Chapter 450: Talyra 4

Aurelian did not care.

They had gone there for information, and now they had it. Talyra had confirmed the reserve site's location, mapped its outer detection network, identified its support ships, found an active fabrication block, and discovered six Vhaloric escort destroyers undergoing some level of restoration.

That was already far more than Aurelian had expected from the first reconnaissance mission.

There was no reason to risk a reconnaissance destroyer just so Talyra could stay nearby another hour and possibly learn one more thing.

Seraphiel seemed to agree. She continued studying the station while Talyra prepared to withdraw.

"If they detected anything, they probably don't know what passed through the screen."

"Which means I'd rather keep it that way," Aurelian replied.

Vaelith folded her arms, still visibly disappointed. "We could send something back."

"We probably will."

That immediately caught her attention. "My cruiser?"

Aurelian gave her a flat look.

Vaelith smiled. "Just checking."

Talyra had already started moving. Instead of retracing the path she had used to enter the region, she selected a different route and gradually increased her distance from the reserve site while keeping her emissions low.

The patrol ship and recovery vessel continued toward the outer sensor platform.

Neither changed course toward her.

For now, that was good enough.

Aurelian watched Talyra's marker slowly move away from the hidden reserve site, then turned his attention back to the images she had collected.

The mission had answered one question.

The old Vhaloric fleet reserve site was real.

Unfortunately, almost everything else they had discovered there had created several more.

The patrol ship eventually reached the outer sensor platform but did not pursue.

That was good.

Before Talyra moved completely out of range, Eirenne intercepted one final passive transmission from the station. She began working on it while the destroyer continued retreating.

Several minutes later, part of the message became readable.

It was not a military order.

It was a maintenance report.

One line immediately stood out.

Aurelian read it twice.

"Escort hull three propulsion test complete. Escort hull four reactor synchronization delayed. Reserve command requests all available engineering crews prepare for activation schedule."

Astra looked toward him, her expression tightening. "They're planning to activate the ships."

"Looks like it."

Seraphiel brought up the images of the six destroyers again. "If three are already receiving stable power, they may be closer to deployment than they appear."

"How long?"

She shook her head. "I can't tell from this information alone."

Aurelian turned toward Eirenne. "Can you identify whoever is running the station?"

"Not yet."

"Then that's next."

He contacted Oren, Valeris, and Dalia and shared only what Crownward had actually confirmed.

The reserve site was active.

Unknown crews were restoring old Vhaloric military hulls.

At least three escort destroyers might be approaching operational condition.

No hostile action had been observed.

Aurelian made sure to include that last part.

Oren's reaction was predictable. "Orison needs to secure that facility."

"No," Aurelian replied immediately.

Oren frowned through the communication screen. "Those ships are inside the old recovery region."

"They're outside the sites you've established a credible claim to."

"They may have been restored using material taken from Orison wreck fields."

"Then prove that."

Oren fell silent.

Aurelian continued before he could push the issue further. "We don't know who those people are. We don't know whether those ships are intended for defense, sale, escort work, or something worse. I'm not starting a battle because we found three repaired destroyers."

"Six," Oren corrected.

"Three of them barely qualify as ships right now."

That earned a reluctant pause.

Dalia cared less about the ships themselves and more about the station's industrial capability.

She enlarged the image of the repaired structure. "If that fabrication block is operating, whoever controls the station may have been rebuilding components locally."

Neris immediately checked the supply figures against that possibility. "That would explain why their imports are lower than I expected. They may only be bringing in materials and components they can't produce themselves."

That possibility made the operation more developed than Aurelian had initially assumed.

Someone had hidden it for nearly a year.

That was suspicious.

It wasn't proof they intended to attack anyone.

The timing bothered him as well. The supply network had existed long before Dane tried to destroy the Orison delegation.

Dane's financial backers had connections to the operation, but that did not necessarily mean Dane controlled it.

He might simply have been receiving money from the people who did.

"Keep tracing the accounts," Aurelian told Eirenne.

She nodded. "I will."

"And find out who owns the ships supplying that station."

"Already working on it."

Aurelian looked back toward the map.

Three old destroyers nearing activation were not enough to threaten Crownward. They were not even enough to threaten Orison by themselves.

What concerned him was what they represented.

Someone had found an abandoned Vhaloric reserve site, restored part of its industry, established hidden supply routes, placed an outer sensor screen, and begun repairing military ships without informing any nearby settlement.

That required planning.

Money.

People.

And most importantly, time.

Dane couldn't have created it in a few weeks of anger over negotiations.

Whatever this was, it had started much earlier.

Aurelian looked toward Talyra's retreating destroyer on the tactical display. "Get her home."

Seraphiel checked the connection, then gave him a small nod. "The relay is stable."

Vaelith folded her arms and looked toward Aurelian expectantly. "And after she returns?"

He already knew what answer she wanted.

"We prepare."

Her expression immediately brightened. "To attack?"

"To find out who we're dealing with."

The excitement disappeared slightly. "That's less interesting."

"It also means we don't accidentally start a war with people we know nothing about."

Vaelith considered that, then reluctantly accepted it.

Caelira joined the channel from her cruiser. "And if they attack us?"

Aurelian looked toward the six old destroyers displayed beside the reserve station.

"Then we deal with that."

Caelira nodded, apparently satisfied. She remained quiet for a moment before adding, "Does that mean I can have more missiles?"

Neris answered before Aurelian could.

"No."

Caelira sighed heavily.

Aurelian almost smiled, but his attention remained on the hidden reserve site.

For now, the people there still did not know exactly what Crownward had discovered, and he wanted to keep it that way.

Once they knew who controlled the station, why they were restoring warships, and what connection they had to Dane's financial backers, he could decide what came next.

Until then, the smartest thing Crownward could do was prepare quietly.

And this time, they would be ready before the problem reached them.