"You are thinking about changing your focus."
"Not changing it," Aurelian replied. "Adding something alongside it."
"Mournveil exploration?"
"Yes."
Astra, who had been standing near the command rail, turned toward him.
Aurelian brought up the nebula map. "The family wants to keep pushing toward Virell’s Reach. I do too. But every Kharov system we’ve taken has come with problems nobody expected. We’ve found relics, forced-labor populations, unstable commanders, and old routes that we still don’t fully understand. Karven Spire and Nhalis both need time before we launch another major offensive."
Rhoswen leaned closer to the display.
"And Mournveil has things to fight."
"It has space beasts," Aurelian said. "Storm routes that haven’t been explored properly, possible resource deposits, and maybe even hidden systems. We can train our fleets, gather materials, chart new routes, and expand without immediately drawing Varensk’s attention."
Rhoswen’s eyes immediately lit up.
"That sounds productive."
"It sounds like danger pretending to be productivity," Astra replied.
Aurelian looked at her with a faint smile.
"Most useful things are."
She looked back at him.
"That was my line."
"I learned from the best."
Her expression barely changed, but he knew she accepted the compliment.
Eirenne expanded the map, highlighting several different regions inside the nebula.
"There are multiple areas worth investigating. Redglass has already been partially mapped after the Voidshade Fenrir hunt. Glasswake is producing unusual sensor readings that deserve closer examination. There is also a deeper storm corridor beyond the Ashring Drift. Lysara believes it may be navigable, although she also marked it as highly dangerous."
Rhoswen looked interested.
"Space beasts?"
"Most likely."
"Good."
Astra looked at her.
Rhoswen cleared her throat.
"Good... assuming we prepare properly and have clear mission objectives."
Aurelian smiled.
"That was almost responsible."
"It hurt."
Eirenne continued as if nothing had happened.
"There may also be valuable mineral deposits hidden inside the storm belts. If the March establishes protected survey routes, Neris can begin planning long-term resource extraction instead of relying only on materials taken from captured Kharov systems."
A new voice joined the channel.
Neris sounded even sleepier than usual, which probably meant she was speaking from somewhere comfortable.
"I like that."
Aurelian chuckled.
"You like anything that gives you more supply options."
"Yes."
"Fair enough."
The longer Aurelian studied the map, the more confident he became. Virell’s Reach would remain their next major objective, but there was no reason to rush toward it without thinking.
While Karven Spire and Nhalis stabilized, the March could send survey teams and combat groups into Mournveil.
The family would continue to apply pressure to the captured Kharov systems, Eirenne could maintain the deception network, and the March could use the nebula to train, gather resources, and discover what had been hidden there for years.
There was another benefit as well.
It kept the initiative in his own hands.
He was no longer fighting as a lone commander, but he also did not want the March to become nothing more than the Arcturus family’s advance force.
March had its own territory, its own people, and its own future. It needed to grow into something with its own identity rather than always trailing the larger family fleet.
Mournveil could become part of that future.
Aurelian opened a secure channel to Cassian.
His father answered after only a short delay.
"Aurelian."
"I’d like to postpone the advance toward Virell’s Reach until Karven Spire and Nhalis are more stable."
Cassian showed no sign of surprise.
"Reason?"
"Relic risks, the strain of the occupation, uncertainty about the Kharov response, and the fact that March forces need opportunities to grow outside battles completely dominated by family strategic assets."
Cassian listened without interrupting.
Aurelian continued.
"I want to begin a parallel operation inside Mournveil. Small survey groups, shipgirl training, controlled space-beast hunts where they’re useful, and resource mapping. We continue holding pressure on the outer chain, but we avoid overextending toward Virell’s Reach until we understand the situation better."
Cassian studied him quietly for several moments.
Then he nodded.
"Approved in principle."
The answer came much faster than Aurelian had expected.
Cassian noticed the surprise on his face.
"You thought I would disagree."
"I thought you’d want to keep our momentum."
"Momentum wins wars," Cassian said. "Walking into a relic trap because we became overconfident after two victories, loses them."
"That was exactly my concern."
"It is a reasonable concern."
Aurelian felt himself relax a little.
Cassian continued.
"Prepare a written proposal. Include which shipgirls you intend to deploy, which systems will remain under March supervision, and how you plan to respond if Varensk realizes the outer chain has gone silent sooner than expected."
"I will."
"And Aurelian."
"Yes?"
"Don’t treat Mournveil like a safe training ground just because it isn’t Kharov territory. The nebula is dangerous in its own ways."
"I know."
"Good."
The channel closed.
Rhoswen immediately looked at him with obvious excitement.
"So we’re going into the nebula?"
"After we finish planning."
"That sounds like yes."
"It sounds like after we finish planning."
Before Rhoswen could continue arguing, Astra spoke.
"He means yes."
Rhoswen grinned.
"I knew it."
Aurelian simply shook his head.
He never actually denied it.
Later that night, he remained alone on the command deck, marking possible routes through Mournveil while fresh reports from Nhalis and Karven Spire continued arriving one after another.
March had changed quickly over the past several days. It had gained new territory, new citizens, new responsibilities, and more problems than anyone could solve overnight.
Every victory had created another list of work waiting to be done.
Even so, for the first time in quite a while, Aurelian could clearly see what came next.
They would not abandon the plan to take Virell’s Reach.
But they would not rush toward it either.
Instead, they would spend their time strengthening themselves, exploring places others ignored, and preparing for whatever lay beyond the next campaign.
They would first build their strength in the dark.
Mournveil had already hidden the March from its enemies.
Now it might help shape it into something even stronger.