Above, us, in the dark shadows of the outer solar system, there is the shape of something unknown, something unspeakable. It waits, it bides its time, and as the days of summer grow longer, so does its voice grow louder.<br><br>On the quiet island of Sarah Ann in the Pacific Ocean, home of the renowned Firmament Foundation, awkward teenager Eirian Calohan has come in search of the mystery of their father's recent demise. Instead, they are confronted with the stark contrast between languid life on the tiny island and an unspeakable cosmic horror.<br><br>Together with their new friends, they set out to unravel the truth surrounding the death of their father and to also uncover just what it is that the Foundation has reached out to in the dark eternal night of the distant void.

All Cats Are Beautiful

“Eirian, you little perv,” she laughed.


“It’s not like that!” Eirian protested hastily, looking up, their cheeks deepening in colour as they inadvertently glanced down at Mauve’s chest.


“The lady doth protest too much, methinks,” she declared.


“Hamlet,” Alaina said as she joined them, “Act 3, Scene 2.”


Eirian, dressed in cargo shorts, a vest, and an open shirt, began to complain, but Mauve waved them away.


“I know, I know. It’s a quote, Eirian, don’t get stressed, I’m not trying to say you’re anything you say you’re not.”


“But still, maybe we shouldn’t joke about it,” Poppy said nervously.


“It’s fine,” they murmured, not really liking the fact that their identity had suddenly become the subject of conversation.


Mauve reached out and tugged at their shirt.


“Is that why you’re not dressed down?”


“I didn’t really know what to wear,” they admitted.


Chapter 25