Arthur boards the Fraylah—a small, modest ship, well-kept and quietly proud.

  Converted bulkheads are painted in vibrant, tasteful color. Children’s art hangs in little clusters. Plants sit in recycled crates along the corridors, leaves reaching for the recycled light. The whole place feels lived-in. Warm.

  A home between the stars.

  He finds a table in the recreation room and sits. The ship’s hum vibrates faintly beneath his fingertips. His eyes drift, unfocused. He closes them—

  —and slips into the Void, materializing at its center.

  The Void has changed.

  A pulsing yellow light crackles across the sky. Lightning leaps between shelves, racing down into the water. Each strike explodes into sparks that linger like fireflies.

  Arthur stands among the shelves, jaw tight.

  “Shreen… is that you?”

  A tall shimmer of light coalesces between the stacks.

  Shreen—faceted, luminous—alive like lightning given form.

  “It is.”

  Arthur steps closer, weaving between shelves. Sparks dance along the walls, then vanish.

  “What are you doing?”

  Shreen turns toward him.

  “Keeping this drive protected.”

  A gentle ripple spreads through the Void.

  Sarah’s chains fall away with a metallic clatter.

  Her posture lightens. Her skin glows softly in the crackling light. She stands—truly stands—for the first time since this began.

  “Gods,” she breathes. “Thank you, Shreen.”

  He arcs from shelf to shelf and settles beside them.

  “The honor is mine, Sarah.”

  He flicks to a nearby shelf. Sarah rolls her neck, stretching muscles that don’t truly exist.

  “It’s nice to feel safe in my skin again.”

  Arthur nods, tension easing from his shoulders.

  “Even if just for a while.”

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Sarah stretches her lower back, smiling faintly.

  “Bexsis-Two. Never thought we’d be back this way.”

  She steps closer. Her lips twitch into the smallest smile.

  “It could be nicer than last time.”

  Yellow light crackles overhead.

  Arthur feigns shock. “You mean it couldn’t *not* be nicer.”

  Sarah laughs softly. Arthur joins her.

  For the first time since waking up, they share a look—playful, alive, almost like before.

  A memory floods Arthur’s mind.

  Dense brush. Twilight light.

  Arthur trudges forward, sweat running down his back, an old map clenched in his hand.

  “Map says this is the place.”

  He scans the trees, then throws up his hands.

  “Where is it?”

  Sarah—sitting on the red sofa—smiles as she checks the final memory books.

  “Yeah… this is the spot.”

  Arthur shoves aside branches and reveals a crude mud hut, barely tall enough to crawl into.

  “Oh, come on…”

  The hut leans, one storm from collapse. Arthur shakes his head while Sarah’s laughter echoes.

  The memory fades—back to the White Void, back to the present.

  Arthur leans against a shelf, shaking his head.

  “We were there for three weeks.” A smirk tugs at him. “I can’t be hurt, and I was never stepping inside.”

  He laughs. “Too dangerous.”

  Sarah tilts her head, amused.

  “I’m sure it’s different now. That was a long time ago.”

  Arthur grins.

  “If after six thousand years they still have mud huts the size of a closet—” He laughs. “I’m not getting off the ship. We’ll just book passage somewhere else.”

  A faint voice tugs at him from the real.

  “Sir?”

  Arthur vanishes.

  He opens his eyes in the Fraylah’s rec room. A woman stands beside the table with her two children, trays balanced in her hands.

  “May I have this seat? Me and my boys need to eat.”

  Arthur stands immediately.

  “Sure. Sorry—my apologies.”

  As he walks away, she mutters—loud enough for him to hear, meant to sting.

  “It’s the only table, idiot.”

  Arthur pauses, turns, and smiles politely.

  “Did you ever hear the old proverb about the rude woman people liked?”

  Then he turns and keeps walking.

  “Have a nice lunch.”

  He approaches an information terminal and swipes his cred stick.

  Data scrolls across the display—Bexsis-Two: economy, history, infrastructure.

  Arthur reads quickly, absorbing everything.

  His eyes widen.

  The ship rumbles through the gate chain. Blue electricity crawls across the hull. Each gate hums like distant thunder—

  —then the Fraylah breaks free, arcs of energy spilling into space.

  Through the viewport, Bexsis-Two emerges.

  A blue-green marble wrapped in white and violet clouds.

  A jewel reborn.

  The Fraylah’s rockets ignite. The ship tilts, angling toward the surface.

  Arthur presses his hand to the glass. His breath fogs the pane.

  Towering spires webbed with glowing tramlines. Farms stretch beyond the city, dotted with massive turbines. Past them—endless emerald forests.

  In the Void, a new book appears on a shelf.

  Sarah opens it carefully, fingertips brushing the page.

  “Wow… that really *is* different.”

  The Fraylah settles with a deep, resonant clank. Hydraulics hiss. Turbines wind down.

  The hatch opens.

  Passengers spill into the terminal—Arthur among them, eyes wide.

  The air smells of honeysuckle.

  Sweet. Alive.

  He closes his eyes and breathes it in.

  Then he looks up at the skyline.

  “Outad City,” he murmurs. “Tech center of Bexsis. Three dozen other sectors feeding into it.”

  Sarah’s voice warms his mind.

  “Where to?”

  Arthur scans the horizon, thoughtful.

  “It’s an amazing bit of luck we landed right here.”

  Shreen’s voice drifts through the Void.

  “The universe sees us.”

  Arthur starts walking.

  “The universe, huh?” He exhales, almost laughing. “Well—tell it thank you for me.”

  The city hums—clean, efficient.

  Tramlines glide between towers. Machinery breathes beneath stone walkways.

  Arthur steps onto a pedestal. It emits a shrill beep.

  He swipes his cred stick.

  The tone softens, welcoming.

  A sleek vehicle arrives. Its outer carriage rotates, forming an opening.

  Passengers exit, laughing. One young woman blows Arthur a kiss as she passes.

  He boards, finds a seat, and leans back—hands folded, eyes distant.

  “Holden Industries.”

  The vehicle glides into traffic.

  In the Void, yellow lightning arcs between shelves.

  Sarah sits in a prayer stance, hands folded, breath steady. She looks like a monk preparing for battle.

  Arthur paces behind her.

  “What are we doing here?” she asks, standing.

  “I looked into Bexsis-Two on the way,” he says. “This city’s the top tech producer in thirty sectors.”

  He glances at Shreen, then back to Sarah.

  “Someone here might be able to help us. It’s worth trying.”

  She steps closer, grounding him.

  “But why Holden Industries?”

  Arthur smiles.

  “They’re the major competitor to…” He lifts his brows. “…you guessed it. Daevos Industries.”

  Hope flickers in Sarah’s eyes.

  “Hope… it’s all we have.”

  A distant chime ripples through the Void. Shreen’s voice hums softly.

  “This world sings.”

  The vehicle slows.

  “Holden Industries. Please exit carefully.”

  Arthur vanishes from the Void and steps into the real.

  The doors close behind him. The vehicle intones, as it does for every rider:

  “Have a good day.”

  It dissolves into traffic.

  Arthur looks up.

  A tower looms overhead—cold, powerful—among the tallest in the skyline.

  He squares his shoulders.

  “Here we go.”

  He walks inside.

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