‘Why are they not evacuated?’

‘The Department has announced that it is closed for quarantine. A pair of rockets stuffed with viral strains hit the planet’

‘And now?’

‘What is needed now? Mineral resources are not available, or rather are, but in such a volume that it is of no interest to the industry groups. There is no sense to comprise a military base here in this suburb, you know this yourself. The Special Department[12] said that the natives have managed this planet and divided it into states on racial grounds, which were close to the galaxy.’

A sharp buzzer made the lieutenant pay attention to the scanner screen.

‘This is a signal of the opening of the tunnel!’

Eric typed something into the computer keyboard, increasing the power of the control devices.

‘We have finally come. We will give the package a couple of weeks and will… Damn!’ The packet boats convulsively vibrated, which were controlled by the power of the main engines. Moving the ship to manual control, Olaf stared at the picture on the screen. The nose of a light cruiser crawled out to cast a blue glow into the tunnel. The classifier of the packet boats precisely defined the ownership and type of ship, finding it easily on the database of opponents.

‘We will leave on the beam of "Terra" and I do not think that they will open fire on this side of the planet!

Eric watched the actions of the commander in silence, not quite understanding what was happening. There was a ship, even if not the Imperial, the computer identified him as a possible opponent. But the cruiser did not take any aggressive actions; we should have first contact with the guest, and not get bogged down.

‘We do not have time to go into hyperspace; I will try to dive into the atmosphere!’ The Major was nervous as he knew what threatened the meeting with the Arktarians. A bright flash blinded Eric. He felt a sharp pain around his temples, with colored circles swimming before his eyes. The lieutenant fell into the black abyss of oblivion. Pictures from the past, extracted from the depths of the brain, surfaced in his mind.

Waves lazily ran ashore in the shallow tide. His feet were sinking into the soft wet sand. Eric confidently strode along the plot of land on time, released by the ocean without fear of hurting his feet on the sharp edge of the shell. In contrast to his home planet, Velburge, shellfish simply did not exist. The man was heading towards a small island, located at the edge of the spit. After some time, the tide would hide an artificial bridge, which connected the shore with thr protruding boulders in the middle of the Gulf. Then the young man would be left alone for a few hours, surrounded by the gentle waves of the ocean.

For seven years, while being at the school of navigators, Eric often came to this island. Life in the big city was unusual for a boy who grew up in a small working village, and he constantly sought solitude. Eric tried as much as possible to come here and relax on a nice piece of land surrounded by water. He felt at home among the rock piles. The island became only relief for the young boy of fifteen years old, torn from his parents and thrown seven years into a strict world of rules and regulations.

Graduation will be tomorrow. Years of study were now behind him. Eric will get a short vacation after the graduation, and then he will go to one of the naval auxiliaries of the Imperial Navy for further service. Seven years and, finally, his goal will have been achieved. School navigators for people from the colonial district had only three planets of the Empire, representing different educational institutions. The boys from poor families and orphans could only become cadets. After passing the test, they were placed in quarantine for a long time, where the boys took a short course in psycho training and physical fitness. Then the entrance exams and only the most worthy were received into the school of navigators.

Eric's parents worked most of their lives in the quarries of a huge quarry-planet situated in one of the industrial sectors. After the transition of their native system under the protection of the Empire the residents were resettled to Staindsburg, ostensibly for the development of new territories. Staindsburg was named after the dark red sediment or ore dust called "Red Devils" and it became his home. Eric was born and raised there.

Working down the mines was the only prospect for local residents. Each family dreamed that their child would get out of this hell. Thousands of children tried their luck annually, submitting applications to a variety of educational institutions, but only a few managed to leave the planet. The Empire chose only the best. On the day when Eric passed the test and received a cadet's uniform, it turned into a celebration for the whole village.

Graduates were awarded the qualification of "technician-navigator", after graduating from high school, which corresponded in rank to a naval Lieutenant. Pilots who signed a contract, were on the provision of the Empire, and after the expiration, they could easily get a job on merchant ships. By the end of the contract, most browsers had the qualification of "master pilot". Flights were provided by such specialists, costing several thousand intergalactic dinars. But the price was quite reasonable for the peddlers. The cost of cargo was much higher than the cost of shipping. The fact that the ship was run by cool professionals that ensured the safety of the goods. However, few graduates of navigator schools were searching for such jobs. Money that had been received for the contract was quite enough for a comfortable existence. The majority were consultants at the military departments and groups of Astro Control, someone passed on the staff posts, but most prolonged the contract. Although a native of colonial remote places were unavailable highest goods of imperial life, Eric realized that the contract was the only way to get the family out of Staindsburg’s mess.

The man was lying on his back with outstretched arms. The pleasant warmth of stone, heated during the day by the hot Velburg's sun, was caressing his body. The Azure sky abyss was dissolving him in its arms. The tide was beginning. The Sound of the surf was strong, and the sandbar had disappeared under the water. Eric closed his eyes. The gold star will shine on his chest tomorrow, determining his rank and position in society. Although he was only twenty-two, by the standards of some galactic systems he was still a very young man. Therefore, Eric felt the strength and willingness to overcome any difficulties. He escaped from the clutches of the "Red Devil", and his family would not have to earn a livelihood by ingesting toxic dust from the quarries.

Dan Reynolds could not take his eyes off the scenery while sailing for the aircraft porthole. Mountain peaks, sheltered snow-white caps of snow, were striking in its beauty and grandeur. The speed and altitude "of Hercules" was given the opportunity to fully enjoy the splendor of the Himalayas.

It was no more than an hour’s flight to their destination. Taihang was holding himself. Sergeant Quinn Dexter was a huge well-built black man, and Corporal Vincent Santini was an Italian-American, both staring at the Chinese girl. In fact, Dan was glad when they were instructed to accompany Taihang. It was at least some variety.

On board, except for the pilots and the escort group, there was another passenger who caused special interest to the commander. There was a cute little girl in the form of a Warrant officer sitting in the first class. However, as soon as the plane gained altitude, she produced a "tablet" and delved into reading, ignoring the others. For a while, Den watched the girl, but then lost all hope to get acquainted, so he decided to take a nap.