Jahrae sat at her standard ship’s fare desk, reading a just uploaded report from Inspector H’selvhara with increasing concern.

Over the last two weeks, Jahrae ran on adrenaline, her spirit buoyed by the possibility of finding llhaesa alive. Now, now, this report claimed that llhaesa underwent genetic modification that changed her physical sex and stripped her of her memory.

Jahrae closed the report, raised her left hand, and placed the tips of her fingers on the edge of her mouth. At times, stress led her to revert to a childhood habit – chewing on the tips of her fingernails. This was a moment where that old vice would provide a modicum of comfort, and in this moment, Jahrae would take modicum over nothing at all.

M’traliel looked up from the interface that a second before she intently stared at, looking over toward Jahrae. Seeing Jahrae’s fingers to her mouth, M’traliel immediately sensed the arrival of disappointing news. Rising quietly, M’traliel made her way to Jahrae, placed her hands upon Jahrae’s shoulders, and instituted a soothing rub of the shoulders. “Why have you regressed to finger-eating, or dare I ask?”

Jahrae looked up, her hand dropping from her mouth as she did so. “M’traliel, I just received a report from one of the inspectors on Arrhazon. We have more information, and it is not good news. I guess this information needs to be shared with everyone.” Jahrae pushed back her chair as M’traliel stood aside, taking to her feet, and called to the remaining five of her team.

“I was just about to share news with M’traliel, and it is best to share with the entire staff. One of the Arrhazon inspectors has forwarded a report of an interview with the detained machine operator. He provided a wealth of new information, but that information renders our task more difficult.” Jahrae stopped, her own emotions welling, just as she saw long faces pulling in unison across the entirety of her team.

“I will forward the report to each of you, but the gist of it is llhaesa was the victim of secret technology, technology that altered her genetic make up. This alteration changed her physical sex. They made use of other technology to strip llhaesa of her memory.

In other words, the person we search for might not look like llhaesa, might even not know she is llhaesa – and this makes the task of locating her exponentially more difficult.” Jahrae was disappointed, but she led this team, and she needed to hold the team together. Saehressa put her head in her hands, muttering muffled expletives toward the no longer in power Brellian and his maniacs.

Jahrae walked over to her mother in law, her hands mimicking M’traliel’s soothing massage on Saehressa’s back. “This is surely disappointing news,” Jahrae resumed talking to the group even as she massaged, “but I doubt anyone in this room wishes to give up and go home.

We look at this differently: the information is the strongest confirmation yet that llhaesa is alive, somewhere. We have no details on the afterward yet, but obviously obtaining this information is a huge breakthrough, and H’selvhara deserves commendation and our gratitude for her discovery.

Since our first day of searching just begins, let us talk about how our team can best go about achieving our goal. Does anyone wish to offer thoughts and suggestions on how we should proceed?”

Hrilleae spoke first. “Since there is so much information to review, I suggest each of us taking a different task; this way, we will not duplicate and waste effort.”

Dr. K’avahra added, “I agree that is a sound approach. I would add that making use of our respective strengths and interests might allow us to move faster through information.”

Very good suggestions, both, and I thank you.” Jahrae acknowledged. “Does anyone disagree or wish to add an alternative suggestion? No one?

Very well. Elsrensia, you seek out information on this genetic modification, both on the equipment – whether it can reverse these effects – and what actually happened to llhaesa on a microbiological basis.

All of you have the highest ranking of security clearance, and your requests carry a Chief of Government top priority authorisation. In other words, you ask, someone moves to get answers – quickly.

Chsensera, you study political science at Arrhazon College, so you are well suited to scrutinising government records. Get into the Arrhazon Archives database and research the time from llhaesa’s last day, going forward six months. Check outgoing military flights off Arrhazon, no matter the orbital destination.

They cloaked this information, and so you need to look for anomalies and departures from the usual patterns.

Saehressa, my request to you is slightly different. While I wish you to work with the interface, I would also ask that you make heavy use of Aailhra as you go about your tasks – see if you can sense anything that might guide us towards certain information, places, etc.

Review the files we already know of, go over them again, and look for things we may have missed.

M’traliel, with your business acumen, concentrate on the financial records of that time – what lies hidden in transport logs might unwittingly surface in the financial accounting.

Khahishra and Hrilleae, I would like both of you to study our records on each of the 140 possible destination-worlds. Look for information that might render a place a more likely destination, as well as information that might make it less likely.

Include as part of your review distance, how extensively explored, and the historical Arrhazonan view of that system. In fact, check out if any fall within our traditional night sky constellations – pay attention to folklore.

I will review the new information sent to us from Arrhazon, vet it, and send it to those of you it may assist. All of the information will be available in a central location, the address of which sets in your mail.

We will succeed! Of this, I have no doubt.

One more thing before we get down to work. You are volunteers, but also dear friends, and dear family. We do this out of love for llhaesa, though the world sends us because of its own respect and treasuring of our loved one. We have no set schedule, we work to the best of our ability – but!

We begin a mission with no end date, and we must take care to keep our minds fresh, our spirits high. Therefore, I will set a work schedule, and would like all of you to think on what you believe is a proper framework for achievement, but also recognising our need for well-nurtured minds and bodies.

Thank you so much for everything!” Jahrae finished her pep talk and plan implementation, and returned to her workstation. The team worked in close proximity; this was not the place of huge and plush executive offices. Jahrae wished that her team interact and share – healthy for teamwork, spirits, and sound results on a matter that required close interaction and communication.

No cubicles surrounded desks; Khahishra’s desk lie alongside of Hrilleae in the room’s centre. Jahrae’s desk sat in the front, looking out toward Khahishra and Hrilleae, while Chsensera and Saehressa’s desks were perpendicular to the other three, facing outward from along the left side wall. Elsrensia and M’traliel’s desks faced outward from the right side wall.

A steel grey carpet formed the flooring, while the left side wall housed two sizeable windows that looked out into the star-studded blackness of space.

Now back at her desk, Jahrae noticed a new communication signal. Clicking on it, she found a new message from H’selvhara, with yet more new information. Her eyes moved to the away from the heading, toward the body of the communication, and she began to read:

CoG Special Representative Jahrae,

New information obtained on this date from records examination. Llhaesa taken off world on 411.5433 aboard orbital transport K’sura, and there is no record of llhaesa subsequently disembarking that transport. There is no record of other transport contact beyond orbital rendezvous with AISV Jredvarha.

AISV Jredvarha was new to the fleet that year, the first of the J class interstellar vessels. Records indicate an absence of routine AISV Jredvarha reports to central command from 409.5433 until 230.5434. No subsequent files submitted and no explanation for the 241-day gap. Fleet policy requires report submission every 10 days.

We are attempting to locate former members of the Jredvarha crew. We will forward information as soon as obtained.

Senior Inspector H’selvhara
Arrhazonan Investigative Services
Chief of Government Office

Jahrae hit the hot key that connected her to Admiral I’Isahra M’lensa. “I’Isahra, might you be able to join me here in ten minutes?” Jahrae asked, but she well knew the Admiral, following a lifetime of military protocol, would view her request as a command.