Star Ship Girl Era: My Shipgirls Are Too Overpowered

Chapter 214: Going Back Home 2

Astra was going with him.

There was never really any doubt about that. She was his flagship, and after completing her Tier V refit, leaving her behind for something this important would have made no sense.

Rhoswen was coming too, partly because she needed to be seen as one of the core ships of the March and partly because leaving her behind somehow always created more problems than bringing her along.

Neris stayed behind at the bastion to keep supply and logistics work steady. Solenne remained as well so her carrier force could rebuild ammunition and strike reserves after the raid.

Lysara stayed to continue work on the Severance Lance support systems and help Eirenne go through the Vhaloric records they had recovered.

Astercourt stayed too.

When Aurelian told her, she looked more relieved than disappointed.

"I expected you to argue," he said.

"I am extremely happy not to attend a noble family gathering," she replied without hesitation.

"It is not that bad."

She gave him a calm look that made it obvious she completely disagreed. "You were born into it. Your sense of normal is damaged."

Aurelian honestly had no answer for that.

Preparations for the trip moved quickly after that. The return route was arranged through secure Arcturus channels rather than public Alliance movement logs, which meant most people would never even see the fleet moving.

The family communication network quietly handled the coordination, and one of Yelena’s teams had already placed the required route beacon at a private holding connected to the family.

Yelena herself was already there waiting.

That alone made Aurelian more cautious.

Yelena rarely waited anywhere without learning three secrets and making at least one person uncomfortable before she left again.

When departure time finally came, Helion Bastion Twelve remained stable behind him. March was still busy, still growing, but it no longer felt like something that would collapse the second he stepped away.

Aurelian stood on Astra’s command deck while the Black Crown prepared for transit. Through the bond, the ship felt different after the refit, heavier in its presence but steadier, too, as if the space around her reacted more carefully than before.

Astra stood beside him calmly, watching the systems update across the display.

"Ready?" she asked.

"Yes."

Rhoswen’s voice immediately cut across the channel from her own ship.

"I am also ready."

The jump started not long after that.

The trip itself was smoother than Aurelian expected. It still took time because the distance between the frontier and core Alliance territory is still far away, but compared to some of the unstable routes he had used recently, this felt almost easy.

When the Black Crown finally emerged near the private Arcturus holding, the local defense network reacted almost instantly.

Warning lines spread across the tactical displays while defense ships shifted into position around the outer perimeter.

Automated platforms locked onto the arriving fleet without firing, and several high-tier shipgirls moved to intercept in organized formation.

It was done simply, without much flair.

Aurelian watched the response with approval.

Then Rhoswen spoke over the link.

"The trip was much easier than when we left."

"Yes."

Before anyone on the defense side could ask them for their identification, Aurelian opened the family command channel.

This is because none of them had been to this port before, which left the defense force without any intel.

When they tried to match the ship, they were blocked by a restriction, leaving them with little to work with.

"This is Aurelian Arcturus," he said calmly. "Returning under private family clearance."

There was a short pause.

Then Yelena’s voice came through the system, which was new as he didn’t expect her to take over the procedure.

"You know, most people return home through the front gate."

Aurelian relaxed slightly more than he expected, hearing her voice. "Most people do not have a Tier V flagship to test."

"Oh? Tier V, then that place to park is for the best."

Yelena sighed, though there was obvious amusement behind it. "Clearance confirmed. Hold formation and follow the guide path. Also, your father says if you scare the outer defense staff again, he will send your mother first."

Rhoswen whispered over a side channel, "Why do I have the strong urge to see what would happen?"

Aurelian answered just as quietly. "No, you don’t."

After that, the fleet was guided inward without trouble.

Even so, Aurelian could feel the attention following them the entire way.

The Black Crown was impossible to ignore now. Even inside Arcturus territory, a newly upgraded Tier V flagship returning with an heir who was supposedly just recently promoted to commander is a massive deal.

And with his identity restricted, they know even less, with some only knowing about him when others told them.

This is because he is not someone who likes social events, and with the family being large, these kinds of things tend to happen when the heirs are still young, since they don’t have any major achievements under their belts.

The fleet finally reached the private docking section reserved for higher-level family traffic.

Yelena was already waiting there.

She looked exactly the same as always, composed, sharp-eyed, and carrying the expression of someone who probably already knew more than she should.

Aurelian stepped down from the transport ramp with Astra beside him and Rhoswen slightly behind them, trying much harder than usual to look respectable.

To her credit, she was doing better than expected.

Yelena looked at Aurelian quietly for several seconds.

Then she started listing things.

"Tier III."

"Yes."

"Tier V flagship."

"Yes."

Yelena stared at him for another second after that.

Aurelian waited.

Finally, she shook her head slightly and said, "You are very bad at having a normal year."

Rhoswen immediately nodded in agreement. "I have been saying this."

Aurelian looked back at her. "How are the other two ladies?"

"They are waiting for you inside."

Yelena looked towards Astra as both of them nodded to each other, then toward Rhoswen. "And this one is still causing problems, I assume."

"Yes," Aurelian said immediately.

Rhoswen looked offended. "I didn’t expect my reputation to be so bad."

"That is somehow worse," Yelena replied.

Rhoswen thought about that for a moment, then nodded once. "Fair."