The Weight of Starlight

About this book

On the tidally locked world of Aeterna, humanity survives only within the Ribbon, a fragile strip of twilight maintained by the ancient Halo Array. To ensure the colony's survival, pairs of Mirror-Keepers are stationed on orbital platforms to manually adjust the massive mirrors that regulate the planet's temperature. Kaviya Narayanan, a brilliant but reserved stellar climatologist, accepts a five-year assignment on Station Zenith-4 hoping to escape the ghosts of her past on the surface. Her partner is Altan Gerel, a gregarious mechanical engineer with a secret passion for restoring antique star-charts. Confined to the silent observation deck and the narrow corridors of the station, they are strangers forced into intimate proximity, dependent on each other for survival against solar flares and mechanical failures. As they work to keep the Ribbon habitable for millions below, a quiet, profound connection blooms between them, mirroring the delicate balance of the world they protect. But when the Array begins to drift out of alignment, threatening to freeze the Ribbon, Kaviya and Altan must risk everything—including their growing love—to save the only home humanity has left.