It showed a laboratory, pristine and white. In the center sat a child, no older than seven, staring directly into the camera. The timestamp in the corner read: July 18th, Solar Year 2104.

At 94%, the monitor bled red. A warning flashed: Integrity Compromised. Biological Signature Required.

The deck began to heat up. The metal casing glowed a dull orange. "Elias! Report!" Kael shouted, his voice distant.

He had found the drive nestled in the ribcage of a long-dead scout ship drifting on the edge of the Perseus Arm. The ship had no name, no transponder, and no bodies—just silver-grey dust and this single, encrypted archive.