On the 7th of March, 2023, all contact was lost with the RV Borayas, an architect research vessel

sent up north from the coast of Svalbard only two months prior. It had been tasked with

prospecting newly discovered rock formations 50 nautical miles from the settlement of Nielsen,

but had gone dark about two weeks into its mission. A recovery team was sent to assess the situation.

As they boarded the deck, they reported no sign of the vessel's original crew,

and though they didn't discover any damage to the ship itself, each and every lifeboat

had been apparently sabotaged, preventing any crew from escaping. As the recovery team delved

deeper into the bowels of the ship, they quickly realized that something was terribly wrong.

The reports were unclear about what exactly happened. The initial team reported finding

strange biological matter that appeared to react to their presence. But before they could

accurately describe their findings, the transmission was cut short by the sound of screaming,

followed by radio silence. Both the vessel's original crew and the initial recovery team were

reported dead, with a second operation on the way. Though one clear what to expect once on board,

the secondary team was equipped with heavy weaponry and explosives to take down the RV Borayas.

Should the mission prove unsuccessful?

Dr. Teague, a man half-asked, half-stated as he approached me on deck.

Figures they'd send a scientist on a dangerous recovery mission. He continued sarcastically.

Did they tell you what happened to the last guys they sent over there?

I nodded and responded with as little emotion as I could muster.

That they're dead? Right. He responded, almost surprised by my blunt answer.

The man before me was Dale Jackson, the leader of our recovery operation.

He was a battle-hardened man who'd taken part in many hostage situations at sea.

...