‘Will you take me to our companions? I do not mind a little exercise.’

‘It is better to help Vincent; a woman does not have to climb the mountains.’

‘He can handle it without me. I'm a soldier for you like everyone else. Make up your mind, Commander. Sometimes a woman’s opinion is useful in such situations.’

‘Everything is ready for the night.’ Dexter’s black face appeared from the black hole in the fuselage.

‘Okay, you guys bring the Chinaman and if he wakes up, feed him. We will be there soon.’ The searching of the area for the fire did not take a long time. Reynolds decided to rekindle Dan who was silent most of the way, sometimes glancing in the direction of his companion.

‘You are not very talkative. We spent the whole day together, and I have the impression that you do not have a name. Maybe I'm wrong?’

‘My name is Dan Reynolds. You can call me Dan.’

‘That’s very nice. My name is Ellen Parsons. You may call me Helen.’

‘How did you get into the army?’

‘I'm an expert in computer technology. I have only been in the regular units for a couple of months. I was working in the Pentagon. But my father was transferred to Asia, and I had to go with my family.’

‘So your parents were afraid to leave their little girl in the house alone?’

‘Do not laugh, I love my parents.’

‘How old are you, Ellen?’

‘Only such a low-life as you could ask a girl this question. Do not worry, I'm old enough to make my own decisions.’

‘Let's go back to the camp, Helen. It’s quite dark and the guys are probably getting worried.’

Reynolds sent Vincent and Dexter to relax after the dinner, and he took up the signal fire duties. It was necessary to throw wheel tyres into the fire during the night to make the flames stronger. Helen tried to help him, but Dan insisted that she went to bed. The day had been stressful, and who knew what will happen tomorrow. Reynolds was sitting close to the fire, and in four hours will raise some wine. A gust of wind whipped across his frustrated face, forcing him to tighten the collar of his jacket.

The indicators on the scoreboard flashed at a furious rate. An unknown ship, breaking the atmospheric shield, raced towards the base. The scanner transmitted on the screen the image of an uninvited guest. A minute later a monstrous picture of the explosion indicated the place of contact with the surface of the planet spaceship.

‘Packet-boat class "A". Shoot the emergency capsule at an altitude of three thousand meters!’ The operator looked at the attendant, waiting for further instructions.

‘Determine the point of landing capsule! All this information is forwarded immediately to the Magistrate communicators.’

The emergence of the imperial ship did not bode well. Only an order of cosmos plans and visitors from space occasionally visited the “Terra” sector. The Council Hall was buzzing like a disturbed hive. The Supreme Master entered accompanied by four guards, dressed in silver protective overalls. The Council members stood up, welcoming the head of the Order. The Master gestured, inviting participants to take their seats, and went to the point immediately:

‘As you know, a guest from the sphere visited us. Perhaps the navigation equipment was out of order so the crew was unable to land the ship. Bioskanery fixed the weak radiation emergency capsule. Suppose the onboard ball of packet boat managed to send a distress signal and location coordinates of the ship before entering the atmosphere. When he came to sector one, the probability that it will be heard, is negligible. But if somewhere nearby there is a support group, there can be problems. Radars of earthlings are primitive; they will still allow secure objects in orbit.’

‘And if someone except us will try to establish contact with the military starships, and even more so to attack them, we cannot control the situation.’

‘I ask for words!’The keeper of the Sacred Gate went into the center of the room. ‘I think we have to eliminate all traces of the disaster and isolate the crew.’

‘What do you mean by “isolating them’? That means the ability to restrict movement, or, as you expressed together to eliminate the traces of disaster. Let me remind you that the death of any living being is contrary to the Charter of the Order!’

‘Teacher!’

The man was dressed in purple clothes, standing at the entrance to the hall. The Supreme Master respectfully bowed at the sight of him. The Master of the Order was not usually present at the meetings of the Board. Their task was to transfer knowledge of the members of the brotherhood and strengthen the spiritual power of the Order. At the time, each of the novices took the hardest cycle selection in the Abode of the Sacred Law; the members of the Magistracy weren't the exception. The honoring of teachers, which had been built into the walls of the Temple of Knowledge, remained in the hearts of the brothers for life.