Look closer.
A tiny violet-blue core sits inside a flattened ring of light, crossed by narrow beams.
Follow the beams as they sweep past the core. Their quick, regular rhythm gives this tiny star an unmistakable presence.
A story from the frontier · Lore draft
The Impossible Metronome
The pulse arrived before the shape resolved. Watch after watch, it kept the same interval, indifferent to the ship's clocks. The crew used it to mark the distance home, though it had never belonged to them.
