Chapter 185: Lysara Came Back From Mournveil 2

Rhoswen showed up almost the moment she heard Lysara had returned, knowing that her return meant the attack would happen soon.

The second Lysara stepped into the command room, Rhoswen was already there, looking far more excited than anyone would have expected her to be, except for the people who knew why she was this excited.

"What kind of trouble?" she asked right away.

Lysara didn’t pause. "Not something we need to really worry about."

Rhoswen grinned. "Good kind."

Lysara ignored her and moved straight to the main display, bringing up the updated map without wasting time.

That alone was enough to pull everyone’s attention in. Before this, most of Mournveil had been little more than a blank area on their charts, just a rough cloud of dust and scattered stars with no clear routes and too many unknowns.

Now that had changed.

A quarter of it was mapped properly, which was more than anyone expected, since they knew how large this part of the space was.

Eight systems were marked along the route Lysara had taken. Redglass and Glasswake were already there from before, both familiar points they had used earlier.

The other six were new, and each one had been scanned enough to give them something solid to work with.

Lysara shifted the display slightly, letting the details settle.

"Most of it is usable," she said.

Aurelian didn’t interrupt. He let her continue.

"Some systems are empty," she went on. "Nothing there but dust and rock. A few have mineral bodies that might be worth revisiting later if we need them. Two have space beast activity, nothing organized, just scattered groups moving through."

Rhoswen looked through them with interest, but she didn’t speak yet.

Lysara marked one system near the middle of the route and expanded the scan. That was the one that stood out.

"This one is different," she said.

The display shifted.

It was a trinary system. Three stars locked together in a complicated pattern, their pull shaping everything around them.

Wide belts of dust and debris filled the space between, thick enough to hide movement and scatter signals. At first glance, it looked like a messy, unstable place.

But that wasn’t the part that mattered.

Life there was, as they could see many of them in this part of the space, and from the looks of it, they all looked like space beasts, and a lot of them, and there were more than one species.

Different kinds, different sizes, moving through the system in overlapping patterns.

Lysara pointed toward the center of the map.

"Something here is drawing them in," she said. "I didn’t have time to check it properly. I ran into a small, aggressive group that wasn’t large enough for me to run away, so I cleared part of it. But more were already moving in. I didn’t stay."

Aurelian studied the readings without speaking.

"Can we avoid it?" he asked.

"Yes," Lysara said. "As long as we stay in a specified line and don’t cut too close to the inner belt."

Rhoswen made a small sound, clearly not happy with that answer.

Lysara noticed. "You can fight them later."

Rhoswen didn’t argue after that, though she still looked like she would rather go back there immediately.

Neris stepped closer to the display, looking at the system more carefully.

"If they gather there regularly, it could be useful," she said.

"For hunting?" Rhoswen asked.

"For materials," Neris replied. "And for experience."

Aurelian nodded.

That matched what he was thinking.

Mournveil wasn’t just a path anymore. It was turning into something else. A hidden route, yes, but also a place that could be used later.

Resources, hunting grounds, maybe even expansion points if some of the systems turned out to be worth it.

But that was later.

Right now, it was a road.

"How safe is the full route?" he asked.

Lysara didn’t hesitate.

"Safe enough if the fleet is careful," she said. "Not safe if we get sloppy. There are storms, dust interference, and beast pockets. But I saw no signs of organized civilization along the path. No steady movement. No Kharov presence."

That was what all of them wanted to hear, so they could then avoid any and all kinds of discovery from the other side.

Eirenne’s projection shifted slightly as she reviewed the data alongside them.

"The route is usable," she said. "With proper timing and beacon placement, the strike force can pass through without touching known Kharov approach lanes."

Astercourt glanced at Aurelian. "Then this is a preparation problem, not a path problem."

"Yes," he said.

That meant they were close.

The waiting part was ending.

The Thornwake cruisers were still under repair, and they wouldn’t be part of this operation. That had already been decided.

They were recovered ships, not ready ones, and forcing them into the fight now would do more harm than good.

Everything else, though, was lining up.

Eirenne was in place and working.

Neris had her engine upgraded.

Solenne’s losses had been replaced.

Rhoswen and Lysara had adjusted to the changes in their propulsion.

Astra was holding the rear.

The bastion’s transport line was moving forward.

The automated defense system wasn’t perfect, but it existed, and it worked well enough to hold what needed holding.

It wasn’t flawless.

But it was ready.

As ready as it was going to be without wasting time.

Aurelian looked across the room.

Astra stood off to one side, calm as always, already understanding what came next without needing it explained.

Rhoswen looked ready to move.

Lysara looked tired, but satisfied with what she had brought back.

Neris stayed focused, already thinking ahead.

Solenne’s image appeared through a remote link, her expression sharpening as she saw the updated map.

Astercourt was already working through changes in the schedule.

Eirenne stood ready, waiting for the order.

Aurelian let the silence sit for a moment, just long enough for everything to settle.

Then he spoke.

"Begin final preparations," he said. "We move soon."

No one questioned it.

No one needed to.

The route through Mournveil was open, allowing them to go in and out for a brief time, which was what they needed, as they were unable to go to war with them just yet.