For Reginald Styke, the Assistant Director of the Empire's Terrestrial Recovery Division, this was a special sight and the final irrefutable sign that the tide had indeed turned in his decades long undertaking to return the world of Honoghr to habitability.

Styke’s moment of introspection was fleeting as the sergeant in command of Team Bravo, a squad temporarily assigned to escort the Assistant Director, approached from a hillside north of the valley.

“Sir, we’ve discovered a radioactive mass buried under a few hundred meters of nominal foliage three klicks due east. Its composition, wear and size suggest the mass is a large fragment of starship hull consistent with steep reentry,” said the confident soldier.

The news piqued Styke’s interest, a self-proclaimed military history buff, as he solicited the sergeant for particulars, “An archeological find? Are the carbon numbers conclusive?”

The soldier opened a pouch on his forest camo uniform, revealing a pad that displayed the pertinent analysis. “In Honoghr terms, accurate to 10 days, five years and 30 days.”

“That’s peculiar.” Assistant Director Styke pursed his lips, and then continued. “I’ve only been planetside for two years. If not warfare, Sergeant, how do you surmise the ship met its end?”

Anticipating Styke’s query, the sergeant pulled up a report he’d compiled during his preliminary investigation. “There was a short-range transport, the Antilles, which was destroyed on its voyage from Wayland to the furthest reaches of the Outer Rim just over five years back. We believe this is what remains of that vessel.”

Team Bravo’s objective would be to uncover and secure any salvageable material before Demolition transformed the area to glass.

At 0600, after each squad member received a round of radiation inoculations, the team breached the weakened fragment of Antillies.

“Sergeant, several compartments and perpendicular passageways are intact. No lifesigns register, but I read sporadic movement,” reported Trooper Niaves.

Sergeant Barnes initiated non-verbal communication with a brief series of gestures. He then selected two soldiers, Cartwright and Paris, to take point and scout the first two compartments. Barnes remained topside with Corporal Reynolds after he ordered the fourth team of two down.

“All clear,” said Cartwright over the secure channel. Before Barnes could give the order to begin salvage operations, Cartwright’s voice cut in. “Sergeant, there’s an unknown power source illuminating parts of each corridor. It seems to be moving as we walk. “

“Elaborate,” said Barnes.

“We... we can’t seem to get a good look at it. It moves the moment we engage what we see in our peripherals,” the soldier replied.

The sergeant didn’t conceal his exasperation as he spoke. “It’s a phantom from your beacons, Cartwright.”

There was a pause before Cartwright responded. “Yes, Sergeant, but the light we can't keep a bead on is blue... and I gave the command to extinguish beacons 10 minutes ago...”

I could be home with the kids; it's their birthday; we were gonna barbecue...

His comforting thoughts, thoughts that grounded him to what was real and by that simple fact made it a bit more comforting to prowl the darkened corridors of mystery he now found himself within, were abruptly disrupted. From somewhere in the gloomy depths there came the soft sussurations of..

A growl.

What the blazes was that?

He rapped his comm. "Cartwright here, I--" he began when whatever words he was going to say dissolved into a soul[-wrenching shriek, the kind of shriek emitted by beings whose entrails were finding themselves suddenly at risk, or who could do nothing more than by that last desperate act try to establish a firm link between themselves and reality.

For Cartwright it was too late.

His comm winked out.

Silence reigned.

And somewhere within the darkened bowels of Antilles something slurped and yowled and thoroughly enjoyed its fare...