"The designs are sound. Slipstream out past Jupiter and things get much smoother. It's easy sailing all the way to the Belt. Just mind your tailwind as you go over the cliff."

"That's right, we're on an approach vector to city 7. Tala, you wanna tell Kofi we're bringing in a batch of extra-system tholins fresh from Makemake?"

"No sweetie, daddy won't make your birthday. Well… I'm very far away right now. That's right. And what is it called? No sweetie, not porpoise. Orcus."

"Hey we've got… we've got signals coming back at us from the black. Is anyone getting this? We're transmitting from 12 degrees north of the ecliptic and at about 50 AU out. This isn't background radiation out here!"

"…just going to keep sailing. If I rig the pod just so, I should make it to Ross 128 b before the systems die. I can rally some ships and try to make it back. If you can hear this, stay strong. You are not alone! I will be…"

—Fragmented data file from a collapsed comms tower near Alton Dynamo