Weave - precursor to empire

Nestled up against a rambunctious star, two guys poke about trying to see why it's so wild. They poke wider and deeper, only to meet things coming the other way. Bonked, battered and thrashed, they're carried into the unknown on a journey of discovery. Beyond the ancient myths. Then, at the end of the tunnel, new hope. Peering ahead into a new human empire.

Short on grub, he picks up a survival biscuit. A weevil waves at him. He scowls at it, then the lights go on. "Maybe that explains the star puke!"
"What?"
"What if the star puke is like biscuit dust?"
Mike blinks as he catches up. Now grinning he says, "and the star has weevils - wormholes in it?"
"Gas worms." Al has quit smiling. "Gas worms that live out here in the star's corona. Or live here and in the star."

Weave is born blind, yet seeing through every camera and detector on the ship. Helpless with intimate access to every control on the ship. Growing as the ship's natural garden-recycling systems die. Helpless and naked, yet wearing a ship busy growing star power. A magic being in the making.