The stabilized junction held.
Sekar registered this with the specific part of her attention that never stopped monitoring structural integrity, even as the rest of her focus remained fixed on Sohrn's admission. Eleven minutes now—considerably past every previous benchmark, the reciprocal engagement from Meridian's side showing no sign of the strain that had characterized every earlier attempt. Whatever else this conversation was producing, it was producing genuine, sustained stability alongside it.
"Fear," Rama repeated quietly, giving the word the weight it deserved rather than rushing past it toward explanation. "Two hundred years, and this is the first time."
