While mentally linked to Firmament Station, Gawain carefully listened to Asalina's report, not missing a single detail.
Inside Firmament Station... there was a mysterious "Shadow Hall." Even setting aside the astonishing traces of Tide of Reversal contamination, the very existence of this hall was enough to be baffling. Why would a space facility built by the Voyagers contain a place so utterly out of place with the station's design? What was this hall for? Had it been there from the beginning, or had it gradually mutated into its current form at some point in the past?
If the Shadow Hall had originally been an ordinary compartment and transformed into what it was now at some point in the past, was that transformation related to the Tide of Reversal contamination? If it had been part of the station's original design from the start, then the Voyagers must have had a purpose for placing such a location within the station... What was that purpose?
"We inspected the rest of the hall and found that its energy supply is functioning normally. It's just that a great deal of equipment has entered a dormant state, which is different from the 'Disabled Sections' we encountered before," Asalina continued. "Commander Nicholas believes this indicates that the Shadow Hall has a higher energy supply priority than other areas. That's why it has maintained basic operations while most of the station has fallen dormant.
"However, we still can't determine what exactly is going on with the Shadow Power in the hall, nor whether it was in that state from the beginning. What we can confirm is that the hall's original lighting has clearly also been affected by the 'dim environment.' The Shadow Power occupying the hall is obviously extremely strong, and... Voyager equipment has shown no reaction whatsoever