Chapter 270: Operation Quiet Anvil 2
Aurelian agreed with that. Large ships were hard to conceal, not because they glowed in the dark, but because everything around them had to feed, repair, arm, fuel, and protect them.
The meeting ended with no real objections.
Not because everyone thought the plan was risk-free, but because the opportunity was too clear and the targets too close. Larkspur Haven could not grow safely with Kharov relay posts sitting near its future expansion route. If they wanted Virell’s Reach, this operation had to happen sooner or later.
Cassian chose sooner.
The next day, the fleet departed from Larkspur Haven’s outer orbit.
It was not the entire support convoy, nor the full strength of the Arcturus family. Even so, the force was enormous compared to anything Aurelian had commanded alone.
Cassian’s Tier VII flagship led the main body beneath stealth cover, while two high-tier strategic vessels anchored the wider formation.
Branch fleets moved in assigned layers. March ships held positions near the center and outer strike lanes.
Several million soldiers and planetary assault specialists remained back at Haven, ready for later ground operations if the first strike succeeded.
Aurelian stood on the Black Crown’s command deck and watched the fleet vanish into its own concealment field.
The stars outside did not change much, but the sensor displays did. Friendly signals blurred, folded, and softened into carefully managed ghosts.
To anyone watching from far away, the fleet would look like scattered background noise, if they saw anything at all.
Eirenne’s projection appeared near the command table.
"All assigned units are inside concealment range. Signal discipline is stable."
Astra looked over the formation map. "Karven Spire approach vector confirmed."
Rhoswen’s voice came from the Crimson Bulwark. "Close assault reserve is ready."
Aurelian glanced at her display. "You sound very proud of saying that."
"I have been practicing."
"Practice waiting."
"I am also doing that."
Eirenne spoke calmly, "Her ship has not moved out of position."
Aurelian nodded. "Then I am proud of her."
Rhoswen went quiet for half a second.
Then she said, "Good."
Astra looked faintly amused, but said nothing.
The journey took several hours. The strike groups separated one by one as they neared the outer Kharov chain, each moving toward its own target under stealth and strict communication limits.
Aurelian could not see every battlefield in detail now, only the silent markers showing that the groups had reached their staging points.
Karven Spire waited ahead.
The system was dim and industrial, centered around a yellow-white star with a wide asteroid belt, two barren inner planets, a cold gas giant, and one fortified station complex built near a major relay platform.
The Kharov had turned the relay into a military knot over time, adding docks, fuel storage, sensor towers, fighter cages, and defense platforms around it.
It was ugly.
Practical.
Exactly the kind of place that could become dangerous if left alone.
The main fleet entered the outer system without being noticed.
At least, not at first.
Kharov patrol groups continued their lazy routes near the outer belt, clearly unaware that a force far beyond their ability to handle was already inside their space.
A few patrol ships moved close enough that Aurelian could see their hull profiles on the tactical display.
Mostly Tier II and Tier III craft, with a handful of heavier escorts near the fortress station.
Aurelian felt a strange sense of familiarity.
This was not unlike the raid he had led before, but the scale was different. Back then, he had relied on speed, deception, and surprise to hurt a stronger local structure before it could recover.
Now, Cassian was using the same general idea, but with far more power, better coordination, and no need to gamble as heavily.
Eirenne noticed his expression.
"This resembles your previous method."
"A little."
"Lord Cassian is more efficient."
"I noticed."
"He has had more practice."
"That is not comforting."
"It was not meant to be."
Astra’s voice cut through gently. "Karven Spire defensive network entering effective range."
Cassian’s voice appeared on the combat channel a moment later.
"All strike groups, report status."
One after another, the target groups confirmed their position.
Glasswake outer relay ready.
Virell’s approach is screen-ready.
Durn Hollow station is ready.
Cindervale depot ready.
Ashen Gate patrol yard is ready.
Karven Spire’s main fleet is ready.
The waiting lasted only a few seconds after that.
Cassian’s voice remained calm.
"Begin Operation Quiet Anvil."
Across seven systems, the Arcturus family dropped its veil.
The first thing the Kharov lost was communication.
Eirenne and the family’s electronic warfare ships struck together, flooding the local network with false command loops, dead routing signals, ghost transmissions, and authority conflicts.
The relay fortress at Karven Spire tried to harden its channels, but the first layer of defense had already been mapped from captured data, and the second layer was not strong enough to survive Cassian’s flagship joining the attack.
Then the warp interdiction fields activated.
Escape routes closed.
Only after that did the weapons fire.
The deep space around Karven Spire lit up in white, blue, and gold as beams cut across the darkness.
Missiles launched in dense waves, kinetic slugs tore through patrol craft before their shields fully rose, and long-range lance fire from Cassian’s fleet struck the outer defense platforms with terrifying precision.
The Kharov patrol fleets vanished almost instantly.
Aurelian watched three Tier III formations disappear under the opening attack before they could even turn properly. Their ships had been arranged for patrol, not war, and the difference killed them.
Near the relay fortress, alarms finally bloomed across the tactical map.
The Kharov had realized they were under attack.
Too late.
Astra’s voice remained steady. "Outer defense platforms down thirty-two percent. Enemy docks launching response craft."
"Let them form just enough to identify command ships," Aurelian said.
Eirenne smiled faintly. "Already marking them."
Rhoswen’s voice came in sharper now. "Commander."
"Not yet."
"I know. Just reminding you I exist."
"I was aware."
The main Kharov garrison began assembling near the fortress dock. Whoever commanded Karven Spire was not stupid.
Instead of sending ships forward one by one, they pulled surviving vessels toward the station’s shield envelope and tried to create a layered defense around the relay core.
Heavier hulls moved to the front, small craft scattered outward as screeners, and the fortress guns began charging.
