Rhoswen let out a breath. "That was satisfying."
Astra replied, "You followed orders well."
Rhoswen paused.
"That was even more satisfying."
The rest of the swarm broke after the large beast died. Some tried to flee. Others kept attacking in confusion.
Aurelian did not chase the scattered ones beyond the marker line. He allowed the fleet to destroy those still in the kill zone and let the rest retreat into the inner lane.
This was not extermination.
It was training and control.
By the time the battle ended, the fleet had destroyed more than three hundred smaller beasts, dozens of adults, and the near-Tier V leader.
Several escorts had taken light damage, one of Solenne’s drone groups was nearly spent, and Rhoswen’s shields needed time to recover, but no shipgirl had suffered serious harm.
The recovery operation took longer than the battle.
The large beast’s corpse was difficult to secure because its tendrils continued twitching long after death, and Meridian refused to let anyone bring it near the outpost until its energy core had fully stabilized.
Remote drones cut the body into transportable sections, and Neris prepared separate storage plans for the core, the crystal shell, the tendril tissue, and the strange glands that had produced the energy orbs.
Aurelian looked at the material report and understood why Meridian had been careful.
The beast produced a small amount of purple-grade source material.
Not much.
But enough to matter.
Rhoswen stared at the report. "So the ugly thing was almost Tier V."
"Near enough," Eirenne said.
"That explains the unpleasant part."
Astra looked at her. "You intercepted its attack cleanly."
Rhoswen seemed to enjoy that enough that she did not even make a joke.
Aurelian also noted the four unusual relic-like materials formed from the hunt. They were not proper artifacts in the clean sense, but natural beast cores with strange properties.
One could likely be processed into armor reinforcement. Another might help improve shield recovery under energy impact.
The other two were unclear and would need Meridian, Eirenne, and perhaps Helion Bastion Twelve’s archives to identify properly.
Meridian already wanted all four.
Neris wanted two for storage reserves.
Eirenne wanted scans before anyone touched them.
Aurelian settled the matter by placing them under joint restricted study, which made all three of them equally dissatisfied and therefore probably meant the decision was fair.
The fleet returned to Glasswake Watch in good order.
The outpost looked busier now, with recovery drones moving cargo into sealed storage bays while Meridian’s crews expanded the processing module.
A few of Orvain’s branch engineers had started calling the place "the Watch," as if it had always been so named, and Aurelian decided not to fight the inevitable.
Glasswake Watch it was.
After the materials were secured, Aurelian called a short review with the main shipgirls. The tone was better than in the previous meetings.
The fleet had fought a stronger enemy and won without losing discipline. Rhoswen had followed limits.
Solenne had managed drone losses without complaint. Lysara had lured the pack cleanly and kept control despite being chased by a near-Tier V beast.
Astra had done what Astra usually did, which was to make extremely difficult things look simple.
Aurelian made sure to say it plainly.
"You all did well today."
Rhoswen looked pleased. Solenne smiled softly. Lysara inclined her head with quiet grace. Astra gave only a small nod, but Aurelian knew her well enough to see that she accepted it.
Eirenne added the performance results to the simulation system before the meeting even ended. "The new combat model will be available within six hours."
Rhoswen narrowed her eyes. "Will it include the big one?"
"Yes."
"Can I fight it alone in the simulation?"
Aurelian looked at her.
She added quickly, "For training."
Eirenne answered before he could. "Yes, but I predict an unfavorable result."
Rhoswen smiled. "Good."
Astra said, "Do not become addicted to losing."
"I am going to win eventually."
"That is acceptable."
Aurelian left them to it and moved to the observation deck overlooking the outpost. Beyond the transparent armor, Glasswake’s crystal belt shimmered like a frozen river of light.
Farther out, the Ashring Drift rolled slowly in the distance, hiding Auric Maw behind layers of charged dust and storm.
The hunt had been valuable.
Very valuable.
But it also confirmed what he had suspected.
The closer they moved toward the Drift, the stronger the beasts became. A near-Tier V specimen had appeared before they had even entered Auric Maw itself.
That meant the system beyond could contain true Tier V beasts, maybe more than one, and perhaps something even worse near the five-star core.
He would not take the fleet there yet.
Not until they had better maps, stronger route anchors, and more experience.
His terminal chimed a few minutes later.
A message from Cassian.
Varensk has issued a second verification demand. Eirenne’s delay remains accepted for now, but the wording has changed. Expect pressure soon.
Aurelian read the message twice.
Then he looked back toward the nebula.
They had a few days left at most before the March would need to return its attention to the Kharov.
That was fine.
Glasswake Watch had been established. The fleet had grown. The materials gathered here would help strengthen shields, improve equipment, and support future refits.
The route toward Auric Maw was still dangerous, but no longer entirely unknown.
They had not conquered Mournveil.
They had taken one careful step into it.
For now, that was enough.
Astra stepped onto the observation deck beside him a moment later.
"You received news."
"Varensk is pressing harder."
"Then we will return soon."
"Yes."
She looked toward the Ashring Drift. "And Auric Maw?"
Aurelian’s gaze stayed on the storm.
"Later."
Rhoswen’s voice came through the local channel, clearly from the simulation room. "Commander, for the record, the big beast is extremely rude in the simulation."
Aurelian closed his eyes for a second.
Astra’s expression almost changed.
"Are you winning?" Aurelian asked.
There was a pause.
"No."
"Then learn."
"I am learning that it is rude."
Aurelian laughed quietly despite himself.
The March had war waiting beyond the nebula, politics waiting behind it, and dangers hidden ahead that no one fully understood.
But inside Glasswake Watch, for one brief moment, it also had something else.
Progress.