Personal Video Correspondence

From: Captain Erryla Antares, Pax Novis

To: Commissioner Brann Jasper-Antares

Terra-Sol date 3814.256

Message status: Send pending

Transcript below

Zeze, I don’t know what to do. There are stowaways on my ship, and regulations say I should either space them or drop them in security-locked cryopods until I can turn them over to authorities on Paxis, but they’re children. Orphans. One of them is already dead. I can’t believe—don’t want to believe, I guess—that they’re responsible for the problems that’ve been plaguing the ship for weeks. Worse, though…worse… [a deep breath] Cira is involved in this. She’s the one who let them on the ship and helped them stay hidden for cycles. They’ve been on Pax Novis for cycles and I never knew because my own daughter kept it from me. She lied and now she—

[Her voice cracks. She covers her mouth with her hand for a moment]

I don’t think I can protect her from this, Zeze. Regulations say she should already be locked away with the stowaways, and stars forgive me, I almost did it. She swears she can help us track down the person actually responsible for the sabotage on board, though. Or, she swears her stowaways can help, and she has convincing proof. They’ve already done a lot to track movement in the hidden sections of the ship. If we were in any other situation, I’d be offering the lot of them positions on the crew, but we’re not, and I can’t, and I don’t know what to do with this!

You always… [she takes a deep, shuddering breath] You always seemed to know how to handle impossible situations. I don’t know if even you’ll be able to see a way out of this one for me, but I need your help. Please, Zeze, tell me what to do. I don’t know how to find my way out here anymore. There aren’t any stars I know to guide me.