"Leah! Can you hear me? What's the system status?" Kane asked urgently.
"…Core…data…intact…functionality…severely damaged…energy…extremely depleted…" Leah's voice was almost inaudible. "Detected…target object…recovered…"
"Yes, it's here." Kane patted the pouch at his waist. "You said it has a 'backup,' what do you mean?"
Leah's processor seemed to be running extremely slowly. "…Quantum level…information structure…not completely…erased…similar to…a dormant…virus seed…under certain conditions…potentially…activated…"
Virus seed. This metaphor made Kane's heart sink.
"How can we ensure it will never be activated? A method to completely destroy it?"
"…Unknown…" Leah's answer was disappointing. "Its material structure…is…very…stable…difficult…to…destroy by conventional means…requires…an extreme environment…or…a specific…energy frequency…"
Extreme environment? Like a star's core? Or an energy storm like the one at CME? This was clearly not achievable now. A specific energy frequency? Was it still the same theory as "Echo"? But the prototype was destroyed.
Just as Kane was deep in thought, Leah suddenly emitted an extremely faint warning: "...Detected...hyperspace...fluctuation...distant...but...pointing towards...this area..."
Kane abruptly looked up at the dark starry sky outside the porthole.
Something...is approaching?
Friend or foe?
The hyperspace fluctuation detected by Leah was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water, creating faint ripples in this cold wreckage. Kane's heart tightened instantly. He moved with difficulty to the edge of the porthole, staring in the direction from which the fluctuation came. Was it rescue, or a new threat? After everything he had been through, he dared not harbor any illusions.
The waiting was long and agonizing. The countdown of the life support system ticked silently. To conserve energy, Leah had once again entered deep hibernation; only that faint point of light indicated that she was still holding on. The stone, encased in insulating material, rested silently at Kane's waist, cold and still, as if it were truly just an ordinary meteorite.
A few standard hours later, a faint light suddenly shone in the distant starry sky, rapidly expanding into a rotating hyperspace exit. The silhouette of a ship glided out from within.
That ship… Kane's optical eyes instantly locked onto it. A streamlined, silver-gray hull, the clearly visible Alliance insignia on the sides, and that unique, eagle-like bow design—
It was the "North Star"! Another main reconnaissance ship of the Alliance Security Department, of a higher class than the "Nightingale," usually carrying out more important deep-space missions!
An indescribable, complex emotion welled up in Kane's heart. Rescue! The Alliance had finally arrived! But why the "North Star"? It shouldn't be in this remote star system.
The "North Star" had clearly also detected this massive wreckage and the faint life signal immediately. It adjusted its posture, cautiously approaching, its powerful scanning beam meticulously sweeping over every piece of debris. Soon, a clear laser communication signal entered Kane's tattered protective suit communicator.
"This is the Alliance reconnaissance ship 'North Star.' Survivors in the wreckage, please identify yourselves." A calm and familiar voice sounded.
It was Minister Moriarty! He actually came in person?!
"This is Security Department Executive Officer, Kane." Kane suppressed the turmoil in his heart and answered in as calm a voice as possible, "'Nightingale'... confirmed loss. Crew... Rex, missing during the operation, presumed dead. Synth advisor Lydia, severely damaged, put into hibernation. Mission objective... achieved, but the situation is complex."
There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the communication, seemingly for quick verification. Then, Moriarty's voice sounded again, with a hint of barely perceptible gravity: "Roger that, Kane. Hold on, the rescue boat is departing immediately. We need to meet immediately."
A few minutes later, a small rescue boat flew out from the "North Star" and precisely docked beside the bridge wreckage where Kane was. Fully armed Marines entered first, and after confirming safety, medical personnel quickly transferred the immobile Kane and the dormant Leah onto the rescue boat. Kane clutched tightly to the insulated bag containing the stones.