The obsidian hull groaned as reality realigned. The violet sky of Xylos-4 was gone. In its place stood the twin suns of the Ophiuchi Reach, their light reflecting off the V2’s wings with a brilliance that shouldn't have been possible. They had crossed fifty light-years in the time it took to draw a breath.
"Thorne," the AI spoke, its voice a soft resonance. "The 16x magnification of the quantum field is holding. We aren't just seeing the next star system. We are rendering it." V2 imaginar 16x
The air in the bioluminescent grove of Xylos-4 didn’t just carry the scent of ozone; it carried the weight of a revolution. High above the canopy, the "V2 Imaginar 16x"—a craft that looked less like a ship and more like a splinter of polished obsidian—hung motionless against the violet sky. The obsidian hull groaned as reality realigned