As time passed, moment by moment, the interstellar hive-race appearing behind the line grew more and more numerous.
Threatening the supply fleets in the rear at every moment.
Though to meet this threat Zhao Chen had already set patrol fleets to search the several rear districts, so that any hive-race found should be destroyed and, at the same time, the worm-way jump points about them found and destroyed in the shortest time.
Yet these jump points appeared more and more often; and some few might well slip the net, so that the compass in which later jump points appeared grew wider and wider.
And to keep the supply fleets sailing safely, Zhao Chen had ordered escort fleets set expressly to them.
Which made the supply fleets safe, but at the same time added to the Owl Dragon alliance's burden, since no few interstellar warships must be drawn off to these tasks.
And the supply fleets' efficiency of running was much less than before.
Which left the case at the several front-line battle positions nothing to be sanguine about.
And the Owl Dragon Legion's high command, the head of this campaign, had all this while made no move.
As though wholly helpless before the case.
The campaign's 150th hour.
Twenty hours had passed since the first appearance of a worm-way jump point.
"Word from General Charlotte: she is ready upon her side. She will open the plan of battle as appointed," Lilith reported to Zhao Chen.
Zhao Chen nodded slightly, and there was something heavy in his eyes.
That plan of his carried no small risk.
But to change the state of this campaign, and tilt the scale of victory toward their own side, they must hazard it.
"How stand our preparations?" Zhao Chen inquired.
Lilith nodded. "All is ready and in order; at one word from you we may move at any moment."
"Little Dragon Girl, make the target's position more exact once more; for the action to come, the more exact the target coordinates the better for us. And model besides a reserve plan for lessening our losses should the worst case fall out!" Zhao Chen charged her further.
"Very good."
Under Zhao Chen's arrangements, the Owl Dragon Legion, which had seemed to do nothing at all, had by this time silently opened its closed eyes and bared the fangs with which it meant to hunt.
And Charlotte would raise the curtain upon all of it.
Charlotte's fleet, which had been fighting a running guerrilla war within the hive-held district all this while, changed of a sudden from its former manner of fighting.
And with an exceedingly fierce impetus charged in one direction.
In a bare three hours it covered more distance than in the twenty-odd hours before.
And in the course of this rush, such hive fleets as they met they avoided where they could.
And where they could not, they destroyed at any cost whatever, in the shortest time.
The interstellar missiles they had used so sparingly were at this hour not grudged at all.
So sudden a change.
Roused of course that strategist of the hive-race.
And the purpose of it was exceedingly plain.
Because the direction in which this Owl Dragon fleet was killing its way was exactly where that hive strategist lay!
With every look of meaning to take the general's head amid ten thousand men.
And so the four T5 Leviathan-Sovereign-class Hive Motherships that had made no move at all began to move at last.
Two of them, leading a million hive hulls each, made ready to intercept and annihilate this Owl Dragon mixed fleet.
At which Charlotte's fleet showed not the least sign of flinching, but attacked the more fiercely.
To another's eyes this might have been the Owl Dragon Legion's last desperate throw.
"Reporting — we shall shortly be in contact with the enemy head on. We look to face an attack of at the least 2 million hive hulls!" the secretary reported to Charlotte.
Charlotte had at present but ten thousand-odd interstellar warships, and those having been through several campaigns, in exceedingly poor condition for battle.
For such a fleet to face 2 million hive hulls, and perhaps more.
Set another commander in her place, and he would likely have given the campaign up on the spot.
There was no chance of victory to speak of.
But upon Charlotte's face there was neither anxiety nor tension to be seen; she heard the news calmly.
Then she asked, "Are those matters ready? Has the procedure been made clear to them?"
"It has been made clear; those several captains say they understand it perfectly. And our staff department has modeled it several times; we can in the main guarantee that no trouble whatever will arise at that step. Only… our own case afterward…" The secretary said it with some anxiety.
Charlotte showed a trace of a smile, and set a hand upon the secretary's shoulder. "I promise you, I shall find a means to bring you all out!"
Feeling General Charlotte's presence — though the secretary knew well within how great the difficulty was.
She simply felt that she could believe in this goddess of war before her without condition!
"We support the General without condition!" The secretary stood straight, with tears of feeling in her eyes.
Charlotte said nothing further, but fixed her eyes upon the war sand table before her.
Looked at closely, it was not the sand table of the local field whose danger they now faced.
But the war sand table of the whole interstellar hive-race — as though, set against the battle before her, there were something more important still.
……
The T5 Dragon Emperor Interstellar Command Ship · bridge.
"Reporting to the Commander — General Charlotte's mixed legion fleet has met the attack of the two T5 Leviathan-Sovereign-class Hive Motherships the enemy sent, and the hive fleets under them. They are in fierce battle at present, and the fighting is exceedingly hot! And General Charlotte sends word besides that… we may move," Little Dragon Girl said from beside him.
Zhao Chen clenched his fist, and there was anxiety hidden in his eyes.
The secretary Lilith, somewhere along the way, had come to stand at Zhao Chen's side, and took his large hand in her small one.
"Commander, we should believe in Charlotte! Since she has said it, she will assuredly do it. And if we fight well enough here, we may indirectly lessen the pressure upon her side," Lilith said in comfort.
Zhao Chen ordered his own feelings, and fixed keen eyes upon the war sand table before him.
Upon it a red district was clearly marked.
"Little Dragon Girl, is it certain the target is at these coordinates?" Zhao Chen asked her gravely.
Little Dragon Girl pledged it with the most solemn assurance. "I am willing to set my head upon it. If there is no T5 Leviathan-Shaman-class Hive Mothership here. Then I, Little Dragon Girl, am willing… willing to pull out my own power supply!"
Having her answer.
Zhao Chen at once opened his command net.
"Begin the action!"
As this order went down, the whole line, in this moment, underwent an enormous change!