Three hundred years after Luna's birth, a bridge child named Corvus emerged who fundamentally rejected everything the Network represented. At twenty-five, he was powerful, charismatic, and absolutely convinced that the Network was the worst thing that had ever happened to bridge children.
"We've traded independence for comfort," Corvus declared during a public gathering in the alliance territories. "Bridge children before the Network struggled, yes. But they were free. They made their own choices without collective consciousness watching, judging, and influencing every decision."
Echo, now one hundred and eight and weary from decades of bridge council leadership, tried to engage Corvus diplomatically. "The Network doesn't judge. It supports. Bridge children still make their own choices."
