The route through Mournveil solved one problem but created several more.

That was the part Aurelian kept thinking about after the meeting ended and everyone started heading back to their own responsibilities.

The idea of using the nebula as a hidden path made sense on the surface, especially since it would let them avoid the more watched systems and move closer to the Kharov cluster without drawing attention too early.

But the more he turned it over in his head, the clearer it became that this kind of path only worked if it was understood properly.

A hidden route was useful, and a hidden route through space that others didn’t fully understand was even better, but that didn’t mean it was ready to use.

It didn’t mean it was safe, and it definitely didn’t mean he could trust it based on assumptions or incomplete information.

If they were going to move a strike force through Mournveil and come out close enough to hit a Kharov-controlled cluster before anyone realized what was happening, then they couldn’t rely on guesses or old fragments of data.

Someone needed to go in and map the route properly, not just on paper, not just through old records, but in person, seeing what was actually there now.

That decision settled quickly in his mind.

The next morning, Aurelian called Lysara back to the command room.

She arrived without any rush, and the way she carried herself made it clear she already had a good idea why he had asked for her.

The main route map was still active above the central table, showing Mournveil in soft light, with Redglass marked deeper inside and the path toward the Kharov target cluster drawn in incomplete lines that hadn’t yet been confirmed.

She looked at it for a moment, then spoke.

"You’re sending me back in."

Aurelian nodded. "Yes."

Lysara stepped closer, studying the map without touching it, taking in the shape of the route again as if she were already walking through it in her mind.

"That makes sense," she said.

He had expected that answer.

"You were the one who suggested using the nebula in the first place," he said. "And out of the ships we have available, yours is the best suited for careful movement inside something like that. The new propulsion system gives you the speed to move in and out quickly. You already know what Redglass looks like from the hunt, and if the rest of Mournveil is anything like what we saw there, then I need someone who can spot problems without making unnecessary noise."

Hearing that made her raise her eyebrow as she kinda gussed what he wanted to do.

"So this isn’t just reconnaissance," she said. "It’s to get a more complete map."

"Yes."

"For the strike."

"Yes."

She kept her attention on the map for another moment before asking the question that actually mattered.

"How much do you want confirmed before we move?"

"A clean path through the systems you can reach within the time you have," he said. "I want to know if there’s traffic, if there are signs of active control, if there are inhabited worlds, sensor networks, or anything that could slow a fleet down. If there’s a problem inside Mournveil, I want to know now, not when we’re already committed."

Lysara nodded once. "Understood."

Aurelian brought up another display beside the map, showing the readout from the stealth-linked defensive artifact they had recovered from the Voidshade Fenrir alpha during the hunt.

"This goes with you," he said.

Her attention shifted to it immediately.

"The armor artifact."

"Yes."

It had already proven useful just by existing. The Fenrir alpha had stayed visible on sensors longer than it should have, and the analysis had shown why.

It carried a form of radar evasion, not true invisibility, but enough to blur its presence and make it harder to track clearly until it got close.

On a large beast, that kind of trait made it dangerous. In the form of a usable artifact, paired with someone like Lysara, it became something else.

"You’ll take it and assemble it before you leave," Aurelian said. "I am asking you to install this not because I expect Mournveil to be crowded, but because if someone is watching inside it, I would be happy if they don’t notice you either."

Lysara reached out and expanded the artifact’s structure, reading through the details carefully instead of rushing.

"It won’t make me completely invisible," she said. "But it will make me harder to track."

"Yes."

She looked up at him, and there was a faint hint of amusement in her expression.

"You’re getting better at sending me into places like this."

Aurelian smiled slightly as he shook his head, but he didn’t offer an explanation.

There was a brief pause after that, then Lysara looked back at the map and asked something slightly different.

"If I find systems that need proper marking, do you want temporary designations or actual names?"

That caught his attention, not because it was complicated, but because it was more personal than the rest of the discussion had been.

He thought about it for a moment before answering.

"If you find one you want to name, then name it."

She blinked once, a small reaction that almost didn’t show.

"You’re giving me naming rights over systems we discover."

"I’m giving you discretion," he said. "You’ll be the first one to see them. Use it properly."

That was enough.

For the first time in the conversation, she gave a real smile, even if it was small.

"I will."

With that settled, the focus shifted back to preparation.

Astra entered next, followed shortly by Astercourt and Neris, and the tone of the room moved from planning to execution as they worked through what needed to be done before the strike could happen.

Astra would remain at Larkspur Haven.

There was no discussion about that.

If Aurelian was going to take the offensive, someone had to stay behind who could keep everything stable if things went wrong, whether that meant early Kharov pressure, strain on the bastion connection, or issues caused by the steady flow of people being brought into Haven.

Astra was the obvious choice, and no one in the room questioned it.

Astercourt took on the rest of the preparation in the way she always did, breaking each large instruction into smaller, manageable pieces before Aurelian had even finished explaining it.

Ammunition needed to be increased, not just for immediate use but for extended operations.

Reserve supplies had to be prepared in case the strike ran longer than expected or returned with more than planned.

Transit loads needed to account for multiple outcomes, including the possibility of bringing back captured materials or even people taken from Kharov-controlled points.

At the same time, Haven and the bastion both needed to be stocked with enough supplies to handle any delays that might happen while the strike force was away, because distance alone would make even small problems more difficult to deal with.

"We should double the standard combat reserves for every ship involved," Astercourt said as she worked through her notes.

"That’s fine," Aurelian said.