Chapter 411: Crownward Is Politically More Convenient

The next morning, Aurelian was still at Helion when Cassian contacted him again.

This time, the message was not private.

It came through as a formal family communication addressed to Crownward Command, which told Aurelian immediately that whatever his father wanted to discuss had already gone beyond a simple conversation between them.

Astra was with him in one of Helion’s smaller planning rooms.

Rhoswen had finally returned from the patrol exercise sometime after midnight and was now pretending she had not spent half the night competing with newly trained crews.

Eirenne appeared beside the main display as the transmission opened.

Cassian’s image came into view.

"You look tired," he said.

Aurelian looked back at him.

"I had a regional meeting."

"I heard."

"Then you know why."

"I also heard Rhoswen joined a training exercise."

Rhoswen immediately looked toward Aurelian.

"You told him?"

"I did not."

Cassian smiled slightly.

"Helion sends reports."

"Those reports are too detailed."

"They are exactly detailed enough."

Rhoswen muttered something and sat farther back.

Cassian turned his attention fully to Aurelian.

"The recognition order has been approved without objection. It takes effect immediately."

Aurelian nodded.

"So Crownward assets are formally separated from ordinary Arcturus branch allocation."

"Correct."

"Any conditions added?"

"Only the ones already listed. You are still under Arcturus protection, and you are expected not to create problems that pull the whole family into a war without warning."

Aurelian looked at him.

"That sounds aimed at me."

"It is."

Rhoswen raised a hand.

"I think that should be aimed at Drann."

Cassian ignored her.

Aurelian opened the updated document.

Several new administrative sections were attached now that the family council had formally approved the recognition.

Most were exactly the kind of things he had expected.

Reporting standards.

Supply agreements.

Shared emergency access to Arcturus shipyards if Crownward suffered major losses.

Rules for family personnel who chose to transfer into Crownward service.

The last part interested him more than the others.

"So people can volunteer permanently?"

Cassian nodded.

"Within limits."

"What limits?"

"We are not letting you empty three family branches."

"I was not planning to."

"You say that now."

Aurelian kept reading.

Personnel who transferred into Crownward service would remain members of the Arcturus family, but their operational command would belong to Aurelian unless they later requested reassignment.

That solved another problem he had not yet reached.

The March had grown enough that borrowed personnel could become awkward.

Aurelian could not build a lasting command structure around people who might be recalled whenever another branch needed them.

This created a clear path for those who actually wanted to stay.

"Useful," Aurelian said.

Cassian nodded.

"That was the intention."

The next section dealt with trade.

Arcturus-controlled shipyards would offer Crownward contracts at family rates for the next three years, but Crownward would pay from its own revenue rather than receiving everything as direct family support.

Aurelian looked at the figures.

"That is going to hurt."

"You wanted independence."

"I wanted authority."

"Authority is the expensive version of independence."

Aurelian could not argue with that.

The March was beginning to generate more of its own income anyway.

Larkspur’s agricultural exports were growing.

Helion had industrial output.

Trade through the protected and neutral stations was increasing.

Sanctuary Ardent was not yet a commercial center, but its medical work would eventually become valuable once the civilian council decided what kinds of outside treatment it was comfortable offering.

They were not rich.

But they were no longer completely dependent on Arcturus support.

Cassian waited until Aurelian finished the first document before opening another.

"This is the part I actually called about."

Aurelian looked up.

"That sounds worse."

"Not necessarily."

A regional map appeared.

It showed the outer Compact border, several neutral stations, the Crownward March, and a region farther beyond the main trade routes.

Aurelian recognized the area only vaguely.

There were no major Crownward holdings there.

One old Alliance route crossed the edge of it, but most of the surrounding systems were controlled by small independent settlements, old mining concerns, and several political groups that had managed to survive by staying unimportant.

Cassian marked one system.

"Do you know Valeris Reach?"

Aurelian searched his memory.

"Independent Human settlement cluster. Three inhabited habitats, one moon colony, mostly mining and fuel processing."

"Correct."

"Not part of the Compact."

"No."

"Not Alliance territory either."

"Technically affiliated, but they have managed themselves for decades."

Aurelian looked at him.

"What happened?"

Cassian changed the display.

Ship tracks appeared.

Several were marked as unknown.

Others carried identification codes from smaller frontier fleets.

"They asked the Alliance for military assistance six days ago."

"Against who?"

"That is the interesting part. Nobody is sure."

Aurelian frowned.

Cassian continued.

"Cargo ships have disappeared along two routes. One patrol group was found destroyed. Another came back with heavy damage and almost no useful sensor records."

"Pirates?"

"That was the first assumption."

"And now?"

"The surviving crew described ships using mixed Human and Compact hull designs."

Rhoswen immediately became more interested.

"Drann?"

Cassian shook his head.

"No evidence."

Aurelian looked at the map.

"How many attacks?"

"Confirmed? Seven."

"Over what period?"

"Three weeks."

That was too organized for ordinary opportunistic piracy.

"What do they want from us?"

"They have not contacted Crownward directly."

"Then why are we discussing it?"

"Because the Alliance is overloaded."

That was believable.

The Alliance had spent too much time balancing frontier disputes, Compact instability, refugee movement, and competing local interests.

A small independent settlement cluster asking for help would not automatically become its highest priority.

Cassian continued.

"They can send investigators, but not enough combat strength to secure the entire area quickly."

Aurelian understood where this was going.

"And Arcturus?"

"We could send ships."

"But?"

"We would rather not create the impression that the family is expanding into another independent frontier region."

There it was.

Aurelian leaned back slightly.

"So Crownward is politically more convenient."

"Partly."

"That sounds familiar."

Cassian did not deny it.

"Crownward already has agreements with neutral stations and a reputation for limited protection without immediate annexation. Valeris Reach knows that."

Aurelian looked at the marked system again.

"Did they ask about us?"

"Yes."

That changed things slightly.

"How exactly?"

"Their council asked whether the same temporary protection framework used on the former Compact station could apply to them."

Rhoswen smiled.

"They want the six-month arrangement."

"Something similar," Cassian said.

Aurelian looked toward Astra.

She was already studying the route distances.

"How far from our nearest patrol point?"

"Two and a half days under normal conditions," Astra said.

"From Helion?"

"Longer."

"From the protected station?"

"Much closer."

That made it practical.

Aurelian returned his attention to Cassian.

"What does the Alliance think?"

"They would prefer someone stabilize the area without forcing a jurisdiction fight."

"Meaning they do not object."

"Correct."

"And the Veyr family?"

Cassian’s expression changed slightly.

"They support an investigation."

Aurelian noticed the wording.

"An investigation."

"Yes."

"Not protection."

"They have not taken a formal position on that yet."

That sounded exactly like something the Veyr family would do.

They would want more information before supporting another semi-independent protection arrangement on the frontier.