//top\\ — Jul-893

But something is wrong. The ship’s AI, GALATEA, greets her with yesterday’s dialogue. The starfield outside her viewport is static—painted. And her co-pilot, Kai, whose pod is beside hers, is empty. His uniform is folded neatly on his chair, as if he never existed.

:

But this time—loop 893—her reflection in the viewport doesn’t move. It smiles. It speaks in Kai’s voice: JUL-893