Free Web NovelChapter 239: Leaving The Arcturus Family Port
The monster burst out of a maintenance shaft with far too many claws and a dramatic screech, making several people in the theater jump in their seats.
Astra didn’t move at all.
Aurelian glanced sideways at her and leaned a little closer.
"Scared?"
"No."
"Not even a little?"
"The creature exposed its weak points immediately, moved too slowly, and ignored at least three firing angles."
Aurelian almost laughed at that, but managed to hold it in since the couple sitting in front of them looked genuinely invested in the movie.
The truth was that neither of them found the film particularly frightening. After everything they had dealt with over the past year, a monster stalking people through a station wasn’t exactly intimidating.
They had fought space beasts in Redglass, faced real combat, and watched Rhoswen happily throw herself into enemy formations with enough enthusiasm to concern everyone around her.
Compared to that, a creature with glowing teeth and dramatic timing wasn’t likely to leave much of an impression.
Still, Astra watched the movie with surprising attention.
The story itself was simple enough. A mining crew, a patrol unit, several rival groups, and a handful of stranded travelers found themselves trapped inside the same station while the creature hunted them one by one.
Most of the conflict came from the people rather than the monster. Everyone blamed everyone else, nobody trusted each other, and half their problems came from refusing to work together until things became bad enough that they had no choice.
Eventually, they started cooperating, stopped arguing long enough to form an actual plan, and managed to lure the creature into the station’s fusion chamber before destroying it.
It wasn’t the most original story Aurelian had ever seen, but it wasn’t bad either.
By the final part of the movie, he found himself paying more attention to Astra than the screen.
She didn’t seem particularly interested in the monster.
Instead, she appeared focused on the people.
The decisions they made.
The way they worked together.
The mistakes they made before finally cooperating.
Maybe she simply hadn’t watched many films before. Or maybe Astra was the sort of person who genuinely examined everything until she understood it completely.
Knowing her, either explanation was possible.
When the movie finally ended, and the lights came back on, Astra remained seated for a few moments while everyone else began standing up.
Aurelian looked over.
"Well?"
"The tactics were poor."
He smiled.
"That was your first thought?"
"The second."
"And the first?"
"The mining chief should have survived."
Aurelian laughed this time.
"I agree."
That seemed to satisfy her.
The two of them left the theater together as evening settled across the starport district.
The lights along the promenade had grown warmer than before, and the crowds had changed as well.
Earlier in the day, most of the people moving through the area had been workers, travelers, and transport crews.
Now it was mostly people enjoying their time off, eating dinner, shopping, or simply wandering through the district before heading home.
Not long after they stepped outside, Aurelian’s terminal flashed.
A message from Rhoswen.
He opened it.
The first thing he saw was a picture of her standing proudly beside a combat simulator scoreboard displaying a suspiciously high score.
A second message arrived almost immediately.
Still no property damage.
Aurelian stared at the words for several seconds.
Astra glanced at the terminal.
"That sounds defensive."
"It does."
"Which means there was probably property damage."
"Probably."
Aurelian decided that whatever had happened could wait until later.
For now, there was nothing he could do about it anyway.
By the time they found a quieter hotel in the port district and settled in for the evening, another message had arrived.
This one was from Cassian.
The formal details for the next day’s inspection had finally been finalized.
Aurelian read through everything carefully.
The inspection party would leave in the morning to examine the Mournveil route and confirm the path leading toward the frontier.
Cassian would attend personally, along with several senior elders and one of the family’s strategic vessels capable of handling most situations they might encounter.
Aurelian read the information twice before forwarding it.
A few seconds later, a reply appeared.
I’m coming.
That was the entire message.
He wasn’t surprised.
Another arrived immediately afterward.
And before you say no, I’m already packing.
Astra looked over at the screen.
"That sounds like her."
"It does."
"Are you going to argue?"
"No."
"Good."
Aurelian looked at her.
"You expected me to agree."
"You were going to anyway."
"Maybe."
Astra shook her head slightly.
"Rhoswen is easier to manage when she’s included."
"That’s one way to describe it."
"And this route may become important."
That was true.
The Mournveil route wasn’t just an interesting discovery anymore. It was becoming part of House Arcturus’s future plans, and the more the family learned about it, the more attention it would receive.
This made the inspection important.
Very important.
Aurelian finished sending the last instructions and set the terminal aside.
Then he looked at Astra. freewёbnoνel.com
"You’re coming too."
She looked back at him.
"Was there another option?"
"You could stay here."
"No."
The answer came immediately.
Aurelian smiled slightly.
"I thought so." fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
"I am your flagship."
"You say that like it settles the discussion."
"It does."
For Astra, it probably did.
The next morning Astra and Rhoswen arrived early at the hotel’s private docking area.
Astra looked exactly as composed as always.
Rhoswen looked entirely too pleased with herself and carried enough breakfast to feed several people.
She immediately handed one container to Aurelian.
"For the road."
He looked at it.
"You bought breakfast?"
"Yes."
Astra glanced down at the container.
"There are enough calories in that for a small fleet."
"That’s because I care."
Aurelian accepted it anyway.
"Thank you."
Rhoswen brightened instantly.
"You’re welcome."
The three of them took a private transit line toward the restricted family docks where the Black Crown’s shuttle was already waiting.
Since it was only Astra and Rhoswen that came with him, he wasn’t worried about having too many ships. Too much movement would attract attention, and right now, secrecy mattered more than convenience.
"Departure time?" Astra asked.
"Nine."
"Your father will meet us outside the main traffic zone?"
Aurelian nodded.
"Too visible otherwise."
That answer was enough to make all three of them a little more serious.
A few minutes later, they boarded the shuttle and lifted away from the dock.
Aurelian brought up the star map and marked the meeting location, a quiet stretch of space beyond the family’s outer patrol layers where civilian traffic was almost nonexistent.
The flight wasn’t long, but as they moved farther from the capital world’s busy lanes, the traffic gradually thinned until only military markers, defense platforms, and distant patrol routes remained visible.
Then something appeared ahead of them.
The Arcturus family vessel.
Even knowing his family possessed powerful high-tier assets, Aurelian found himself pausing when the ship finally came fully into view.
