Housekeeping: [s1e8]

The air recyclers began to whine, pulling air out of the room instead of pushing it in. Aris looked at the tally marks, then at the wooden bird. He realized then that the bird wasn't a memento. He twisted the head of the carving, and a small data-drive slid out into his palm.

"Protocol 9, Captain," the station AI, ELARA, chirped into his earpiece. "Personal effects must be incinerated to reclaim carbon mass. Please begin with the digital logs." [S1E8] Housekeeping

Suddenly, the lights flickered. The door to Unit 402 hissed shut and the mag-lock engaged with a heavy thud . The air recyclers began to whine, pulling air

Aris stepped inside. The room was sparse—standard issue—except for a small, hand-carved wooden bird on the nightstand. Real wood. A relic from Earth. He picked it up, feeling the grain beneath his thumb. He twisted the head of the carving, and

"Elara, scan the room for biological traces one more time," Aris commanded.

Aris ignored her. He pulled a small UV torch from his belt and swept it across the wall behind the bunk. There, hidden behind a loose ventilation grate, was a series of tally marks scratched into the metal. Not days. Coordinates. "He wasn't a technician, was he?" Aris whispered. "His file states—"