A junior analyst whispered, "That's not debris."

And the answer was not in words.

For ten thousand years, humanity had looked up and asked, "Are we alone?"

Not with a beep or a flash, but with a slow, deliberate hum — as if the universe itself had cleared its throat. The technicians called it "Astrovision": a lattice of orbital mirrors, deep-space relays, and quantum imagers woven into a single, seamless eye. Its gaze was not local. It was infinite.

At 04:17 GMT, the array blinked online.

The director leaned forward. "Magnify."

Now, with Astrovision, the universe finally answered.