Chapter 258: Preparing To Return Back To Base
Aurelian didn’t rush either of them.
The past several months had been filled with battles, frontier expansion, hidden routes, Kharov raids, ancient ruins, and enough problems to keep ten commanders busy.
A normal afternoon wasn’t a waste of time.
If anything, it felt strangely valuable.
They walked through several more sections of the commercial district, stopping occasionally to browse shops, talk, or simply enjoy being somewhere that wasn’t trying to kill them.
As they walked, Rhoswen asked more questions.
Rhoswen listened more seriously than usual.
Astra did too, though she already knew most of it.
They stopped near a broad window overlooking the lower launch levels. Ships moved below them in ordered lanes, some civilian, some military, all part of the vast machine that was the Arcturus family’s home territory. For a moment, Aurelian thought about the contrast between this place and the March.
Astra stood beside him, following his gaze, but she did not say anything other than just accompany him along with Rhoswen.
Just as he was about to call it a day and wait for a response from his father, his terminal, which was quite suddenly, chimed in.
It was a message from Cassian.
Orvain has spoken with me. Come to the west council chamber when you are ready. Bring Astra if she is with you. Rhoswen may come as well.
Aurelian put the terminal away, still smiling. "Come on. We should go before Father decides to do something else."
They left the window and headed back toward the estate transit line. Their purchases would be delivered later, and the quiet break had lasted longer than expected, which made it more valuable rather than less.
As they walked, Rhoswen moved with a lighter step than before, clearly pleased with the afternoon despite the incoming meeting. Astra remained calm, but Aurelian could tell she had enjoyed it in her own way.
That mattered.
The fleet was built for war, but it was not only weapons of war.
They had preferences, moods, curiosity, pride, and small joys that deserved room to exist.
Aurelian had known that in theory for a long time, but days like this made it easier to remember.
By the time they reached the transit platform back toward the estate, the sky outside the starport glass had turned gold with evening light.
Ships rose through it in bright trails, one after another, vanishing into the upper lanes.
Somewhere beyond those lanes lay Mournveil.
Beyond Mournveil lay the March.
And ahead, inside the estate, another conversation was waiting that would decide how many people would soon follow him there.
Aurelian stepped onto the platform with Astra on one side and Rhoswen on the other, feeling the strange balance of the day settle around him.
Politics, shopping, family branches, clothing stores, hidden frontiers, and warnings about future wars.
It was not the break he had originally planned.
But somehow, he didn’t mind it.
Soon, they were back in the estate where they met with Cassion.
The meeting with Cassian did not last as long as Aurelian expected. Orvain had already explained his intentions clearly, and Cassian, as expected, had known enough beforehand that he seemed less surprised than mildly satisfied.
The first movement of Orvain’s branch was approved in principle, but with strict limits. No mass relocation yet.
No public announcements. No branch banners in March. The first group would move as technical support tied to the wider Arcturus family assistance plan, and only after Eirenne and Astercourt finished reviewing their backgrounds and roles.
Aurelian agreed with every condition.
Orvain did too.
Maeron, who had somehow managed to appear at the meeting despite supposedly not being invited to that part, was told twice that he was not part of the first wave.
He accepted the decision but not without some grumbling, which was silenced by Orvain with a look that made both Aurelian and others in the room smile.
By the time the meeting ended, night had fully settled over the estate. Aurelian returned to his rooms with Astra and Rhoswen, only to find several messages waiting from the rest of the fleet. Apparently, word of the shopping trip had spread.
Solenne wanted to know if the starport had a proper flight-gear tailor.
Lysara asked whether the historical district had formal attire based on older Alliance patterns.
Neris sent a message containing only, "Soft clothes?" followed by a sleepy face.
Elowen asked for simple outdoor clothing suitable for planetary survey work and gardening.
Astercourt did not ask for anything, but a few minutes later, Eirenne privately informed Aurelian that Astercourt had opened a clothing catalog and left it open for twenty-three minutes.
Aurelian took the hint.
He sent a fleet-wide message telling everyone to buy whatever clothing they needed, including casual wear, formal wear, rest clothes, and practical outfits, and to charge it to his account while they were still in the Arcturus family space.
The replies came almost immediately.
Rhoswen looked over his shoulder and laughed. "You just created chaos."
"I created morale."
"That’s the commander version of chaos."
Astra read the growing number of replies with calm resignation. "Astercourt will not like this chaos, but with her being part of it, guess she didn’t care much either."
"True, but she did make sure to divide the spending into a public fund instead of using the private one I told them to use," Aurelian said, looking at the newest message.
Rhoswen leaned closer. "Oh, what did she categorize it as?"
Aurelian read it aloud. "Please define whether this counts as personal welfare, fleet morale expenditure, commander indulgence, or future uniform-adjacent civilian readiness."
Rhoswen stared at him.
Astra said, "She is thorough."
"She is terrifying," Rhoswen muttered.
The next few days passed more smoothly than Aurelian expected.
The Arcturus family needed time to prepare its first controlled movement, and that gave him a rare gap where he was not required in every room.
Cassian handled the wider family council. Orvain handled his branch. Eirenne and Astercourt coordinated from opposite ends of the route and somehow managed to produce a clear intake structure without declaring open war on each other. Neris reviewed supply loads.
Elowen prepared environmental limits for future settlement groups. Meridian sent a list of tools she wanted from the family engineers, long enough to make Aurelian close the file and reopen it only after dinner.
