Trevor leaned forward slightly.

  "So, tell me about the rock. How did you come to find it?"

  Jamaal frowned.

  "What do you mean? We did a standard SnA — scan and analyze — like any other expedition. I'd invested in a used albedo scanner, rigged it onto the Amira. We ran scans on hundreds of objects before we found something of value."

  Trevor nodded, flipping open a file, which then appeared on the big screen.

  "According to your logs, you took the Amira pretty far into the Trojan belt. That's unusual. There's plenty to work with in the perimeter zones."

  Jamaal shrugged.

  "Maybe I was just curious. I've only done one deep mission before this. Thought I'd try my luck."

  He leaned back in his chair, arms folded.

  "Why all the questions? You have the logs. Should be everything you need."

  Trevor set the file on the table between them.

  "The logs are fine — perfect, in fact. But they don't tell me why you made certain choices. We need to understand the circumstances before we move to a formal evaluation. For example, why only take a fragment of the object? Why not sling the whole thing into Callisto's orbit and mine it properly?"

  Jamaal rubbed his jaw, eyes drifting toward the blue-lit projection wall.

  "We tried. Amira's thrusters glitched out. Besides, orbiting it draws attention. The regs, the red tape... everyone and their mother would be poking around. I figured best to bring a piece back and keep the rest quiet until we knew more."

  "Fair enough," Trevor said.

  Just then, Jamaal's messenger buzzed. He checked the screen.

  "Mind if I take this? I was supposed to meet someone for lunch—"

  "Go ahead," Trevor said, raising a hand. Jenna touched something on her pad and the door opened.

  Jamaal stepped out into the hallway. The screen flashed 'Unknown Caller.'

  He tapped accept.

  "Ffffffffvvvvvvzzzzzjjjjaaaa hhiiiiyyyaaaaaaa—"

  A wall of digital static tore through the line. He ended it immediately.

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  "Dammit," he muttered. He'd hoped it was Tomoko. He was hoping to tell her the meeting was going okay — at least, it didn't feel like he'd done anything wrong. Nothing that should trigger a Mining Board review.

  When he returned, Trevor was whispering something to Jenna, who quickly stopped and began typing as soon as she saw Jamaal.

  "That was fast," Trevor said.

  "Wasn't who I thought. Just a prank call or a system glitch."

  Trevor nodded slowly, then motioned to Jamaal's chair.

  "Let's continue. I wanted to ask — how did you finance the Amira? As far as I know, your brother's insurance payout hasn't been processed."

  Jamaal didn't hide the irritation in his voice.

  "Correct. I teamed up with some friends. My severance bonus, some savings — enough for the down payment for the lease."

  "You're not worried about competing with EMI?"

  Jamaal chuckled. "Are you?"

  Trevor smirked.

  "Not really. I'm more curious. Why keep mining at all?"

  "I did think about that," Jamaal admitted. "But what else was I going to do? I've lived on EMI stations for around a decade. Maybe I missed it? Besides, it wasn't even my idea. Tomoko and her crew were looking for a captain with equity."

  "So this wasn't a long-term plan between you and your brother?" Trevor's tone had shifted — cooler now.

  Jamaal caught the change.

  "Ah. You think we found something while working for EMI, kept quiet about it, and waited for a chance to go back and claim it."

  "You wouldn't be the first."

  "Well, you're wrong. We had other plans. I was gonna focus on music. Ty... he wanted to work with Artificial Perception."

  "I'm sorry about your brother," Trevor said quietly. "I know what it's like to lose someone close."

  Jamaal leaned forward, voice low.

  "Oh yeah? You know what it's like to lose your only family? The one person who's been with you from the start?"

  Trevor hesitated. "No. I don't."

  Silence.

  Jamaal poured himself some water.

  "You said Ty was working on Artificial Perception. While on Harvester IX, he developed a memory project, correct?"

  "Yeah. Every spare moment he had, basically."

  "Have you seen the program since his passing?"

  "No. I haven't even received his personal effects. His stuff should still be on Harvester IX."

  Trevor's expression darkened.

  "I'm sorry to say... we can't find a trace of it. It's gone."