Eva remained in the command centre after the communication ended.

The four investigation feeds had disappeared from the main display.

Only the mission map remained.

Four regions.

Four investigators.

One planet.

She opened the archive transfer record again.

The file was unchanged.

The mission archive transferred to the Aegis contained thousands of documents.

Colony infrastructure.

Mining operations.

Personnel records.

Medical records.

Transport systems.

Environmental monitoring.

Engineering documentation.

Every major category was present.

Except one.

Biological records.

Eva searched the archive index.

Nothing.

She expanded the archive hierarchy and searched for references to species surveys, ecological studies, habitat assessments, wildlife records and planetary life.

The results appeared.

Environmental reports contained references to native biological activity.

Several mining surveys mentioned organisms encountered during operations.

A freshwater assessment contained observations of unidentified lifeforms.

Eva examined the records carefully.

They established that the colony had documented biological activity.

But the actual catalogue was absent.

Eva opened the original transfer manifest.

The biological catalogue was not listed.

She searched the repository references attached to the environmental reports.

One entry appeared repeatedly.

Virelia Biological Catalogue — Repository Reference.

Eva opened it.

The repository contained an index reference to the catalogue.

The catalogue itself was unavailable.

Eva leaned back.

Eva: “So you knew it existed.”

She opened a direct channel to the Galactic Harmony archives.

Eva: “Requesting access to the Virelia biological catalogue.”

The request was transmitted.

A response arrived several seconds later.

ARCHIVE STATUS: INDEXED.

CATALOGUE STATUS: UNAVAILABLE.

Eva: “Reason?”

The system returned another message.

TRANSFER HISTORY: INCLUDED IN ORIGINAL COLONY ARCHIVE.

Eva looked at the mission archive in front of her.

The catalogue was supposed to be there.

It wasn't.

Eva opened the transfer manifest again.

No biological catalogue.

No biological survey archive.

No ecological database.

Nothing.

Eva: “That is not possible.”

She began comparing the repository index against the Aegis transfer record.

The catalogue existed.

The transfer record claimed the original archive had been transferred in full.

Yet the catalogue was not present.

Eva opened a private request to the Galactic Harmony archives.

Eva: “Provide the complete transfer history for the Virelia biological catalogue.”

The request was transmitted.

She returned to the mission map.

Far below, the investigation teams continued their work.

Ankur and Blip were still inside the transport district.

The cleaning robot continued moving across the floor behind them.

Blip's data transfer completed.

Blip: “Transfer complete.”

Ankur turned.

Ankur: “Everything?”

Blip: “Everything accessible.”

Ankur: “Good.”

Blip examined the recovered records.

Blip: “There is a pattern.”

Ankur: “What pattern?”

Blip projected the robot's movement history.

A network of routes appeared across the settlement.

Blip: “The cleaning robot did not visit locations randomly.”

Ankur: “Explain.”

Blip: “Its movement was determined by scheduled maintenance requirements.”

Ankur: “Makes sense.”

Blip highlighted several locations.

Blip: “However, five locations were removed from its regular schedule.”

Ankur: “When?”

Blip displayed the dates.

Ankur studied them.

Ankur: “How long before the colony went silent?”

Blip: “The records are incomplete. The final confirmed schedule changes occurred within the last six months of available operational records.”

Ankur looked at the map.

Ankur: “Why were they removed?”

Blip: “No reason recorded.”

Ankur: “Can you identify the locations?”

Blip: “Yes.”

Five structures appeared.

Ankur: “Show me the closest one.”

The map changed.

Blip: “Environmental monitoring station.”

Ankur: “Let's go.”

Blip: “Agreed.”

Elsewhere, Gluk and Xylos were examining the data recovered from their cleaning robot.

Xylos: “The structural archive is extensive.”

Gluk: “Any mining data?”

Xylos: “Some.”

Gluk: “Personnel?”

Xylos: “Yes.”

Xylos searched through the records.

Xylos: “There are gaps in the final operational period.”

Gluk: “How large?”

Xylos: “Several months.”

Gluk: “Nothing?”

Xylos: “Some records exist, but several scheduled routes contain no corresponding activity.”

Gluk: “The same period Ankur found?”

Xylos compared the dates.

Xylos: “The periods overlap.”

Gluk: “Could that be coincidence?”

Xylos: “Yes.”

Gluk: “Could it be important?”

Xylos: “Also yes.”

Gluk: “Send everything to Blip.”

Xylos: “Already transferring.”

Ankur and Blip reached the environmental monitoring station.

The structure was partially buried beneath vegetation.

Ankur stopped outside.

Ankur: “This place hasn't been maintained.”

Blip scanned the entrance.

Blip: “Correct.”

Ankur: “How long?”

Blip: “Approximately twenty-five years.”

Ankur looked at the building.

Ankur: “Then why did the robot record it?”

Blip: “It did not.”

Ankur turned.

Blip: “The cleaning robot recorded the location as part of its historical route data. It did not enter the structure during its final operational period.”

Ankur looked toward the entrance.

Ankur: “So nobody was cleaning it.”

Blip: “Correct.”

Ankur: “Let's see why.”

They entered.

The station was smaller than Ankur expected.

Most of the equipment had been removed or damaged.

A wall display remained partially functional.

Blip connected to it.

The system activated.

A single message appeared.

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING NETWORK — OFFLINE

Ankur: “Can you recover the records?”

Blip: “Attempting.”

The screen flickered.

Several years of data appeared.

Atmospheric readings.

Water composition.

Temperature changes.

Geological activity.

Biological activity.

Ankur moved closer.

Ankur: “There.”

Blip: “Confirmed.”

A series of biological readings appeared.

Blip: “These records document biological activity.”

Ankur: “Species?”

Blip searched.

Blip: “Species classifications are incomplete.”

Ankur: “Why?”

Blip: “The classification database is not present.”

Ankur looked at the display.

Ankur: “Again.”

Blip: “Correct.”

Ankur studied the screen.

Ankur: “Keep everything.”

Blip: “Preserved.”

A final entry appeared.

It was older than the others.

Blip opened it.

The record contained a list of coordinates.

Ankur: “What are those?”

Blip: “Unknown.”

Ankur: “Can you identify the locations?”

Blip began matching the coordinates against the recovered structural data.

One location appeared.

Then another.

Then another.

All of them were outside the main settlement.

Ankur: “How many?”

Blip: “Thirty-one.”

Ankur stared at the map.

Thirty-one locations.

None identified in the current mission archive.

Ankur: “Send this to Eva.”

Blip: “Sending.”

On the Aegis, Eva received the transmission.

The map appeared before her.

Thirty-one unexplained locations.

She compared them against the mission archive.

Nothing.

Then the archive response arrived.

Eva opened it.

The transfer history appeared.

She read it carefully.

The biological catalogue had been included in the original archive transfer.

The record showed the file leaving the Galactic Harmony repository.

But there was no corresponding record showing where it went afterward.

Eva: “Where did you go?”

She searched the transfer chain.

The trail ended at the original mission archive.

No deletion.

No corruption.

No exclusion.

The catalogue had simply disappeared between the archive transfer and the mission archive available aboard the Aegis.

Eva looked at the thirty-one locations.

She connected them to the environmental records recovered by Ankur and Blip.

Several of the coordinates corresponded to areas where biological activity had been documented.

Eva: “Interesting.”

She opened the communication channel.

Eva: “Ankur.”

Ankur: “Eva.”

Eva: “The biological catalogue existed.”

Ankur: “You found it?”

Eva: “No. I found confirmation that it was included in the original archive transfer.”

Ankur looked at Blip.

Ankur: “But it's not here.”

Eva: “Correct.”

Ankur: “So someone removed it?”

Eva: “I cannot establish that.”

Ankur: “What can you establish?”

Eva: “The catalogue was transferred. It is indexed by the Galactic Harmony repository. It is absent from the archive aboard the Aegis.”

Blip: “The transfer record contains no deletion event.”

Eva: “Correct.”

Xylos joined the channel.

Xylos: “Then where did it go?”

Eva: “That is what I intend to find out.”

Gluk: “What about the coordinates?”

Eva looked at the map.

Eva: “Blip sent them to me.”

Ankur: “There are thirty-one.”

Eva: “Yes.”

Xylos: “Any connection between them?”

Eva: “Not yet.”

She highlighted the first location.

Eva: “We will investigate them.”

Gluk: “All thirty-one?”

Eva: “Eventually.”

She selected the nearest coordinate.

Eva: “Start with this one.”

The four investigators acknowledged the order.

The communication ended.

Eva remained alone in the command centre.

The thirty-one locations remained visible.

She studied the first coordinate.

Then something changed.

A small indicator appeared beside it.

ACTIVE SIGNAL DETECTED.

Eva stared at the display.

For twenty-five years, Virelia had been silent.

Now something had answered.