Leo, Nadia and Philip couldn't believe their luck when they got into the 'New Horizon' programme. Out of thousands of applicants, they were the ones chosen to be the first young scientists to fly beyond the Solar System on board the 'Andromeda' spacecraft. The launch station in Earth's orbit looked like a moving city. A service helicopter flew over their heads and announcements in English, Chinese and a few other languages echoed around them. Leo felt a rush of adrenaline as he led the team through the airlock to the lift leading to the deck. Nadia could not take her eyes off the Earth suspended in the panoramic window, and Philip was already discussing the ship's nuclear reactor system with one of the engineers. Inside Andromeda, everything seemed new, alien and exciting. They were locked for years in a metal box the size of a stadium, equipped with hydroponic gardens, artificial gravity and laboratories with capabilities greater than many Earth universities. They quickly got to know the rest of the crew, including Commander Eika Hashimoto - stern but fair - and Dr Malik, an astrobiologist from Nigeria who was in charge of the expedition's scientific objectives. Shortly after exiting the Hyperspace Portal, the ship found itself in planetary orbit of a previously unknown world, code-named HD-1032b. On the screens appeared the image of a blue-grey sphere, shrouded by swirling clouds and patches of purple vegetation. Everyone stared at it as if mesmerised. "The scanners are detecting .... something strange near the equator," Nadia said, leaning over one of the consoles. "I'm sending the image to the main screen." The entire crew froze as the widescreen monitor showed a shape resembling a huge geometric ring hovering over the planet's surface. It looked decidedly unnatural. Philip spoke up: "This can't be a natural formation. Look at those angles. Someone, or something, built it." Commander Hashimoto looked meaningfully at the young scientists. "Research team, prepare to descend to the surface. Priority mission. You have two hours." Leo felt his heart beating harder. In his mind, he was already putting together a list of the equipment he needed to take. Nadia was trembling slightly with excitement, and Philip seemed completely absorbed in analysing the data he had collected. As they approached the lander, a new, unfamiliar beep suddenly sounded on the communicator. Symbols quickly appeared and disappeared on the screen, which no onboard system recognised. The lights on board flickered. The radio continued to pick up intermittent, rhythmic pulses. Nadia exchanged a communicative glance with Leo. "It could have been a message," she whispered. "Or a warning." The door from the lander opened and a view of the planet's purple plains stretched out before them. The three young scientists looked at each other, aware that they were about to cross a boundary that no one had crossed before them. They took a step forward, when suddenly-