The astro-geologist shivered. It was true. How could this be? He stared for several seconds and reached down to look at the neck. The scar was there along the right side, from that accident with his brother.
"You okay?" said Col. Thompson, looking at Holmes with some concern.
![Image](https://a1cf74336522e87f135f-2f21ace9a6cf0052456644b80fa06d4f.ssl.cf2.rackcdn.com/images/characters_opt/p-enders-game-harrison-ford.jpg)
Col. Thompson
Just as disturbing as the body of himself was where it was found. Saros stared in wonder at the sight before him: a small ship half-submerged into the stone floor of an underground cavern on the planet Phrusq-Vaznik. He couldn’t tell at first glance what type of ship - a space ship, environmental exploration craft, a type of air ship he’s not seen before?
The astro-geologist had no idea how such an object could be merged into rock. The upper half of the ship was exposed and apparently undamaged. Calcium carbonate mineral build up coated the vessel’s surface. It had been here for a long time. The team had to crack the layer of calcite like ice to get the hatch open. Inside was a small control room and the dead body. The back door leading into another room was sealed off by rock as the rest of the ship was merged into the cavern floor.
How had the ship got into this underground cavern, and merged into the stone floor?
Saros' mind whirled at the circumstances that had brought him here. The astro-geologist was on a well deserved vacation before shipping out on The Star Explorer for his first non-government job as part of a small crew on an exploratory mission beyond the known stars. Saros was relaxing on Starbase 16 in the Zenkar sector when he was contacted by the Dept. of Planetary Affairs. He was ordered to accompany a science expedition to Phrusq-Vaznik, a primitive M-class planet, where he was to consult on an issue that “held personal significance” to him. They did not define what that meant. Intrigued (and under what he felt was more than subtle pressure), Saros accompanied the team.
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Phrusq-Vaznik
The planetary geologist became more curious during the space flight, when he realized there was as much a military presence aboard as scientific. They landed on Phrusq-Vaznik near a large village with a three-person Dept. of Planetary Affairs "office" and made their way to a recently discovered underground cavern where the ship lay merged into the rock. Before Saros stepped foot into the ship's control room, Phil Janson the chemist whispered to Saros: "I overheard them saying the body was you." Saros didn't understand then, but did now.
“You need a minute Saros?” said Col. Thompson as Saros snapped back to attention.