Star Ship Girl Era: My Shipgirls Are Too Overpowered-Chapter 30: But I Wouldn’t Be Here Without You

The academy had accepted the situation as real.

They had issued a new mission packet, and two high-ranking commanders from Polaris Naval Academy’s direct fleet had taken it.

One of them had already mobilized and entered stargate transit, with an estimated arrival near Cinderleaf’s corridor in under three days if the route stayed clear.

Aurelian let out a slow breath.

"That’s fast," he said.

Astra stood beside him, eyes on the star map, posture relaxed but alert.

"They moved immediately because it involves Omnics," she said. "And because it involves you."

Aurelian didn’t respond to that part, but he didn’t deny it either.

He looked at the projected enemy movement data again.

Even with the vanguard erased, Astra had still been picking up scattered signals, faint and intermittent, like distant machine chatter that wasn’t meant to be heard. It suggested the main body wasn’t far, even if it wasn’t in immediate strike range.

"Keep feeding updates to everyone," he said. "Outposts, sector fleet, academy command, we must make sure that there are no gaps, and no delays."

"Yes," Astra replied simply.

Aurelian stayed calm, but he didn’t relax.

Then, not long after, another contact appeared on the edge of their sensor range.

But this time it wasn’t an enemy.

Instead, it looked like it was a planetary fleet.

Friendly markings, local registry codes, and a formation that screamed "planetary defense" rather than "real navy."

Mostly Tier II hulls, a handful of Tier I support ships, and even a couple armed merchant vessels awkwardly shoved into a line like someone had begged the port authority for anything with a gun and got told yes.

It looked both brave and desperate.

Aurelian frowned slightly.

"That’s Cinderleaf’s defense fleet," Astra said, already reading the transponder IDs. "They’re heading out to meet what they think is still a full Omnic vanguard."

Aurelian exhaled.

"Pull us out of curved-path warp," he said. "Let’s meet them before they do something heroic and stupid."

Astra adjusted course, and Black Crown eased out of warp.

The defense fleet didn’t notice them right away.

Their radar was functional, but not sharp or powerful, and their focus was probably split between scanning ahead for Omnics and managing their own nerves.

It wasn’t until Black Crown closed the distance that the fleet reacted, formation wobbling slightly as if half the captains wanted to run and the other half wanted to charge.

A few seconds later, a comm request pinged.

Aurelian accepted it.

The screen filled with the face of an older man in a command uniform, the same calm eyes Governor Rourke had just been talking to.

Commander Merrick.

He looked surprised, then cautious, then very quickly serious.

"This is Commander Merrick of the Cinderleaf Defense Fleet," the man said. "Identify yourself and state your purpose."

Aurelian kept it simple.

"Aurelian Vale Arcturus," he said. "Polaris Naval Academy, first-year commander. This is Black Crown."

Merrick’s eyes flicked, catching on the ship ID, the class stamp, the sheer tonnage behind the name.

Even through a video feed, you could tell the man’s brain was doing fast math.

"A first-year," Merrick said slowly. "With a ship like that."

Aurelian didn’t bother correcting the implication.

"We intercepted the Omnic vanguard on the corridor," he said. "It’s gone. Two Tier III Foundry Cores destroyed, relay nodes wiped, remaining units cleaned up. You’re heading into an empty battlefield."

For a second, Merrick on the screen didn’t react.

Then the man blinked, once, sharply.

"Say that again," he said, like his ears refused to accept it.

Aurelian repeated it in the same tone, using the words with a look of amusement.

Merrick stared at him, then turned his head slightly, clearly listening to someone off-screen feeding him confirmation. A moment later, his expression cracked just enough to show the relief underneath the discipline.

"...We were preparing to die buying time," he admitted with a look like they were prepared to die here. "If what you’re saying is true, you just saved this world a lot of blood."

Aurelian didn’t take the praise the way some people would. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

"It wasn’t just me," he said, glancing sideways at Astra. "And it’s not over. The vanguard being here means the main body exists somewhere nearby, and we’re still treating this as an incursion until higher command says otherwise."

Merrick nodded, the respect in his eyes clear now.

"Understood," he said. "Cinderleaf Star is under war declaration as of minutes ago. We’ll redirect, escort you in, and get you whatever you need. Ammunition, resupply, dock priority. You name it."

Aurelian paused, then gave a small nod.

"Dock priority and ammo replenishment," he said. "And I want the governor briefed properly, not just with panic alerts. He needs a clear picture, and he needs to know help is coming."

Merrick’s mouth twitched like he almost smiled.

"I can do that," he said. "And... Commander Arcturus. If you don’t mind me saying it, this is the first time in my life I’ve seen a ship like yours show up at the exact moment it mattered."

Aurelian didn’t play humble, but he didn’t brag either.

"Lucky timing," he said, because that was easier than explaining anything else.

The call ended.

Outside, the Cinderleaf Defense Fleet shifted formation, no longer charging into the dark, instead falling into escort positions on either side of Black Crown, like a guard of honor they hadn’t expected to be giving.

Aurelian watched the ships line up, felt the quiet change in the air inside his command core, and for the first time since the battle, he let himself breathe a little.

Astra glanced at the escort fleet, then back at him.

"They’re treating you like a hero," she said quietly.

Aurelian leaned back in his chair, eyes forward as Cinderleaf Star’s system markers began to brighten on the navigation display.

"I was basically an observer," he said, half dry, half honest. "Like an intern who came along and watched you work."

Astra’s eyes softened again, and this time she didn’t hide the small smile.

"Sure," she replied, voice calm but warm. "But I wouldn’t be here without you."

Ahead, Cinderleaf Star waited, lights and orbitals turning slowly, unaware of how close it had come to disaster, and even more unaware that the real problem was still out there somewhere in the dark, moving closer one calculated step at a time.