Charlotte's mixed legion fleet.
"Newest word: the Commander's three lines of attack have run head on into two T5 Leviathan-Sovereign-class Hive Motherships and above 2 million hive hulls. Fierce fighting is under way now!" A subordinate reported it to Charlotte.
Charlotte slowly raised her head, which had been fixed upon the war sand table, lifted a hand, and opened a private command channel long since made ready. "You may go on to the next part of the plan."
"Yes."
Several voices answered from the other end.
"You… have a care upon your side too." An anxious voice came.
Charlotte smiled slightly. "Set your mind at rest; while I am here there will be no great trouble here. Go and do what you are to do."
The task was set simply; there was no need of much telling — they all knew what came next.
And Charlotte had a more important business of her own to see to.
"Lay out our newest disposition of battle formation," Charlotte charged them.
"Yes."
Charlotte fixed her eyes upon the sand table and enlarged her own local field.
One could see hive fleets upon many lines launching a fierce attack upon this Owl Dragon mixed legion, with every impetus of meaning to surround and destroy them.
And through the time past, Charlotte had held all along to a manner of fighting like the flying of a kite.
Fierce past all bearing in the attack; but once the enemy's impetus rose, she would open the distance at once — in short, keeping always a fitting distance from the enemy, and never letting the grade of the fighting rise.
And behind so simple a description lay Charlotte's every step through this stretch of time, each entrenched before the next; and one step wrong would have left this mixed legion past all redemption.
And what came next would be their completing the last step of the Commander's plan.
The T5 interstellar warships, which had held fighting positions at the front, began at this time to withdraw from the front line.
At which the Owl Dragon warships about them seemed to have known it long since, and filled those fighting positions at the first moment.
But in the matter of holding down the enemy's firepower upon the front, the loss of the T5s left them a long way short.
Though these Owl Dragon fleets, resting upon their own excellent quality in battle, came through the process of relief under General Charlotte's dispositions.
And once those T5s had drawn off, T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships closed about them.
These jump ships were soon ready; and ten minutes later, gate after gate of light opened, and carried the T5 warships from the place in an instant.
The T5 Hades-class Interstellar Dreadnought · bridge.
"Captain, the other T5 interstellar warships have completed their jumps with the Lucent-class ships' help," a subordinate said in reminder to Xue Xiaoxiao, whose expression was heavy.
"I know. Begin making ready for the spatial fold-jump." There was something low in Xue Xiaoxiao's look; her eyes went beyond the viewport to the Owl Dragon mixed legion still fighting there.
They had expressly kept a safe stretch clear for those T5s that must make their fold-jumps.
For a spatial fold-jump, once it meets interference from outside, very easily runs into troubles of every kind.
So it must be done out of a state of battle.
And with the departure of these T5s, Xue Xiaoxiao knew very well how great a load Charlotte, in charge of this mixed legion, would bear.
None could say whether she could bring these Owl Dragon warships out of this place!
"Spatial fold-jump in progress…"
With the subordinate's voice at her ear, and after a white light before her eyes.
The fierce field was gone.
And in its place a stretch of unfamiliar, pitch-black star-heavens.
And about them here were those T5s that had just completed their jumps, and the T4 Lucent-class ships besides.
"Reporting — we have reached the appointed jump coordinates," a subordinate reported to Xue Xiaoxiao.
Xue Xiaoxiao nodded.
Thereafter a video window sprang up, and Xue Xiaoxiao clicked to accept.
Zhao Wan'er's figure appeared across it.
"Xiaoxiao, how stands it with you?" Zhao Wan'er inquired in her concern.
"All 15 T5 interstellar warships have arrived smoothly. The hulls themselves are in the main undamaged; the one trouble is that our stored combat materiel is near the bottom, and there is our star-shield energy besides. …………" Xue Xiaoxiao set out for Zhao Wan'er how these T5s stood.
She was now the highest officer over these 15 ships.
Hearing it out, Zhao Wan'er nodded. "I understand; all this we had foreseen. Wait a little; by my reckoning they will be here directly."
And scarcely had the words fallen.
Than Xue Xiaoxiao heard a report come from Zhao Wan'er's bridge.
"Word from the Banshee-class scouts: anomalous spatial fluctuation again."
And several minutes later the radar upon Xue Xiaoxiao's own bridge detected the same fluctuation.
That Zhao Wan'er's side had word earlier rested upon that T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scout, whose radar system is the most advanced upon any starship.
Of the interstellar warships in the Owl Dragon Legion's present service, the T5 Dragon Emperor excepted, even these combat-type T5s' starship radar falls short of that T4 Banshee-class scout's.
Very soon, with the appearing of a point of light.
Several hundred interstellar warships appeared out of thin air.
T4 Lucent-class Interstellar Jump Ships.
T4 Moon-Goddess-class Heavy Interstellar Supply Ships, T4 Gemini-class Heavy Interstellar Industrial Ships, and T4 Great-Whale-class Heavy Interstellar Transports.
Thereafter a video window came into the two women's channel.
A woman captain stood straight and saluted them both. "Reporting — we are come by order to carry out supply and repair work upon your fleet; your orders, if you please, Commanders!"
"Begin what you are to do. We have but one hour. As for how far you can restore them, and how much strength they can bring out presently — that rests with you." Zhao Wan'er pointed at those T5s.
"Yes!" The woman captain set her mixed logistics fleet of transport, supply and repair to their tasks without a word more.
Every auxiliary-type starship, by the working plan already fixed, divided into its several groups and closed about the T5s.
In a bare few minutes, one working site after another had taken shape.