Commentary: I wrote this before I found the short story which inspired the prequel. All that I remembered from the short story was about the changing of the density of ice, and yet this piece too shares elements from that same short story, The Catalyst by G. R. Yohe. A link to the story is available in the comments to the prequel.

I love this ending, it seems so completely plausible in in implausible setting. And that’s the best kind of scifi. Bravo.