Civilisation Space and the Virtuality have merged into multiple domain state worlds.
Research at FST Laboratories where a group of experimentalists engage in trying to view reality from within a set of quantum light processors. They insert a test subject named Crystel. Her clones appear enphased in the Virtual Reality. Given how tricky quantum events behave these continue to vanish. The experiment continues to collapse back into its initiating state with null results.
During her free time Crystel meets Ahura. Who is on a mission with a group of New Age travellers seek a new life on a promised world free of the virtual bondage to machines. Crystel and Ahura become lovers.
On board Crystel a tad cynical runs her own psycho-metric experiments. Attracts the attention of Relara who on behalf of the Arktian Kommantura take an interest in a field space discrepancy near an accretion arc. They meet on a virtual ship. Its intelligent entity is Iradia. Carrying a group of investigators on a similar scientific mission.