Free Web NovelChapter 238: Extended Vacation 2
The doors opened into the secured command wing, and Aurelian stepped inside with Astra beside him.
The meeting was not as long as he expected, mostly because the Arcturus family had already finished arguing through the hardest parts before he arrived.
Cassian did not waste time making him repeat every report from the beginning. Instead, he asked the questions that mattered most, confirmed the route through Mournveil, checked how much support Crownward March could absorb without losing control, and then told him plainly that the first inspection group would leave the next morning.
Aurelian was not surprised by the decision, but he was a little surprised by the speed.
The Arcturus family did not move carelessly, yet once they decided a thing was worth doing, they began with frightening efficiency.
By the time he left the command wing, the first survey files had already been sealed, quiet orders had gone out through family channels, and several senior officers were preparing to inspect the hidden route before any larger movement began.
Astra walked beside him as they returned to the upper starport, and for a while, Aurelian said nothing. He was thinking about what came next. freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
His fleet had grown quickly, but it still could not be allowed to grow carelessly. If he accepted every shipgirl he found and awakened every available low-grade hull simply because he could, then the March would become crowded before it became strong.
He needed a clean structure, not a messy collection of people and ships that all needed resources but could not all carry the weight of future wars.
Purple tier and above had to remain the primary standard for the core fleet.
Blue-tier shipgirls were still useful, and he would not look down on them just because Astra had reached Tier V, but they needed to be placed carefully.
Some could help with patrols, escort work, garrison duty, supply routes, and emergency defense.
Others could become valuable if rare materials or specialized refit methods later raise their limits.
He had to keep his eyes open for those chances, too, because a commander who only looked at what someone was today would miss what they could become tomorrow.
Aurelian glanced at Astra beside him and finally decided on this topic, which he had been thinking about for a while.
Quality first, but growth is also taken into account when the overall structure is built to ensure we can cover every possible angle for future battles.
Astra noticed his look. "You are thinking about the fleet again."
"I was trying not to."
"You failed."
"That happens often."
Her eyes moved toward the busy starport ahead. "Do you regret giving the others a break?"
"No. I regret not doing it earlier."
Astra did not answer at once, but her expression softened.
The two of them continued walking through the upper port district. Aurelian had planned to return to the estate, but after sitting through the family discussion, he decided he did not want to spend the rest of the day trapped inside another room.
Cassian had not called him back, which meant the remaining matters could wait until morning.
For once, there was no raid to prepare, no plague to stop, no damaged bastion to secure, and no Kharov response appearing on the edge of the sensors.
So he slowed down near one of the commercial promenades and looked toward Astra.
"You never actually took your break."
"I am taking it."
"Walking beside me while I deal with family business is not a break."
"It is quieter than combat."
"That is a terrible standard."
"It is an honest one."
Aurelian looked at her for a moment, then shook his head with a faint smile. "Come on. We’ll try something normal."
Astra followed without complaint, though the small tilt of her head showed her curiosity.
The starport promenade was full of people from different parts of Alliance space.
Officers on leave moved among restaurants, young cadets wandered in groups, pretending not to stare at senior family members, and merchants from trusted partner lines displayed goods expensive enough to be called local specialties rather than souvenirs.
Compared to Larkspur Haven’s rebuilt docks and Helion Bastion Twelve’s old steel halls, this place felt almost too polished.
Astra did not seem very interested in the shops.
She glanced at the displays, read them, understood them, and moved on.
Aurelian noticed after the third time and gave up on the shopping district. "Not your style?"
"Yeah, but I understand why others might like these kinds of spaces."
"Yeah, these kinds of places have their charm."
"Yes."
He looked around and saw a large entertainment hall built into the promenade, its front covered with light panels advertising several films, live performances, tactical simulations, and immersive historical dramas. After a moment of thought, he led her toward the cinema section.
A young attendant at the entrance glanced at Aurelian, then at Astra, and immediately straightened.
"Welcome, my lord. Would you like a private viewing room for two?"
Aurelian paused.
Astra also paused, though her expression barely changed.
The attendant kept smiling with the calm bravery of someone trained to survive awkward situations.
Aurelian looked at the list of showings, then at the private room option, and finally shook his head. "No, the main theater is fine." fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm
The attendant blinked. "Of course, my lord."
Astra waited until they were walking inside before asking, "Why refuse the private room?"
"Because if we wanted to watch a film alone, we could use the projection room on the Black Crown. The point is to do something normal, and normal includes strangers talking too loudly before the film starts."
Astra considered that seriously. "That sounds inefficient."
"It is. That is part of the experience."
They chose a film that was already set to start soon, mostly because the timing worked. It turned out to be a horror action story about several frontier groups forced to cooperate against a deep-space creature that had infested an old mining station.
The theater was half full. Aurelian and Astra found seats near the middle, and for the first few minutes, he wondered if this had been a mistake.
