“Why are these ceilings so terribly low?!”

The Engineering Sector was a Prol's haven of narrow corridors, a design choice that Kaz found less than accommodating—and he wasn't quiet about it.

Kaz rubbed his sore forehead.

“Most vexing!”

“The area wasn't made for Mevik, y'know,” Agozi said. “Only Prol work here.”

Kaz muttered something under his breath.

“I acknowledge Prol engineering prowess as much as the next Mevik, but—“ Kaz smacked his head into a nearby ceiling light.

Agozi halted and glanced behind her shoulder to see if Kaz was alright.

“You good?”

“I am... coping,” Kaz grumbled irritably. “Would it have been so arduous for them to design this place with just a touch more spaciousness?!”

Agozi's whiskers fluttered in amusement.

“It's their culture,” she replied, before looking away again. “They prefer tight spaces.”

“They and absolutely no one else!”

Agozi's whiskers fluttered again.

“We got a diverse crew for a reason,” she said. “Otherwise the Union wouldn't serve any purpose. You don't see any Prol strutting around with slugthrowers, right?”

“No, but in the same vein, you will not find Mevik aimlessly attacking random Prol,” Kaz replied. “I, on the other hand, have now been repeatedly accosted by this ceiling!”

Thankfully, Agozi was the only one around to hear Kaz's tasteless joke, although it still managed to unsettle her a bit.

*****

“Do you see him?” Kaz asked Agozi.

After a series of uncomfortable bumps on the head, they’d finally found their way to Kesto's area.

Agozi's eyes roved the area from left to right.

Practicality trumped aesthetics in the Prol-designed sector, a stark contrast to the more soothing architecture found elsewhere on the ship.

Luckily, the straightforward design of the place compensated for its restricted space.

Agozi glimpsed Master-Engineer Kesto situated next to a wall-integrated computer station.

“There,” she quipped, pointing at Kesto.

Kesto's attention remained riveted to the monitor, engrossed in lines of code that would’ve bewildered most other beings. Beside him was a little stool with a white cup on it. From time to time, Kesto looked away from the screen to take a drink.

“Master-Engineer Kesto?” Kaz inquired with formality.

Kesto flinched upon hearing the voice and turned around abruptly.

Though bulkier than the Langa, the Prol were still on the shorter side, making them look almost petite next to the two of them.

Still in shock from their unexpected entrance, Kesto looked up at Kaz but didn't speak.

“Made it here successfully?” he asked eventually. There had been a notable undercurrent of unease in his voice.

Kesto's obvious nervousness left them both confused.

“Something's wrong?” Kaz asked.

Kesto said nothing.

Realizing their blunder, Agozi's whiskers twitched in a show of embarrassment.

“Whoa, sorry!” she said with honest remorse. “Didn't mean to startle you.”

It was almost a given that smaller herbivores would instinctively shy away from Mevik. Logical? Maybe not. But it didn't do the Mevik any favors. Most species generally steered clear of them.

“Never mind,” Kesto said. “What assistance may offer?”

“We're here to review your findings,” Kaz replied. “Examined most footage,” Kesto said. “Collected debris for analysis.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Agozi's whiskers vibrated with excitement.

“Don't keep us in suspense, share the details!”

Kaz wasn't as into technology as Agozi and showed it by acting impatient.

“Just make it concise.”

Kesto signaled towards a hologram machine in the room's corner. They went over to it, and he switched it on using built-in buttons.

A 3D image of the alien ship appeared above the machine. It slowly spun around and was see-through to show the inside. The hologram depicted the ship as still being intact.

“This was its original look?” Agozi asked.

“True,” Kesto replied. “But perfect reconstruction impossible. Approximation.”

Agozi examined the hologram.

To Agozi, the ship seemed pretty standard. Most races followed similar design blueprints, so any deviations were usually chalked up to cultural nuances rather than design disagreements.

“Looks like any other ship I’ve ever seen.”

“Outside, true.” Kesto used the projector's controls to make the image of the middle-top part of the ship bigger. “Inside, false.” He increased the transparency to make the interior more visible. “Here!” he said, whilst pointing at the relevant area. “Shield generator normally stored there.”

Agozi leaned in for a better look.

“I don’t see any.”

“True.”

“What is?”

“No shield generator.”

“The shield generator's in a different spot?”

“False,” Kesto replied. “No shield generator.”

Agozi’s whiskers flickered.

“I’m not sure I get it,” she replied. “Did the shields malfunction or—”

“False,” Kesto replied, before she could even finish. “No shields installed. Ship not protected.”

Agozi took a moment to absorb Kesto's surprising statement.

“How is that possible?” Agozi asked, clearly not believing what she was hearing.

“It does seem improbable,” Kaz seconded.

Agozi looked at Kaz as if he'd just said something incredibly obvious.

“’Improbable’ doesn’t do justice to how absurd the idea is!” Her voice combined a serious tone with a hint of sarcasm. “Unless you fancy being cooked by radiation!”

“Kesto asserts that the vessel lacked any form of shielding,” Kaz replied. “His expertise surpasses yours.”

“Don't bet the farm on any one fact,” Agozi said, whiskers flickering. “There's no tech out there that lets you zip around space without shields. Even a grain-sized object could mess you up if it hit you fast enough."”

“True,” Kesto said. “But we certain. Ruptured generators leave lingering trace particles. Know we would.”

“It might still be intact,” Agozi said. “Maybe floating somewhere within the debris.”

“Energy signature too powerful to go unnoticed would be.”

They debated the matter a while longer until Kaz interrupted.

“You both present valid arguments, but I’m afraid we lack the time to debate this matter further.”

The argument paused. Kesto picked up a remote, pressed a button, and the hologram switched from the ship to the gathered wreckage.

“Analyzed debris,” Kesto said. “Postulated theories.”

Agozi turned her attention to the hologram, looking over the pieces of debris.

The floating debris didn't impress her; it looked like it could've been plucked straight from any old junkyard.

“That's just debris,” Agozi said, not quite certain what Kesto was trying to show her. “What am I missing?”

“True but false,” Kesto replied.

Technical data began to appear alongside the 3D holographic images.

“Surface details deceptive,” Kesto said. “Not traditional alloys. Density level and abrasion resistance nonstandard.”

Agozi glanced at the readings. Her whiskers flickered more than slightly on several occasions whilst browsing the data.

This alien ship's hull was no joke—dozens of times denser than steel, nearly invincible to scratches and with absurd temperature tolerances.

Kesto looked up at Agozi with an astonished expression.

“Understand now?”

Agozi didn't answer immediately; she was still trying to process what she had just seen.

“That might clear up the shield thing, but now I've got a dozen more questions,” she replied eventually.

“What type of questions?” Kaz asked.

Agozi’s voice started to show some concern.

“Before, I could've rattled off a dozen theories for why their ship bit the dust,” Agozi replied. “A reactor blowout, engine misfire, or even a rogue asteroid…” Her tone deepened with growing concern. “But after seeing this mess? Those guesses don't cut it.”

“No ship survives direct collisions with asteroids,” Kaz said.

“Not survive, but with armor this thick, it would've held up better,” Agozi pointed out.

For a good number of minutes, they engaged in a debate about the different scenarios that could’ve led to the ship's demise.

“The likelihood of a catastrophic reactor meltdown appears to be a credible hypothesis,” Kaz said. “Particularly if there was a resultant explosion.”

Agozi took a brief glance at the 3D images, some showing the ship put back together and others showing it before and after it blew up.

Calling the ship's remnants 'in poor shape' would've been a grand understatement. A force of jaw-dropping potency had ripped it to smithereens.

Agozi turned her gaze back to Kaz.

“Still doesn't add up to it being blown to bits like this.”

“What do you think caused it, then?”

Agozi glanced at the holograms once more, looking worried as she moved her gaze from one image to another.

“I'm in the dark here,” she replied, whiskers twitching with concern. “And that's what's got my whiskers in a twist.”

“Theories formulated,” Kesto said. “Nonconclusive.”

“Got a clue what made it go bad?” Agozi asked, as she turned to look at Kesto.

“Nonconclusive,” Kesto said again. “Explosive munitions. Substantial quantities. Discovered in surviving cargo bays.”

“From what I'm seeing, garden-variety explosives wouldn't be able to make this mess, even from the inside,” Agozi said.

“Nuclear,” Kesto said. “Not conventional.”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

“I’m no engineer, but I’m fairly certain there wouldn’t be anything to examine had somebody detonated a nuclear device inside the ship,” Kaz said.

“He's got a point,” Agozi said. “A nuke would've turned it into stardust.”

“Merely listing possibilities,” Kesto said.

“The discovery of explosives suggests the ship might have been engaged in mining activities,” Kaz said.

“But what was it mining?” Agozi asked, her confusion palpable. “There’s no asteroid belts nearby.”

A moment stood.

“These circumstances are most perplexing,” Kaz said eventually.

They all exchanged concerned glances.

“There is something else,” Kesto said.

“Which is?” Kaz asked, whiskers jerking.

“The data, obtained from the alien mainframe,” Kesto replied.

“You’ve finished deciphering it?” Kaz asked.

“Mostly corrupted,” Kesto replied, the disappointment in his voice somewhat evident. “But not all. Managed to recover some, including slipspace coordinates, numbers easy to translate, math universal.”

For a moment, Agozi's ears stood up and her whiskers twitched, indicating her curiosity.

“Any idea where they lead?” she asked.

“Trivial enough finding out where they lead.” Hesitating, Kesto’s snout took on a look of significant concern. “Knowing what on the other side more difficult.”