Amber Wing reaches the buried lattice’s outer timing envelope without entering its field. Lahani holds the ship on the sealed withdrawal arc while the return vector remains clear.
Lahani
The low phase is beginning. We have one clean measurement window, then I pull us back whether the data is complete or not.
Ranuko routes a passive optical link through the relay shadow, never touching its command layer. A stable timing reference appears in quarantine, precise enough to reduce the ship’s navigation uncertainty.
Ranuko
We gained a usable clock signal, not access. It can refine our survey timing while remaining isolated from navigation and weapons.
Nikayo
The moving conductor confirms the phase model. We can predict its next passage without illuminating the lattice or exposing our archive.
Kiryati watches the passive traces from the security station while Lahani reverses thrust at the first checkpoint. The lattice fades behind them, its evidence sealed and its infrastructure untouched.
Lahani
We have a better clock, a safer survey method, and the same independent route home. That is enough gain for one visit.