an actual interstellar warship, nor had any real combat data to refer to.
So their hearts had been exceedingly tense.
And up to this point, since boarding this interstellar warship, not five hours had passed.
To board a brand-new interstellar warship and, within five hours, take part in a real battle and annihilate a Sacred-Light Legion entire.
This was proof enough of what their hard training over this stretch had achieved.
"What manner of behavior is this! Do not forget what occasion this is. This is not the training room, nor the academy; how did I teach you? And you were petty officers of the first rank holding important posts aboard starships before this, more shame to you. Do you not know that until the captain declares the battle ended, you should every one of you remain wholly absorbed in your own posts — and not stand here cheering!"
Dean Xiong Xiangxiang suddenly rebuked this whole company of petty officers upon the bridge!
At once those petty officers fell silent, and looked at Dean Xiong Xiangxiang with some fear.
Among them there might be those who had formerly served as secretaries, deputy captains, or even captains aboard certain Owl Dragon interstellar warships.
But that did not mean their standing was above Dean Xiong Xiangxiang's; within the Owl Dragon's present system—
Xiong Xiangxiang, as dean, ranked within the Owl Dragon establishment's top 10!
Having finished her rebuke, Xiong Xiangxiang at once looked apologetically toward Xue Xiaoxiao upon the command platform. "My deepest apologies, Captain. I lost my composure and overstepped my authority just now."
By rights, these petty officers now serving aboard this interstellar warship had as their direct superior Xue Xiaoxiao, this captain.
And the rebuke should have come from Xue Xiaoxiao.
Dean Xiong Xiangxiang had in this indeed overstepped.
But Xue Xiaoxiao waved a hand again and again. "It is nothing, nothing."
One could see that Xue Xiaoxiao held Dean Xiong Xiangxiang in great respect as well.
Xue Xiaoxiao looked at the bridge restored to order, and forcing down her own excited feelings, said, "Check the operating status of every module of the starship's systems at once."
"Yes!"
Because this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought was in its first battle, and there had been no performance data of any kind beforehand, no one knew whether something might go wrong somewhere.
So Xue Xiaoxiao must be careful and cautious, and make ready to meet any situation.
Zhao Chen, by contrast, was quite calm. This starship's chief engineer was here, after all.
If something went wrong somewhere, one need only throw her out to fix it.
Zhao Chen glanced at Chief Engineer Annie beside him. She had produced, from somewhere or other, a small portable table.
Upon the small table were foods of every kind, and even a self-heating hot pot.
And upon a rack beside it, beef simmering in the broth besides.
The corner of Zhao Chen's mouth twitched slightly.
Annie's body gave a shiver.
Strange — why do I have a bad feeling?
Annie muttered it inwardly; but looking at the food upon the table, the thing was soon cast to the back of her mind.
She comforted herself: it must certainly be because she had not eaten her fill.
Let us get a donkey-meat hot pot going as well.
Annie produced a small robot half her own height and entered a command.
Whereupon this small robot set off, its destination the starship canteen of this interstellar warship.
"Report. Apart from the fact that using the Hades Domain drew off 50% of the core's stored energy — which is at present still recovering — this ship has suffered no effect of any kind. With no further weapon expenditure, the core's stored energy is expected to recover within 100 minutes." A bridge petty officer reported to Xue Xiaoxiao.
"I understand." Xue Xiaoxiao let out a breath of relief, and walked over to Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen.
"Report, Commander-in-Chief. The T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's first-battle mission is concluded; the Sacred Wing Legion's 3,000 interstellar warships are annihilated entire. Our ship has taken no damage of any kind. Please give your next instruction."
Zhao Chen nodded in satisfaction. "How much of our star-shield value has been spent?"
"Owing to the Sacred Wing Legion fleet's attacks, our star-shield value at present still stands at 31%." Xue Xiaoxiao said it with pride.
"31%, then. If it is to be replenished, how long will it take?" Zhao Chen asked.
Xue Xiaoxiao was taken aback; on this side of it she had no experimental data yet, and did not know either.
And here, the one person who understood it best was…
Zhao Chen and the rest looked, without prior agreement, toward Annie, who was busy with her beef.
Annie stared into the pot, muttering, "That's near enough; any longer and it may go too tough—"
"Ahem."
Dean Xiong Xiangxiang's cough beside her made Annie raise her head, and only then did she discover that Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen and the rest had their eyes upon her.
"Do you want some of the beef too?" Annie asked in a small voice — while muttering inwardly: this portion was measured out for one person; if it has to be shared… Annie would have none left.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem… the Commander-in-Chief asks you: the Hades's star-shield value now stands at 31%; if it is to be restored, how long will it take." Dean Xiong Xiangxiang covered her face beside her, forcing down her laughter.
Annie woke to it all at once, and said at once, "Ah, that question. Though the Hades has not yet undergone trial navigation, by the results of our simulated experiments. It stands thus. Star-shield recovery works chiefly in two ways. The first is to return to a star port for restoration — which was the fastest means of recovery for T4 and T3-grade interstellar warships in the past; an interstellar supply ship can take on that task as well, though the efficiency falls. The second is for the starship itself to restore the star-shield value, generally by consuming its own energy to replenish it — which is the slowest means. Ordinarily, unless the fighting is fierce, this method is not used. But the Hades now has a third way: to restore star-shield energy using the stored energy of the Hades core. As for the speed of recovery, that depends upon how large a share of the Hades core's efficiency is diverted to it. If the star shield is restored at full effort, the 70% of star-shield energy expended can be recovered in about seven minutes. But unless one is assured of a non-combat state, and of having no combat mission to follow, the whole Hades core would not be given over to the star-shield system, as that would affect the weapon modules' requirements."
Annie explained a great heap of things.
In fact the meaning is very simple.
The Hades core system amounts to a spring: it has a great pool that can store energy.
And the energy the regular weapons consume is supplied out from it.
The regular weapons' energy consumption and the spring's supply of energy stand essentially level with one another.
Whereas replenishing star-shield energy, or starting up that 'Hades Domain' of a moment ago, requires diverting an additional share — which amounts to consuming a great half of the water in the spring at one stroke.
And the spring can only replenish it slowly, at a fixed rate.
Among the Hades's captain's regulations there is an article stipulating that the Hades core system's energy reserve must not fall below a critical value of 10%.
That is to ensure the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought has strength in reserve to meet any sudden situation.