Sabrina stepped off the shuttle onto the damp soil of Eden Prime. The air was thick with pollen and the scent of blooming vines that wrapped every building.
The first Balance Nexus node hummed in the central plaza, a squat black pillar ringed by living architecture. Activation had gone clean on the charts, but the colony was already fraying at the edges.
Refugees from half a dozen shattered worlds had built Eden Prime expecting peace. Some still carried Purity Front pamphlets hidden under their mattresses.
The resonance bleed started small: nightmares that leaked into waking hours, old desires clawing their way out. By the second cycle, people were shouting in the streets.
Sabrina wore a light tactical vest and loose pants. The new mark on her lower back pulsed in time with the Nexus. She could feel every unsettled mind around her like static on her skin. "Flora, Luna, spread out. Talk to the families. I'll handle the plaza node."
