The Awakening Light

You turn the crystalline key. The mechanism sings—a chord older than language—and the comet shudders, ice sloughing away to reveal petals of brass unfurling against the starlight. The Sovereign is drawn inward, embraced by something ancient and patient.

Survivors gather behind you, silent, as constellations rearrange themselves into a road. You are no longer First Engineer. You are the first herald of an age that has only just begun.