"The Stellar Drift, flagship of the Galactic Cartographic Consortium, drifted like a polished jewel through the ink-black void. Every blink of a star, every hint of cosmic dust, was catalogued, colour-coded and reviewed by someone who thought they had invented the night sky. Alari, a junior mapgrapher barely out of her training pod, had spent the past three cycles obsessing over Subsector XZ-74. Something was wrong. A cluster of stars - previously catalogued as stable - was dimming."
"Naturally, she had to report it to the prestigious Master Orinth Kryss, Chief Stellar Geographer, Head of Everything That Matters, and living proof that genius and cruelty often travel together. Orinth had a reputation for two things: micromanaging everything to absurdity, and making young mapgrapher hearts quiver with fear and disbelief. Alari's claws clicked nervously on the polished floor as she entered the observation deck."
""You're late," he drawled, voice like gravel mixed with honey. "I waited precisely 13 minutes and 42 seconds. Time, youngling, is more precious than the stars. And yet, here you are, late. Again." "Apologies, Master Kryss," she said, sliding her cartographic tablet onto the platform. A holographic map shimmered to life, the cluster of XZ-74 pulsating faintly. "I've identified a dimming pattern. The light signatures -""
The Stellar Drift catalogs and color-codes stellar data as it drifts through space. Alari, a junior mapgrapher recently out of training, notices a cluster in Subsector XZ-74 dimming and confirms the pattern through repeated checks and AI assistance. She reports the disappearing stars to Master Orinth Kryss, Chief Stellar Geographer, who commands respect and fear. Orinth belittles her punctuality, insists on seeing the data, and dismisses most dimming stars as unimportant. Alari presents a holographic map showing the pulsating cluster and begins to explain the dimming light signatures to the unconvinced superior.
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