Year: 2149 The spacecraft Aetheris One slipped through the final layers of K218b’s hydrogen-rich atmosphere like a silver needle through velvet mist. The crew—five human explorers and one quantum AI—had journeyed 124 light-years to reach this moment. Years of cryosleep, calibration, and heart-aching anticipation had brought them here. Commander Amani Reyes stood at the observation dome, her eyes wide—not with fear, but awe. The sky was not black , not like space, nor blue li