Floodlights illuminated the evidence storage facility at the Henson Research Institute. Officers in white protective suits busied themselves around a large, dark, egg-shaped object—representing a giant boulder—that had been retrieved from the Bledizzico forest just hours earlier.
Upon closer inspection, there are chips and cracks, and it looks like some parts of the surface are missing, creating a cavity large enough for a person to crawl through.
Fara Fallunett, Level 8 Officer.She works as an assistant director in the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), a special investigation unit with a different name depending on the mission; this mission is codenamed "Meteor." Her unit is part of the Henson Innovation Institute, a subsidiary of Henson Industries Ltd., a large company that holds shares in the Center and asteroid mining concessions, as well as partnerships in mineral transport vehicles, supply ships to Mars, and more.
To be honest, despite the grand and fancy name, Fara is Sir Bran's right-hand woman.
She stepped out of her room with an exhausted expression. Her pink eyes were slightly swollen from crying so hard. The news of her brother, Breeze's, death had struck her like a bolt of lightning.
Besides the bad news she received, there was something else that woke her up in the middle of the night—her duty as an officer responsible for maintaining "Alpha" level security.
It forced her to wipe away her tears and show up here.
"I'm sorry to hear about your brother, Chief," Doris, the petite secretary, approached him, offering him a drink.
"Thanks. Go ahead and give me the situation report." Fara took the coffee cup but didn't drink it. She tried to keep her voice firm.
The two walked towards the large conference room. Along the way, Doris showed Fsra some information on a tablet. Fsra took it and opened the picture. It was just a dented rock, nothing like a spaceship.
"Sir Bran is waiting inside. He ordered the area cordoned off immediately upon arrival of this object," Doris reported, leading the way inside. "Initial scans indicate it's a stealth vehicle, and… we've detected signs of life inside."
"A dented rock with a cloudy, crystalline top?" Fara asked, looking at the hologram image.
"It's cloudy because of the heat. Ms. Myuro thinks it looks more like a cryotube," Doris said.
"Damn it, it's a cryotube. What's inside?"
"We don't know yet," Doris replied softly.
"What a waste of my time!" Fara cursed angrily, her frustration boiling over because she'd been urgently called in the middle of the night to look at what looked like a dented rock, instead of a moment of mourning for the sad news she'd just received minutes earlier.
She stomped into the restricted area, walking directly towards the burly figure of a man in a long white lab coat who stood with his arms crossed, staring intently at the object... Sir Bran Henson.
The old man, with burn scars on the right side of his face, stood still and calm, a stark contrast to the surrounding chaos. He didn't turn to look at Fara, but his gaze was fixed on the laser cut that the technician was drilling into the spacecraft's hull.
Fara walked into the restricted area and found Sir Bran Henson, the institute's director, standing with his arms crossed, staring at a team of technicians using lasers to cut through the ship's surface to gain access inside.
"You arrived sooner than I expected, Fara," Bran said casually.Without turning around, he said, "I've heard the news. I'm sorry to hear that."
"Thank you, Doctor..." "Where is this ship from, Theamat or Drago?" Fara asked immediately, her eyes fixed on the matte black metallic surface of the vessel as a few officers crowded around to inspect the strange ship.
Bran adjusted his glasses, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appearing at the corner of his mouth. "It can't be... Fara... This style, this material..."...the shape and design of this cryotube.Probably.technologyOf the Marvoltis.certain"
Bran noticed a diamond-shaped symbol, then cut and arranged in gold lines, on the edge of the door.
Sir Bran replied in a strained voice, "And it's not just any ordinary ship."
Suddenly, a loud tearing sound of metal echoed, and the front wall of the ship was ripped open, revealing rows of cryotubes inside, amidst the cold vapor and glowing green-yellow liquid that was leaking out.
"Sir Bran!" Fara cried out when she saw the figure in the capsule. "That's a human!"
"We've found the passengers!" shouted the rescue team leader. "Three of them...!"
The paramedics rushed in to check on her vital signs. Fara moved closer to assess the situation.
"Report!" Sir Bran shouted.
The head of the medical team looked up with a worried expression. "We found three passengers in a state of hibernation... They need to be urgently admitted to the treatment tanks!"
Officials removed the naked bodies one by one from the capsule.
The first body found was that of a middle-aged man, approximately 40 years old... He was deceased.
The second body was that of a middle-aged woman, approximately 50 years old... she was deceased.
The third figure was a young man with long blond hair, approximately 20 years old... He survived!!!
There's an empty space that should have been the location of another cryotube, but one unit is missing...
Following the standard procedures for Mars-like interstellar travel, luggage and supplies will, of course, be packed in the cargo compartments at the nose of the spacecraft.
Bran peered through the frosted glass of the still-functioning, glowing yellow capsule, seeing the figure of a handsome young man with blond hair and fair skin lying peacefully inside. A flicker in Bran's eyes lasted only a moment; he knew instantly who this man was...
'Exactly on time'Bran thought to himself, but outwardly he maintained a poker face, a sly smile hidden at the corner of his mouth beneath his dark gray beard.
"Wait a minute... the fourth slot is empty?" Fara pointed to the last cryotube compartment, a suitably sized groove. There were signs of use inside, but it seemed like something that should have been there was missing.
Serbrain glanced at the opening. He walked closer to examine it. The cracks on the edge of the capsule indicated that it had been opened from the outside, or ejected previously, whether intentionally or accidentally. He breathed a sigh of relief rather than worry.
"Gone…" Sir Bran murmured, a smile playing on his lips. "Yes… the most important person… is gone."
As the deceased passengers were placed on metal stretchers, Bran looked at their faces. They were people he had never met before…
Bran turned back and gave stern orders, cutting short the conversation. "Muro! Take the survivor's body to the treatment tank immediately. As for the other two bodies, send them for autopsy discreetly. Absolutely no news of this must be leaked!"
"Yes, sir!"
"And you… Fara," Bran turned to look her in the eye, "I'm assigning you this case. Wait until that man recovers, then interrogate him. I need to know who he is and where he comes from."
Fara frowned. "Yes, sir... and what you said about these vehicles... it seems you already know..."
"I know nothing…" Bran lied with a straight face, even though he knew best. "Your job is to find the answers for me… and remember, Fara, this is an Alpha-level secret. Do not reveal it."
Bran walked away, leaving Faraya standing there watching the blond-haired young man being escorted past her, unaware that Bran knew the whole truth and was manipulating her into playing his game.