Skai saw the message come through at eleven past midnight. The header read URGENT REASSIGNMENT, and below it sat a contact file nobody else had been willing to touch. He scrolled through the refusal log. Seven senior translators had turned it down in the last six hours. Each one cited schedule conflicts or insufficient preparation time. He knew what that meant. They were scared. He pulled his journal from the desk drawer and flipped to the center pages. The binding cracked softly as he opened it flat. Inside, he'd pasted his own translation frameworks, handwritten notes on patience and listening, observations from every contract the senior translators had refused. The cover had worn smooth from handling, and the infinity symbol he'd drawn on the first page had faded to a pale blue sketch. He'd been documenting his approach for three years, waiting for a chance like this. He opened the contact file and hit accept.