They left the bridge and headed left down the corridor.

Agozi's eyes lit up as she glanced at Kaz.

“Can you believe it?” she asked, her voice teeming with excitement. “An alien spaceship!”

Kaz raised an eyebrow at her excitement.

“What’s so extraordinary about an alien vessel?” he asked without looking at her. “The Minboa was engineered by the Prol. We’re within one at this very moment.”

Agozi sighed, slightly bemused.

“You know what I mean!” she said, visibly irritated by Kaz's lack of enthusiasm. “I mean alien as in something unknown to us.”

Kaz remained tranquil.

“We’re explorers,” he replied. “Confronting the unknown is our duty. It's just another hurdle to navigate.”

Agozi’s whiskers jerked irately.

“This is totally different!” she said whilst expressing her frustration using a Mevik hand sign. “I don't get why you're so determined to downplay this.”

Granted, Kaz was probably still ticked off at the Council for letting that insufferable Snikers meddle with his authority, but it felt off for him to let that chip away at his usual professional demeanor.

“Do you have any idea how long it's been since we've come across another spacefaring civilization?” Agozi asked earnestly.

“Long.”

“More than just long.” Agozi stopped suddenly, causing Kaz to halt too, and looked at him with eyes gleaming in anticipation. “Kaz…don't you understand what this could mean?”

Kaz’s whiskers flickered.

“Educate me.”

“Much as I dislike that Snikers character, he might actually be onto something,” Agozi said. “We really could be standing on the edges of something important, something major that—"

“Now you’re sounding just like Snikers.”

Agozi's whiskers twitched sharply, her face settling into a deep frown of displeasure.

“I'm nothing like that goof!” Her irritation quickly shifted back to excitement. “But still, I mean, aren’t you just a bit thrilled?”

Kaz's face didn't exactly light up with excitement; he looked more dialed in than anything.

“My purpose here is not to seek excitement,” he replied brusquely. “I’m here to fulfill my responsibility by expanding Union Space.”

Agozi's whiskers fluttered.

“Why not both?”

For once, Kaz showed a reaction, and it wasn't a happy one. The twitch of his whiskers, the tilt of his snout, and the flick of his ears all screamed annoyed.

“If the situation is as critical as you suggest then there isn’t much room for adventure,” he replied. “We’re here to accomplish a task. Do not lose sight of that.”

Agozi gave Kaz a frustrated look due to his indifferent attitude.

“I haven't forgotten anything,” she replied. “I just don't get how the chance of going down in Union history isn't sparking any reaction from you.”

“Why would it?”

Agozi's whiskers twitched in surprise at the question.

“Why wouldn’t it?!”

“Snikers insists none has constructed their own prototype warper,” Kaz said. “This removes the possibility of it being another ship.”

“Not if it belongs to someone else.”

“Like whom?” Kaz paused briefly. “Let’s be logical about this. The Unstable regions are called that because nothing survives out here.”

“And yet here we are.”

“We've been provisioned with advanced technology that remains exclusive to us,” Kaz reminded her. “Nobody beyond our organization has access to it.”

“Nobody that we know about.”

Kaz paused before responding.

Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

“Teflar was just doing his job using the data available,” Kaz said eventually. “Data provided by experimental equipment that has yet to prove itself.”

“And if it is reliable?”

Kaz said nothing.

“Exactly my point.”

*****

The Minboa took several days to move beyond the communication range, during which Kaz was granted permission to reveal the mission's primary objective to the crew, apart from details pertaining to the alien wreckage.

Crew reactions varied, ranging from enthusiasm to despondency. Some voiced their displeasure at the delayed revelation, while a minority remained neutral.

While most of the crew were untroubled by the change in plans, there was a significant surge in the request for psychiatric support despite this. The doctors were compelled to extend their working hours. Xeno-Psychiatrist Lana expressed her discontentment; however, Kaz only superficially acknowledged her concerns, much to her disappointment.

*****

“Exactly how much more of our time will this consume?” Kaz asked the navigational specialist, his voice and stance dripping with impatience.

“The new experimental navigation computers are the cause,” the navigational specialist replied. “They offer increased precision, but the calculations require a longer duration.”

All the top brass had assembled on the bridge, gearing up for the exit from slipspace. The big reveal was coming. Soon enough, they'd see who had called it right and who'd missed the mark.

Everyone stared intently at the viewport.

Not that there was a grand spectacle to behold. Sure, slipspace made galaxy-hopping possible, but visually? A total snooze-fest. At least in regular space, you'd get the odd cosmic quirk to break up the monotony.

The navigation expert looked up from his monitor to speak to Kaz again.

“We are prepared to exit slipspace.”

Kaz didn’t hesitate.

“Proceed.”

As the ship exited slipspace, everyone felt a wave of anticipation.

As they emerged into real space, the massive wreckage of the alien ship filled the viewport, visible to all on the bridge.

Agozi looked at Kaz.

“Told ya.”

Honorary-Lieutenant Snikers could not help but partake in the smugness.

“Indeed,” he said. “And were it not for my superior judgment, we would have missed what is clearly a discovery of incalculable dimensions. Truly, this is a historic moment to be celebrated and remembered!”

Kaz chose to ignore the smug comments and simply focused on the scanner team.

“Can you verify that the wreckage is indeed of extraterrestrial origin?”

“Uh, maybe just check out this massive thing outside?” Agozi said with a hint of sarcasm, pointing to the images on the viewport.

“We can confirm the object is a ship,” the scanner operator said. “However, determining its origin is more challenging due to the extensive damage on its exterior.”

“To what extent is the damage?” Kaz asked.

“The vessel has been rendered entirely inoperable,” the operator replied. “This complicates in-depth analysis. Deployment of an engineering team will be necessary for further examination.”

Kaz looked at Bridge-Commander Teflar.

“Please inform Master-Engineer Kesto that his presence is required.”

“Will do.”

Master-Engineer Kesto made his appearance shortly thereafter.

“Request my service, did you?” the short mole-esque creature asked in its thick, gravelly Prol accent.

Kaz gestured in the direction of the viewport.

Kesto almost dropped his toolkit when he saw the images on the viewport.

“Heaven!” he exclaimed. “Is what looks to be?”

Kaz’s whiskers twitched.

“Feel free to tell us once you’re inside.”

*****

The airlock emitted a resonant depressurizing sound as it opened, and Master-Engineer Kesto's team began their spacewalk, taking positions outside the ship.

Cameras on their suits sent live video to the ship, where Kaz and the crew watched from the bridge.

“All affirm their communicators working are?” Master-Engineer Kesto asked the team via his communicator.

Everyone confirmed their readiness.

“Wreckage seven clicks away from current position.”

They couldn't bring the ship closer to the wreckage due to collision risks, so Kesto's team had to inspect the wreckage up close.

As they neared, they encountered dangerous debris.

“Mindful,” Kesto cautioned. “Suit rupture potentially fatal.”

“Noted,” replied a team member.

They carefully moved past the scattered wreckage until they got to the main site.

“Pinpoint point of entry, anyone?” Kesto asked.

“Cannot see.”

“Nothing.”

After some contemplation, Kesto issued an order.

“Split team,” he said. “Scout Y and X axis respectively.”

The exploration party divided into groups.

In time, one of the engineers accompanying Xeno-Biologist Okens identified an airlock.

“Here!”

The team regrouped at his location.

Two engineers positioned themselves before the airlock, while Kesto observed nearby and provided instructions.

“Activate laser torches.”

The engineers commenced the laborious task of cutting the airlock open. Surprisingly, they encountered unexpected difficulty, and frustration began to surface.

“Strangely durable.”

“More than strange.”

“Torches fully powered?”

“Torches operating at full capacity.”

“Should’ve brought plasma torches?”

“Make do with what we have.”

They kept going, but it was pointless.

Their laser tools weren't cutting it. Kesto sent an engineer back for better tools. When the engineer returned, work continued.

“More effective.”

“Indeed.”

Though plasma torches weren't uncommon, their use was typically reserved for special cases. That a basic airlock resisted the lasers baffled the team.

Once the cutting finished, the airlock buckled and fell inward.

The team entered the opening one by one.

Once all were inside, Kesto communicated with Kaz through the embedded suit communicator.

“See all this?”

Kaz monitored the ongoing situation from the bridge, viewing the real-time feed from Kesto's suit on a large screen.

“We have a clear visual,” he replied. “Exercise caution, the stability of the wreckage remains uncertain.”

“Acknowledged.”

The team ventured deeper inside.

They journeyed through the ship's passageways, taking it slow and filming any notable sights along the way.

An engineer commented on the ship's stark architectural style.

“Function over form.”

Kesto surveyed his surroundings.

Indeed, the utilitarian design appeared inelegant. The rudimentary steel corridor walls seemed hastily assembled and devoid of artistic flair. This starkly contrasted with most Union designs, which heavily utilized smooth curves and bevels for aesthetic purposes.

The team kept exploring the ship.

Suddenly, one of the Xeno-Biologists froze in place.

This prompted the others to halt as well.

Okens addressed the unnerved biologist.

“Something of interest?”

The startled biologist offered no response.

“Come!” he replied eventually. “Must see!” There had been a palpable level of disconcert in his voice.

The others converged at his location.

“Discovered what?” Okens asked.

The biologist pointed at the lifeless body.