"The Doctor?" Kael asked, looking towards the rear of the bridge.
A voice came from the shadows in the corner, its tone peculiar, carrying a non-human hiss and friction-like quality. "Here... Analyzing the sensory data fragments from the Director... Most intriguing."
A figure floated out slowly. It (difficult to define as 'he' or 'she') was barely recognizable as humanoid. The main body was an ellipsoidal Suspension device, covered in smooth, chitinous dark brown material. Several slender, flexible mechanical tentacles extended from it, each tip equipped with different precision tools: micro-probes, material sampling needles, energy field generators, etc. On the front of the ellipsoid were complex multi-lens sensor arrays, now glowing with a faint blue light. This was "the Doctor," an exobiologist whose true form was a non-carbon-based intelligent lifeform that had entered a symbiotic relationship with humanity, residing within this custom Hover Vehicle.
"Doctor," Kael said, unsurprised. "Your assessment?"
One of the Doctor's tentacles twitched gently, projecting an extremely distorted, visually noisy, and eerily audio data stream onto the bridge's main screen. Even Rex quieted down, his scanning eye fixed on the display.
"The bio-signatures of the outpost crew... not simply extinguished," the Doctor's synthesized voice was slow and clear. "Their cellular structures... neural networks... even at the atomic level... are being forcibly reconfigured by an exogenous meme. That energy signature... is both catalyst and blueprint. It is not killing... but 'translating'. Translating ordered life... into another form... disordered yet highly consistent."
The screen froze on a severely distorted frame, seemingly the half-face of an outpost crew member, but his skin was crystallizing, his eyes transformed into empty, faintly glowing pits.
Rex's speaker emitted a low grumble. "Disgusting. So we're dealing with a bunch of rock lunatics?"
"Worse, Mr. Rex," the Doctor's sensors flickered. "Based on this fragmented data, this 'translation' is... contagious. Physical contact, energy radiation, potentially even through observation and information transfer. The bio-readings of the patrol team members showed... the same mutation trend in their final seconds."
A brief silence fell on the bridge. The sound of Lia's data streams and the low hum of the engines seemed particularly pronounced.
"Information transfer?" Kael seized on the keyword.
"Affirmative, Commander," Lia interjected, pulling up another data set. "The final chaotic data stream contained a large volume of unparseable code packets with self-referential properties and strong logic disruption. They behaved like viruses attempting to invade the patrol team's comms systems and personal chips. My preliminary assessment is that this 'infection' may possess... consciousness-invasive properties."
A threat that could spread through physical, energy, and even informational means, transforming biology into an unknown state. This was far more terrifying than mere rebellion or alien invasion.
Kael walked to the command chair and called up the star chart, the red dwarf system on the edge of the Aquila Arm highlighted.
"Our mission objectives remain: Investigate, Recover, Assess. But if the Doctor's and Lia's hypotheses are correct," Kael's gaze swept over each team member, "it means we cannot have any non-essential contact with the target, including physical contact, energy scans, or prolonged data links. Lia, you need to establish multiple dynamic firewalls, isolate all data originating from the outpost. Rex, your firepower is the last resort, but engagement is only authorized upon absolute confirmation that the target is fully transformed and poses a direct threat. Avoid destroying potential key samples. Doctor, you are responsible for real-time monitoring of environmental energy signatures and biosign changes. Report any anomaly immediately."
He paused, his voice lowering. "Most importantly, if any one of us shows signs of infection..." He didn't need to finish. Everyone understood. The Purification Protocol might not just apply to the outpost.
"Understood, Commander," Lia responded immediately.
"Tch, copy that. I'll keep my finger off the trigger," Rex grumbled, his scanning eye seeming less excited now.
"Monitoring... and understanding... is my function," the Doctor's tentacles retracted slightly.
Kael sat in the command chair, his interface connecting with the ship's systems. Instantly, the *Nightingale* felt like an extension of his body, various data streams flowing directly into his consciousness. Engine power, weapon status, hull stress... he was aware of everything.
"All stations, prepare. Lia, plot final course, request departure clearance. Rex, perform final weapons system check. Doctor, continue data analysis, attempt to establish an early warning model for that energy signature."
His commands were concise and forceful. The atmosphere on the bridge became heavy with focus. The earlier restlessness was suppressed, replaced by the cold efficiency preceding combat.
The *Nightingale* vibrated slightly as its landing gear retracted. Anti-gravity engines activated, lifting the ship smoothly. Guide beams from the port fell upon it, marking the path to the stars outside.
Kael stared at the dim red dot growing larger on the main screen – their destination.
An unknown threat, a bizarre infection, a locked-away past. All of it intertwined, waiting for him in that lonely sector of space ahead.
"Departure clearance granted," Lia reported.
"Proceed," Kael ordered.
The *Nightingale*'s engines emitted a faint blue glow. Like a raptor emerging from the night, it slid silently out of the massive hangar, moving into the brilliant light of Regulus before adjusting its heading and plunging resolutely into the boundless dark void beyond.
The brilliant light of the Ring of Regulus shrank rapidly behind the *Nightingale*, soon becoming a single dazzling diamond on a vast black velvet sheet, then blending into the myriad stars until it was indistinguishable. The ship adjusted its attitude, its prow aligning with the jump point calculated by the navigation computer.
On the bridge, the atmosphere was focused and solemn.
"Hyperspace engine reaching critical power," Lia reported, her synthetic voice clear and steady amidst the rising whine of the engines. "Coordinates locked: Aquila Arm, G-173 Red Dwarf System. Estimated jump duration: 7.2 standard hours. Countdown initiated: 30 seconds."