The near-Tier-V beast changed how Aurelian looked at Glasswake.
Before that hunt, the system had felt like a rough but manageable training ground. Dangerous, yes, but dangerous in a useful way.
The beasts were strong enough to sharpen the fleet and provide valuable materials, yet not strong enough to threaten the expedition if everyone stayed disciplined.
After the larger specimen appeared, that confidence became more cautious.
A near-Tier V creature could still be handled by the fleet under the right conditions. They had proved that.
But a true Tier V space beast was different. At that level, the creature would not simply be a bigger target with more health.
It would likely have its own territory, stronger instincts, and enough raw power to threaten even high-grade shipgirls if the fight turned careless.
Astra could face such a beast if needed, especially after her refit, but Aurelian had no intention of testing it unless the situation forced him to.
The point of coming to Mournveil was controlled growth, not gambling with March’s future because one system looked tempting.
So he adjusted the rules again.
No group would approach the inner shadow lane without two layers of drone screening. No beast cluster would be attacked unless Eirenne and Lysara confirmed that no higher-tier signature was hidden nearby.
If a near-Tier V beast appeared, the fleet would prepare an ambush first instead of chasing it. If a true Tier V beast appeared, the operation would withdraw unless Aurelian personally gave another order.
Rhoswen listened to the new rules with a serious expression.
That was already a sign of improvement.
When Aurelian finished, she said, "So we only bully things that are strong enough to be useful but not strong enough to ruin our day."
Aurelian looked at her.
"That is one way to describe it."
"It is a very clear way."
Astra glanced toward him. "Unfortunately, she is not wrong."
"I know," Aurelian said. "That is the problem."
The next step was deciding whether they should strike the tendril beasts’ lair directly.
At first, Aurelian hesitated. Attacking a beast nest was different from luring out hunting groups.
It meant entering their territory, dealing with unknown numbers, and possibly triggering responses from nearby species.
But after the second hunt, the data was clearer. The red-black tendril beasts had lost their strongest leader, and the remaining adult signatures were scattered and defensive.
They had no confirmed Tier V presence, no second near-Tier V creature, and no deeper support coming from Auric Maw.
More importantly, their territory sat too close to one of the safer routes Glasswake Watch would need in the future.
Leaving them alone meant future survey teams would keep running into them.
Aurelian did not consider himself cruel for removing a threat, but he also did not want to waste time hunting juveniles or destroying everything that moved.
Space beasts were part of Mournveil’s ecosystem, and if they wanted to use the nebula long-term, they needed to understand it rather than burn through it like raiders.
The plan he settled on was simple.
They would clear the adult combat forms from the outer lair, seize enough materials to make the operation worthwhile, and leave the young beasts and the deepest nursery zones alone.
If the remaining juveniles survived, the population might recover in time, but it would no longer block the route for now.
When Aurelian explained that, Rhoswen looked at him with a strange expression.
"What?"
"You are very calm about saying we are leaving them to grow back so we can maybe fight them again later."
"That is not exactly what I said."
"It is close."
Astra spoke before Aurelian could answer. "It is sustainable hunting."
Rhoswen stared at her.
"That sounds worse."
"It is accurate."
"I know. That is why it sounds worse."
Aurelian decided to move on before the conversation became even stranger.
The attack on the outer lair began the following morning.
This time, there was no lure. The fleet moved in formation through the inner shadow lane, slow and deliberate, with drones ahead and on both flanks.
Lysara guided them past the worst dust pockets, while Solenne’s scouts swept the debris folds where the tendril beasts liked to hide.
The Black Crown stayed at the center, its command systems linking every movement into one steady pattern.
Rhoswen held the forward left.
That placement gave her room to fight but not room to disappear into the dust after a fleeing target.
Aurelian suspected she understood that too.
The lair itself was not a nest in the ordinary sense. It was a dense field of broken crystal asteroids, bound together by strange organic strands that glowed faintly red.
The tendril beasts had wrapped parts of the debris in layers of hardened material, creating tunnels, anchor points, and feeding chambers where warm dust currents collected.
Hundreds of smaller life signs moved deeper inside the structure.
The adults waited outside.
More than Aurelian expected.
Not enough to stop the fleet.
The first adult beast moved forward as if warning them away, spreading its tendrils across the approach lane. Several others followed, forming a loose wall between the fleet and the inner lair.
Rhoswen’s voice came through, lower than usual.
"They are protecting the young."
"Yes," Aurelian said.
That made the battle feel different.
These creatures had attacked their outpost. They had hunted their drones. They had chased and tried to kill their shipgirls.
But they were not Kharov soldiers, not raiders, and not abyssal cultists. They were living things defending territory.
That did not change the decision.
It only made Aurelian more certain that the operation should remain controlled.
"Target adult combat forms only," he ordered. "No fire into the inner nursery unless a threat emerges from it. Push them away from the route, break their outer lair, and withdraw after collection."
The fleet answered in order.
The tendril beasts attacked first.
They had no clever formation without the large leader, but their instincts were strong. Several adults rushed the left flank, trying to overwhelm Rhoswen, while others curled through the debris toward Solenne’s drones.