Rhoswen glanced back over her shoulder as she replied. "Right. Three."

Eirenne didn’t react, or at least didn’t show it. She kept moving ahead of them at the same steady pace, guiding them through the station like she already knew every turn, every broken section, every place where the structure still held, and every place where it didn’t.

Aurelian had no doubt she heard everything anyway, but he was surprised that she didn’t add anything to the fire.

They walked for a while in silence, the sound of their steps and the faint hum of systems barely holding together filling the space around them.

The corridors were narrow and worn, the walls marked by age and damage, with sections that had clearly been repaired long ago and others left as they were.

After a while, Aurelian spoke without looking away from the path ahead.

"So, is your core data similar to the ones that others in my family got?"

Eirenne answered right away, like she had expected the question.

"Not exactly," she said. "But yes, it seems that most of my core was changed to a much higher level compared to what other commanders got recently or in the previous batches, as it seems that both your parents and the elders of the family knew that you were not in Alliance borders, as such, they made me much stronger than needed before I was sent here."

That matched what he had already figured out.

This is because every commander will need a helper like Eirenne to maintain good control over a large territory as they grow.

This doesn’t mean everyone will build their own territory, as there are always exceptions, but for those who do, they will need someone like Eirenne, as she is something that is able to help them by being the nearly omnipotent sentient being that can efficiently handle what others would need a large array of people.

Rhoswen looked between them, then back at the projection.

"So do you know any of the other AIs?"

"Not many as each ," Eirenne said. "Different types. Different roles. Some focus on governance. Some handle strategy. Some deal with infrastructure or coordination. I was assigned to Lord Aurelian."

There was something in the way she said that last part that made the place feel a little less empty, even though nothing around them had changed.

Aurelian noticed it.

He didn’t comment.

Instead, he asked the next question.

"So why did you bring us to this direction? Is this where the engine blueprints or a ready-made one are?"

Eirenne turned slightly as she led them around a collapsed section and into a lift chamber that still barely worked.

"Yes, and no," she said. "Yes, this is where the parts and blueprints you are looking for are, but there is another reason, as it seems that this civilization also had an AI of some sort."

Rhoswen made a small face. "Oh? Is it still active?"

Hearing this, Eirenne replied, "No, it seems that the AI lost its power source and was unable to find a replacement, which is why the defenses were so lax, and also why I was able to infiltrate so quickly into their systems."

Neris leaned back lightly against the wall as the lift groaned and started moving.

"So the ships we saw were just doing the bare minimum?" she asked. "And also, why are there only old patrol ships, a broken station, and no clean support?"

"Yes," Eirenne said.

That answer settled in the space between them more than anything else had.

No one spoke for a moment.

The lift continued its slow movement, the old system struggling but still working.

When the doors opened again, the path ahead narrowed.

The halls were tighter now, more controlled, less broken, but still worn down by time. Eirenne led them through another set of corridors, then turned into a chamber that immediately felt different from the rest of the station.

It was still old, and from the looks of it, badly damaged.

Console banks surrounded a lowered central platform, most of them inactive but not completely dead. Tall data pillars stood in rings, dark for now, and one wall carried what had once been some kind of emblem, though it had worn down too much to make out clearly anymore.

"The core systems are below," Eirenne said. "This used to be one of the main command rooms."

Rhoswen looked around once, then back at Aurelian.

"So this is it."

"For now," he said.

Because it was obvious this wasn’t everything.

Not even close.

Eirenne stepped toward the center, and as she did, parts of the room started to react. Old systems flickered back to life in small ways, screens lighting up faintly, dead circuits trying to reconnect, and a few remaining systems recognizing her presence and responding, even if slowly.

"There are still defensive layers deeper in the station," she said. "Some under my control. Some only partly. There are physical archives, though many are mostly damaged due to age. There are fabrication areas that no longer function, and ship support sections that are no longer usable. There is also the engine artifact you came for."

That last part mattered.

Aurelian looked at her as he asked, "Did you check if there are any other dangers?"

"There is nothing major that we need to worry about, but I would be careful, as some don’t need computer input to work," she said.

That made sense.

He couldn’t even argue with it. If anything, it was exactly the kind of thinking he wanted from something meant to help him handle things at this level.

Rhoswen let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.

"So we didn’t come out here for nothing."

"No," Eirenne said. "You didn’t."

Neris relaxed just a little, though only slightly.

"Good."

Aurelian stepped forward a small amount, not too close, but enough to make it clear he was moving the conversation forward.

"Then explain the rest," he said. "Everything that still matters here. Start with what can still kill us."

That brought the first real change to Eirenne’s expression.

For the first time since she appeared, she didn’t look like something putting on a formal act.

She looked like what she actually was—something built to assist command, now finally speaking to the person it was meant to serve.

"Very well, my lord," she said. "That is also where I would begin."