Jaxon Rhylis led his team cautiously through the twisting tunnels of Deimos, the weight of Nate's loss still fresh on his mind. As they neared the surface, the dark, confined spaces gave way to the cold, rocky expanse of the moon's exterior. The harsh, barren landscape stretched out before them, illuminated by the distant sun casting long shadows across the uneven terrain.
— We have to be careful. Aria's crew is camped nearby, and we can't risk being detected, Jaxon said, his voice low but firm.
Paula nodded, her eyes scanning the horizon. — We'll stick to the shadows and move quickly. We can't afford any mistakes.
The team moved cautiously, their figures blending into the rocky landscape. They kept low, using the natural cover of the terrain to stay hidden. The surface of Deimos was unforgiving, with sharp outcroppings and deep craters making their progress slow and arduous.
As they crept closer to Jaxon's ship, hidden beneath the sand of Deimos about five kilometers from the DARK ASTRAL, they spotted the faint glow of Aria Shaw's camp near the entrance to the tunnels. A series of small, makeshift shelters surrounded by equipment and personnel, it was a stark contrast to the desolation around them.
— There it is, whispered Maya, pointing towards the ship. We need to time this perfectly. Wait for the right moment to move.
Jaxon nodded, his eyes fixed on the camp. — We wait for a distraction. Elias, keep an eye on their movements. We need to know when their patrols are furthest away.
Elias adjusted his scanner, the device emitting a soft hum as it analyzed the area. — Got it. There are two main patrols circling the camp. One on the north side and one on the south. If we move when they cross paths, we'll have a small window.
The team settled into their positions, their breaths shallow as they waited. Minutes felt like hours as they watched the patrols, their nerves on edge. Finally, Elias signaled, his voice barely a whisper.
— Now.
They moved as one, their footsteps silent on the rocky ground. Each step was measured, every movement calculated to avoid detection. The air was cold and thin, making their breathing labored, but they pressed on, driven by the urgency of their mission.
As they approached Jaxon's hidden ship, they saw its faint outline beneath the sand, cleverly camouflaged to blend in with the environment. The ship was a sleek, agile craft, its dark hull blending seamlessly with the surrounding terrain. The team gathered around the entrance, their eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of movement.
— We have to do this manually, Jaxon whispered, his voice tense. Without Nate, we need to bypass the security protocols ourselves.
He knelt by the hatch, his fingers moving deftly over the control panel. The mechanism was complex, designed to be impenetrable without the proper access codes. Jaxon worked quickly, his hands steady despite the pressure. The others formed a protective circle around him, their eyes scanning the horizon for any signs of Aria's crew.
Finally, with a soft click, the hatch released. The door slid open, revealing the dimly lit interior of the ship. The team slipped inside, the door closing silently behind them. The interior lights flickered to life, casting a soft glow over the narrow corridor.
— We're in, Jaxon said, his voice echoing softly in the narrow corridor. Let's get to the data core.
They moved quickly through the ship, their footsteps echoing in the empty hallways. The familiar hum of the ship's systems was absent, replaced by an eerie silence that amplified every sound they made. The usual gentle vibrations and the soft, reassuring voice of Nate, the ship's AI, were gone. Without Nate, the ship felt like a hollow, lifeless shell.
Jaxon led them through the dimly lit corridors, their path illuminated only by the emergency lighting that cast long, flickering shadows on the metallic walls. Each step they took seemed to reverberate louder than usual, the sound bouncing off the narrow passageways and adding to the unsettling atmosphere. The air felt colder, the absence of Nate's presence making the ship's environment seem more hostile and unwelcoming.
They reached a narrow junction where the corridor branched off in multiple directions. Jaxon paused for a moment, his eyes scanning the path ahead. The team moved cautiously, their senses heightened by the oppressive silence.
As they approached the central control room, the silence grew even more profound. The control room was the heart of the ship, and without Nate, it felt like an empty, abandoned nerve center. The door to the control room slid open with a reluctant hiss, revealing the darkened interior.
Jaxon stepped inside, his eyes quickly adjusting to the low light. The central console, once a hub of activity with holographic displays and Nate's constant monitoring, now sat dark and silent. The only illumination came from the emergency lights that cast a dim, reddish glow over the room.
— Maya, get us connected, Jaxon instructed. We need to check if anything is saved.
Maya nodded, her fingers flying over the controls. The holographic display flickered to life, showing the data transfer in progress. The tension in the room was palpable as they watched the progress bar inch forward.
— Come on, come on... Maya muttered, her eyes glued to the screen.
The progress bar stalled, a red warning flashing on the screen. Maya's hands moved rapidly over the controls, trying to bypass the error. Jaxon watched, his heart pounding in his chest. They needed this data. It was their only hope of understanding what had happened to Nate.
— There's a partial transfer, Maya said, her voice tight with frustration. It's incomplete, but it might be something.
Jaxon nodded, his mind racing. — Save whatever you can. We need to analyze it later.
Maya secured the partial data transfer, her fingers moving deftly over the controls. The holographic display flickered again, showing the fragmented data they had managed to recover.
— Let's see what we've got, Jaxon said, his voice tense with anticipation.
They gathered around the central console, the room filled with a tense silence as Maya connected the device. The screen filled with lines of code and data, each fragment a potential clue to unraveling the mystery of Nate's erasure.
As they scanned the data, Jaxon's eyes narrowed. Amid the corrupted files and broken code, a small, isolated section caught his attention. It was a fragment of a memory file, partially intact.
— Wait, what's this? Jaxon said, his voice barely above a whisper.
Maya leaned in, her eyes widening as she recognized the data signature. — It's a memory fragment. It might be a part of Nate's last moments before the erasure.
Jaxon carefully isolated the fragment, his fingers moving quickly over the controls. The holographic display shifted, showing a partial memory log. The data was fragmented, but it was something. A glimmer of hope in the darkness.
— This might be our only chance, Jaxon said, his voice filled with determination. We need to reconstruct this memory. It could hold the key to understanding what happened.
Paula placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder. — We'll figure it out, Jaxon. We're not giving up.
They worked together, piecing together the fragmented data. Each line of code, each broken file, was a step closer to uncovering the truth. The weight of their mission hung over them, but they pressed on, driven by the need to find answers.
The room was filled with the soft hum of the ship's systems and the faint clicking of keys as they worked. The data slowly came together, forming a clearer picture of Nate's final moments. As the last piece fell into place, the screen flickered, revealing a partial holographic recording.
Jaxon's breath caught in his throat as he watched the flickering image of Nate. The AI's voice, though fragmented, was filled with urgency.
— Captain... entity... erasure... protect...
The recording cut off, the image fading into static. Jaxon stared at the screen, his mind racing. Nate's last message was a warning. The entity that had attacked them had targeted Nate specifically, erasing him to protect something.
— We have to find out what this entity is, Jaxon said, his voice filled with determination. And we need to figure out how to stop it.
Paula nodded, her eyes filled with resolve. — We will, Jaxon. We'll find a way.
Jaxon and Maya focused on rebuilding a very primitive snapshot of Nate's last moments. They worked meticulously, using every fragment of data to reconstruct the AI's memory. The process was slow and painstaking, each line of code a crucial piece of the puzzle. As they continued, a rudimentary, embryonic form of Nate's reasoning AI began to take shape.
The snapshot revealed a horrifying insight: the entity, composed of pure energy, had the ability to blink in and out of another dimension, disrupting reality as it did so. It moved with impossible speed, its presence causing distortions in the fabric of space-time. Nate had managed to capture brief glimpses of this phenomenon, the data showing the entity's rapid shifts between dimensions.
— Look at this, Maya said, her voice tinged with awe and fear. It can move between dimensions almost instantaneously. That's how it got past our defenses.
Jaxon nodded, his eyes fixed on the screen. — Nate must have seen this and realized the threat it posed.
As they delved deeper into the snapshot, they discovered a crucial piece of information. The entity had targeted Nate because the AI had transferred vital data about how the teleportation technology worked. The entity had disrupted Nate to prevent this knowledge from falling into their hands.
— Nate knew, Jaxon whispered. He knew this information was too important to lose.
The screen displayed the final moments before Nate's erasure. Amid the chaos, Nate had managed to protect the critical data, encrypting it and saving it in a secure location. The fragment showed Nate's desperate efforts to safeguard the information, even as the entity attempted to destroy him.
— The important data is here, Maya said, her voice filled with hope. Nate protected it at the last moment.
Jaxon felt a surge of determination. — We need to copy this data and the small snapshot of Nate onto a disk. It's our only chance to understand the teleportation technology and find a way to stop that entity.
They worked quickly, transferring the data onto a secure disk. The room was filled with a tense silence, the weight of their mission pressing down on them. As the transfer completed, Jaxon held the disk in his hands, a glimmer of hope shining in his eyes.
— This is it, he said, his voice firm. Our next mission is to find a way to use Nate's snapshot to read the important data. We need the laboratory on Rangar.
Paula nodded, her eyes filled with determination. — Let's get back to Rangar and make sure this information is put to good use.