"So this is the Machine Race's old nest?" Zhao Wan'er looked at the images sent back — those planetary manufactories in their style of iron and steel — and could not help swallowing.
"To speak exactly, it is the old nest of a creature called the Mechanical Prophet," the adjutant beside her said in reminder.
"Are they not all Machine Race?" Zhao Wan'er muttered it carelessly, and then looked closely upon this particular prospect.
This was a rare chance to observe so near at hand the Machine Race that had once threatened the Galactic Alliance's three great empires.
In those days the Machine Race's existence was, to them, a thing like flood and savage beast.
Merely to hold off the Machine Race's fleets left the three empires' border fleets running themselves ragged; and of intelligence upon the Machine Race's home bases there was very nearly nothing at all.
Beep, beep, beep.
Just at this time a communication window opened — no image, only a familiar voice.
"You may begin the action.
"Remember the task; do not linger in the fight."
Hearing that familiar voice, Zhao Wan'er laughed. "The commander of the Owl Dragon interstellar stealth bomber special fleet! Zhao Wan'er has it! I guarantee the task will be accomplished!"
The communication ended.
Zhao Wan'er raised a hand and opened an interstellar war sand table, within which lay the sketched plan of the Machine Race base across from them.
But at this point she stared at the sand table with her brows drawn slightly together.
"What is it? Is there some trouble?" the adjutant beside her inquired.
"Er… the task my brother charged me with is to go in and attack at will, and withdraw straight off once the attack is done. But there are so many things here — which am I to attack?" Zhao Wan'er has a difficulty in choosing, and at a stroke she truly did not know which to pick.
The adjutant beside her, hearing this, was blank a good while before she caught up with it.
She had thought it some grave matter; and it turned out she was tangled upon this.
The adjutant said carelessly, "If you do not know which to attack, hit the biggest one."
"The biggest?" Zhao Wan'er muttered it over, and then fixed upon that district in the very middle of this Machine Race base.
That district is made of one very great planet joined to several moons, and with the mechanical framework upon it, looked at from afar it is like one mechanical planet.
"Then let us hit that!" Zhao Wan'er said, pointing at this mechanical planet.
The adjutant stared at this district, which lay somewhat deep in, and said in some concern, "Will that not be somewhat too deep? What if it goes ill for withdrawing afterward?"
"What is there to fear? We have ten thousand interstellar stealth bombers now! Were my brother's order not merely to harass and strike — believe it or not, I should dare take this place for him outright!" Zhao Wan'er said it full of confidence.
"By the intelligence, there are 200,000 warships here. Could you truly take it?" The adjutant beside her punctured her own commander's boast without ceremony.
"There now — taking this place is a little hard. But to knock out that big fellow, is that not an easy thing?" Zhao Wan'er said with a pout.
The adjutant could not keep from laughing, but carried out this object of the task all the same; it held some risk, though no great trouble.
And so.
Beneath the Machine Race's very eyes, ten thousand interstellar stealth bombers slipped in without a sound.
"Have a care; the enemy has counter-stealth equipment. Set every T3 Phantom-Thorn-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber in the middle of the fleet, and let none stray from the course!" Zhao Wan'er had said it very simply with her mouth before.
But in the real fighting she dared take nothing lightly; she stared at the red circles appearing one by one upon the course before her.
Those were the positions of the enemy's counter-stealth equipment, and its scanning districts, as scouted by the T4 Banshee-class Light Interstellar Stealth Scouts.
The T4 Shadow-Demon-class Light Interstellar Stealth Bomber's stealth technology is stronger than the T3 Phantom-Thorn's, so Zhao Wan'er set no few Shadow-Demons upon the fleet's outer ring.
By which they might both attack at the first moment of being exposed.
And cover the lower-grade Phantom-Thorns.
Happily — perhaps because 300,000 mechanical warships had been drawn away — the strength of the guard here was much weakened.
Which let nine parts in ten of Zhao Wan'er's whole plan go smoothly forward.
But at the last, at a position still some little way from that final target.
The fleet was exposed.
A Machine Race squadron that happened to be patrolling there turned every muzzle of a sudden upon Zhao Wan'er's fleet.
And at the same time word came upon Zhao Wan'er's flagship bridge that they were locked by the enemy.
"We are exposed!" The adjutant looked toward Zhao Wan'er.
"At this distance our T4 Shadow-Demons and some of the T3 Phantom-Thorns at the fleet's front can reach.
"Pass my order: open the fighting at this very position.
"Every stealth bomber that can reach Target No. 1 is to attack by the plan first fixed, using 90 percent of its ordnance.
"The remaining bombers are to attack freely about them — whatever target holds the higher value of attack, attack that.
"Remember, we have five minutes of attack.
"After five minutes, the whole fleet withdraws by the road it came!" Zhao Wan'er gave her orders decisively.
One stealth bomber after another came out of its stealth.
Upon those smooth hulls, hung with no weapon outside, appeared launcher after launcher for missiles and torpedoes.
And thereafter every missile and torpedo was fired toward that greatest Machine Race structure, that thing like a mechanical planet.
Their number was terrible, like a rain of meteors.
Certain warships and small structures along the road were caught in it, and came very nearly to being burned to nothing.
Bursting flame upon bursting flame foretold the nearing of that target of attack.
And then a curtain of light barred the way before that mechanical planet.
Upon the curtain appeared the ripples of burst after burst.
"It is a star-shield! To have fitted a star-shield to a whole planet!" the adjutant cried out.
At which Zhao Wan'er was exceedingly calm.
As though she had foreseen this case.
She said only, levelly, "A hundred seconds more.
"Have the Banshees with us scan the case about us and make certain our line of withdrawal is safe!"
"Understood." The adjutant went to carry it out.
The three minutes of attack ended.
And very nearly every Owl Dragon stealth bomber had thrown out nine parts in ten of the ordnance it had made ready.
One could see about them no few buildings of this Machine Race industrial base bursting and falling in.
"Begin the withdrawal!" Zhao Wan'er, seeing the three minutes up, ordered the withdrawal without a word more.
And at this time the adjutant looked still, somewhat unwilling, at that mechanical planet wrapped in its star-shield.
But the next second, that shield showed cracks — and then dispersed.
The missiles and torpedoes remaining poured down upon this mechanical planet.
The flame of the bursts wrapped one whole side of it, as though it had been set alight.
Exceedingly splendid!
"Reporting! Many mechanical fleets are found about us, far beyond the number of 200,000! They mean to ring us about!" A message of a sudden broke in upon their gladness.
Zhao Wan'er pouted and muttered, "It seems we have poked a hornets' nest."