The shipgirls did gain experience, but because this had been surface warfare rather than ship-to-ship combat, and because the enemy quality was lower, the growth was slower than in the earlier missions, more gradual and less noticeable than the ones they had been in before.
Astra's growth was barely visible from the outside, her performance steady and controlled as always, the kind of improvement that did not show in obvious jumps but settled into refinement.
Rhoswen gained a level, and that was still more than he expected.
This mission had never been about striking it rich.
It had been about gaining experience in landing on planets, dealing with similar beasts, or, in most cases, pacifying other alien races.
When the operation was done, Aurelian returned to Polaris.
The whole trip had taken around six days, long enough to step away from the academy rhythm but not long enough to feel detached from it.
