Star Ship Girl Era: My Shipgirls Are Too Overpowered

Chapter 290: Vaelari

Aurelian did not rush down to Nhalis immediately.

That had been his first instinct after Eirenne found the sealed storage complex, but Karven Spire had taught him a useful lesson.

A planet could look quiet from orbit while hiding a disaster beneath one city, one fortress, or one frightened commander with access to something he did not understand.

So he waited for the first reports.

The starport was secured first. Darian’s blockade group held the outer gates while March marines, Arcturus family security teams, and remote-controlled mechs moved through the docking levels in careful waves.

They met some resistance, but not much. Most of Targan Rell’s soldiers had already seen the fleet collapse outside the port, and once his flagship was disabled before it could reach the atmosphere, the heart went out of them.

A few fought.

More surrendered.

Some simply hid.

Rhoswen was disappointed by how quickly the starport garrison gave up, but even she admitted it was better than another Vortan.

The strange part came afterward.

When the first security teams entered the civilian labor levels, they found that Nhalis was not populated only by Kharov.

A large number of the workers were from another intelligent species, one native to the planet, according to the older records.

They were tall, graceful, and lightly furred on the arms and neck, with long ears that swept back rather than stood upright.

Their eyes were large and pale, and faint bioluminescent markings ran along their temples and shoulders in thin blue-green lines.

Eirenne translated the old local name as the Vaelari.

They were not treated as citizens.

They were dock laborers, port handlers, refinery workers, domestic servants, cargo haulers, and in some cases, personal attendants for Kharov officers.

Their movement was controlled by labor tags, and many of them wore metal bands around their wrists or necks that marked their assignment status.

Aurelian stared at the first live feed from the starport’s lower logistics level and felt his mood turn cold.

A group of Vaelari workers had been kneeling near a cargo lift when the March security teams arrived.

They did not try to run. They did not cheer. They simply lowered their heads, as if waiting for the next owner to decide what to do with them.

Astra watched the same feed in silence.

Rhoswen’s expression hardened. "Are they slaves?"

Eirenne answered carefully. "The Kharov records classify them as protected labor assets. In practice, yes."

"Protected," Rhoswen repeated, voice flat.

Aurelian said nothing for a few seconds.

Then he opened a command channel. "All units, Vaelari civilians and laborers are not to be treated as enemy personnel. Remove restraints only after security screening and medical inspection. Any Kharov officer attempting to claim ownership over them is to be detained."

Astercourt joined the channel almost immediately from Larkspur Haven. "I heard that."

"I assumed you would."

"I am opening a separate classification branch for native populations and coerced labor groups. Do not let military clerks dump them into the general prisoner system."

"I won’t."

"Good. I’m sending forms."

Aurelian closed his eyes briefly. "Of course you are."

"They are useful forms."

"That is what makes them dangerous."

Eirenne’s projection smiled faintly but did not comment.

The starport takeover continued, and more details emerged. The Kharov had not exterminated the Vaelari because they were useful.

They knew the local seas, understood the island industrial chains, adapted well to humid environments, and were strong enough for heavy work without needing much mechanical support.

That usefulness had saved them from annihilation, but only by binding them into a lower status that had lasted for generations.

It was not mercy.

It was ownership with better accounting.

Aurelian knew this could become useful politically, and he disliked how cold that thought sounded even in his own head.

The reality was simple, though. If the March ruled Nhalis only through defeated Kharov officials, resentment would grow from every side.

If it lifted the Vaelari too quickly without structure, Kharov civilians would panic, collaborators would sabotage the transition, and local revenge killings could spread through the islands before anyone could stop them.

But if March could protect the Vaelari, grant them legal status, and include them in local administration, it would gain both legitimacy and local knowledge.

That was not charity; it was a good rule.

And good rules are still important even if they are not in use often.

The first direct message from the Vaelari came two hours after the starport surrendered. It was not sent through official channels.

A maintenance worker led one of Darian’s officers to a hidden service room where several Vaelari elders had gathered under the protection of cargo crews who had locked the corridor behind them.

They did not ask for freedom immediately.

They asked whether Targan Rell was truly captured.

When the answer came back yes, one of them gave a long, quiet breath and sat down as if his legs had finally stopped obeying him.

Aurelian decided then that he needed to go to the starport.

Astra came with him.

Rhoswen wanted to join, but he kept her in orbit near the sealed storage complex until it was fully isolated. She complained for almost six seconds, then remembered Vortan and stopped.

Progress.

The shuttle docked at Nhalis Starport’s upper command level, where Darian met him in person.

The man looked tired but pleased, and there was a streak of soot along one sleeve that nobody seemed brave enough to mention.

"The port is mostly secure," Darian said as they walked. "The Kharov garrison commander surrendered with the central command staff. Targan Rell is alive, though he is alternating between offering cooperation and demanding noble treatment."

"Let him continue," Aurelian said. "It may tire him out."

Darian smiled. "One can hope."

"What about the sealed complex?"

"Outer access is locked down. Eirenne has drones inside the first security layer. No haze, no strange emissions, no screaming relics."

"That is a low bar."

"After Karven Spire, I will accept low bars."

They passed through several security doors and entered the lower logistics levels. The difference was immediate.