“Oh shit…”
Arkay stood helplessly at the barrier blocking entrance to the crime scene. In the distance, the local Astynom, the Rethavok police force, were investigating and trying to work out what happened. A small public transport shuttle carrying fifty passengers and a crew of four had signalled for help before falling from the sky and crashing in a field, narrowly missing a small village about a kilometre away. But despite finding one of the many recording devices on board the shuttle and a large, burning crater, there were no traces that the shuttle even existed.
As to why Arkay, a short, stumpy, yellow and black Rethan, was standing there, well, it wasn’t just that he’d happened to be in the area. Despite his appearance, Arkay was a Ksa, an elite warrior who had dedicated his life to protecting the Rethan government. And somehow, Arkay was also one of the leading experts on cases known as ‘Deitic Incidents’. He had a long history of dealing with Deitic Incidents, and they’d taken a toll on Arkay, both physically and mentally.
Neither of those were the reason why Arkay was there though. That morning, his half-brother told him he was heading back home to see his partner. He had only told Arkay though, because he was heading back in secret. Said half-brother was on the very flight that had just disappeared, leaving nothing but the insides of a black box.
“Excuse me, ser, this is a restricted site.”
Arkay found his thoughts interrupted by a stern-looking being. This Rethan was almost double Arkay’s height and as wide as Arkay was tall. Looking at them both, one would not consider them to be the same species.
“I apologise. I was… in the area. I specialise in Deitc Incidents and I believe this might be one,” Arkay explained.
“Can I see your ID please?”
Arkay tapped his left wristband and a small card popped out the side. Arkay handed it to the other Rethan, who was clearly an Astynom officer.
“Arkay Theanon? It is a pleasure to meet you!” the Rethan’s expression lit up, before quickly fading away. “I assume you are here to assist with the case. Could they only afford to send one of you?”
“Apologies, ser, that is correct. The others are… preoccupied elsewhere.”
“Very well.”
The other Rethan lifted the barricade and let Arkay pass under it. “This way, ser.”
The two Rethavok walked for some distance. As per multi-species Maza laws, any incident like this had to have at least a hundred meter cut off area, restricting the public from getting close.
As they approached though, Arkay was already beginning to fear the worst. A shuttle, or anything travelling the way a shuttle does, would most likely skid across the ground, leaving a long trench. This scene though, the only existence of a crash was a single, round crater, almost as if the shuttle had stopped flying and nosedived at a ninety degree angle straight into the ground.
And even then, there’d be a lot of debris.
“What do you think?”
“This is wholly unnatural.”
The Astynom nodded. “That’s what we all thought.”
Arkay left the other Rethan’s side and stepped closer to the crater. He could sense something, a smell that didn’t fit with everything else. A metallic, alien scent that somehow also seemed familiar.
“Is this a Deitic Incident?”
Arkay didn’t answer. He was still looking and sniffing around.
“Ser?”
Finally, Arkay turned to face the Asytnom.
“Definitely. But not a type of Deitic I have seen before…”
Satisfied with Arkay’s answer, the other Rethan ran off to inform his supervisors, leaving Arkay on his own. A knot of sadness welled up in Arkay’s throat as he continued to survey his surroundings. But as he noticed a small, golden cube on the ground, a hint of determination flashed in Arkay’s eyes.
“Don’t worry, Arksi. I’ll find you…”