Chapter 412: Crownward Is Politically More Convenient 2

Reasonable.

Also politically cautious.

Aurelian did not object to that.

"Who attacked the patrol group?" he asked.

"Unknown."

"Any survivors?"

"Three."

"Can I speak to them?"

"One is medically stable enough for a formal interview. The other two are still recovering."

Aurelian thought for a moment.

He was not going to commit ships just because another region had experienced several attacks.

That was how small responsibilities turned into permanent ones before anyone noticed.

Still, ignoring the problem could be worse.

If someone was deliberately attacking independent Human settlements near the outer Crownward routes, the threat might eventually reach the March anyway.

"I’ll investigate," Aurelian said.

Cassian nodded.

"I expected that."

"I did not say we are taking them under protection."

"I know."

"I want the survivor’s report, route records, damage scans, and everything the Alliance has collected."

"I’ll send it."

Rhoswen leaned forward.

"Can I go?"

Aurelian looked at her.

"We do not know what we are doing yet."

"Investigating."

"That is not a fleet plan."

"It can become one."

Astra looked toward her.

"You said yesterday that the regional meeting was boring."

"It ended."

Aurelian ignored both of them.

Cassian sent the first files.

Eirenne immediately began processing them.

The survivor’s report arrived first.

The patrol group had consisted of three armed escorts and two cutters.

They had responded to a missing cargo ship.

When they reached the last known position, they found wreckage.

Then twelve ships appeared from behind a gas giant’s outer moon.

No warning.

No demand to surrender.

They simply attacked.

That alone was strange.

Most pirates wanted cargo.

Destroying ships without making demands did not make economic sense.

Aurelian opened the damage scans.

The weapons were mixed.

Compact plasma.

Human kinetic fire.

At least one old Vhaloric-style energy weapon.

Rhoswen frowned.

"That fleet sounds like a junkyard."

"Or salvage-built," Astra said.

Aurelian thought of Annex Seven.

The comparison was unpleasant.

"Any sign of autonomous systems?"

Eirenne answered.

"Not enough data."

The surviving patrol ship had lost sensors early in the engagement.

Most of its records were corrupted.

Still, one detail was useful.

The attackers had not pursued after the patrol crossed a certain distance.

Aurelian looked at that twice.

"Fixed operating range?"

"Possibly," Eirenne said.

Rhoswen looked toward him.

"You are thinking about Annex Seven."

"Yes."

"So am I."

Astra studied the route map.

"If these ships are tied to a base, they may be operating from somewhere near the attack zone."

"Or protecting something," Aurelian said.

Cassian watched them quietly.

"You see why the family council thought this might interest you."

Aurelian gave him a look.

"You could have said ancient machines might be involved."

"We don’t know that."

"You hoped."

Cassian smiled slightly.

"Perhaps."

The call ended soon after.

Aurelian remained in the planning room with Astra, Rhoswen, and Eirenne.

The regional meeting had barely finished.

The Crownward charter was still being revised.

Neris had a logistics group to build.

Annex Seven needed repairs.

Survey World M-17 remained under observation.

The last thing Aurelian needed was another new frontier problem.

Unfortunately, problems did not seem interested in his schedule.

"Do we have patrol ships available near the protected station?" he asked.

Eirenne brought up the current assignments.

"Four without weakening local security. Six if we delay one convoy escort."

"Don’t delay the convoy."

"Agreed."

"Any cruiser nearby?"

"Solenne will not be ready in time. One Helion cruiser is available, but it has a newly awakened crew."

Aurelian shook his head.

"Not for this."

Rhoswen looked hopeful.

Aurelian noticed.

"You are thinking of sending me."

"I am thinking."

"That is close enough."

"It isn’t."

Astra looked over the projected route.

"If we send Crimson Bulwark with four patrol ships and one scout, that is enough to investigate without looking like an invasion."

Rhoswen nodded enthusiastically.

"Exactly."

Aurelian looked at her.

"You realize this is mostly reconnaissance."

"Reconnaissance can become interesting."

"That is the problem."

She smiled.

Aurelian sighed.

"Fine."

Rhoswen immediately stood straighter.

"You lead the investigation."

"I knew you would make the correct decision."

"Four patrol ships. One scout. No chasing unknown contacts beyond support range."

Her expression became less excited.

"That last part was unnecessary."

"It was extremely necessary."

Astra agreed.

"Very necessary."

Rhoswen looked betrayed by both of them.

Aurelian continued.

"You are not offering Valeris Reach Crownward protection. You are not making agreements. You are not threatening anyone."

"I know how diplomacy works."

Nobody answered.

Rhoswen looked around the room.

"That silence was rude."

Eirenne brought up the preparation schedule.

"The group can depart in six hours."

"Do it," Aurelian said.

Rhoswen headed for the door.

Then she stopped.

"What if whoever is attacking them fires first?"

Aurelian looked at her.

"Then you make sure they regret it."

Her smile returned immediately.

"Much better."

She left.

Aurelian watched the door close.

Astra looked toward him.

"You know she is going to enjoy this."

"I know."

"Are you worried?"

"About her?"

"About the situation."

Aurelian looked back at the map.

Valeris Reach was small.

By itself, it did not matter much to the balance of the frontier.

But the same had once been true of Larkspur Haven.

The same had once been true of Helion.

Small places became important when they connected routes, populations, and resources together.

More importantly, somebody had started attacking Human ships without demanding anything in return.

That bothered him.

War had reasons.

Piracy had reasons.

Even Drann had reasons.

A fleet that simply appeared, destroyed ships, and withdrew to a fixed range was something else.

Aurelian opened the Destiny System privately.

No one reacted.

No one ever did.

He entered the available information and asked a simple question.

Was the threat near Valeris Reach connected to surviving Vhaloric infrastructure?

The System processed for several moments before giving him a result.

Probability of direct connection: moderate.

Probability of secondary salvage-based connection: high.

Potential surviving command infrastructure within regional search area: confirmed.

Threat classification: uncertain.

Aurelian closed the interface immediately.

He said nothing about what he had seen.

Instead, he looked toward Eirenne.

"Search old Vhaloric maps around Valeris Reach."

She turned toward him.

"For what?"

"Anything that could support ships. Command sites, maintenance depots, reserve docks, abandoned relay bases."

Eirenne nodded.

"That will take time."

"Start with military infrastructure within three days of the attack zone."

Astra looked at him.

"You think they are operating from an old site."

"I think it is worth checking."

That was enough.

If the System was right, Eirenne would find ordinary evidence sooner or later.

If it was wrong, the search would still help.

Aurelian turned back toward the wider Crownward map.

He had spent the previous day trying to make the March more stable.

Now another settlement beyond its edge was already asking whether the same stability could reach them.

He was not ready to say yes.

But he was not going to ignore them either.

That was how the Crownward March had grown so far.

Not by taking everything in its path.

By answering the places that had nowhere else to turn.