Chapter 451: NEW CONTACTS DETECTED

Talyra was still several hours from leaving the outer recovery region when Eirenne found the first name connected to the reserve site.

Aurelian had expected another shell company. Instead, Eirenne placed an old personnel record on Black Crown's main display.

"Varos Pell," she said, bringing up the man's employment history. "Former Orison senior recovery officer. He left the yard eleven years ago."

Aurelian studied the photograph. Varos looked to be somewhere in his sixties, with short gray hair and the tired expression of someone who had spent most of his life around machinery. "Why did he leave?"

"Officially, disagreement with the Recovery Council."

"About what?"

"Expansion." Eirenne opened several older records beside his file. "Varos argued that Orison had become too dependent on stripping existing wrecks. He wanted the yard to restore abandoned industrial sites and begin rebuilding old support ships instead."

Astra glanced from his photograph toward the image of the hidden reserve station. "Apparently he decided to do it himself."

"Looks that way," Aurelian replied.

Varos didn't disappear immediately after leaving Orison. For several years, he worked with independent recovery crews around Harrow's Rest and other outer settlements.

After that, his name appeared less often, and the financial trail became considerably harder to follow.

Eirenne had finally found him because one of the companies connected to Dane had been making regular payments to a maintenance cooperative controlled by Varos.

"Was he involved in the attack on Valeris?" Aurelian asked.

"I haven't found anything showing that," Eirenne replied. "He and Dane knew each other, though. Dane also transferred money into two companies connected to Varos."

That alone meant very little. Half the experienced recovery officers around Orison probably knew one another.

"When did the payments start?"

"Almost ten months before the Valeris conference."

Aurelian frowned. "So before the current negotiations."

"Yes."

That fit the timeline they already had. Whatever Varos was doing at the reserve site had not started because of the dispute with Valeris.

Aurelian looked again at the six old destroyers Talyra had discovered. "Can we contact him?"

"Possibly."

"Don't."

Eirenne glanced toward him, but Aurelian pointed toward Talyra's position on the map.

"Not until she's clear. If Varos realizes we know where the reserve site is, his first reaction might be to search the surrounding space."

Eirenne understood immediately. "I'll prepare a channel without sending anything."

Several hours later, Talyra passed beyond the outer sensor network without being detected. Only then did Aurelian authorize the message.

It was deliberately simple.

Crownward knew the reserve site was active. They knew Varos Pell was connected to it, and Aurelian wanted to talk.

No threat, no demand to surrender the station, and no mention of the destroyers.

The answer arrived twenty-three minutes later.

Varos appeared on the main display. He had aged considerably since the photograph in Orison's records.

His hair was almost completely white now, and dark marks sat beneath his eyes.

He did not look frightened.

Mostly, he looked annoyed.

"Commander Arcturus."

"Varos Pell."

The older man leaned back slightly. "I wondered how long it would take someone to connect the accounts."

Aurelian raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound surprised."

"Dane was arrested, and the crews at Holding Site Three were caught. After that, it was only a matter of time."

"Then you know why I'm calling."

"I have several guesses."

Aurelian decided to start with the most important one. "Were you involved in the attack at Valeris?"

"No."

The answer came immediately.

"Dane used money from companies connected to you."

"Yes."

"To fund the attack?"

"No." Varos saw the look Aurelian gave him and sighed. "We funded recovery work. Dane controlled several contracts and moved money between them. If he redirected some of it toward his little war, he did so without my approval."

"Can you prove that?"

"I can provide the original contracts."

"Do that."

Varos looked mildly surprised. "You believe me?"

"I said send the contracts."

The smallest hint of a smile appeared on the older man's face. "Fair enough."

Aurelian moved on. "Why are you restoring warships?"

This time, Varos became noticeably still.

Astra glanced toward Aurelian but remained silent.

After several seconds, Varos released a tired sigh. "So you found those too."

"We found enough."

"How many?"

Aurelian smiled slightly but didn't answer.

Varos noticed immediately. "Fine. Keep your secrets."

"Why the destroyers?"

"Because this region is dangerous."

"That answer isn't enough."

"It happens to be true." Varos leaned back and folded his arms. "For years, Orison has claimed more territory than it can patrol. Harrow's Rest barely protects itself. Independent crews disappear in the outer fields, and when someone asks for help, everyone spends three weeks arguing about whose responsibility it was."

Aurelian couldn't entirely disagree.

"We found the reserve site almost two years ago," Varos continued. "Most of it was dead. We spent the first year making sure the central reactor wouldn't kill everyone when we restarted it."

"And the last year restoring ships."

"Among other things."

"Why hide it?"

Varos gave him a look as though the answer should have been obvious. "Because the moment Orison learned there were military hulls there, it would claim the entire site."

Aurelian remembered Oren's reaction when he first heard about the station.

Varos was probably right.

"Who is 'we'?"

"Recovery crews, engineers, families. People who got tired of working under contracts where someone else owned everything they found."

"How many people are at the station?"

Varos hesitated. "Enough."

Aurelian's expression flattened. "That's not an answer."

"It's the answer you're getting until I know what Crownward intends to do."

Aurelian decided not to push. The conversation had already given him something useful.

Varos was willing to talk.

That was considerably better than weapons fire.

Then Eirenne quietly sent a warning across Aurelian's private display.

NEW CONTACTS DETECTED.

He kept his attention on Varos. "Are you expecting ships?"

The older man's expression immediately changed. "No."

The reaction looked genuine.

Aurelian glanced toward Eirenne. "How many?"

"Five confirmed. Possibly more behind them."

Varos heard her and immediately turned away from the communication pickup to speak with someone at the reserve site. Several seconds later, his face hardened.

"Those aren't ours."

Aurelian shifted his attention to the tactical display.

Talyra was too far away to observe directly now, but one of the passive platforms she had left near the outer edge was still transmitting.

Five ships were approaching the reserve site along one of the main supply routes. Three were armed recovery vessels, one was an old patrol ship, and the last was a converted transport.

Astra frowned at the formation. "Dane's people?"

"Possibly," Eirenne replied as she began comparing the hulls against their records. "One recovery vessel appears in files connected to a company that funded him."

Aurelian looked back toward Varos. "Recognize them?"

"Yes."

"Friends?"

Varos's expression hardened. "Not anymore."

That answer was enough.

Varos turned toward someone off-screen. "Bring the station to alert status. No firing unless they fire first."

Aurelian heard the command-room doors open behind him.

Vaelith had arrived.

Of course she had.

She approached the tactical display with immediate interest. "Are we fighting?"

"Not yet."

Her disappointment lasted about half a second before she noticed the five approaching contacts. "They're going toward the reserve site."

"Yes."

"And the reserve site has destroyers."

"Some of which may not be operational."

Vaelith smiled anyway.

Aurelian ignored her enthusiasm and contacted Seraphiel. "How quickly can you deploy?"

"Immediately," she answered, already sounding prepared.

"Caelira?"

"Also ready."

Neris appeared on another channel before Caelira could add anything. "And before anyone asks, Caelira already has the ammunition approved for operational deployment."

"Which is not enough," Caelira complained immediately.

Neris gave her an exhausted look. "It is enough."

"We haven't even seen the enemy."

"And somehow you're already asking for more."

Aurelian cut in before the argument could gain momentum. "Nobody launches yet."

Caelira sounded disappointed.

Vaelith looked even worse.

Instead, Aurelian contacted Rhoswen at Valeris. She answered almost immediately, already looking suspicious.

"If you're calling to tell me everyone except me is getting deployed, I don't want to hear it."

"I need you to check something."

Her expression immediately became more serious. "Go ahead."

Aurelian sent her the approaching ships. "Any matches in Valeris records?"

Rhoswen began running them through the local traffic database. The first match appeared quickly.

"One visited Valeris five months ago. Independent recovery vessel. Nothing unusual." Another result appeared moments later, and she frowned. "This one used the temporary corridor yesterday."

That caught Aurelian's attention. "Destination?"

"Declared Harrow's Rest."

"It didn't go there."

Rhoswen's frown deepened. "Then someone lied on the transit form."

Neris immediately joined the channel. "Send me the paperwork."

Aurelian almost felt sorry for whoever had falsified it.

Almost.

Varos contacted him again moments later. "They're transmitting."

"What do they want?"

"The station."

Aurelian stared at him.

Varos forwarded the message. The approaching group claimed the reserve site belonged to a recovery consortium that had financed its restoration.

They demanded control of the station, the restored ships, and all stored technical records.

Varos looked furious. "They funded some early material purchases. That did not give them ownership."

"Do you have contracts?"

"Yes."

"Send those too."

Varos stared at him for a moment. "You really like documents."

"They're easier to repair than ships."

Despite the situation, Varos gave a short laugh.