Mmxxhd -

“I lied,” he said. “I never left my body. I just hid it. In the cryo bay. All these years. I wanted to see if you would still come for me.”

The ship crossed the threshold. Spaghettification began—the tidal forces stretching metal and flesh into a thread of atoms. Elara felt her bones elongate, her thoughts thin into a silver line. But she did not scream. She closed her eyes. MMXXHD

“You don’t have to do this,” he said. “We could turn around. Find a rogue planet. Drift forever.” “I lied,” he said