Chapter 393: Finding A Livable Planet
The first useful result from Elowen’s new survey arrived three days after Aurelian asked her to compare the strange biological activity inside Mournveil with the old field records from Sanctuary Ardent.
He was in the command center when her report came through.
Elowen appeared beside a large planetary map, with Eirenne already loading environmental readings behind her.
"I think you were right to ask about the old field patterns," Elowen said. "There is a connection."
Aurelian leaned forward slightly.
"How strong?"
"Strong enough that I checked the numbers three times before sending this."
That got his attention.
Elowen expanded the map beyond the settled Crownward routes. Several systems inside and around Mournveil appeared, each marked with biological readings gathered from older surveys, Helion records, Sanctuary Ardent archives, and her own work with the Whiteheart.
Most of them showed only weak traces of the same life-reactive field the Human Continuance Matrix used.
A few showed more.
One stood out immediately.
The system was located beyond a quieter branch of Mournveil, not as deep as the route Lysara was currently exploring but still far enough away that nobody had paid much attention to it before.
The system had one yellow-white star and five major planets.
The fourth planet was marked in green.
Aurelian opened its profile.
Atmosphere breathable with minor treatment.
Surface water above sixty percent.
Gravity close to Human standard.
Stable magnetic field.
Large temperate zones.
No intelligent population detected.
More importantly, the life-reactive energy concentration was several times higher than anything Elowen had measured near Larkspur Haven.
Aurelian studied the numbers for a while.
"How did we miss this?"
"We didn’t exactly miss it," Elowen replied. "It was listed in old Vhaloric surveys, but the records described it as environmentally unstable and not worth settling."
Eirenne opened the original entry.
The old report was more than three centuries out of date.
The planet had once suffered constant seasonal storms, unstable atmospheric chemistry, and unusually aggressive plant growth.
Several survey teams recommended leaving it alone until a long-term stabilization program became practical.
Apparently, no one returned.
Elowen continued.
"The planet has changed."
"For the better?"
"Mostly."
That word mattered.
Aurelian looked toward her.
"What is wrong with it?"
"Nothing that makes it unusable. The atmosphere stabilized naturally, and most of the old storm activity has faded. The problem is the ecosystem."
A new set of images appeared.
Dense forests covered large parts of the main continents.
Some trees were hundreds of meters tall.
Wide plains held plant life that grew in thick layers instead of normal grasslands. Large animal signatures appeared across the surface, though most stayed far from one another instead of moving in huge groups.
"There are several species with unusual energy readings," Elowen said. "Most are harmless unless threatened. A few are definitely dangerous."
"Voidshade Fenrir dangerous?"
"No."
"That helps."
Rhoswen had entered during the explanation and immediately looked disappointed by that answer.
Elowen ignored her.
"The planet’s life-reactive field seems to strengthen natural recovery. Damaged forests regrow very quickly. Several animal species heal faster than normal, and disease levels are unusually low."
Aurelian remembered what the Destiny System had told him privately.
Improved ecosystem recovery.
Greater biological resilience.
Gradual adaptation.
Elowen had reached almost the same conclusion without knowing anything about the System.
That was exactly what he wanted.
"Could Humans live there safely?" he asked.
"With preparation, yes. I would not send settlers tomorrow, but the environment itself is good."
"Could it support large populations?"
"Eventually."
Aurelian looked at the planetary map again.
Larkspur Haven was useful because people already lived there.
Helion Bastion Twelve was valuable because of its industry and hidden infrastructure.
Sanctuary Ardent had population, medical systems, archives, and the Continuity Vault.
This planet was different.
It had almost nothing built on it.
No cities.
No docks.
No roads.
No old political claims that anyone currently cared about.
It was simply a good world in a region Aurelian was already beginning to control.
A blank place where the Crownward March could build properly from the beginning.
Astra had been reading the same report.
"It would take years."
"Yes."
"And a lot of material."
"Yes."
Rhoswen looked between them.
"You both sound like that makes it more interesting."
"It does," Aurelian said.
A developed world could be used immediately.
An undeveloped world could be shaped around what they actually needed.
That distinction mattered more now than it would have several months earlier.
The Crownward March had the Continuity Vault.
It had construction frames.
It had agricultural processors.
Helion had industrial capacity.
The Arcturus family was sending more support.
The Morozova family had already shown that controlled technical cooperation was possible.
For the first time, building a new settlement from nothing was not completely unrealistic.
Aurelian opened the wider route map.
"How difficult is access?"
Eirenne answered.
"Moderate. There are two stable approaches. One passes near a dust region. The second is longer but safer for civilian traffic."
"Can we build permanent navigation beacons?"
"With the adapted Morozova designs, yes."
Yelena happened to be in Sanctuary Ardent that day and joined the channel after Eirenne forwarded her the question.
She appeared carrying a cup of something hot, looked at the planet, then immediately forgot about the drink.
"This is the world Elowen found?"
"Yes."
Yelena studied the approach routes.
"You can stabilize the civilian route without using anything close to a real stargate. Three primary beacons and five smaller reference stations should be enough."
"Material cost?"
"Low compared to everything else you’re building."
Aurelian looked at her.
"That usually means expensive."
"It means expensive compared to normal navigation equipment and cheap compared to a stargate."
"That is not better."
"It is more accurate."
Eirenne opened an estimate.
Aurelian looked at it.
The cost was manageable.
More importantly, Helion could produce most of the required parts.
That meant the project would not depend on constant family shipments.
"Can you send a proper design to Meridian?" he asked.
Yelena gave him a familiar look.
"Already doing it."
Rhoswen smiled.
Aurelian ignored both of them.
Elowen returned the display to the planet.