Galactic Star Calendar 3034 · New Year's Eve
The whole Owl Dragon Star System was steeped in the glad air of New Year.
The Owl Dragon Legion had the custom of New Year leave to begin with; and with a great campaign only just come through besides, Zhao Chen gave them seven days to half a month of holiday.
So that everyone might take a turn of rest, and every person enjoy seven days at the least.
Though every post had someone on watch — above all the starship manufacturing posts, where the holiday might come but production could not stop, and every production line had to be kept running as it should.
And through these seven days of holiday, the whole of the living and holiday expenses of every Owl Dragon crew member was borne by the Owl Dragon; and every person, by the grade of her rank, held besides a shopping card of one value or another.
With these shopping cards they could shop and take their pleasure gladly.
For the Owl Dragon this was a day of glad holiday; but for certain senior nobles of the Starlight Empire, the Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom, and the Holy Radiance Empire, it was a day that left them anything but calm.
Because upon the last day of 3034.
The Owl Dragon Legion had announced to the world the founding of something called the "Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group."
This power was, upon the face of it, no more than a comprehensive interstellar trade body; yet it held 15 star regions, and had publicly named them the "Owl Dragon Fifteen Star Districts" — numbered off, cleanly and without ceremony.
Whose trading house, pray, holds 15 star regions of territory?
So for those noble powers of the several great empires there was a feeling of disquiet, and a fear that some day this vast dragon might grow displeased and simply eat them for a snack.
In a quiet office.
A figure came stealing up.
Charlotte, at her work, rolled her eyes. "Could you not bite my ear?"
"Pah, pah, pah… you have been shedding rather lately." Zhao Chen made a show of spitting out fur.
Charlotte flung Zhao Chen a rolled eye outright. "You are the one who sheds!"
Zhao Chen looked at the heap of work data panels before Charlotte, and asked, "Was a holiday not arranged for you? How is it you are still here working?"
"Lilith's side asked me whether I had any conception for the new year's interstellar warship building plan, and Chief Engineer Nana's side is asking after my thoughts as well; they must nail down the building plan to come in the least possible time. I must give my advice as soon as I may. So here I am, giving some advice upon the plan," said Charlotte.
Zhao Chen put his arms about this white-tiger girl from behind. "You are not short of this little time; and what if you wear yourself out? One must let oneself rest a while."
"The Red Demon Legion, and the Demon Race behind them, will assuredly not give up their invasion of us after this campaign. When next they appear before us, it will not be a mere 300,000 Demon Race interstellar warships. It may be 600,000! It may be 900,000! Or more! We have not so much time." Charlotte looked gravely at Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte, a very glutton for work, let out a long sigh, and sat down beside her. "Very well; I shall help you here."
"There is no need. That New Year's gala over there — are you not still wanted to attend it?" Charlotte looked at Zhao Chen, and within her was a warmth.
Zhao Chen shrugged. "That New Year's gala, whatever it is — I had Lilith record a holographic image for me long ago; when the hour comes they need only play it across every channel. And at an occasion of that kind nobody can enjoy themselves freely; better that I not be there. Better to stay here and keep my good wife company. And besides, were I not here, then even should you finish writing the building plan, by my estimate it would want rewriting tomorrow."
"What do you mean? Why should it want rewriting tomorrow?" Charlotte did not take Zhao Chen's meaning.
"Never mind; as for this plan for expanding interstellar warships over the coming year, I shall write it. You see to the rest. Let us lose no time; and once the work is done, let us have our world of two properly." Zhao Chen stroked Charlotte's head.
Charlotte asked no further, and so the two of them worked quietly at their several tasks within this office.
Dong, dong, dong, dong.
At this time a bell sounded within the office.
This was something Zhao Chen had expressly set.
Charlotte was rather startled by the bell.
"The hour has come; set the work aside." Zhao Chen said no more, and raised a hand.
The scene about the office changed on the instant.
Charlotte looked at the cosmic prospect about her; she knew these were all holographic projections, yet they had reached a point where the false could pass for the true.
The two of them stood within a pavilion, and this pavilion stood within the universe itself.
Whereupon Charlotte saw "fireworks" blooming one after another amid the star-heavens.
Very beautiful, very brilliant.
These were sent up by the Owl Dragon Legion's interstellar missile ships — optical simulation firework-missiles, made expressly for festival celebration.
"Great white cat, you have had a hard year of it." Zhao Chen put his arms about Charlotte from behind.
Charlotte gripped Zhao Chen's hand tight, the corners of her eyes somewhat wet; and of a sudden she bit him on the wrist.
Then she turned about and fixed Zhao Chen with a fierce stare. "I am no great white cat. I am a tiger! A great tiger that eats people!"
So saying, Charlotte bore Zhao Chen down, and gave Zhao Chen a bout of dragon-and-tiger.[1]
Charlotte opened with Hungry Tiger Pounces upon the Prey; Zhao Chen answered with Flying Dragon in the Heavens, following into The Proud Dragon Has Cause to Repent.
Charlotte, not to be outdone, came back with Black Tiger Plucks Out the Heart; Zhao Chen followed straight on with Twin Dragons Sport with the Pearl.
Thereafter the two of them made a fine show of Tiger Leaping, Dragon Soaring, which left Zhao Chen astride the tiger and hard put to dismount.
And at the last there remained only the Tiger's Roar and the Dragon's Song!
System notice: the annual mission is complete; the mission reward may be claimed.
Curse it — this System's rewards come at no fit hour either. Go and sit wherever it is coolest; can you not see I am busy?
System notice: the quarterly mission is complete; the mission reward may be claimed.
Zhao Chen paid the System's prompt-tones in his mind no mind whatever; which mattered more and which less, Zhao Chen could still tell.
Some hours later.
Zhao Chen looked at Charlotte, fallen fast asleep sprawled upon the desk, and laid his own military coat over her.
He himself walked to the sofa beside her and sat down, and only then had time to open the System interface.
Quarterly mission
Task: number of T5-grade interstellar warships in service.
In-service number reaching 3 ships: 100 task points may be claimed.
In-service number reaching 5 ships: 200 task points may be claimed.
In-service number reaching 8 ships: 300 task points may be claimed.
In-service number reaching 10 ships: 400 task points may be claimed.
For every ship above ten in service, a further 100 task points may be claimed.
(Note: the above rewards may be claimed cumulatively.)
The quarterly mission is complete; the quarterly mission reward may be claimed.
Zhao Chen pressed claim.
Whereupon, within his System account, the task points became 1,420.
Thereafter Zhao Chen's eyes went to the annual mission.
Annual mission
Task one: the death of Qin Ming. (completed)
Task two: control at least four star regions of the Starlight Empire. (completed)
Task three: control four star regions of the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth. (completed)
Task four: ensure that before the year's end the territory of the Dragon-folk tribe and the Warhammer Interstellar Commonwealth is not overrun by Demon Race fleets. (completed)
Annual mission reward: upon completing all four annual missions, the "T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base technical blueprint" may be claimed.
The annual mission is complete; the mission reward may be claimed.
Claim!