Chapter 245: Explaining The Power Structure To The Elders 2
Eirenne smoothly added to the briefing.
"Their recovery is unlikely to be organized," she said while highlighting several areas on the map.
"Some districts will blame pirates. Others will blame rival commanders. A few will suspect an outside military force. Unless someone at the top forces a single explanation, it will take time before they agree on what actually happened."
Cassian studied the red-marked region for a moment before asking the obvious question.
"Who controls this area?"
"The outer region belongs to Kharov March-Lord Varensk," Eirenne replied. "The title is more feudal than anything recognized by the Alliance, but his authority is real. He controls several strong systems and relies on military governors, resource clans, and subordinate commanders to maintain power. His direct territory includes at least eight important systems. Four have major industry or population centers. The others are mining belts, supply hubs, and military stations."
Aurelian pointed toward another section of the projection.
"This area is different. It isn’t controlled as tightly. There are smaller Kharov lords, mercenary groups, contract fleets, and regional commanders mixed together. Some answer to Varensk. Some cooperate because they’re afraid of him. Some would probably stab each other in the back if they thought they could get away with it. That makes them dangerous during raids, but not very good at working together over long periods."
One of the Arcturus fleet commanders folded his arms.
"Numbers?"
"Large," Aurelian said. "But not evenly distributed. The cluster we hit had several thousand active ships spread across four systems, though many were lower-tier hulls, patrol ships, escorts, and industrial defense vessels. The strongest garrison reacted better than the others, and its commander realized much faster than expected that our attacks weren’t random."
Rhoswen spoke up from the side.
"That one was annoying."
Aurelian continued.
"If we count patrol ships, escorts, security fleets, and lower-grade warships, Varensk probably commands over twenty thousand hulls. His actual combat strength is smaller than that number suggests because a lot of those ships aren’t front-line warships. Still, if they gather enough forces together, they can overwhelm weaker settlements."
One of the elders leaned forward.
"Tier V assets?"
"Possibly," Aurelian answered honestly. "I haven’t confirmed any near our border. The strongest responses we’ve encountered so far were around Tier IV. Until proven otherwise, I’m assuming higher-tier assets exist deeper inside their territory."
Cassian gave a small nod.
Eirenne highlighted another group of systems farther out.
"These regions are unstable border zones. Several oppressed populations, including Vaeren’s people and the Hushen, were extracted from Kharov control and are currently being screened before settlement. There are likely many more groups in similar situations, but our intake capacity remains limited."
One of the planning elders looked toward Aurelian.
"You intend to continue those rescue operations?"
"When possible," Aurelian said. "But not recklessly. Haven can only absorb so many people before housing, food, medical support, and security become problems. Astercourt and Neris are already carrying more than enough work."
The logistics elder nodded approvingly.
"That is the correct approach. Good intentions won’t help if the settlement collapses under its own weight."
Aurelian had learned that lesson early enough.
Trying to save everyone at once usually ended with helping nobody.
Eirenne shifted the map again, this time toward the systems beyond Glasswake and Redglass. Several regions appeared in gray rather than the familiar blue and red markings.
"These systems remain mostly unknown," she said. "Some may contain useful resources. Some may be empty. Some may contain ruins, abandoned facilities, or surviving Vhaloric sites. At the moment, we simply do not know."
One elder smiled faintly.
"So, opportunity."
Aurelian shook his head.
"Opportunity mixed with trouble. Usually they come together."
Cassian let out a quiet breath that sounded suspiciously like amusement.
"That is probably the more accurate description."
The map widened again until the dead-star system appeared.
It didn’t look impressive.
In fact, it looked worthless.
Which was exactly why it mattered.
Aurelian pointed toward it.
"This is the cover system we discussed earlier. On paper, it’s a dead star region suitable for mineral surveys and little else. If the family claims it along with several similar systems, nobody should pay much attention."
The administrative officer who had remained silent until now finally spoke.
"We can package the request as part of a broader survey and recovery initiative. With the southern route being abandoned, we already have a reason to redirect survey resources. No rival family is likely to object to us claiming several poor systems that appear expensive to develop."
Cassian looked pleased.
"Do it."
The officer nodded immediately and began making notes.
The briefing continued for quite a while after that.
Aurelian explained the current state of Larkspur Haven, the limits of its starport, the role Helion Bastion Twelve played in the region, the hidden route through Mournveil, the dangers posed by space beasts, and the possibility that the Kharov would eventually realize the raid against them had been something far more organized than simple piracy.
He didn’t try to make any of it sound grand.
There was no point.
Most of the people sitting in that room had commanded fleets before he was born.
Trying to impress them with dramatic speeches would only waste time.
The questions became harder as the discussion continued.
How much food could Haven produce within six months?
How many engineers could be brought in without overloading housing and infrastructure?
How much ammunition could local production support?
How many settlers could arrive before medical systems began struggling?
Could Seris and Meren truly be trusted with major responsibilities?
How strong were Helion Bastion Twelve’s defenses?
Could the bastion survive a probing attack?
How many ships could safely travel through Mournveil at one time?
What would happen if the Kharov committed more resources to the border?
Aurelian answered every question he could.
When he knew the answer, he gave it.
When he didn’t, he said so.
That honesty seemed to satisfy them more than pretending certainty ever would have.
Eirenne supplied numbers whenever necessary. Astra corrected several fleet estimates and operational details.
A few times, even Rhoswen contributed useful observations, though she looked almost offended whenever someone pointed that out.
