The signal light flicked on the bridge management console, unraveling a web of lights across the interior of the Aurora ship. Captain Lira opened her eyes and for a moment she wasn't sure if she was already awake or if it was still a fragment of her star-drenched dream. The quiet murmur of the life support systems, however, testified that the return to reality was irrevocable. The interstellar ship Aurora drifted into the cool void far beyond the fringes of the known galaxy. More crew members were grambling out of their hibernation pods: the dishevelled technician Milo, the ever-controlled astrobiologist Kaia and the young security systems operator Jannik. They all hobbled around the deck semi-conscious for a few minutes, sipping a bitter wake-up drink, before it dawned on them where they were and why the central computer had woken them up just now. In the panoramic view in the main lounge, an unfamiliar stretch of space stretched out. It was darker here than near any star; the light of thousands of distant suns seemed barely a shadow against the black background. What attracted the most attention were the pulsating, irregular flashes - as if someone behind the thin curtain of emptiness was playing with a torch, trying to convey a message. The on-board computer displayed a message: "We have arrived at the target coordinates. Our sensors are detecting unknown energy signals. Recommended: cautious approach." Captain Lira placed her hand on the panel and looked at the others, trying to hide her growing excitement. The mission they had been preparing for for years was about to begin. Their task was to explore a new planetary system thousands of light years away from Earth, where, according to old radio transmissions, there might be something they had not yet seen. Little did they know, however, that they would be greeted by such anomalies. - 'Kaia, what are the readings? - She asked, not taking her eyes off the panoramic window. Kaia was already reviewing the data. - The energy waves are unusual. They do not resemble any known astronomical phenomenon. Their source is exactly at the centre of the system.... But something doesn't seem right to me. Milo, always curious, sent a reconnaissance drone in that direction. A dark globe appeared on the monitors, shrouded in a flickering aura. Something within it rippled gently, as if the planet was living a life of its own. Suddenly, all the screens went blank for a few seconds. During this time, perfect silence enveloped the entire ship - even the ship's computer went silent. When the power returned, an unidentified symbol appeared on one of the screens: a geometric spiral swirling inwards, with pulsating dots circling around it like swarms of skylights. The crew held their breath. For the first time they felt that, although they had been prepared for everything, something like this was not expected. - 'We're getting a signal...' - whispered Jannik. - 'But it's not anything we recognised. It looks as if... someone was trying to contact us. At that moment the Aurora began to turn slowly towards the unknown globe. The door to the communications section slid open with a rasp. An ominous sound came from inside the room, like the echo of a distant heartbeat. Captain Lira looked at the crew: - Let's go see what we're dealing with. Breathless, the crew followed Lira towards the source of the sound, having no idea what awaited them behind the communication door....