The days around the docks did not stay quiet for long.
Not because anything went wrong, but because Aurelian had too many things lined up to simply wait around and watch repair lights blink over metal, and he had never been the kind of person who stayed idle when there were steps that could be taken.
On the second day after Neris awakened, the purple source core in the Nanoforge Recovery Pod finally reacted; the shift was subtle but clear once it happened.
He had been on Black Crown at the time, going over route notes and supply estimates for later plans, his attention split between immediate logistics and longer-term movement, when the pod sent a soft completion signal through the internal system.
Aurelian went there at once, closing everything else without hesitation.
Inside the chamber, the purple glow had already faded, replaced by the outline of a woman standing still behind the transparent shell, her form fully stabilized.
