"Sister Ruyue, I have been assigned to the Owl Dragon Tenth Legion, Third Squadron, as captain of a T4 Vermilion Bird-class Medium Interstellar Cruiser, and squadron commander besides." Midai'er shared her own appointment excitedly with Zhao Ruyue beside her.
The Tenth Legion…
It was as she had conjectured.
Her own younger brother had brought out three Owl Dragon legions at one and the same time; small wonder there should be so many new recruits posted to service this time.
By any estimate the shortfall in personnel was very great.
Ten Owl Dragon legions meant that the Owl Dragon Legion's combat-type interstellar warships exceeded 30,000 hulls, and that among them the T4-grade interstellar warships exceeded 3,000!
The order of magnitude might not seem very great; but this combat power, with a T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought added on top, was enough to look down upon all three great empires of the Galactic Alliance!
"Sister Leona, where is your assignment?" Midai'er looked toward Leona.
Leona answered, "Owl Dragon Eighth Legion, Second Squadron, and squadron commander besides…"
"Eh? How is it your message differs somewhat from ours, and has a countdown besides?" Midai'er, catching sight of the message window before Leona, noticed a thread of something unlike.
At Midai'er's words, Zhao Ruyue's eyes went across as well.
It was a passage of text.
Student number A3977: within the next 10 minutes, please decide whether you will formally join the Owl Dragon Legion.
If you will join, you must sign this 10-year Owl Dragon Legion crew contract.
Zhao Ruyue said nothing; she knew Leona's particular case.
She was a princess of the Dragon-folk tribe, and her coming here for advanced study was merely an arrangement of Zhao Chen's making.
And now was the time for her to make her choice.
Whether to return to the Dragon-folk tribe, or to stay in the Owl Dragon Legion and truly become one of the Owl Dragon Legion's own.
Whichever the choice, it meant that the course of Leona's life hereafter would be wholly different.
Leona's face at this moment was very heavy, which showed that she too was in the midst of hesitation.
Being a princess of the Dragon-folk tribe, she naturally needed to be able to remain among the Dragon-folk and command the Dragon-folk fleet-groups.
When she had first come to the Owl Dragon Academy, it had been merely for the purpose of studying the various combat capabilities of the Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships.
But she now truly understood the Owl Dragon Legion's might, and the enormous pull of it.
To the Warhammer the Owl Dragon Legion had opened only its T2 and T3 interstellar warships, and a portion of the T4.
While the more numerous and mightier interstellar warships were to be seen only here in the Owl Dragon Legion.
And in future, the new and powerful interstellar warships the Owl Dragon Legion built would assuredly be enjoyed by the Owl Dragon Legion first.
And the most important question of all.
Against a Demon Race fleet, even a Dragon-folk tribal fleet supported with Owl Dragon-line interstellar warships could not stand against a Demon Race fleet of the same grade.
And to satisfy the wish within her, to cut down her father the Emperor's enemies with her own hand, could be achieved only by staying in the Owl Dragon Legion.
Leona drew a deep breath, and thought of that half-sister of hers by another mother.
Of a sudden, she smiled.
She opened her own contact directory, and found that name she would once assuredly never have contacted.
Blanche.
She sent a short message.
"Blanche, hereafter the Dragon-folk tribe's affairs are yours."
The sending done, Leona pressed that option agreeing to join the Owl Dragon Legion.
Zhao Ruyue, seeing it from beside her, marveled once more within herself at her own younger brother's methods: lure the person over first, then cater to what they favor, and naturally they will stay here of their own will.
"Why do you all stare at me so? We may be counted comrades-in-arms now. Only to my sorrow, I have no further way of overtaking you within the academy. But upon the field, my record of enemies beaten will assuredly surpass yours. And I shall assuredly rise in rank faster than you!" Leona laid down a "letter of challenge" to Zhao Ruyue.
Zhao Ruyue smiled slightly. "Then I shall await your good news."
With that, the three of them exchanged a glance and went back each to her own quarters, packed their luggage quickly, and made ready to leave the academy.
Zhao Ruyue, carrying a single case, walked at a quick pace down a long corridor and boarded an interstellar transport ship.
The luggage within this case was what mattered most to her.
As for everything else, that had been arranged for consignment, and would reach the destination in the least possible time.
In fact, even had these new recruits gone to their starship posts with nothing but themselves, they could have lived perfectly well, for aboard a starship there is everything.
Zhao Ruyue glanced at her own "electronic boarding pass" and sat down in her place, which happened to be one with a port.
She watched this interstellar transport ship draw slowly out of its berth, and then set off toward its destination.
Since the destination lay within the Owl Dragon Star System as well, this was only a short haul.
Half an hour and a little more would see them there.
Zhao Ruyue was not idle in this while either; she opened the materials just sent to her upon the small fleet she was to be responsible for, and the crew materials of that interstellar warship she was to be aboard.
To bring her own interstellar warship and small fleet to fighting power in the least possible time, she must in the least possible time grow familiar with everyone within the command structure.
Beep beep beep.
At this point, a video-communication request came in to Zhao Ruyue.
Had it been anyone else, Zhao Ruyue would by any estimate have closed it outright just then, being one who put work above all.
But at the sight of the name displayed.
Zhao Ruyue pressed accept.
"Elder sister, you should be going down to the fleet for service today." Zhao Chen opened conversation with Zhao Ruyue, asking what he knew already.
Zhao Ruyue said, with a show of discontent, "And I had thought that this elder sister of mine, leaning upon this connection with you, might at the very least wangle a legion-fleet commander's post to try."
Zhao Chen knew his own sister's temper, and knew she was joking with him.
He said, with the greatest freedom, "So my elder sister is not satisfied with her present post? Very well; I shall arrange a commander's post for you to try this instant — and failing that, you may be my deputy commander-in-chief."
Zhao Ruyue flung Zhao Chen a rolled eye. "Never mind that. I have no wish for others to think me one dropped in from above upon her connections. Even should I take some commander's post, it will assuredly be one I have won myself, upon my own ability and my own service!"
"Then work hard at it, elder sister. I have long since kept a place ready for you." Zhao Chen smiled slightly.
Zhao Ruyue's eyelid gave a twitch; there was a great deal held within those words of Zhao Chen's.
A commander's post kept ready for her — yet of the 10 Owl Dragon legions there was now no commander's post vacant; and were it a matter of squeezing out those already in place.
Zhao Ruyue assuredly would not accept it, and Zhao Chen assuredly would not make such an arrangement.
Which left only one possibility.
The Owl Dragon Legion had a still greater expansion plan!
In future there would be an Eleventh, a Twelfth… and yet more Owl Dragon legions.
"You—"
Before Zhao Ruyue could ask.
Zhao Chen spoke first. "Elder sister, I have a great deal here still to see to; even this call I made in a snatched moment. I shall withdraw. I believe that within our own family's fleets, my elder sister will assuredly build merit and establish herself!"
With that, Zhao Chen cut the video communication.
And at this moment Zhao Ruyue looked out beyond the port, and her face went blank of a sudden.
She had seen, in the star-heavens far off, a dozen-odd colossi such as she had never seen before, sailing past — and upon their hulls blazed the Owl Dragon Legion's crest!