With the help of Kael's tribe, they accessed the university's secure archives, finding a treasure trove of data—engineering schematics, ecological surveys, and historical records untainted by Council editing. Most importantly, they found a powerful, satellite communication array that was still partially functional.
Back at the camp, working feverishly with the Custodian's guidance, they managed to repair the array. The moment had come. They could now answer the Odyssey's beacon.
The entire camp gathered around the comms station. The weight of the moment was immense. They were about to make first contact with their own kind, separated by centuries and a fundamentally different experience of history.
Elias keyed the microphone. "Ark Ship Odyssey, this is Elias Vance, speaking from the surface of Earth. Your signal has been received. The Great Winter has passed. We are here. We are alive."
The silence that followed felt like an eternity. Then, a burst of static resolved into a voice, different from the recorded beacon, filled with emotion and awe.
"Surface transmission confirmed. This is Captain Aris Thorne of the Ark Ship Odyssey. Elias Vance... we read you."
The name sent a jolt through Elias. Aris Thorne. It couldn't be a coincidence.
"Captain Thorne," Elias transmitted, his voice shaking slightly. "Did you have a... a relative? Someone who stayed behind?"
A pause. "My grandfather. Dr. Aris Thorne. He was the one who convinced part of the population that the digital path was a dead end. He helped design the Odyssey's mission before remaining on Earth to fight the Custodial Program. We thought he had failed."
Elias looked at Lena, seeing his own stunned realization reflected in her eyes. The man whose memory had started it all was the grandfather of the man now returning. The circle was closing.
"You were wrong, Captain," Elias said, a wave of profound emotion washing over him. "Your grandfather didn't fail. He planted a seed. And it has grown. We will send you the landing coordinates. Welcome home."