Dear friends,

  The revisions for the first forty chapters are now complete.

  All along the way, your support and patience have been the most important strength keeping me moving forward.

  This novel has grown with me since the very beginning. Every chapter I refine is not only the progress of a story, but also a step in my own journey. Knowing that there are readers willing to stay and follow along means more to me than I can ever say.

  Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

  In the chapters to come, mechs, starships, and AI will become the main themes. The emotional lines will remain, but more as accents—moments that shape the choices of the characters. This story will be long, perhaps more than a thousand chapters, a true galactic epic. I will do my best to make it worth your time to read all the way through.

  Thank you to every reader who has followed and waited. Thank you for being here.