They returned to the ship with the engine artifact secured and the vault marked for later recovery.

Aurelian did not rush, but he did not slow down either. This place was no longer unknown as it had been when they entered, but that did not make it safe.

Old stations were never harmless just because one part of them had opened properly. A dead system could still kill careless people through weak floors, failing seals, broken defense routines, or simple bad timing.

Eirenne guided them back through the same worn corridors, her projection walking ahead with steady steps, even though she doesn’t have a physical body; instead, she uses the cameras and optical devices the trio has to move in front of them.

Rhoswen noticed that, of course.

"You know, you could just appear at the ship and wait there," she said.

"I could," Eirenne replied.

"But you’re walking."

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it is easier for me to show important items instead of relaying in from the background."

Rhoswen paused for half a second, then looked at Aurelian. "I like her even more now."

Neris gave a small smile, though she kept her attention on the engine containment readings in front of her.

Aurelian let them talk. He was thinking about the practical side of what came next.

As with Eirenne’s arrival, he is able to free up Astra and take her with him on expeditions, without having to worry about the territory.

And her ability to infiltrate and obtain information from other civilizations without needing to understand the language is another major part, as there will be a constant influx of relics, and her being there to learn about their uses is massive.

But using her properly would not be simple.

She needed power. A place to anchor her main core. A secure data chamber. Redundant links.

Enough protection that she could operate without becoming another fragile point in his chain of command.

And that meant he had to place her somewhere.

When they reached the docking bay, the ship waited under dim station light, with Rhoswen’s combat frames still positioned near the hatch like a guard line. Rhoswen’s mood improved the moment she saw them.

"Back to the ship we go, and something this beautiful is worth it," she said.

"It feels weird for you to say that, but maybe not," Neris said.

"It can be both."

Eirenne looked over the mechs and gave a small nod. "Presentation and security often overlap."

Rhoswen brightened at once. "See? She understands."

Aurelian stepped onto the boarding ramp before that could become a longer conversation.

Once they were back inside, Eirenne’s projection appeared on the main command display.

She looked the same as before, but Aurelian could already tell she was shifting more of her attention to work rather than conversation.

"My lord," she said. "Before we leave, I should transfer my mobile core to your ship."

"Mobile core?" Rhoswen repeated.

Eirenne nodded. "My full primary core is not located here. It was never meant to be exposed in a place like this. At the station, there are a relay shell, a deployment node, and a protected transfer body. The Arcturus family has arranged it in a way so I could enter your service in the field without needing a full planetary installation first."

Aurelian understood immediately.

That was more like his family.

They would not send him an AI that required him to build a capital-grade command palace before she could function.

They would send something that could work in stages, grow into his holdings, and settle properly once he had the infrastructure to support her.

"How large?" he asked.

"It is pretty large in a normal sense," Eirenne said. "But it shouldn’t be a major problem."

Rhoswen frowned. "That is not a direct answer."

"Approximately sixty-two meters at its longest point."

Rhoswen looked at Aurelian. "That’s a building."

"A small one," Eirenne said.

Neris sighed softly. "We can fit it if we clear auxiliary storage bay three and reroute power through the reserve junction."

Eirenne looked at her. "Correct."

Neris looked back. "Were you testing me?"

"No. I was hoping you would notice before I had to say it."

That made Neris blink once, then she just rolled her eyes as she shook her head.

Aurelian gave the order.

"Do it."

The next hour was spent preparing the transfer.

Under Eirenne’s direction, the station’s remaining robots began moving. They were old, slow, and clearly not in perfect condition, but they still worked.

Some moved along ceiling tracks. Others rolled out from recessed maintenance bays that had not opened in years.

A few needed several attempts before their limbs fully responded, but once they did, they joined the work without complaint.

The section beneath the command chamber opened piece by piece.

What came out of it was not pretty.

Eirenne’s field core looked like a long, armored data casket wrapped in layered conduits and protective shelling, with folding structural supports built into the frame.

It was cleaner than the station around it, but not decorative. There were no golden edges or useless flourishes.

It looked like something designed by people who expected it to survive bad situations and keep working anyway.

Rhoswen stared at it as it was moved toward the ship.

"So that’s you."

"One part of me," Eirenne said.

"Does it feel strange being carried around?"

"No."

"That’s disappointing."

"It would be more disappointing if I panicked."

Rhoswen considered that and nodded. "Fair."

Neris went ahead to prepare the bay, and the moment the core entered the ship, the power draw became obvious.

Lights dipped slightly.

Not dangerously, but enough for everyone to notice.

Rhoswen looked up. "That was not normal."

Neris answered from the power console. "Her core is drawing more than expected."

Eirenne’s projection appeared nearby, looking almost embarrassed for the first time.

"I have been underpowered for quite some time," she said. "I may have briefly overcorrected."

"Briefly?" Rhoswen asked.

Neris checked the numbers. "At this rate, we would be fine for travel, but not for extended combat. After some time, heavy energy weapons would start becoming inconvenient."

Aurelian looked at Eirenne.

"Power saving mode."

"Already adjusting."

The draw dropped a few seconds later, and the ship’s systems steadied.