A bright flash appeared in the darkness of space, and in place of the flash was the large cruiser Pride of Ataud. The silvery metal of the case glittered, reflecting the light of the local sun. Three escort fighters separated from the stern of the ship and took up their positions next to the ship. The cruiser slowly approached the planet Grotar and hovered at an altitude of four hundred kilometers above the surface. A small ship separated from the cruiser and began to descend to the surface of the planet.

A few minutes later, the ship landed in the square in front of the stairs leading to the portal. It was a robotic ship, a hatch opened in the bow, from which a radar scanner protruded. The scanner beam ran through the ruins of the portal. From the opening hatch in the lower part of the ship, two robots, similar to iron insects, two human height in height, jumped to the surface. They saw the world in a completely different way, for them it was cold and monochrome with clear relief contours and only living objects stood out as bright spots against a blue background.

  “RD9 and RD11, get RD20 from under the rubble”. Robots received an order from the ship.

Both robots walked briskly across the square, climbed the stairs to the stone-littered area in front of the entrance to the dungeon. They quickly dismantled the blockage, reaching the monolith that blocked the entrance. Together they lifted the monolith, and a narrow gap opened. The robots tried to move the monolith, but it was too heavy. The ship sent a worm robot to help the robots. Curling up as a wheel, he quickly reached the monolith, straightened, releasing hundreds of legs, and instantly crawled into a narrow gap under the monolith. A minute later, the worm climbed out, holding a small container in its claws from which wires were sticking out. The worm rolled into a wheel again and rolled towards the ship.

The two robots lifting the monolith released him. But the monolith remained in the same position. The robots began to examine the monolith and the pile of stones to the right of the entrance with their sensors. They saw a glow appear inside the stones, signifying a disguised life form. Suddenly for the robots, a pile of stones rose, and several identical monoliths soared into the air. It was a lurking guard. He opened his mouth and with one movement of a monolithic spike threw the robots into the black abyss of the throat.

The robot ship, catching the rolling worm, soared upward, avoiding the blow of the stone tail of the guard. Having flown around the place of the ensuing drama, the ship headed for a bright point in the sky.

The observation deck for the cruiser was located above the navigation bridge. The deck had a modern design and was decorated in the tradition of corporate systems, glossy black wood with glowing red Atauda monograms. In the floating chairs sat two, Count Kano Atauda and Countess Garo Fo Atauda. The count was thin in build, in his 50s, although he looked younger than his age. He was one of the influential figures in corporate systems. The countess was five years younger than the count, a beautiful and strong-willed woman, she was feared and respected.

  “You never told me where we were going to build the laboratory.” Recalled the countess.

“I don’t know yet.” The Count replied and continued. “You know the galactic council is getting very close to our branches. Let's see what the result of this mission will be.”

“Dear, sooner or later the galactic council will find out anyway.”  She said calmly. “They can't show us anything.”

The count got up from his chair and walked closer to the window, stretched out his hand, touched the cold glass and looked at the planet. “They are eager to get to this planet, if they get to the bugs, it can hurt us a lot.”

“There is one planet under the noses of the galactic council in neutral territory. Called the Ice Desert, the world of eternal cold, the ice mining company went bankrupt and simply left the planet. There is an old station with a geothermal energy source, a minimum of expensive investments, and besides, it would never occur to anyone to look for something there.” The Countess offered calmly.

“I definitely like your version, dear. As they say, if you want to hide something, put it in a conspicuous place.” The count smiled, then he turned around and saw Merck walking towards them along the corridor.

Merck walked to the deck entrance, the glass door swung open. He entered and stopped. He was a thirty-year-old young man with an athletic build. Merck Vale, was a bit like his brother Cap Vale, and had a tougher temper.

“I'm listening, Merk!” Said the count.

“Count, Countess! “Said Merck excitedly. “We managed to collect a hive of nemurges. All beetles are in excellent condition. After so many years of unsuccessful attempts, this is definitely a success.”

“Merck, we can't wait to find out the details!” The countess asked quickly turning around.

“My brother, Cap Vail, managed to enter the Dark Star.  He carried a deactivated robot with him in an ammunition container.  Unfortunately, my brother died of a beetle bite.  After Cap's death, the robot was activated, he collected the bugs and climbed into the container again.  A day later, locals came and collected weapons and ammunition. As soon as the container was beyond the radiation of a dark star, the robot was again activated. The robot got out of the container and, according to the plan, headed to the place of evacuation. It is likely that one of the mercenaries survived and activated the lighthouse. Perhaps a ship was flying behind him. But it is unlikely they managed to pick someone up, since the guard of the planet was nearby.”

“Merck. Your brother, Cap Vale, has sacrificed the remaining year of his life for a common cause. I'm sorry, I lost my business partner. Merck, I will recommend you to the board of directors of the company!”

Merck bowed his head in appreciation.

“Merck, where is the rod?” Asked the countess.

Countess. According to the robot, there was no rod in the obelisk.

“Without a rod, not a single person would have come to the surface!“ She objected.

“We found fragments of the ship's hull and several limbs of the guardian of the planet. Not sure if the ship left the planet. We ourselves have repeatedly lost ships here!”

“Merck, please find out if the mercenaries survived or not!”

Merck went out. The count sat down in a chair and turned to the countess.

“Honey, we have emptied more than a hundred vaults and obelisks of the pilgrims, and so far we have not found the real staff of the pilgrim, maybe they never existed?” Reasoned the count. 

“ I understand that you are skeptical about legends, but the possibility of their existence cannot be ruled out. This is a potential threat to us!” She replied. “I see something else is bothering you.”

“ I'm worried about Merck, now that Cap is gone, it is not known what is on his mind. I want to send him to Aloto Bay, away from us. Make it look like a promotion. We will also need volunteers.” - explained the count.

“You're afraid of him! And at the same time, you want to make a monster out of him. Where you are really right is that he is the best candidate for this job.”  She said and, sipping a cocktail, thoughtfully looked into the blackness of space.