The transport shuttle touched down on Verdant Reach under a hazy green sky. Aiden stepped out first, Sabrina close behind. No fanfare, no armed escort. Just a pair of advisors carrying data slates and the weight of what the bloom had become.
Three months had passed since the public releases stabilized. What started as raw, uncontrolled waves of shared sensation had hardened into something structured.
Colonies now ran "lattice sessions" to cut through months of debate on resource splits and Purity counter-ops. Verdant Reach hosted the largest yet: two hundred representatives from six colonies packed into the Grand Amphitheater.
Sabrina adjusted the high collar of her uniform. The bloom mark on her lower back hummed steadily. "They want results today. Shadow-tech distribution quotas and propaganda response timelines. No more stalling."
"They're scared it'll slip," Aiden said. "That the lattice turns into another uncontrolled release."
"It won't. Not if we guide it."
