"Commander, why is it you seem so very tired?" Little Dragon Girl looked at Commander Zhao Chen as he walked onto the bridge.
"Do I?" Zhao Chen raised his head and squared his chest. "I feel very well indeed."
Little Dragon Girl looked Commander Zhao Chen doubtfully up and down. "Those trousers of yours — are they not on backward?"
Er…
Zhao Chen was blank a moment, looked down, and found that they were indeed on backward.
No wonder it had felt so tight in the crotch on the way here.
"Ahem, ahem, ahem — I did not notice, did not notice." Zhao Chen walked into the small private room beside the bridge.
Several minutes later, his trousers changed, Zhao Chen came back onto the bridge.
In his body, in truth, he was not so very tired.
But in spirit the pressure had been of the mountainous sort — pain and pleasure together throughout.
Though happily the final result was perfect.
"And the secretary Lilith?" Little Dragon Girl, not seeing Lilith at this time, muttered in a small voice, "The secretary Lilith said before she was going to report business to you; how is it she has not come back with you?"
"She has had a hard time of it these days; I have given her a holiday. Let her rest properly." So saying, Zhao Chen sought another subject outright. "How stands the summing-up of the campaign?"
"All done." Little Dragon Girl stood obediently before him.
A business of this kind would formerly have been Lilith's charge.
But with Little Dragon Girl, this top-order artificial intelligence, it was of course most convenient to leave it to her.
"Let me see several of the important field figures," said Zhao Chen.
Little Dragon Girl at once called up several after-war panels, upon which the important figures stood written.
"Upon the angel fleets' side, setting aside the earlier campaign against the Demon Race and reckoning this hive-race campaign alone, 60,000 interstellar warships lost.
"Upon the three great empires' side, near 550,000 interstellar warships lost in all. And a further near 300,000 must go in for major refit.
"We ourselves lost above 20,000 interstellar warships.
"And in field consumption, over near a month, near 40 trillion star coins spent in all.
"It must be said that this victory of ours came at a most critical hour. Had this campaign ended but three days later, our logistics and supply could hardly have held; at the least half our fleets would have faced a failure of combat stores," Little Dragon Girl set it out.
One campaign, and 40 trillion star coins burned away.
And that only the ordnance spent upon the field; reckon in the interstellar warships lost, and the figure would be more terrible still.
Understand that the Starlight Empire at its height had an annual output of but 20 trillion star coins.
"Above 20,000 interstellar warships lost…" Zhao Chen muttered, paused, and asked, "How long do we look to want to make that gap up?"
Little Dragon Girl thought and said, "If no fighting whatever falls out hereafter. And if, the star gate route being finished, the first payment upon the military orders delivered to the Angel Race comes in smoothly. Then for the interstellar warships we have lost, a month at the most will fill the whole of it."
A month, to make up the warships lost in such a campaign.
That is the strength of Owl Dragon military industry now, and the ground the Owl Dragon Legion stands upon.
"And upon our store of war-readiness resources — how long to recover?" Zhao Chen asked another figure that mattered.
Little Dragon Girl answered, "Without telling upon our starship building, a month at the least. Only so can we guarantee the lowest standard of the Owl Dragon Legion's newest war-readiness store — 5 trillion star coins' worth."
Zhao Chen rubbed his chin; reckoned so, no war whatever must break out for the month to come.
If it could be had, some months of rest and recovery would be best of all.
Above all with the Owl Dragon Legion's expansion plan not yet complete.
War after war, though Zhao Chen did not fear it.
Must assuredly tell upon the Owl Dragon's development.
"But there is no lack of troublesome business at hand. This cosmic bug-nest that may burst at any time — who can say whether it will not make another round of it. And there is that mess of the Machine Race besides, a hidden peril too. Whereas the Demon Race, who look the greatest threat upon the face of it, want no particular worrying about." Zhao Chen reckoned it over within.
He did not fear a threat upon the face of it, such as the Demon Race, because the Demon Race's strength is all upon the face of it; if there is a threat, Zhao Chen at least has the measure of it.
But the interstellar hive-race and the Machine Race are another matter.
An opponent who does not show you his cards is the one to be wariest of; none can say when he will next play, or what he will play.
"Little Dragon Girl, get in contact with the succubus Ludy, who stays upon the Angel Race's side gathering intelligence. Have her find out so far as she can how the Demon Race stand, and whether the Demon Race have any movement toward us. We destroyed a great quantity of that Red Demon Legion's interstellar warships before, and they have been several months without the least stir. It ought not to be so…" Zhao Chen muttered.
"Yes." Little Dragon Girl set it down.
"And arrange me a schedule to go and see Chief Engineer Annie," Zhao Chen reminded her besides.
"Yes."
…………
The Demon Race · Demon King Star Region · Demon King Star System · Demon King Star · the Demon King's Castle.
Several shuttles came slowly down at the landing positions outside the castle.
Several officers, various in appearance but all wearing uniforms of the same pattern, walked down from them.
"Old Crocodile, so you have been called over too?" A figure above two meters tall, in armor of an antique cut, came across and greeted of his own accord an officer with a man's body and a crocodile's head.
"Have I not just. Summoned back of a sudden by His Majesty the Demon King." The crocodile-headed officer shrugged helplessly.
"Let us be quick. His Majesty's temper has been very bad of late, and there was that piece of business besides. If we are slow, there is no telling but we may be punished." A cold voice came from beside them — a demon officer of the serpent-folk sort.
The two demon officers exchanged a glance and followed after this serpent officer.
"Marshal Demon-Crocodile King, Marshal Demon Knight, Marshal Serpent King — the other marshals are all assembled; it wanted only you." A demon officer, seeing the three come, said it with all respect.
"They have all come so early?"
At which the three demon marshals quickened their steps at once.
Tramp, tramp, tramp.
From underfoot came the sound of treading in water — though it was plainly not raining now.
Marshal Demon-Crocodile King could not help halting his steps, and raised his head toward the space above the castle's great gate.
Blood, bright red, was falling like raindrops; and a figure was nailed above the gate, above ten black spears driven through the body — though by that body's breathing one could judge the man was living still, if in the main not far from death.
A crimson body; the identity plain to see.
One of the Demon Race's twelve demon marshals, the highest marshal of the Red Demon Legion.
Red Demon!