My_naxodimsya_pered_oknom_vozmoznostei_oni_pere... -

The digital clock on the wall of the "Aetheris" station didn't tick; it hummed, a low-frequency vibration that Elias felt in his marrow. Outside the reinforced glass, the Great Nebula was folding in on itself—a celestial curtain closing on the only jump-gate that could lead them home.

"We are standing before a window of opportunity," Kaelen said, her voice tight. She didn't look at Elias; she was too busy recalibrating the thrusters. "But windows don't just close. They shatter if you wait too long." my_naxodimsya_pered_oknom_vozmoznostei_oni_pere...

She didn't wait for his hand on the lever. She slammed hers down. The digital clock on the wall of the

Elias looked at the swirling violets and deep magentas of the nebula. For three years, they had studied the anomaly, waiting for the precise moment when the gravitational tides would part. That moment was now. But the ship’s core was only at 60% capacity. She didn't look at Elias; she was too