Re-Entry T-53 seconds — Titan
Counterpoint knifed down through smog the color of melted pumpkin. Plasma tongues licked the new cloak-weave heat shield; Nephis's stitches held, but the cabin smelled like a blacksmith's shop.
Cassie yanked back on the control yoke. "Attitude three degrees hot—cut left thruster or we'll belly-flop."
"Copy," Aiden said, toggling valves. The pod shuddered, then leveled. "Lin, still listening?"
Lin (calm drawl): "Haven't spilled the hojicha yet. Enjoying the in-flight entertainment."
Aiden grinned despite the G-force. "Tell the stewardess to bring peanuts."
"Nuts will cost you extra."
Cassie rolled her eyes. "Boys, focus, or the only nuts will be us—roasted."
Outside, lightning spidered across orange clouds, illuminating Kraken Mare's flashing surface. Wind speeds pummeled the hull; Counterpoint's hull sleeve flexed instead of cracking—Nephis's handiwork at work.
Surface T-0 — Splash
With a boom muffled by thick air, the pod slammed into Kraken Mare. Methane waves sheeted the viewport. Instruments froze for a heartbeat, then rebooted; lantern warmth crawled under the deck plates, keeping hydraulics alive.
"Float confirmed," Cassie exhaled. "Hull integrity green."
Aiden keyed comms. "Contrapunctus, we're down. Beginning sonar sweep."
Maya (static): "Storm cell overhead—comms patchy. Ping fast."
He fired a burst: mirror plates pinged back at five klicks—submerged. Children and Solayna were somewhere below.
Cassie opened a storage locker, extracted two clear-thread rebreathers. "Suit up."
"Date night in a methane jacuzzi," Aiden quipped.
She flashed a grin. "Your pick of restaurants always stinks."
Descent into Mirror Ruins
They popped the hatch. Orange rain sizzled off suit heaters. Lantern beam carved a tunnel through gloom. Aiden followed Cassie into the sea; methane tugged like syrup. Dawn-Core pulsed in his chest, faint but steady.
Thirty meters down, the ruined mirror plate loomed—fractured, edges glowing peach-indigo where Imperfect Cadence still rang. Slots along the rim vented bubbles: an air pocket.
Inside, Solayna knelt amid the clear-thread children in ankle-deep hydrocarbon. Some kids flickered with static again—storm stress undoing their newfound stability.
The envoy's constellation-face brightened when she saw them. "Contrast bearers returned."
Aiden flicked comms. "No party without us."
Cassie knelt by the nearest child. "Lantern time." She dialed chaotic flashes—random warmth rhythms. The child's body steadied, static bleeding off.
Solayna touched Dawn-Core through Aiden's suit, syncing the prime stutter. "Storm forces perfection; we must out-noise it."
Brother-Tone Rescue
Back on Contrapunctus, Lin monitored storm vectors. One gust threatened to slam shards of ice into the submerged plate.
Lin: "Heads up, sea cowboys. You've got hail the size of scooters dropping in three minutes."
Aiden barked back, "Copy. Route us an exit corridor."
"Sending. And Aid—don't forget my tea."
"Bring two cups," Aiden said, hauling a kid onto his hip.
"Make it three," Cassie added. "I deserve cocoa."
Evac Train
They formed a chain: Cassie leading with lantern, Solayna guiding three children at a time, Aiden herding stragglers. Each kid touched Dawn-Core or the lantern glow, absorbing imperfection like medicine. They surfaced in batches, loading kids into Counterpoint's cramped airlock. Ten… fifteen… thirty-nine.
The forty-third child balked, body flickering pure static. Cassie's lantern sputtered under the load. She bit her lip, frustration flaring.
Aiden nudged her. "We break the rules, remember?" He kissed his gloved fingers, pressed them to the lantern lens like a smudge. The beam bent—imperfect again. Static drained; the child stabilized.
Cassie's laugh echoed in helmet mics. "Ugliest fingerprint in the system—but perfect."
Launch Out
All aboard, storm cresting. Engines screamed on half-health. Cassie punched ascent; Counterpoint cork-screwed up the cyclone throat. Hull sleeve rippled, absorbing shock. In orbit Maya cheered, but only partial audio got through:
"—looks like — tea's safe — hurry—"
Lin's voice cut clearer. "Bring my newest students home."
Aiden glanced at Cassie. Lantern halo framed her determined grin. "Race you to orbit?" he teased.
She throttled harder. "Loser brews the tea."
Counterpoint burst above cloud-tops, shaking free methane rain like diamonds. Contrapunctus flashed navigation beacons; Nephis's cloak pattern glowed along the hull, guiding them in.
Docking—Storm Behind
Magnetic clamps locked. Hatch flew open; Maya whooped as the clear-thread children spilled into the bay, gawking at zero-g sparkles Nephis spun from his cloak threads. Lin drifted forward, offering foil pouches.
"Welcome aboard. Complimentary hojicha for the brave."
Cassie laughed. "Told you. Cocoa."
Aiden undid his helmet, breath fogging. Dawn-Core thrummed new primes: five-eleven-seven-thirteen-seventeen. Imperfect—and alive.
He caught Lin's eye. "Tea-Buddha, we're back."
Lin saluted with his pouch. "And still owing me coffee."
"Next storm," Aiden promised.
Solayna surveyed her now-stable wards. Constellation eyes met the crew. "Contrast preserved. Storm bowed."
Nephis slipped beside Maya, voice a whisper only she heard. "Noise belongs in circuits—and in hearts." She squeezed his hand under the console rail.
Outside the porthole, Titan's cyclone began to unravel, mirror shards glinting like rough jewels. Imperfection had, once again, broken perfection's grip.