"In space, time doesn't tick, it crumbles.
Here, seasons don't just pass: they shatter, bend, and rewrite themselves.
Welcome to the most unpredictable sequel in the Known Universes.
The sand slips. The ashes rise.
Buckle up... the story begins again."
⸻
Chouchouette, the snarky robot owl, scratches her metallic feathers with a look of exasperation.
-- Well... guess it's up to me to tell the story. Because if you leave it to these pirates, sorry, now they're time travelers! you won't understand a damn thing.
She shakes her head, annoyed.
-- Galactic year? ... Pfft, a mess. Let's say... twelve years before... something.
Universe?
Still the Known Ones.
Planet?
Capa-V.
Ship?
The BlackShark. Though "ship" doesn't really cut it anymore: it's halfway between the DeLorean and the Black Pearl now.
She smooths her wings dramatically.
The AI hasn't changed: Tyki, still as jittery as a toaster in a thunderstorm.
But the BlackShark... has become a time traveler.
She lowers her voice, conspiratorial:
-- And the crew... no, it's not Doc and Marty. Still the same family: a stubborn father, a mother who could break worlds, two impossible teens, and...
Her gaze falters for a moment.
-- And the youngest. Sha. The sand. He's starting to fade.
And if he disappears... then what happens to me? Just a pile of scrap? You think the others would keep me around?
She fluffs her feathers, trembling now, then speaks in a solemn tone:
-- A family. A living ship. Time to defy.
... to be continued.
