T2 Hyena-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer · the hold.
Shen Bing was, at this moment, taking stock of the military supplies and living supplies bought this round; the round trip would take better than a month, and some supplies had to be readied in full in advance.
Even so, Shen Bing had bought only 50% of the military supplies, for she reckoned this was only an escort task, of no great difficulty.
So she hadn't laid in the full set of supplies.
Shen Bing looked at the outlay on her books, her expression tightening, then looked again at the figure she had left.
There was a great stretch still to her grandmother's treatment fee.
Half a year…
This task was of the utmost importance; the share of pay she might draw would be small, true, but it was no small figure all the same — several times over the ordinary academy bounty tasks.
"Grandmother… wait for me!" Shen Bing bit lightly at her lip.
And just then, rank on rank of crates were delivered to the cargo-holding area outside the T2 Hyena.
"Hello, might I ask which of you is Miss Shen Bing?" a delivery worker in work clothes called.
Calling me?
Shen Bing came down from the ship, puzzled. "You want me for something?"
"This is a batch of military supplies ordered for you; please inspect it. Shall we carry it aboard for you?" the delivery worker asked.
"Ordered military supplies?" Shen Bing was taken aback, and hurried to say, "I didn't order any military supplies — haven't you made a mistake!"
By the number of crates, it was enough to put Shen Bing's T2 Hyena into a full-ammo, full-energy state!
That was treatment Shen Bing's ship had never once had.
"There's no mistake. It's your T2 Hyena — a Miss Shen Bing of the Northstar Starship Military Academy. The payment's already been settled by a gentleman; you need only sign for it." The delivery worker raised a hand, and a holographic electronic waybill appeared before Shen Bing.
Only now did Shen Bing see the name of the one who'd paid.
Zhao Chen.
"It's actually Cadet Zhao Chen!" Liu Lili, who happened to be present, cried out.
Shen Bing clenched her fists; she was silent a moment, then said, "I'm sorry — these aren't the military supplies I want. Please return them to the gentleman who ordered them."
The delivery worker said hesitantly, "This… the gentleman said that if you insisted on refusing this batch of military supplies— —please read this message, and then decide."
So saying, the delivery worker opened an electronic message.
On reading the contents of the message, Shen Bing went blank-faced, and at the last she murmured, "Xiao Li… carry these military supplies aboard the ship."
"Right away!" Liu Lili was overjoyed; this quantity was enough to give their T2 Hyena a proper "full belly" this time.
Shen Bing stood to one side, watching everyone bustle about.
Her mind was on the words that boy had left.
If you can disregard the lives of the crew who came to adventure alongside you, then you may refuse.
Shen Bing thought a moment, then went and asked the delivery worker for the detailed bill of these military supplies, and afterward sent that person a message.
……
Galactic Star Calendar, January 20, 3031.
An interstellar transport fleet of 300 T1 interstellar transports set out slowly from Northern No. 3 System, driving toward the star-system edge-space beyond the system.
32 escort ships traveled along with it.
"This is our travel track. Given that we're using T1 interstellar transports this time, we'll make three warp voyages. In between we'll halt to rest twice, half a day each. At the last we'll reach the destination, the Quicksand City Interstellar Fortress, on February 10. Once the unloading is done, we return by the same route to Northern No. 3 System by the end of February, and the escort task ends. Do any of you have questions?" A man of third-class NCO rank looked at the four video windows before him.
They were, respectively, Zhao Chen, Shen Bing, the leather-clad woman, and the cigarette-smoking uncle.
This third-class NCO was the one in charge of the interstellar transport fleet.
"That'll do," said the smoking uncle.
Zhao Chen and the others had no objection either.
Route and timing set, everyone began preparing to enter the warp-travel mode.
Because this time they had to accommodate the warp mode of every ship, the warp speed could only be at the grade-2 warp level.
For those T1 ships all carried grade-2 warp engines.
Otherwise, this stretch of road, Zhao Chen's T2 Queen Bee-class Heavy Carrier Starship alone would need only five days to make a one-way run.
"Report — formation complete, all normal. We'll enter same-frequency warp mode at 10:05," Lilith answered at his side.
Zhao Chen looked at the 300-odd ships on the star-map.
By the several parties' discussion, Zhao Chen's T2 Queen Bee sat, together with the interstellar transport fleet, at the fleet's center.
The remaining escort ships were spread evenly around the interstellar transport fleet.
As for so-called same-frequency warp mode—
—it was a fleet-support system that let a formed-up interstellar fleet enter the warp state at the same moment, at the same speed; and afterward decelerate and stop at the same moment too.
This ensured that, on exiting warp, the ships within the fleet could still hold a safe combat formation.
"That Captain Shen Bing didn't seem to accept your kindness." Lilith, seizing a spare moment, fell to chatting with Zhao Chen.
What Zhao Chen had done, he hadn't hidden from Lilith — including the message Shen Bing had sent back.
The message read that she'd accepted the batch of military supplies, but that it counted as her, Shen Bing, owing Zhao Chen a debt, to be repaid in the future.
"That monitor is simply of a proud temper. And I did it, too, mindful that back when I issued the starship-duel challenge to Zhang Haoran, she was the only one in my class besides Li Wei who stood up to counsel me… though her tone wasn't very kind." Zhao Chen laughed.
At the time, only Zhao Chen had known he could win that duel; that someone with no connection to him at all would, of all things, stand up and counsel him, rather than jeer and sneer like the rest — that alone was already something.
Lilith looked at Zhao Chen with a smile. "You have more than that little bit of intent, surely, Commander?"
Zhao Chen met that look of Lilith's and admitted it frankly. "All right, I confess. I do have a notion of recruiting her as my subordinate down the line. Her marks at our Northstar Starship Military Academy count as quite good; she's not a gifted-type like my sister— —but she's a very fine seedling all the same. And most important of all — her origin is common!"
Not noble; which meant no great web of interests, and Zhao Chen could use her boldly.
Lilith grasped Zhao Chen's meaning and said in agreement, "She's a fine fit indeed; and our Owl Dragon Fleet does lack command talent of this sort just now. Though that monitor looks a touch hard to 'tame.'"
"Let it take its course; let's finish this escort task first." Zhao Chen shrugged.
After that, the System advised they were about to enter deep-sea mode, and Zhao Chen and Lilith entered their hibernation pods, beginning this escort task.