The Big Bounce did not make the universe safe by itself.
Expansion had started, but the sectors still moved at different speeds. Some power lines carried too much current. Some old star routes had folded shut. The crews stayed at their stations through another full shift.
Tie Kuang led from a chair with an ice pack on his shoulder. Austin sat nearby while a medic cleaned and wrapped his palms.
“No speeches,” Austin said when someone tried to thank him. “Watch the feeder balance. One breaker closed out of step and we get a two-million-volt short.”
The universal grid came online in pieces.
Perseus connected to Sagittarius when their currents matched. Orion followed. Each joining shared the load more evenly and reduced the strain on Austin’s core.
The old Tribunal gates now served as public junctions. Their records stayed open. Any sector could see how much power it received, how much it passed on, and who had changed a setting.
At the last connection, Yuan Shi asked Tie for permission.
