The quiet after the first phase did not last long.
Karven Spire was under control, but control was not the same as peace. Boarding teams were still moving through the station section by section, engineering crews were cutting into sealed Kharov data vaults, and security units were finding hidden compartments, trapped corridors, and frightened workers who had no idea whether to fear their old masters or the new power that had arrived in silence.
Aurelian remained on the Black Crown for the first hour after the review, watching reports move across the command display.
The battle in space had ended cleanly.
The occupation below was slower.
It always was.
Astra stood beside him, while Eirenne's projection appeared and disappeared as she shifted between the Black Crown, Karven Spire's relay core, and the wider electronic net.
Rhoswen had been ordered to patrol the outer debris line, which she accepted only because there was still a chance some hidden Kharov ship might try to run.
