Chapter 176: Leaving The Site And Going Back 2

"Yes."

"Then I’ll prepare a proper recovery list."

"Do that."

Rhoswen leaned back in her seat, arms resting loosely as she glanced between them. "She’s been with us for a few hours and already has lists."

Neris answered in a soft, almost absent tone, though there was a hint of approval behind it. "Yeah, but that is the kind of AI you would want if you want a reliable helper."

Eirenne turned her head slightly toward Neris, as if trying to decide whether that had a special meaning to it or not, but she didn’t see any change in expression, so she had to let it go.

Aurelian didn’t step in to explain either, as he also wanted to see where this was going, but to his disappointment or relief, nothing happened after that.

The ship left the bay not long after.

The old doors opened slowly, the mechanism still working but bearing the weight of time with every movement, and the dead system spread out before them again.

The broken ring hung in the distance, large even in its ruined state, while the remains of the station drifted behind them, surrounded by wrecks and weakened patrol ships that no longer felt like a threat.

As the ship cleared the outer structure, Eirenne began feeding updated system maps into the ship’s archive, adjusting and organizing them without needing instruction.

As one of the major changes came about, he could see that she had already named the place they were before.

Halcyon Vault.

Aurelian didn’t change it.

There was no reason to, as it didn’t matter to him what name it had.

Once they were far enough from the station that nothing immediate could interfere, Neris returned her full attention to the engine artifact.

The tired, quiet look she usually carried faded while she worked, replaced by a steady focus that showed clearly in the way she moved and watched the readings.

After a while, she looked up.

"It will fit," she said.

Aurelian turned toward her. "Without major risk?"

"With proper work, yes. It won’t turn me into a combat ship, but it will let me keep up better during the Mournveil operation. It will also help with response time during supply movement."

That was enough.

"Good."

Neris glanced back at the artifact, then added, "It’s slightly above blue-grade. Not enough to call it purple, but good enough for what we are about to do."

"That is what we want, as we will get higher-level items as we grow," he said, as he didn’t think this engine alone would make or break this small expedition.

She nodded, agreeing with what he said.

Rhoswen, on the other hand, looked less impressed. "So we came all this way and still have to wait."

"We came all this way and got what we needed," Neris replied.

Rhoswen nodded, like that honesty was enough for her.

The rest of the trip back was quieter, which gave Aurelian time to think through what came next, especially where Eirenne would go first.

Helion Bastion Twelve was the obvious choice if he looked at it from a technical side. It had stronger systems, deeper infrastructure, and enough power to support her without forcing constant limits.

It also had Seris and Meren, who would understand what she was and how to use her faster than most.

Larkspur Haven was different.

It wasn’t as strong technically, but it mattered more in other ways. It was where the people were, where everything was growing, where problems stacked up faster than they could be solved.

Astercourt was already handling too much there, and Caelan’s side was still adjusting to everything that had changed. New arrivals, rebuilding, defense, coordination—it all pushed against each other every day.

Both places needed her.

But not the same way.

The bastion could support her.

Haven needed her.

So the order was clear.

Anchor her in the bastion first.

Then extend her reach to Haven once everything was stable.

He told her that directly.

Eirenne listened without interrupting, taking in the plan the same way she had taken in everything else so far.

"That is sensible," she said. "The bastion can support me. Haven can benefit from me. I can work across both once the link is stable."

"Good."

She paused for a moment, then asked, "What are my first priorities?"

Aurelian didn’t need to think long about that.

"Stabilize the data flow between Haven and the bastion. Support Astercourt without replacing her. Help Seris and Meren with production and technical recovery. Start cataloging everything from Halcyon Vault for later retrieval. Build a model for automated rear defense. And when Neris is ready, assist with the engine integration."

Eirenne went still for a brief moment.

Then she smiled.

"Yes, I will make sure to fulfill all the requests as soon as possible."

Rhoswen glanced at Aurelian, not expecting him to give her so many jobs at once, but this is because she is using herself as a benchmark, which is wrong, as she doesn’t like to do much more than be the frontliner in combat.

The ship continued moving toward the Crownward March, carrying more than it had when it left. An engine for Neris.

A new intelligence that would change how things were handled. Maps of another place worth returning to. More pieces that didn’t fit yet, but would later.

It was starting to become a pattern.

Find something buried.

Take what could be used right now.

Mark what couldn’t.

Come back later with more.

That wasn’t a bad way to build something, as long as he didn’t let it get out of control. As long as he didn’t start taking on more than he could actually hold.

When the lights of the March finally appeared again on the long-range display, Aurelian watched them for a while without speaking.

There was still the Mournveil route to confirm, then the Kharov strike to prepare; after that, the Thornwake cruisers were waiting for him to awaken, alone with the sealed Tier V warship.

Many things to do in a short amount of time, but he would never give this up as he knew that this is just the start.