Aboard Station Vesta, Rhea believed she was the only crew member awake. Every night, she answered the same distress signal from a derelict ship. Tonight, she found its source: a small pod hidden deep in the cargo bay. Inside was a man frozen in stasis, clutching a photo of her. The console blinked: “Cryo experiment: 10,000 loops. Subject Rhea unaware.” The man smiled in his sleep. The station lights came on, and Rhea saw hundreds of identical pods, each containing a smiling woman holding her photo. The voice overhead said, “Good. She’s finally asking why—and what she remembers.”