Time to the Swarm Surge's beginning: 73 hours 35 minutes
"So that we may face this coming threat of the swarm surge from the cosmic bug-nest in the best state we can. It is needful that we first clear away these hidden perils. But this action must be swift and efficient, and the losses to our own fleets must not run too high. And further, a time must be fixed, before which every interstellar warship that has fought is to be repaired and supplied, and made ready for the great battle to come." Zhao Chen looked toward Charlotte.
Charlotte nodded. "Our chief object is the swarm surge that is coming; as to the hidden peril of these three star regions — though it may affect us in the war to come. Yet which is the weightier we must still settle firmly."
In truth these words of Zhao Chen's and Charlotte's were spoken for Saint Cana to hear.
The interstellar hive-race within these three star regions had all along been a threshold in Saint Cana's heart.
Happily, after Zhao Chen had helped Saint Cana steady the empire's situation before and given some support.
The three star regions had not been wholly overrun; but a great quantity of the interstellar hive-race remained that could not be cleared away entire.
Zhao Chen must speak the ugly words to Saint Cana first, or she might well contrive to seize this chance and, in disregard of the most important thing, choose to settle the trouble of these three star regions at a stroke.
"I take the lord's meaning. Let us clear away what can be cleared." Saint Cana ordered her own feelings.
Charlotte pointed at the great red circle in the middle. "And then there is this star region where the cosmic bug-nest lies; I have looked over the lie of the ground. So that our fighting hereafter may go the better, we must compress the district the interstellar hive-race hold."
So saying, Charlotte moved both hands.
Upon this interstellar war sand table there appeared many lines of attack, modeling the pictures of the fighting.
The arrows of those attacking lines compressed the district held by the interstellar hive-race by no small degree.
And came to rest at the last upon a district but a third the compass of the original.
"Fighting upon many lines? Will that not make the difficulty of our command and of our logistics too great?" Saint Cana asked in her concern.
"Hee hee hee, that much may be left to this Dragon Girl. And besides, this is the best plan of battle against the swarm surge that may come." The artificial intelligence Little Dragon Girl beside them clapped her own breast confidently.
Charlotte said from beside her too, "In this part of my plan it is not needful to annihilate the interstellar hive-race within these districts entire. It is only to clear them and drive them into a certain district. The task thereafter is left to some fleets of weaker fighting power, to destroy them by degrees."
So saying, Charlotte put up the modeled picture of another plan of battle.
This modeled picture was the more detailed.
It set out how, while the hive-race's occupied districts were being compressed, certain of the hive-race would be cut through and divided off, surrounded within one district, and there destroyed by a portion of the fleets.
"In this military action we shall move, first and last, above 2 million interstellar warships. But in fact these 2 million and more need not all be pressed into the front-line positions. For beyond them we have besides near 400,000 angel interstellar warships, and our own Owl Dragon Legion. I hold that we should sift the elite fleets out from among them to answer for the front-line field. And the other fleets may then answer for tasks of this kind in the rear, and stand by for dispatch in support," Charlotte said, setting out her thought.
Saint Cana thought it over, and understood the notion of it.
Set the fitting interstellar warships in the fitting positions.
And not have all rush forward together and be set upon the line.
Facing the interstellar hive-race, it does not follow that because your fleets are many you hold the advantage.
Which perhaps ran somewhat counter to the general emergency war mobilization Zhao Chen had put forward before.
But that in fact had been a step Zhao Chen was driven to; the Owl Dragon Legion's own strength was far too small, and it was besides an enemy possessing the sea-of-bugs tactic they must face.
"Then let all be by General Charlotte's arrangement. My Holy Light Empress fleet groups will follow your arrangement." The Empress Saint Cana looked toward Charlotte.
Charlotte looked toward Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded slightly, bidding her go on.
"Very well; then next we open our plan of battle. The chief field at present may be divided into two. The one is of course the remnant interstellar hive-race in those three star regions; by the intelligence the Empress Saint Cana has provided, and after our own confirmation, there are at present near 300,000 Hive Motherships within those three star regions. A third of the planets have been seized and controlled by ground-dwelling interstellar hive-race, whose number is unknown — though we have no time to deal with these at present. The task upon that field is, within 60 hours, to bring the number of those 300,000 Hive Motherships under 50,000! Thereafter a portion of the fleets will remain to carry on the fighting there, and the rest will at once repair and resupply, and make ready for the fighting to come.
"The other field is the compressing of the interstellar hive-race's occupied district in the star region where the cosmic bug-nest lies. Within the compass we mean to compress, we look to face 200,000 Hive Motherships, nor is it ruled out that hive-race reinforcement may come after. And this field too is a matter of 60 hours. To bring those 200,000 Hive Motherships under 50,000, and seal them within certain districts, leaving other fleets to answer for holding them thereafter." Charlotte finished setting out this train of battle plans.
Zhao Chen rubbed his chin, and then asked Little Dragon Girl outright, "Were we to go by this battle plan of Charlotte's. How great would our losses be, how much would the field consume, and how high is the workability of it?"
Little Dragon Girl, hearing the question, checked a moment, as though calculating.
Very soon she gave her answer.
"Reporting to the Commander: by General Charlotte's plan of battle, and by the field data I have here at present, the result of my working is this. Once these two fields are ended, we look to pay a loss of 100,000 to 300,000 interstellar warships, chiefly those of T2 grade, for their experience in fighting the interstellar hive-race is not rich, and in fighting upon so vast a scale there must assuredly be casualties. The field consumption is projected at 3 trillion star coins; and by the data the secretary Lilith gathered before, the war-readiness stores we have brought into place at present are worth 30 trillion star coins. There is a second batch and a third to come, coming to near 50 trillion in all. And further, should there be need, the resource-mining districts everywhere can ship raw materials and stores straight to the front-line field in an unbroken stream. Summing it up: the workability of this plan of battle stands at 87.66 percent."
Near nine in ten. Very good indeed.
Though it would cost a loss of 100,000 to 300,000 interstellar warships; that loss was no small one.
But it was, after all, an interstellar hive-race vast in number they faced.
"Then let it be by Charlotte's plan." Zhao Chen put both hands behind his back and fixed his eyes upon the interstellar war sand table before him.