"Worthy of a T5-grade interstellar warship — the combat power of one such ship matches an ordinary fleet group's establishment!" Dean Xiong Xiangxiang said in admiration.
"It is not so extravagant as that. Chiefly it is because this was our Hades's first showing: the enemy did not know our situation, while the enemy's every movement was beneath our eyes. The Hades's next battle will not be so easy as this one; the enemy will certainly have misgivings, and will certainly be prepared," Zhao Chen said.
Xiong Xiangxiang nodded. That was so.
But the Hades's power to overawe stood where it was, and that alone sufficed to overawe no few opponents.
"Heh heh heh — and all this is only a part of our Hades's performance. Had the enemy been better at taking a beating, there are a great many functions I have yet to try out." Xue Xiaoxiao said it with the air of one left unsatisfied.
Xiong Xiangxiang at this point called to mind some of the material on the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought as well.
Within which there were besides training subjects for interstellar fighter pilots, and training subjects for dock managers.
Zhao Chen raised a hand and used his authority to call up this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's holographic image, which could be enlarged and adjusted to different positions to view the function and condition of every area of this interstellar warship.
With the relevant summary information besides.
Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought
Ship class: Interstellar Dreadnought
Technology grade: T5
Hull armor strength: 3,000,000–3,600,000 units
Star-shield energy value: 60,000,000 units
Cruise speed: 1,000 star-knots
Warp drive: Grade-9 warp drive
Hull length: 118 kilometers
Mass: 98,880,000 tons
Complement: 100,000
Ship weapons:
One Sword of Hades · dreadnought-grade bow cannon (a single activation requires 30% energy and upward)
Eight hundred and eighty electromagnetic main guns
One hundred Netherbird drone-swarm hangar groups (three hundred Netherbird drones per group)
Three thousand Netherbird-class interstellar fighters · hangar
Three hundred docks
Special performance (special equipment):
The Hades Domain (can disrupt electronic equipment within a certain radius; a single activation requires 50% energy);
Spatial fold-jump engine (can perform a spatial fold-jump; a single activation requires 10% energy and upward);
Hades Matrix Module (the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's energy core system)
As of now, what the Hades had displayed was only the two trump cards, the 'Sword of Hades' and the 'Hades Domain,' and the 880 electromagnetic main guns under its regular attack mode.
Beyond these there were besides certain functions that had had no chance to be shown.
This Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought was fitted with interstellar drones and interstellar fighters as well.
Though in numbers it did not match a carrier starship's vast complement of craft.
But!
These interstellar drones and interstellar fighters were all of them T5-grade weapons; one may imagine how terrible their combat power must be.
Fitted with 30,000 T5 Netherbird drones and 3,000 T5 Netherbird-class interstellar fighters.
Besides which, this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought cannot use star gates of T5 grade or below to jump; whether higher-grade gates above that would permit it is unknown.
But the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought possesses a spatial fold-jump engine of its own, and can, at any location, input coordinates and perform a spatial fold-jump.
The one limitation is perhaps that it must consume a great quantity of reserve energy: a single activation requires 10% energy, and that is merely the 'starting price.'
By the distance of the fold-jump coordinates and other factors besides, the energy required will increase.
And it can only fold-jump its own hull, rather than, like the Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ship, providing a fold-jump for a fleet of a certain scale.
But! The Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought possesses 300 docks of its own!
These 300 docks permit the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought to carry a certain number of interstellar warships; and once the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought has completed its spatial fold-jump and reached the target location, these 300 interstellar warships can be released.
These 300 interstellar warships may be reckoned the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's blade-bearing guard.
Though the capacity of these 300 docks has certain requirements and limits.
Ships of excessively vast hull — such as the T4 Blue-Eyes White Dragon-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Battleship, the T4 Fallen-Angel-class Super-Heavy Carrier Starship, and the T4 Hell-Angel-class Heavy Interstellar Missile Ship — cannot be fitted in.
The most suitable are T4-grade interstellar frigates, interstellar destroyers and interstellar cruisers, and auxiliary-type interstellar warships of every kind.
By the battlefield situation's requirements, configurations of every sort may be made.
Though because this was the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought's maiden voyage, there had been no way to fit it with 300 T4-grade combat-type interstellar warships.
But partly to test the docks' performance, and partly because so fine a chance must not be wasted for nothing—
when they set out from the Owl Dragon base, 300 T3 Virgo-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ships had been arranged to enter, which spared the time of using a star gate and might, besides, allow direct resupply of Owl Dragon interstellar warships in need upon the field.
Which might be reckoned two birds with one stone.
Were it in future fitted out with 300 T4 Skeleton-King-class Heavy Interstellar Armored Destroyers, then this T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought could form a squadron wholly of itself — and its power to overawe would be complete!
"Very well; let no one stand idle. Let us begin our next work at once. Xiaoxiao, you are responsible for the Hades's refit, and for sailing toward the Owl Dragon forward base. Annie, you are responsible for putting in order the starship data from this operation. This was the Hades's first real battle, which may count as her trial navigation — and the data will be the more accurate for it. Dean Xiangxiang, I need you besides to help me train two further batches of Hades crew. For a long stretch to come this Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought will be our Owl Dragon Legion's trump card, so I need it to stand ready at any time and in any place. Which requires that at every hour there be a body of soldiers standing at their combat posts. You understand my meaning." Zhao Chen laid out their several tasks.
Xue Xiaoxiao and Annie set to work at once.
Dean Xiong Xiangxiang assured Commander-in-Chief Zhao Chen besides that she would, in the least possible time, train two further batches of qualified crew for the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought.
With three batches of crew, then whether for rotation of rest or for any sudden situation—
it could be ensured that the Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought might enter combat status at any time; and relying upon that performance of spatial fold-jump, it could appear at any battlefield whatever at any moment, and furnish combat support.
Zhao Chen looked beyond the Hades's viewport at those fields of Holy Radiance starship wreckage.
The appearance of the T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought would thoroughly change the situation within the Galactic Alliance, and break that balance.
Hereafter anything at all might happen.
The worst case was beyond doubt that the Holy Radiance Empire and the Warhammer old party would cooperate wholly and declare war upon the Owl Dragon Legion.