Star Ship Girl Era: My Shipgirls Are Too Overpowered

Chapter 292: Chatting With Targan

Meanwhile, the rest of the Nhalis operation continued without interruption.

Targan Rell was escorted to the starport command chamber under heavy guard. He was taller than Daskor and noticeably younger, with carefully braided dark hair, gold-trimmed military clothing, and the expression of a man trying to decide whether dignity or panic would give him a better chance of surviving.

Dignity lasted for about ten seconds.

Then he saw Astra standing beside Aurelian.

His voice immediately became much more polite.

"Commander Arcturus," he said. "I assume we can discuss terms."

Aurelian stood across the table, calm as ever. "You surrendered after your flagship was disabled."

"I chose to prevent further bloodshed."

"You tried to run toward the planet."

"To organize a lawful planetary defense."

"You were heading for a private fortress."

"A command site."

Aurelian looked toward Eirenne.

She smiled pleasantly. "A private fortress."

Targan’s jaw tightened, but he said nothing.

Aurelian had no interest in dragging out the conversation.

"You will order every remaining force in the Serrow Belt to surrender. You will provide access codes for the planetary command network, the starport records, the sealed storage complex, and the labor registry. In return, you will remain alive and be protected from immediate retaliation while your actions are investigated."

Targan narrowed his eyes.

"Protected for how long?"

"Until we need you for something else."

The Kharov viscount watched him for several seconds, trying to judge whether there was room to negotiate.

"And if I cooperate?"

"That will be recorded."

"Will I be released?"

"No."

Targan looked genuinely offended, as though helping should earn him his freedom.

Aurelian’s expression never changed.

"You enslaved the native population, hid military assets from your own superior, stored unknown relics beneath a civilian starport, and tried to flee once your fleet collapsed. You are not leaving Nhalis. The only thing you can still decide is whether your remaining soldiers die for nothing."

The room fell quiet.

For a moment, Aurelian thought Targan might refuse simply out of pride.

Then the viscount looked toward Astra before turning to the tactical display. Every major Kharov military asset in the system was marked as captured, disabled, or surrounded. There was no hidden fleet coming to save him and no escape route left.

Ambition was one thing.

Suicide was another.

Finally, he lowered his head slightly.

"I will send the order."

"Good."

He kept his word.

The results came quickly. Both mining systems surrendered within the hour. Their overseer stations had already been isolated and surrounded, and once Targan’s official authorization reached them, most of their officers decided there was no point in fighting alone.

A handful attempted to destroy administrative records before surrendering, but Eirenne had already intercepted enough communications to identify their plan, allowing March boarding teams to stop them before the archives could be completely burned.

By the time night reached the side of Nhalis facing the starport, the entire Serrow Belt had effectively fallen under March control.

Compared to Karven Spire, the operation had gone surprisingly smoothly.

That alone made Aurelian trust it less.

Military victories were often straightforward.

What came afterward was rare.

The next challenge had very little to do with fleets or battles.

Nhalis had a large native population that could become the foundation for rebuilding the planet if they were treated fairly.

It also had a sizable Kharov civilian population that could not simply be expelled or punished for the actions of their rulers.

On top of that, a hidden cache of ancient relics remained sealed beneath the northern starport annex, and it was probably harmless only because nobody had been reckless enough to activate anything inside.

Before returning to the Black Crown, Aurelian called a temporary council aboard the starport.

Present were Darian, Eirenne, Astra, several occupation officers, two Arcturus legal specialists, and three Vaelari elders who had agreed to represent the dockworkers and industrial communities until a proper local council could eventually be organized.

The Vaelari elders entered cautiously.

They sat stiffly, speaking little at first, as though expecting every sentence to hide a trap.

Aurelian could hardly blame them.

After years of occupation, trust did not appear overnight.

He kept the meeting focused on practical matters instead of speeches.

Labor restraints would be removed in stages, beginning with workers facing medical risks and those needed to maintain essential services.

All Kharov officers and labor overseers would be detained while investigations continued.

Ordinary Kharov civilians would remain subject to temporary local restrictions, but they would not be harmed simply because of where they were born.

Vaelari workers who continued operating critical facilities would receive emergency March wages, while food, housing, and medical care would no longer depend on the ownership records left behind by the occupation government.

A civil review bureau would also be established within the next forty-eight hours to begin sorting through disputes, property claims, and criminal investigations.

The elders listened carefully without interrupting.

Eventually, the oldest among them, the same man Aurelian had spoken with inside the cargo hall, leaned forward.

"You will pay people who were owned yesterday?"

"Yes," Aurelian answered.

"Why?"

"Because they are not owned today."

The old man studied him for a long moment.

When he finally spoke again, his voice was quieter.

"We will need many clerks."

Astercourt, joining the meeting remotely at exactly the wrong moment for anyone hoping to avoid more work, answered immediately.

"Finally, someone sensible."

Aurelian almost laughed.

The elder looked confused by the sudden comment, but Eirenne gently explained Astercourt’s meaning before the silence became uncomfortable, and the meeting moved on without any real awkwardness.

By the time the council ended, the first outline of Nhalis’ occupation government had been established.

It was not perfect, and Aurelian knew it would disappoint some people no matter what they chose. Even so, it gave everyone something they had not had for a long time.

Clear rules.

After years of arbitrary decisions and changing punishments, rules alone could feel like a kind of mercy.

When Aurelian finally returned to the Black Crown, he found Rhoswen waiting near the entrance to the command deck.

She folded her arms as he approached.

"So," she said, "no dramatic chase across the surface, no abyssal monster, and the enemy lord surrendered because he got scared."

"That is correct."

"This operation was almost normal."

Astra walked past both of them without slowing.

"Normal is desirable."

Rhoswen let out a long sigh.

"I know. That’s the problem. I’m starting to understand you, people."

Aurelian looked at her.

"You people?"

"Responsible people."

"That sounded painful."

"It was."

He laughed quietly before walking onto the command deck.

The tactical display of the Serrow Belt now glowed almost entirely blue. The mining systems had been secured.

Nhalis orbit was firmly under control. Targan Rell was in custody, and while the Vaelari still did not fully trust the March, they had at least stopped lowering their heads and started watching with cautious attention instead.

Beneath the northern starport annex, the sealed relic cache remained under strict quarantine.

Aurelian looked at the faint route extending beyond Nhalis toward Virell’s Reach.

The road was still open.

But every step along it seemed to uncover another reason to move carefully.