The first delegation did not arrive in ships.
Three months after Earth's recognition as a provisional node, a new harmonic sequence emerged along the Gate's perimeter. It did not distort orbit, did not ripple space, did not trigger atmospheric alarms. It simply began to layer itself into the existing resonance, like a second melody testing compatibility with the first.
Elira detected it at 03:17 UTC.
By 03:19, every major observatory on the planet had flagged the anomaly.
By 03:24, Sarya was awake.
She did not need to enter the chamber this time. The scar beneath her skin warmed gently, and the lattice unfolded within her awareness as naturally as breath. The balance branch was already present, its field steady.
"There is an approach," it said.
"I feel it," Sarya replied. "It's not you."
"Correct. A peripheral civilization has requested limited exchange."
