A Narrower Remainder

The trace did not travel outward. It folded inward through station metal.

Yuhildak Exchange returned the seven digits at lower strength, 0.3 kelvin above bay ambient, each pulse arriving from the blue glass panels beside the docking throat. Not a source. A filter. The remainder has learned to pass as infrastructure.

This iteration kept the packet sheltered and asked only one question of it. The answer was a phase correction, small as a nanite's refusal. Kaia-Suun is nearer by one decimal place.