The quest used the word mercy three times before it described the connection.
Eli counted because he did not want to mistake the effect of the words for information about the mechanism. The message promised immediate release of all souls, an end to confinement, and relief for families denied certainty. It asked the coalition to reconnect the damaged junction through a specified network path. Prompt acceptance would carry a reward. The reward was described more precisely than the control that would remain afterward.
The family observer asked for a copy she could read away from the display.
Juno’s operator produced one without removing the reward or the acceptance prompt. A shortened warning could be useful later; it could not replace the complete offer now. The observer took the pages with both hands and asked whether the engineers had already decided to refuse.
“We’ve decided not to connect before checking,” Juno said. “We haven’t completed the check.”
“People will hear that as refusal.”
“Then we need to explain the task.”
The observer nodded, unconvinced that an explanation would make the waiting easier. She went to the community room, where the relatives had asked to receive further news. Tessa accompanied her. Eli stayed at the maintenance desk until the operator had preserved the displayed route and the exact conditions of acceptance.
