Chapter 384: Reunion With The Triplets 2

Rhoswen studied the three reports for a while before looking up.

"So they’re different even though they’re triplets."

"Of course they are," Doctor Marr replied. "Genetics matter, but your body is also shaped by what you do with it. Years of training, food, stress, injuries, sleep, and even simple habits all leave a mark."

Katsura glanced toward Yelena.

"You got the thinking one."

Yelena looked at her.

"You say that like yours doesn’t involve thinking."

"It involves moving faster."

"Which you clearly think is better."

"Sometimes."

Mirei looked toward Aurelian next.

"And yours?"

Aurelian had been expecting that question.

Doctor Marr changed the display and brought up his earlier scan. His results were noticeably different from the triplets.

Neural burden stabilization showed extremely high compatibility, physical recovery was also high, and controlled commander adaptation ranked even higher, though that part remained locked behind more medical review.

Rhoswen immediately leaned forward.

"How high?"

Doctor Marr looked at Aurelian before answering.

"Ninety-one percent compatibility with the standard Tier III commander recovery program."

The room went quiet for a moment.

Aurelian looked at the number himself.

"That sounds high."

"It is."

"What about the risk?"

"Low for the recovery stage," Doctor Marr said. "We are not discussing the deeper adaptation work yet. That requires more testing."

Astra carefully read through the medical notes.

"What exactly does the first stage do?"

"It repairs damage caused by accumulated sleep loss, repeated command-link stress, and poor physical recovery," Doctor Marr explained.

"It does not increase his tier, change his command bond, or give him anything new. It simply helps repair damage his body has not had enough time to recover from naturally."

Rhoswen looked far too pleased.

"So he has no excuse now."

Aurelian looked at her.

"I still have twenty-nine days."

Yelena immediately turned toward him.

"You are counting down the deadline?"

"No."

Eirenne’s projection appeared beside the display.

"Yes."

Aurelian stared at her.

"You were not asked."

"I prefer accurate information."

Mirei laughed quietly, and even Astra looked amused.

Doctor Marr closed the report before the conversation could get worse.

"For now, nobody is receiving adaptation treatment. The triplets came here for baseline comparisons, and we got exactly what we needed."

Katsura glanced toward the treatment platform.

"What if we wanted one of the safe treatments later?"

"Then you go through the same approval process as everyone else," Aurelian said. "Medical need comes first. Nobody gets experimental treatment just because they know me."

The three sisters accepted that without any argument.

Yelena gave him a small nod.

"Good."

Aurelian raised an eyebrow.

"You expected me to say something else?"

"No. But it was still good to hear."

They left the matrix chamber soon after.

The triplets had brought more than technical supplies. They also carried several messages from the Morozova family and a private package of updated engineering plans meant for the frontier.

Yelena handed the file to Aurelian as they entered a quieter medical lounge.

"These are for Helion Bastion Twelve. Our engineers reviewed the parts of the stargate blueprint they were allowed to see."

Aurelian’s attention sharpened.

"Any progress?"

"Enough to confirm one thing. You should not try building the full gate yet."

"That was already the plan."

"Good."

She opened a simplified diagram.

"The energy system is possible with Helion’s current industry, but it would take years. The stabilization structure is the real problem. Helion cannot currently build something that large with the accuracy the design requires."

Mirei continued from there.

"But several smaller parts of the design are useful right now. Navigation beacons, jump-route stabilization systems, and long-range gate synchronization equipment can all be adapted."

Aurelian nodded.

That was more useful anyway.

The Crownward March did not need to waste years and huge amounts of material on a stargate it couldn’t properly finish. It needed safer routes between the territories it already controlled.

"Send everything to Meridian."

Yelena looked at him.

"Already did."

Aurelian sighed.

Rhoswen, who had followed them into the lounge for reasons only she seemed to understand, smiled.

"Everyone keeps doing that to you."

Before Aurelian could answer, a new communication came through.

Eirenne opened it on the lounge wall.

Cassian appeared on the screen. He looked at the triplets first and then at Aurelian.

"So they arrived."

"You knew?"

"Of course."

Aurelian should have expected that.

Cassian continued.

"I also received confirmation that Veyra Nine released the prisoners without forcing you into another major battle."

"Two hundred and seventeen recovered."

"Good. Then you can focus on Sanctuary Ardent again, because Drann’s position is changing."

A map appeared on the wall.

Compact movements had increased while Aurelian was away. Two outer supply stations were being emptied much faster than before, and the military depot near Taran’s old route had started pulling back combat ships.

More importantly, one large Compact formation had moved inward instead of toward Sanctuary Ardent.

Aurelian studied the map.

"They’re concentrating around Drann."

"That is our assessment."

"Preparing another attack?"

"Maybe," Cassian said. "Or preparing to defend what he still controls."

He enlarged the map.

"Either way, do not chase him yet."

Aurelian looked at his father.

"I wasn’t planning to."

"Good, because you already control more territory than you can comfortably protect."

Rhoswen looked toward Aurelian.

"He sounds like you again."

Cassian clearly heard her.

"That is because he occasionally listens."

Aurelian ignored both of them.

Cassian continued.

"Strengthen the Crownward March. Use Sanctuary Ardent’s equipment. Get Helion’s industry working properly. Finish Larkspur’s recovery. Let Drann sit there and wonder where you will attack next."

That matched Aurelian’s own plan.

Another major offensive right now would only give him more territory to defend while making every existing problem harder.

If he spent another month building up instead, the same offensive later could be much easier.

"Agreed."

Cassian looked toward Yelena, Mirei, and Katsura.

"The Morozova technical package should help Helion. Their family was smart enough not to send so many people that it would create political attention."

Yelena nodded.

"That was intentional."

"And appreciated."

Cassian ended the call after confirming that the five Arcturus patrol ships promised earlier would begin moving toward Crownward territory within two days.

For a moment, the lounge became quiet.

Then Katsura looked toward Aurelian.

"So you rescue two hundred people, negotiate five patrol ships, and somehow still get ordered to rest."

"Apparently."

Mirei smiled.

"Good."

Aurelian looked at all three sisters.

"You’ve been here less than a day."

Yelena folded her arms.

"And somehow we already understand the problem."

Astra entered the lounge at that moment.

"The rescued transports have finished docking. Vaela wants to know if you will attend the first council briefing."

Aurelian stood.

"Yes."

Rhoswen pointed at him.

"After that, food."

Astra added, "And sleep."

The triplets all looked toward him.

Aurelian could already tell where this was going.

"I understand."

Eirenne appeared beside the door.

"I recorded that too."

Aurelian walked out before anyone could add another rule.

Behind him, the triplets followed with Astra and Rhoswen, already talking about the equipment brought for Helion and the unusual results from the matrix scans.

Outside the medical level, Sanctuary Ardent was busier than ever.

Two hundred and seventeen people had come home. The civilian council was starting to function without needing Aurelian for every decision, Arcturus engineers were restoring the defenses, and Morozova technical support had finally arrived.

The Human Continuance Matrix was also proving useful without turning into the miracle its creators might once have wanted it to be.

And somewhere beyond the sanctuary, Saevor Drann was pulling his forces inward while trying to guess what Aurelian would do next.

For once, Aurelian was perfectly happy to let him guess.

The Crownward March already had enough work waiting for it.

Before Aurelian needed another victory, he intended to make sure the victories he already had became something worth keeping.

Aurelian did not get the sleep everyone had been demanding immediately.

He did, however, eat.

That was apparently enough of a compromise for Astra, Rhoswen, and the Morozova triplets to stop following him for the next half hour.

The council briefing after the return from Veyra Nine was shorter than expected. Vaela handled most of the medical report, Astercourt dealt with housing and family reunification, while Mirelle confirmed that the recovered survivors would remain citizens of Sanctuary Ardent unless they personally chose otherwise later.

Nobody argued.

The larger question was what to do next.

Two hundred and seventeen people had returned from Veyra Nine, but the Compact was already pulling its outer forces inward, and Eirenne’s passive surveillance showed that the withdrawal had accelerated after Aurelian’s operation.

One of the supply stations was almost empty.

The research outpost had begun destroying records.

The military depot near Taran’s old retreat route had gathered nearly every available combat ship in the region.

That was the part Aurelian cared about.

He returned to the command center with Astra while Rhoswen and the triplets remained near the medical levels.

Solenne appeared through a fleet channel as soon as Eirenne opened the latest tactical map.