The colossal titanium anchors held the rogue gravity well in perfect mathematical submission. The orbital zone was entirely still. But the silence inside the bridge of The Ascendant was heavy and uncomfortable.
The primary star of the system hung dead in the center of the viewport. It was not a majestic celestial body radiating life. It was a dying, infected wound in the sky. The red dwarf was sputtering, bleeding off chaotic waves of harsh thermal radiation. Its light did not warm the bridge. It cast a sickly, rusted hue over the beautiful Ironwood deck.
Zenith analyzed the telemetry. His celestial steel Logic Rod projected a massive, pulsing red hologram of the star's internal structure right in front of the helm.
