You have a great way of making the utterly alien feel familiar, which is the fundamental challenge of all sci-fi. You achieve it through the great cafe framing device, and your evocative descriptions, such as, "As the muse drive snuck back into a recess in the craft’s belly, it extended an array of sensors, like a courting peacock." Hell of a line, man! I also loved the reference to Shelley's Ozymandias: "Nothing beside remained." Great work, and I'm looking forward to reading more!