Chapter 442 Malrec Dane

Aurelian’s expression tightened. "Active?"

"Two are receiving power," Talyra replied, continuing to study the readings. "Vhaloric point-defense weapons. Old models."

"Enough to threaten your destroyer?"

Talyra took a few seconds to examine the estimated ranges before answering. "If I move close enough."

"Then don’t."

She acknowledged the order and continued observing from a distance. For almost an hour, nothing changed.

The station remained quiet, and its few powered sections gave away little about the people inside.

Then the docked ship’s reactor output began climbing.

Talyra noticed immediately. "The recovery vessel is preparing to depart."

Aurelian watched as the depot’s docking clamps released and the small vessel slowly pulled away. Once it cleared the dock, Talyra’s sensors had a much better view.

"Can you identify it now?" he asked.

She remained silent for several seconds before the first results appeared. "I have a partial registration."

Eirenne immediately ran the information through their records and found a match moments later.

The vessel belonged to a recovery company based at Harrow’s Rest. More importantly, one of the company’s listed contract supervisors was Malrec Dane.

Aurelian leaned back slightly. That was the strongest connection they had found so far.

"Still no proof he’s aboard," Astra reminded him, watching the same information from beside his command station.

"I know."

Talyra’s voice returned a moment later. "The ship is moving toward the outer route."

"Let it go."

A brief pause passed before Talyra nodded. "Understood."

Aurelian could tell she had expected the answer, even if she did not particularly like it. Following the vessel openly might warn whoever remained inside the depot, and they had a quieter option available.

"Talyra, can one of your platforms follow it?"

"Yes, but not indefinitely."

"That’s enough. Send one after it and stay with the depot."

A second sensor platform quietly moved after the departing vessel, which continued outward without showing any sign that it had noticed the device.

Aurelian also contacted the Helion patrol ship waiting farther back and ordered its captain to hold position.

For the moment, they had the advantage because whoever occupied the depot did not know they were being watched. Aurelian intended to keep it that way.

Another hour passed before Talyra detected something more useful.

"Commander, the station just transmitted."

Aurelian immediately looked toward her feed. "To the departing ship?"

"No. Different direction."

Eirenne began tracing the narrow, heavily compressed signal. Talyra had been close enough to catch part of it, although the transmission itself had lasted only a few seconds.

"Can you read it?" Aurelian asked.

"Not yet. Give me a moment," Eirenne replied, her attention fixed on the intercepted data.

Fortunately, the encryption was not especially advanced. It took her only a short time to break enough of the transmission to recover part of the message.

When she did, her expression changed.

"I have a name."

Aurelian already suspected what she was about to say. "Dane?"

"Yes."

The recovered section appeared on the display. Malrec Dane had sent the transmission himself.

There was little doubt he was inside the depot.

Rhoswen joined the channel less than a minute after receiving the update, looking considerably more cheerful than before. "I assume this means I can finally leave Valeris."

"No."

Her expression immediately fell. "Aurelian."

"We found Dane. We haven’t found an army."

"That’s exactly why this is a good time to get him," Rhoswen argued. "Preferably with Crimson Bulwark."

Aurelian ignored the obvious enthusiasm in her voice and studied the station layout again.

The old depot had two powered defensive weapons, while one small recovery ship had already departed. Nothing they had seen justified sending a battleship into the region.

More importantly, Dane might surrender if he realized there was no way to leave quietly. A battleship suddenly appearing outside the station might have the opposite effect.

"We’ll give him a chance to surrender first."

Rhoswen frowned. "He tried to arrange an attack on Orison’s delegation."

"He is suspected of arranging it."

"We found his money, his equipment, his schedule, and now we’ve found him hiding in an abandoned depot."

"Yes," Aurelian replied patiently, "which means we have enough evidence to demand he come out without needing to shoot the station apart."

Rhoswen stared at him for a moment before releasing a frustrated sigh. "Fine."

Aurelian contacted Oren next. The Orison legal officer looked almost relieved when he heard the news.

"You’re certain?"

"We intercepted a transmission identifying Dane inside the depot."

Oren nodded slowly as he processed it. "Then Orison will send ships."

"One ship."

His relief disappeared. "Commander."

"One patrol ship carrying investigators and the warrant," Aurelian clarified. "Talyra is already watching the station, and I have another patrol ship nearby."

"That depot is an Orison recovery facility."

"It was an Orison recovery facility centuries ago. It’s outside the currently recognized zones, and we’re still negotiating the rest."

Oren clearly did not like the distinction, but after a moment, he accepted it. "One ship."

Aurelian then contacted the Valeris council and Harrow’s Rest. Both wanted observers present, which he considered reasonable.

In the end, they assembled a small joint group rather than a military force.

One Orison patrol ship would carry its investigators, accompanied by a Valeris observer and a representative from Harrow’s Rest.

The Helion patrol vessel would remain nearby as backup, while Talyra continued watching from a distance. Nobody would approach with weapons active unless the depot fired first.

The group needed several hours to assemble, and Talyra remained hidden throughout the wait.

Meanwhile, the vessel her sensor platform was following eventually reached a small wreck field and stopped beside an old cargo hull.

Two people transferred between the ships, but neither matched Dane.

Aurelian ordered Talyra not to interfere. They recorded everything and continued watching.

By the time the investigation group approached the depot, the people inside still appeared unaware that they had been found.

Aurelian joined the operation remotely from Black Crown as the Orison patrol ship stopped well outside the station’s defensive range.

Once everyone was in position, Oren opened a communication channel.

"Malrec Dane, this is the Orison Recovery Authority legal office," he announced firmly.

"You are ordered to surrender yourself for investigation concerning the attack at Valeris Reach. Power down the depot’s defensive systems and respond."

Nothing happened.

After waiting, Oren retransmitted the demand.

This time, the depot answered.

Dane appeared on the communication display. Aurelian had seen his file photograph before, but the man looked considerably worse now.

He had not shaved recently; his clothes were wrinkled, and the room behind him was poorly lit.

Dane’s eyes moved across the people on the call before settling on Oren. "You brought Crownward."

Oren’s expression remained calm. "You gave us a reason to."

Dane gave a short, humorless laugh. "You think this agreement will save Orison?"

Aurelian remained silent. He wanted Dane talking, and Oren seemed to understand that.

"Power down the weapons," Oren ordered.

"You don’t understand what you’re giving away," Dane replied, his frustration becoming more obvious.

"There won’t be anything left to discuss soon. Valeris will take the routes, the cooperative will take the outer fields, and every independent scavenger will start stripping sites we’ve protected for centuries."

Oren’s expression hardened. "That doesn’t justify murdering our delegation."

Dane did not answer immediately.

The silence was more useful than anything he could have said.

Aurelian finally joined the conversation. "You have one ship inside the depot, two functioning defensive mounts, and no clear route out without Talyra seeing you. Nobody here wants to damage the station or hurt the people with you. Shut down the weapons and surrender."

Dane’s eyes immediately shifted toward him. "So the destroyer really is out there."

Talyra’s voice quietly entered Aurelian’s private channel. "He didn’t know."

Good.

Aurelian kept his expression unchanged. Dane had guessed, and he had no intention of giving him anything more.

"You have ten minutes."

He closed the channel.

Rhoswen immediately appeared in another window, looking far too amused. "You enjoyed that."

"No."

"You definitely did."

Aurelian ignored her.

Eight minutes later, the depot’s first defensive mount shut down. The second followed thirty seconds later, and then the docking lights came on.

Talyra continued watching the station carefully. "I’m detecting movement inside. No weapons charging, and one vessel remains docked."

Moments later, Oren received another transmission.

Dane was surrendering.

The investigators entered the depot carefully and found eleven people inside: three Harrow’s Rest recovery workers, five hired crew members, two former Orison security personnel, and Malrec Dane himself.

Nobody fired a shot.

By the time Dane was brought aboard the investigation vessel, Eirenne had already begun copying the depot’s records.

The files included payment records, communications logs, recovery contracts, and several messages about the Valeris conference.

Examining everything would take days, but Aurelian was fine with that.

They had Dane alive. They had his records. More importantly, they had managed to secure both without turning an old recovery depot into another wreck field.

Only after securing the station did Talyra finally bring her destroyer out of concealment.

Oren stared at the new sensor contact, then looked toward Aurelian. "She was that close the entire time?"

Aurelian glanced toward Talyra’s position. "Close enough."

Rhoswen sounded deeply offended when she saw the same thing. "I definitely want one of those destroyers."

Talyra answered before Aurelian could.

"No."

A brief silence fell before Astra started laughing.

Aurelian leaned back in his chair, unable to hide his amusement completely.

For once, something had actually ended more simply than he expected.