Chapter 431: Temporary Recovery Administration Charter

The three unidentified ships remained at the Valeris outer checkpoint while the local patrols carried out Aurelian’s instructions.

Their captains had agreed to stop, but they were taking their time answering the identification request.

Rhoswen kept Crimson Bulwark behind the Valeris patrol line and watched them through the shared tactical display.

Aurelian remained in Helion’s command room with Astra and Eirenne.

"Any change?" he asked.

"None," Rhoswen replied. "Their weapons are still inactive, and they’ve maintained the distance we ordered. The lead ship has finally sent its registration."

Eirenne opened the document.

The registration was old, but it was not obviously false. It identified the lead vessel as a civilian survey transport belonging to an organization called the Outer Recovery Cooperative.

Aurelian had never heard of it.

Neither had Eirenne.

"Check the Alliance records," he said.

"I already have. The organization is not listed in the current regional registry, but that doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Valeris itself has incomplete records for several independent operators."

Rhoswen leaned closer to her camera.

"They’ve also provided a passenger list. Nine people across the three ships, including two engineers and someone claiming to be a former Orison recovery officer."

"Former?"

"That’s what the document says."

Aurelian considered that.

If the officer had worked for Orison, the visitors might know something useful about the disputed wreck fields. They might also be carrying an argument from a rival group inside Orison’s society.

Either possibility was worth hearing.

"Have the Valeris council approve their entry before anyone moves," he said. "They requested passage into Valeris, so the council makes that decision."

Rhoswen nodded.

"I’ve sent them the records."

"Tell the visitors they can send their evidence ahead of the meeting. We don’t need to bring three unknown ships into an inhabited station just to look at a document."

"Already suggested it. They’re willing to transmit the files, but they want a representative present when we open the original archive."

"Why?"

"They say it contains records that could be misunderstood without the surrounding material."

Aurelian looked toward Eirenne.

"That sounds convenient."

"It could also be true," she replied.

He couldn’t argue with that.

A few minutes later, the Valeris council approved a limited inspection. The three vessels would remain at the checkpoint while their representatives transferred aboard a local patrol transport.

Valeris security would screen the visitors and take them to a neutral meeting room.

Rhoswen would attend as Crownward’s military observer.

Aurelian would join remotely.

That arrangement suited him.

He had no intention of making a two-day journey to Valeris before knowing whether the visitors had anything worth discussing.

While the transfer was being arranged, Cassian contacted him.

Aurelian accepted the call and found his father sitting in a familiar office aboard an Arcturus command vessel.

A tactical display occupied the wall behind him, but Cassian had cleared his desk of everything except a cup and a small stack of reports.

"I heard unidentified ships arrived at Valeris," Cassian said.

"Three of them. They’re claiming to have information about Orison’s recovery authority."

"Have they identified themselves?"

"Outer Recovery Cooperative. Their records are old, and one of them claims to be a former Orison officer."

Cassian considered that.

"The name isn’t familiar."

"Eirenne couldn’t find it in the current registry either."

"That region has been outside reliable Alliance administration for a long time. I wouldn’t dismiss them because their paperwork is incomplete."

"I haven’t."

Cassian nodded.

"How are the negotiations?"

"Better than when they started. Orison has accepted two civilian corridors in principle, but the wreck fields are still disputed."

"And Valeris?"

"They want their old mining routes recognized. They also want compensation for Kestrel’s dismantled ships."

"Reasonable requests to raise."

Aurelian leaned back.

"Neither side is going to get everything."

"Then don’t try to make them happy. Try to make the agreement clear enough that they know what they’re accepting."

That was useful advice.

Aurelian opened the current boundary proposal.

"Orison wants exclusive recovery rights around three wreck fields. The Veyr legal assessment says they may have a historical claim over some of those sites, but the records don’t establish the exact boundaries."

Cassian looked at the map.

"Which means the evidence these visitors brought could matter."

"Possibly."

"Do you need Arcturus ships moved closer?"

"No. Rhoswen has enough strength to supervise a meeting, and Valeris hasn’t accepted Crownward protection."

Cassian accepted the answer without arguing.

"The reserve ships will remain available."

"Thank you."

"One more thing. If the visitors produce old Directorate records, have the Veyr legal team examine copies. My family can help with ships and engineering, but there’s no reason to pretend we’re the regional authority on historical recovery law."

Aurelian smiled slightly.

"I was going to ask them."

"Good."

The call ended shortly afterward.

Aurelian returned his attention to the Valeris display.

The visitors had reached the meeting station.

Their representative was a woman in her late forties wearing a plain gray coat. Her hair was tied back, and she carried a small sealed case rather than a personal weapon.

Two other visitors accompanied her.

One was an older engineer.

The other was a younger man whose identification named him as a navigation specialist.

Rhoswen stood across the table with two Valeris council representatives.

The woman looked toward the communication display as Aurelian joined.

"Commander Arcturus?"

"Yes."

"My name is Dalia Renn. I represent the Outer Recovery Cooperative."

"Rhoswen tells me you have information about Orison."

"We do."

"Then please explain."

Dalia placed the sealed case on the table.

"Our cooperative consists of independent salvage settlements and repair crews operating beyond Valeris Reach. Several of our communities were founded by people who left Orison generations ago."

Aurelian looked at the case.

"Why did they leave?"

"Disagreements over recovery law, mostly. Orison’s government considers the original Directorate recovery authority permanent. Some of our founders believed that authority ended when the Directorate ceased to exist."

That matched the dispute Aurelian was already dealing with.

"Did they take records with them?"

"Copies of some records. We also have a more recent document that Orison’s negotiators have not mentioned."

Dalia opened the case.

Inside was a compact archive unit surrounded by protective material.

She connected it to the meeting room’s isolated reader.

Eirenne immediately began checking the incoming data through the ordinary communication link.

The first documents were old Vhaloric recovery assignments.

They listed the repair yard, several nearby wreck fields, and the technical group responsible for maintaining them.

Aurelian recognized parts of the same records Cassian had obtained through the Alliance.

Then Dalia opened a later document.

"This was issued by Orison’s own emergency council after the Directorate’s collapse."

Aurelian read the heading.

Temporary Recovery Administration Charter.

The document was several centuries old.

It established an emergency council to manage the repair yard, preserve technical resources, and protect the surviving population.

That matched Orison’s account of its origins.

The important part came farther down.

The emergency council had listed the surrounding recovery sites individually, with coordinates and conditions for continued management.

No one claimed every Vhaloric wreck in the region.

The document also required the council to negotiate access arrangements with independent Human settlements once reliable communication was restored.

Aurelian read that section twice.

"Has Orison ever acknowledged this document?"

Dalia nodded.

"Older versions of their recovery law refer to it. The current government still uses the emergency council’s succession records to justify its authority."

"Then why haven’t they shown us the full charter?"

"I can’t answer that. I don’t represent their government."

That was a careful answer.

Aurelian appreciated it.

Eirenne finished her initial comparison.

"The archive’s structure is consistent with the period. I can confirm that several sections match independently preserved records, but I cannot authenticate the entire document yet."

"Understood."

Aurelian looked back at Dalia.

"Where did you obtain the original?"

"My grandfather served in Orison’s archive office before leaving. This copy was part of the records he carried out."

"Does Orison know you have it?"

"Probably."

"Have they challenged its authenticity?"

"They’ve challenged our right to possess it."

That was not the same thing.

Aurelian turned toward the Valeris representatives.

"Would your council be willing to submit this for independent legal review?"

One of them nodded.

"Yes, provided Orison receives the same evidence and an opportunity to respond."

"Agreed."

Dalia looked relieved.

"We didn’t come here to start another war."

"Good," Aurelian said. "Neither did we."

Rhoswen folded her arms.

"Then why bring three ships instead of sending a message?"

Dalia looked toward her.

"Because Orison has seized our cargo before. We wanted witnesses if they tried again."

Rhoswen’s expression changed.

"When?"

"Twice in the last year."

"Did they take your crews?"

"No. They confiscated salvage and sent the ships away."

Aurelian made a note.

"Send us those incident records too."

"I will."

The meeting continued for another hour.

The cooperative’s representatives explained that their settlements had traded with Valeris for years, though much of that trade passed through independent captains rather than formal agreements.

They did not want Crownward protection.

They wanted recognized shipping access and a chance to participate in the recovery-boundary discussions.