"Okay, later we talk. I have a lot of reports to finish!" impatiently, he said.

"Okay, I'll rest now. I'm tired of the intensive training routine in the simulators, but I can't stop. In three hours, I must be ready for more," said Drinihian, exhausted.

"Good rest, Drih, Drih. And I promise I'll make time for us. See you."

"See you, Micah..."

"I can't stand this anymore! I need a vacation," said before hanging up the video call with Drinihian.

I had a lot of work that day, and I couldn't stop to talk to him. At that time, I was the planetary mapping analyst of the 116L21 quadrant, researcher (Auxiliary) of the World Space Agency. I had to finish several reports within 2 days. I could automate the work with the help of my Artificial Intelligence, but I had to deliver it with very specific and different formats, and it would be harder to give the instructions for the Artificial Intelligence to prepare the reports than to prepare them manually. My supervisor disturbed me and demanded a lot, and often, unnecessary things. I thought she was jealous that I discovered several systems with terrestrial planets.

With all that, the research to detect new forms of life outside our system and the plans for possible interstellar travels were intensified. We still didn't have the technology to travel efficiently to such distant stars, but studies were being carried out on new efficient methods to further accelerate the time of the travels through space. However, with our hibernation system and the great technological acceleration resource that we had at the moment, we could go to the stars that were up to 8 light-years away.

The first colonization trip started 92 years ago. They arrived and woke up from hibernation 25 years ago and have been living and exploring their new home ever since. The crew installed themselves without any problems and live there with no possibility of return. A second trip took place 17 years ago, where my parents, who are also researchers, went. They are in hibernation and still have 50 years of travel. Today, there are several projects underway to create new colonies on other, more distant habitable planets.

The first information we received from the first colonization was that they had found the unmanned spacecraft that was sent earlier for analysis of the planet. They confirmed, with more precision, the analysis data that the planet was habitable, with breathable air for our species and with life, but that life was just small reptiles and different types of marine species.

Life was still in the beginning. It was a system that was almost 5 light-years away from us on the star Plibistarh. Life on that planet was still developing and we had arrived to speed up the process.

One of our biggest goals was to find life smarter than ours. We had already found several types of microbial lives in the moons of the planets in our system. Small marine and terrestrial life in several nearby systems. My biggest dream was to know or discover life as or more intelligent than ours. It would be great.

In the meantime, I was busy with one thousand different things... Almost at the same time. The leftover time or I devoted myself to my research to find signals and patterns of possible intelligent alien communications among other diverse researches, or I devoted myself to my relationship with Drinihian.

We've known each other since we were little, but lately, Drinihian has been my last priority, although he hasn't been looking for me much either.

Someone came into my workroom without me noticing.

"Have you finished the reports, Micahilla?"

"I’m almost finishing, Trissandri."

"Finish it soon, because there are a few more things for you to do. I need a three-dimensional stellar mapping of the Centriahatri area. And I need it as soon as possible."

"It's all right. By evening, I'm done. Can I have a brea..."

The supervisor of the planetary mapping team of the 116L21 quadrant, researcher, (Supervisor) Trissandri left without listening to me.

"She’s so rude!" I thought, indignant.

I was always wondering how could I stand that evil one?

I wanted to go to rest, but I still had so much to do and I didn't want to lower my degree of efficiency, especially since my supervisor was just waiting for my carelessness to fire me from the division.

I finished one of the several reports that I still had to prepare and reviewed several times, with a little help from my Artificial Intelligence to see if it was perfect. I sent it to Trissandri who immediately ordered him to come to her. She was in another room far away. I didn’t want to deal with her, however, I took a deep breath and went.

"Right, Trissandri?"

"I already sent you what needs to be done and delivered until tomorrow morning very early. I looked at your report and it looks good. Whatever I need, I'll call you."

"Yes ma'am!"

She was a horrible person. She could just video call me and tell me what she needs. Making me walk such a distance to just say a lot of uselessness, and not even look at me… That was inexcusable. I tried to ignore it and went back to my office. On the way, when I was going to enter my office, my friend who was a colonist mission support officer, military officer (First Lieutenant), appeared.

"Hi, Dornnih! Why are you here?"

"I need you to come with me! I need you to help me!"

"It's very important? Because I'm very busy."

"Look at that! It's about the Crommirris mission," said Dornnih, showing me a hologram.

"It's all right! Let's go then!"

I agreed to go and see what it was because it was the planet my parents were sent to, 17 years ago. It was the second colonizing spaceship, sent with personnel and new technological resources, to join those already there. From what I heard about the planet they were going to, the first colony sent was in trouble.

The ship that was still traveling, could turn around and return remotely. For those already there, it looked like they were facing serious problems. We entered the control room of the Crommirris mission.

"This is Micahilla, sir. It was about her that I told you. She is researching instant communication by quantum entanglement. I know we have a lot of teams that are involved with this, but from what I've read in their research, she is the one that is closest to achieving this efficiently. And the most fascinating thing is that she is doing this alone," said Dornnih, trying to magnify me.

"Nice! We'll talk about it later, but at the moment I need someone who is an expert in alien virology," said Commander Trirtonne, looking concerned.

"I know that sir and she also has knowledge in this area, she just doesn't have a degree. Our qualified team, who are not many, are in space travel."

"How come she is not graduated? Where did you learn about the subject, miss?"

"Micahilla, sir! And I taught myself."

The general supervisor of support for the mission of the colonists of the planet Crommirris [mission Crommirris], military officer (Captain Colonel) Trirtonne laughed loudly, not believing what he had heard.

"Get in touch with the team that is out. Let's make a video call!"

"Okay, sir, but it wouldn't be better..."

"Sir, I'm sorry for the insistence, but I think I can help. I have been following this mission for a while, and I imagine what is happening," he said, after having lost patience due to the lack of credibility in me.

"What do you mean, following up? Who is giving you this information, since it does not belong to the team?"

I looked at Dornnih with concern.

"Is that..."

"So I hope you can help!" said (Captain Colonel) Trirtonne, with a serious look and without patience.

They showed me the colony's last communication with our base. The colony leader was reporting the death of the planet's plants and animal species. It seemed that a type of supervirus was decimating life on the planet and that they could be affected as well. They were not managing to neutralize it efficiently due to constant changes and they also had no resources to leave the planet. The colonization process was already going to the second generation. They sent a coded sample of the virus to see if we could neutralize it.

The complicating factor was that the communication between us was slow and the message was sent almost 5 years ago, and it just arrived now. The result could be delayed and they probably wouldn't be alive by then. It was a terrifying situation, as an entire colony would be decimated. Our first colony.

"Sir, give me the data they've sent so far about the virus. I will analyze the mapping they have done so far and try to find some way to neutralize it."

It would be an almost impossible mission because, from what I saw, the virus suffered from a very fast mutation even in the air, but I was willing to try everything to save them.

"We don't have much choice. Give her a copy of the data, and also send a copy of it to all virologists who are spread throughout the system," said (Captain Colonel) Trirtonne, without much hope.

"Thank you, sir. I will do my best."

(Captain Colonel) Trirtonne didn't seem to be trusting me very much. But, who would trust someone who claimed to be an expert on a subject studying on their own? I had in mind that I would not let this be an obstacle. Dornnih came with me and we went back to my office.

"I don't think it was a good idea, Dornnih! I am full of work. And there is still one that I need to deliver early in the morning."

"This is more important. Go to the lab and try to do your best. If you get a good result you can be promoted," said Dornnih, trying to motivate me.

"But you know how my supervisor is. She will not forgive."

"Don't worry, I'll fix it for you. For now, just focus on that. I'll let you start. Then we'll schedule a day to eat something."

"It's all right! See you!" I said, excited to start the analysis.

Dornnih left, and I went to the lab. It was late and I had to stop to get some rest, but I took some stimulants and stayed awake looking for answers about the supervirus. My parents didn't get out of my head. It would be disappointing for them if the mission they were on was canceled in the middle of the trip, but the most terrible thing would be to live with the elimination of an entire colony, where it has been invested a lot for years.

When my parents left, I got angry with them for a long time because they abandoned me and followed their dream, but I learned to accept this situation since they were the best at what they did and they would be important in the mission. After a long time, I became proud of them.

I setted up the Artificial Intelligence in the laboratory to keep running the virus mutant DNA analysis and as the data was being processed I would do some more detailed tests and analyses to better understand the virus's behavior.

It was something I had never seen. The data was very complex even for Artificial Intelligence, which processed it with difficulty.

"That's impossible!" I complained.

It was already dawn and I saw that I had received a message from Drinihian. He wanted to meet with me to talk.

"This is not a good time," I thought.

There were so many things to do that maintaining a relationship was getting harder and harder.

After a few more hours I was already receiving notifications from my supervisor to go and talk to her.

"Will she ever LEAVES ME IN PEACE?" I shouted.

I replied that I could not go see her because I was on a mission for the (Captain Colonel) Trirtonne. She didn't bother me anymore after my answer. I kept concentrating, but it seemed like I didn't have a solution. Even with a lot of data (detailed and complex), I was far from finding a practical solution to neutralize it. Someone had entered the laboratory.

"Hello. You look exhausted. Have you eaten this morning? Did you find anything?" asked Dornnih.

I started to get dizzy. I approached him and my vision darkened.