Galactic Star Calendar 3035, mid-March.
Through these two months the whole Owl Dragon Galactic Interstellar Group seemed to have grown a good deal quieter.
But the interstellar transports coming and going were an unbroken stream still.
The daily flow of interstellar warships through the Owl Dragon Star System was rising all the while.
In the 10 newly planned star regions of the Owl Dragon Fifteen Star Regions, those important resource-mining districts too were changing at a rate the eye could follow.
Beyond this there was the Owl Dragon Military Base, the foremost position facing the Demon Race.
Because of the Demon Race's threat, the building speed of this Owl Dragon Military Base had been raised as well.
The Warhammer Interstellar Federal Kingdom, learning of the case, was likewise rendering this military base what help it could.
The Owl Dragon Star System · core district of the interstellar industrial zone.
A vast interstellar base sat here; by its bright new outer face one could see it had been finished not long since.
For all that, this interstellar base had already entered production mode across the whole of it.
Interstellar transports carried the raw materials wanted here one after another; at the same time one could see interstellar warships under assembly in dock after dock, and not far off were production lines making, in modules, certain of the modules and components an interstellar warship wants.
Set against this interstellar base.
The industrial-ship cluster of T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships in the distance looked a good deal the smaller.
For this was the very first T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base, but newly entered service!
A full month and more ahead of the projected build time.
"The T5 Galaxy Number One Base has now begun its production plan across the whole of it. The first batch to be completed will be certain T4 interstellar warships and those three T5 classes." Chief Engineer Nana stood beside Zhao Chen, attending him in his inspection of this super starship works.
"That would be the T5 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship." Zhao Chen pointed at a vast dock framework in the distance, within which the first shape of an interstellar warship could already be seen.
Chief Engineer Nana nodded. "Yes, that is the T5 Dragon Emperor. As to the building plan for the three T5 classes — because you required before that they be delivered into service before the end of March. But the T5 Galaxy-class Large Interstellar Industrial Base was still in its building stage. So we thought to divide the building plan for these three T5 classes into two phases. In the first phase the T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships undertook the building task. And once the T5 Galaxy Number One Base was finished, the frames of these three T5 interstellar warships, part of the process already complete, were towed across to the T5 Galaxy Number One Base, which undertook the building that followed."
Zhao Chen nodded in satisfaction.
And praised Chief Engineer Nana without stint. "You have done very well. I know the difficulty of this building task was very great. But this spirit of yours in overcoming difficulty is worth the whole Owl Dragon's learning from, high and low."
At Zhao Chen's encouragement there was a happiness in Chief Engineer Nana's eyes she could not hold down.
"You will have heard of the Demon Race's case as well. The work before you hereafter will be very heavy; our gap in interstellar warships is enormous," Zhao Chen said gravely.
Chief Engineer Nana nodded and said earnestly, "Let the Commander set his mind at rest; we shall supply the Owl Dragon Legion the most interstellar warships in the shortest time. Though we cannot go up to the front line, we shall spend our last strength for the Owl Dragon Legion too!"
Zhao Chen nodded in satisfaction.
At this time he saw, within a vast master control room in the distance, through the floor-length windows, a small figure busy to the very edge of madness.
"That is… Annie?" Zhao Chen was blank a moment, not quite certain of his own eyes.
"Yes, that is my sister. My sister has worked exceedingly hard through this stretch of time. That the T5 Galaxy Number One Base could be finished early — my sister Annie put a very great share of strength into it," said Nana.
Zhao Chen narrowed his eyes. "Annie… truly works as hard as that?"
That did not much square with the Annie of Zhao Chen's imagining.
It seemed he had not painted Annie any very large melon this time.
Nana's next words resolved Zhao Chen's puzzlement. "Because I told my sister Annie about this large-scale invasion of the Demon Race's. And I told my sister Annie. That if the Owl Dragon Legion were defeated in the battle against the demon expeditionary legion fleet group. Then everything we now have would be destroyed by the Demon Race. Those Eden ships of hers would all be carried off by the Demon Race. Those lord's planets she would have in future would all be plundered by the Demon Race. And she herself would lose the life she has now, and never eat good things again — she might even be made a slave…………"
Chief Engineer Nana stood there setting out a wretched fate to the very life.
It must be said that Chief Engineer Nana's powers of spoken oratory were truly formidable.
They made even Zhao Chen feel something of that sense of crisis.
"So from that time my sister Annie has worked every day until she goes to sleep; besides working, she eats and sleeps and nothing else — she has even compressed her mealtimes to 10 minutes. She said then that for the sake of the thousands upon thousands of good things to eat hereafter, she would strive with all her might!" said Chief Engineer Nana.
To make Annie, who held good food to be life itself, compress her own mealtimes of her own accord!
Zhao Chen raised a thumb to Chief Engineer Nana within his heart; how had he never found before that she had such a capacity in the workplace.
"Ah yes — and that small task I gave you before, is it finished?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Chief Engineer Nana nodded. "What you charged us with is finished. Though why should we research and produce a starship of that kind — with performance like that…"
Zhao Chen broke in upon Chief Engineer Nana's puzzlement with a smile. "That is our knocking-brick. Our Owl Dragon Legion is expanding upon a large scale now, and a great many resources are already hard to keep up. As at present, for instance. To tell you honestly, Lilith's side has already reckoned it: at the rate we are running on now, developing and arming for war both at once, in a month at the most our raw materials will be spent, and a great many places will halt production. And this knocking-brick of ours can loose that knot for us."
Chief Engineer Nana nodded, half understanding and half not; come what may.
She understood only that she need do no more than what the Commander charged her with.
"Next I must make another journey to the Angel Race. I hope that when I come back next time, I may see these three T5 interstellar warships standing finished." Zhao Chen clapped Chief Engineer Nana upon the shoulder as he said it.
"Let the Commander set his mind at rest!" Chief Engineer Nana pledged it with the most solemn assurance.
Within that master control room in the distance.
Chief Engineer Annie worked, and muttered plaintively to herself as she worked. "Cursed Demon Race! Don't you think to carry off Annie's Eden! Don't you think to carry off Annie's lord's planets! Don't you think to carry off Annie's good things to eat! You crew of wicked people! You just look at the interstellar warships Annie builds — they'll cut you dead! They'll ram you dead!"