The entire Starry Sky Cruiser has five levels from top to bottom.
The highest level is the Combat Deck, which is full of various Space Weapons and radar systems.
The second level is the Communications Layer, mainly responsible for communication inside and outside the Cruiser, and is mainly stationed by Radar Operators and Communications Technicians.
The third level is the one she is on, the Command Layer.
Under normal circumstances, Warship Pilots, Navigators, combat commanders of all levels, senior military officers, and Starry Sky Fighter pilots are all on this level.
It can be said to be the location of the elite, no wonder it is placed in the safest middle layer.
However, this time it was a special operation, and the third level only had her, the captain, the eight pilots, and two navigators. There were no other commanders, senior military officers, or Starry Sky Fighter pilots.
The fourth level of the Cruiser is the territory of the Starry Sky Marines.
They are the most basic Sergeants in the Interstellar Fleet, all ordinary people, not Gene Evolvers.
Because this is a search and rescue operation, the Starry Sky Cruiser is not fully staffed at the moment, and only carries five hundred Starry Sky Marines.
If they encounter special circumstances in the Asteroid Belt that require landing combat, they will have to step up.
The fifth level is the largest and tallest Hold.
Various types of Starry Sky Fighters, military Flying Vehicles, Interstellar Airships, as well as various weapons, ammunition, and supplies are stored here.
Of course, this time, in order to rescue those students, a small half of the entire fifth-level Hold was vacated to leave space for the students' one hundred or so Starry Sky Fighters.
Xia Chujian was fine with everything else, but stared at the fourth level where the Starry Sky Marines were for a long time.
"They are all ordinary people..." Xia Chujian muttered, "Isn't this just cannon fodder..."
She sat alone in the captain's room of the Starry Sky Cruiser, pulled up the virtual display screen, and began to look closely at the resumes of the Starry Sky Marines on the fourth level.
A total of five hundred people, all from the Fourth Interstellar Fleet.
However, Xia Chujian discovered that these five hundred people had all been in the Fifth Interstellar Fleet before, and then were transferred over.
And looking at the time, it was four years ago that they were transferred over.
If Xia Chujian remembered correctly, Meng Guanghui told her that four years ago, it was when Huo Yushen led the Fifth Interstellar Fleet and was betrayed by an internal traitor, fighting with the Southern Cross Star Kingdom's Interstellar Fleet until only the last three people were left.
But how did these five hundred Starry Sky Marines survive that battle?
Xia Chujian felt a strong sense of incomprehension and interest.
She thought about it, and didn't plan to ask the starship pilots and navigators here, but planned to directly ask these Starry Sky Marines.
She closed the virtual display screen, came out of the captain's room, and said to a Guard guarding the door: "I want to see the Starry Sky Marines. Can you take me to the fourth level?"
The Guard hurriedly said: "Yes, Captain! This way, please!"
He nodded to another Guard at the door, and then led Xia Chujian along the corridor to the stairwell.
There is an elevator here, and there are also stairs to go down.
The Guard respectfully asked: "Captain, do you want to take the elevator or the stairs?"
Xia Chujian said: "Just going down one level, why not take the stairs?"
The Guard scratched his head, his face flushed, and he said in a low voice: "Although it's only one level, the height is not low... Walking the stairs, there are more than three hundred steps..."
Xia Chujian: "!!!"
Did she expose her ignorance?
This is a sign of not knowing the scale of the Starry Sky Cruiser! Xia Chujian didn't feel ashamed, and said with a smile: "Is that so? Then we'll take the elevator, thank you for the reminder."
The Guard looked at her in surprise.
He didn't expect that this new female captain really had no airs...
In the past, when they, these Sergeants, showed that they knew more than the officers, they would either be reprimanded on the spot or given a hard time afterwards.
Few officers would not take it seriously.
He just didn't expect that Xia Chujian, this "captain", was only temporary.
Moreover, she was used to being a commoner and never felt ashamed of her background. She even wished to announce it widely, so that some people wouldn't have such high expectations of her...
Of course, Xia Chujian had only just graduated from high school and had been a mediocre student for many years. It was normal for her to not understand things! Why would she be so easily angered just because someone corrected her?!
If she got angry so easily, she might as well not live. She would be so enraged that she would transcend the Three Realms and be beyond the Five Elements.
Xia Chujian nonchalantly entered the elevator, even in the mood to ask the guard, "...Why is the fourth floor so high?"
Seeing her easygoing nature, the guard patiently explained, "Because it's for the Starry Sky Marines. During battles, the Starry Sky Marines are used extensively. The fourth floor is nominally one floor, but in practice, it can be divided into sixteen layers, quadrupling the troop capacity."
Xia Chujian calculated silently in her mind.
Quadrupling the troop capacity meant sixteen times the original amount. Based on the height of three hundred steps, it meant that the fourth floor, with a height of over fifty meters, could be further divided into layers of just over three meters each.
Tsk tsk, truly remarkable.
The operation to eliminate the Rebels near Galuo City on Kanli Star was indeed just a small skirmish.
Xia Chujian gained a preliminary understanding of the scale of interstellar warfare.
"There are only five hundred Starry Sky Marines now, so is the fourth floor very empty?" Xia Chujian asked curiously.
The guard nodded, "Yes, because we're not really going to war. This time, five people share a small room, so only a hundred barracks are occupied. Most of the fourth floor is empty."
Xia Chujian said, "Actually, we don't need Starry Sky Marines for this rescue mission in the Asteroid Belt."
According to the manual she had read, Starry Sky Marines were soldiers who, during interstellar wars, after breaking through the enemy's outer space defenses, were transported by Flying Vehicles into the enemy's atmosphere to carry out landing operations.
They were truly "land-based soldiers."
The guard smiled, "The situation in the Asteroid Belt is ever-changing, so it's better to be careful."
Xia Chujian didn't think so, but she also knew that since she was the captain, these five hundred Starry Sky Marines were her responsibility.
She was determined to bring them all back safe and sound.
...
The elevator stopped on the fourth floor.
Xia Chujian walked out with the guard.
Wearing the Fourth Interstellar Fleet uniform, she appeared before the Starry Sky Marines on the fourth floor.
Having received prior notice from Xia Chujian's guard, they had already lined up in a square formation, waiting for her inspection.
Xia Chujian didn't stand on ceremony, walking directly onto the platform and first scanning the team before her.
As she looked at these Starry Sky Marines, they also lazily looked at Xia Chujian on the platform.
They were just passing their days in the Fourth Interstellar Fleet.
This time, the commander-in-chief of the Fourth Interstellar Fleet had directly ordered them to participate in this Military search and rescue operation. It was said that if they were lucky, they could get a cheap military merit.
At first, they were quite excited.
But later, after hearing that the captain this time was a greenhorn who had just turned eighteen, they had no expectations.
Unlike the Warship Pilots of this Cruiser, who knew more information, they thought Xia Chujian was just like those Nobles, here to gain experience and freeload military merits.
They had no respect for Xia Chujian at all.
But when Xia Chujian walked onto the platform and stood before them, they found that this girl, apart from her slightly lower rank, had no shortage of imposing manner.
Moreover, these veterans had fought many battles in the Fifth Interstellar Fleet, and they could easily tell whether a person was truly capable or just a showboat!
Therefore, when Xia Chujian's gaze swept over them, they straightened their bodies in unison.
For a young girl who had just turned eighteen to have such a murderous aura, she was either exceptionally talented or truly battle-hardened.
Either way, they should respect her!
Xia Chujian raised her eyebrows, finding the change in these Sergeants' expressions somewhat strange.
Was this being arrogant at first and respectful later? She hadn't done anything...
She had just looked at them.
Xia Chujian put her hands behind her back and said a few platitudes.
"Hello everyone, I am Xia Chujian. The captain temporarily dispatched from the Fourth Interstellar Fleet."
"In the time ahead, I will lead you all in a search and rescue operation in the Sest Asteroid Belt, looking for the missing pilots and warplanes from the Kanli Star Flying Base."
"I also received special training at that Flying Base. This time, I and three comrades were lucky enough to fly through the Asteroid Belt from a newly formed wormhole."
"But other members of our base were not so fortunate."
"I hope everyone will work with me sincerely to successfully complete the search and rescue operation."
"Now, please, the captains of each team, go to Conference Room 400 to discuss today's search and rescue matters together."
Xia Chujian waved her hand, walked down from the platform, and followed the guard into Conference Room 400 on the fourth level.
Before long, the five captains also walked into the conference room.
Xia Chujian then learned that the Starry Sky Marines were organized into teams of one hundred, each team with a captain, and the remaining members in groups of three, mutually supporting each other in battle.
These five hundred people had five captains.
She sat at the head of the conference room, first asking everyone to sit down, and then curiously asked, "Everyone, I have a question that I hope you can help me answer."
The man sitting first on her left looked to be in his forties, his face etched with the marks of wind and frost, his skin a bronze color from excessive sun exposure.
The nameplate on his chest read: Second Lieutenant: Sun Jiahao, Captain of the 1st Marine Team of the Falcon-Class D1 Starry Sky Cruiser.
Sun Jiahao seemed to be the leader among these captains.
He had an honest smile on his face and said, "Captain Xia, please ask. We will definitely tell you everything we know."
Xia Chujian asked amiably, "I just want to know, you all transferred from the Fifth Interstellar Fleet to the Fourth Interstellar Fleet four years ago, right?"
Everyone nodded together.
Xia Chujian then curiously asked, "But I know that the Fifth Interstellar Fleet, it is said, was a fleet of more than five thousand people, and four years ago, they were reduced to the last three people, almost losing their designation. So, you... did you transfer to the Fourth Interstellar Fleet before that battle?"
Because if they had transferred after that battle, where would the Fifth Interstellar Fleet have gotten five hundred people to spare? These five captains did not expect Xia Chujian to ask about this.
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