In the days following Nova Night, time assumed a strange, contradictory rhythm—feeling at once agonizingly slow and unnaturally fast.
Across the globe, six billion people watched their dashboards, anxiously awaiting two monumental milestones: the completion of the Lagrange 5 Space Station and the official launch of LucidNet Finance.
Yet, as the hours ticked away, Nova Technologies maintained its unyielding silence, leaving the world to stew in breathless anticipation.
For the 1,240 selected space station employees, however, anticipation gave way to practical paranoia.
Though nearly two weeks remained before their scheduled departure dates, dozens of newly hired staff began quietly packing their bags and traveling toward their designated departure cities.
They booked modest hotel rooms near the regional commercial airports named in their encrypted departure logistics, preferring to arrive days in advance rather than risk even the slightest delay.
