435 Apovstory ★ Bonus Inside

But I can’t. Not yet.

Need to make sure the story is concise, since it's a piece for a specific requirement. Maybe around 500 words. Focus on the POV, the emotions, and the resolution. 435 apovstory

The view from the observation deck is worse than I remembered. The stars don’t care about missions or deadlines. They don’t care that I’m running out of reasons to exist in space. Lira’s reactor is still humming, though—halfway decomposed into compost, stubborn with purpose. Maybe Earth was right. Maybe I’m just a human filter, clogged with fear and ambition, and the universe wants me to shut off. But I can’t