Outside the viewport, the stars weren't dots—they were streaks of hot pink and electric blue. They were caught in the , a pocket of deep space where ten seconds of reality could be stretched into ten minutes of sonic architecture.

"Look at the view!" Nick whispered. Through the haze of the solar flare, the "Valerie" constellation appeared, dancing on the edge of the radar.

"The Reflex is in charge now," Nick muttered from the comms station, his fingers dancing over a glowing console of synthesizers. "We’re losing the melody, Simon. It’s breaking down into the rhythm track."

Suddenly, the ship’s gravity flipped. The drum beat doubled. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

The year was 1984, but in the neon-drenched cockpit of the Night-Porter , time was a fluid concept. Commander Simon "The Snake" Le Bon gripped the throttle as the ship tore through the static of the Sky-Grid. Behind him, the engines didn't just roar; they pulsed with a relentless, slap-bass rhythm that shook the very hull.