Rhea stayed for three hours, long enough to meet the team properly, trade stories, and judge Merra's stew superior to "station vat protein.""Actual vegetables," she marveled, spoon halfway to mouth. "With flavor."Lyse leaned in. "Wait until you try festival skewers."Harven watched her like a suspicious uncle evaluating a new recruit. "You fix... flying ships?""Orbital habitats," Rhea corrected. "Rings around gas giants. When they don't explode."He grunted. "Sounds like herding wyverns.""With worse paperwork."Aria and Rhea found instant rapport over "stubborn ancient systems that hate being fixed"—spirits for one, relays for the other.Lena shyly offered tailoring tips for Rhea's jumpsuit. "The shoulders sit oddly. I could adjust—""Deal," Rhea said. "If you ever visit station, I'll show you the fabricators."Rel just nodded respectfully. Sara slipped Rhea a healer's kit "for when tech fails."By the time Rhea stepped back through her shimmer, the Lobby felt less like a buffer and more like headquarters.[Transit unlocked.] MMA noted as her blue light faded. [You can now cross to S-07. Limited duration: 6 hours. One companion max.]"Take someone," I murmured to the empty room.Aria lingered behind."Her world," she said quietly. "It's... hungry, like ours was. But colder.""She's holding it together," I said."You hold more than one now," she replied. "Don't drop any."She left too.I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling.Transit.Actual stepping between worlds.Not through cracks or desperation.On purpose.For the first time, Havenford felt small—not weak, but local. One node in a network that suddenly felt very real.Sleep came slow, filled with relay hums and shrine chants overlapping.Dawn broke with purpose.I found Aria at the shrine, burning incense in complex patterns."Going?" she asked without looking up."Station visit," I said. "Six hours. Test the link."She nodded. "Take something."From her sleeve: a small wooden charm, etched with Havenford's river spiral, glowing faintly."Shrine token," she said. "For when her machines feel too loud. Squeeze it."Warmth spread through my palm."Thank you," I said.She met my eyes. "Bring back something that hums right."Downstairs, the team had Already gathered—casual breakfast takeover.Harven slid me a Guild tag stamped "Special Assignment: External."Lyse grinned around a mouthful of bread. "Souvenirs?""Stories," Sara said.Lena pressed a cloth bundle into my hands. "Food. Don't trust space rations."Rel clapped my shoulder. "Don't break her ring.""No promises."I touched the Lobby door.It unfolded smooth, welcoming.Orb steady. Threads bright.S-07 pulsed invitingly."Here goes," I thought.Stepped through.Not a shimmer.Not a stumble.Reality folded, then resolved.Boots hit grated metal floor.Air thick with ozone, machine oil, distant hum of ventilation.Before me: Rhea, grinning, in a corridor lined with pipes and blinking panels. Goggles up. Wrench in hand."Bridge Boy!" she called. "Welcome to Segment 17-C. Don't touch the yellow conduits."Behind her: a massive ring-shaped window revealing... nothing but streaking stars and, far below, swirling cloud bands of a gas giant that filled half the view.Astra Axis.Real.I exhaled."Okay," I said. "This beats cracked sky."She laughed, slinging the wrench over her shoulder. "Tour first. Crisis second."We moved fast through maintenance access—narrow halls, ladders, hatches labeled with codes I couldn't parse. Workers nodded at Rhea; some stared openly at me."New hire?" one asked."Special consultant," Rhea said. "Multiverse division."Snickers. They knew her style."Multiverse division?" I murmured."They're used to my jokes."She led me to observation deck—a wide bubble window with chairs bolted down. The ring's curve was visible, segments marching into distance."Home," she said simply.Beautiful. Terrifying. Alive.[Worldline S-07 loaded.] MMA reported silently. [Atmosphere: standard. Gravity: 0.98g artificial. Local time: evening cycle. Threat level: moderate.]"Sensors picked you up clean," Rhea said. "No alarms. Relay-ward hybrid worked."I squeezed Aria's charm. Faint hum answered, grounding."Good," I said. "Show me the relay."Her grin faded slightly."Was saving that. It's... moodier in person."We descended—deeper levels, air cooler, hum louder. Warning signs multiplied.RESTRICTED ACCESSRESONANCE HAZARDNON-STANDARD PERSONNEL PROHIBITEDRhea punched an override."Perks of being the fixer."The chamber: cavernous. Central pillar rising through decks, wreathed in faint blue energy fields. Coils spiraled up its length, pulsing erratically.Felt wrong.Like the drain tear, but technological.And watching.[Confirmed.] MMA said. [Observer anchor point. Active.]"They're here," I said.Rhea nodded. "Ever since the mirror blew."I approached, bloodline humming recognition.Not hostile.Waiting.I placed a hand on the pillar—not touching fields, but resonating.Same trick as the shrine.Not force. Invitation.F-01 thread through the Lobby.S-07 native resonance.Aria's charm pulsed.The coils... sighed. Erratic pulsing smoothed.Fields brightened from sickly blue to clean azure.Rhea's jaw dropped."You just... tuned it.""Connected it," I corrected.Alarms blared—distant."Central finally noticed," she said. "Time to move."But the relay spoke back—not voice, but data flooding my awareness:STABILIZED.FOREIGN RESONANCE LOGGED.OBSERVER PROTOCOL: DEFERRED.A new thread appeared in my vision:S-07 AFFINITY: 12% → 28%
RELAY NODE: ALLY STATUSRhea grabbed my arm. "Go!"Back through access tubes, alarms rising.She punched a hatch. "Auxiliary evac—"Deck shook.Klaxons wailed.BREACH CONTAINMENT. SEGMENT ISOLATION.Crew scrambled past.Rhea cursed. "They're locking us in."I focused.Lobby link.Not to room.Direct.Space parted mid-corridor.My team stared out: Aria, Lyse, Harven, all reaching."Grab on," I said.Rhea and I dove through.Landed in expanded Lobby, now large enough for ten.Alarms cut off.Silence.Rhea panted, grinning wildly. "Clean exfil. Love it."Lyse high-fived her. "Told you souvenirs."The orb now held three steady threads: F-01, S-07, Lobby core.[Transit success. Duration remaining: 4 hours.]Harven grunted approval. "Ring holds?""For now," Rhea said. "Your Bridge just bought us breathing room."Aria nodded at the new thread. "Spirits approve."Lena offered water.I looked between worlds, now truly bridged.Observers deferred.Relays tuned.Teams united."Welcome to the long game," I said.Rhea smirked. "Finally getting interesting."Outside, two skies waited.Cracked blue.Star-shot black.Both mine to mend �.