Chapter 182: Awakening The Thornwake Cruisers 3

Aurelian placed the source fragments where they needed to go and began the process.

For a few seconds, nothing happened.

Then it slowly started to show signs before the transformation began.

This was normal for Aurelian, as he had many ship girls with similar starts, but they still woke up just like this.

The light spread through the command core in broken paths, catching in weak spots and slipping past others, but Meridian’s stabilization systems kept it moving, holding the flow together so it didn’t collapse halfway through.

Neris watched the readings without saying anything, her focus steady as always. Eirenne’s projection stayed still, not interfering.

Selvarin, Veylora, and Liora stood off to the side, quiet, watching in a way that didn’t need words.

The system struggled for a while, causing the three of them to feel as if their fourth sister would never wake up, but they were proven wrong as the awakening held on.

And then finally, the last one appeared.

She had long black hair, loose and uneven, like she hadn’t had the strength to care about it.

Her uniform was in the worst shape out of all of them, torn and worn down, and there were more bandages on her than on Selvarin. When her eyes opened, she wasn’t standing as the others had been.

She was seated.

Something like a support chair held her form upright, simple and plain, just enough to keep her steady.

Aurelian saw her, and from this alone, he could feel even more how bad a situation these ladies were in, and couldn’t help but wonder how bad the war must have been back then.

As he thought about this, he noticed that the fourth sister had lifted her head slowly, saw him, and tried to straighten even though she didn’t have the strength for it. One hand moved slightly, like she wanted to salute properly but couldn’t finish it.

"Maelis," she said. "Second Thornwake prototype. Commander... I apologize for greeting you like this."

Aurelian didn’t make anything complicated out of it.

"You woke up," he said. "That’s enough."

Her eyes shook slightly for a moment, then steadied.

That was all she needed.

Veylora moved first, stepping closer without hesitation. Selvarin followed right after, and Liora came in a second later.

The three of them gathered around Maelis without saying much, just being there, close enough to make it clear she wasn’t alone anymore.

Even Rhoswen looked away for a second, pretending to check something behind her.

Meridian watched the group quietly, then spoke to Aurelian.

"She’ll recover after a full overhaul."

"I know."

That was enough for her.

Eirenne’s projection shifted slightly as she looked at the four of them together, her expression thoughtful in a way that showed she was still adjusting to what she was seeing.

"So this is what shipgirl awakening looks like when the hull is damaged," she said. "It’s... not what I expected."

Neris answered in the same calm tone she always used.

"You haven’t seen similar situations in your database?"

"No," Eirenne said. "Mainly because of how low the probabilities of these ships awakening, this makes the other commanders hesitant to try, with many not even trying."

Aurelian, who heard this, didn’t comment as he gave the four sisters a few minutes, just enough time for things to settle.

They had been left here for too long, buried and broken, and now they were back. There was no reason to cut that short the second the last one woke.

But not too long.

They were still far from support, and there was still work to do.

When the moment passed, he spoke.

"The recovery is complete," he said. "All ships prepare for return. Meridian, you coordinate movement. Selvarin, Veylora, and Liora move under their own power if safe. Maelis will be supported until we reach the bastion. Once there, all four undergo a full overhaul before deployment."

Veylora answered first. "Understood, Commander."

Selvarin gave a short nod.

Liora repeated the order quietly.

Maelis lowered her head slightly. "Thank you."

Aurelian looked at her for a moment, then said, "You can thank me by recovering properly."

That made Rhoswen smile a little.

Meridian didn’t waste time after that. She went straight back to work, organizing the next steps without needing to be told.

The following stretch passed quickly as movement braces were removed where they weren’t needed.

Repair drones secured outer sections so nothing would break apart during travel. Neris checked supply links and support connections, making sure nothing would fail once they started moving.

Eirenne’s sub-core stayed active as well, helping with coordination, adjusting routes, and working with Meridian to decide which ships could move on their own and which needed support.

By the time they were ready to leave, the place looked different.

This is because the ships were no longer just wrecks.

The Thornwake line was reborn into something that can grow and sail again, and that alone is a lot for them, as they had given hope when they lost and were buried there.

Aurelian stayed behind for a moment before boarding, standing on the surface and looking back at the field where everything had happened. It hadn’t been there long, not really, but it had carried more weight than most places did.

Rhoswen walked up beside him.

"Worth the wait," she said.

"Yes."

"And worth coming back."

"Yes."

She looked at the four cruisers lined up under the dead star, still damaged but no longer broken, and her usual grin returned, though this time it was a little quieter.

"The March is getting crowded."

Aurelian turned toward the ramp.

"Good."

Not long after, the group began moving.

At first, it was slow. They had to be careful, especially with Maelis and the state the ships were still in, but they moved, and that was what mattered.

Step by step, they pulled away from the dead system, leaving it behind.

This time, it didn’t keep what had been buried there.

When they reached the Crownward March, there would be work waiting. Repairs, checks, time to recover.

Aurelian didn’t mind that.

Not everything needed to be ready the moment it was taken.

Some things just needed to make it back alive.