After retrieving Chon and yí mā from Old Russia, Cassius had died.

    And I missed him, even though it had been eight years since he passed away. This was because along with my aunt, Cassius had picked up where yí bā, my untcle Tengfei, had left off. And between them, they had made my orphaned soul feel, loved. Once he'd gone, Dynasty's doctors performed his post-mortem and determined that Cassius' death was of natural causes. But to those who really knew him, we agreed that his sore, lonely heart, was probably the cause. While my aunt laid in cryogenic stasis, it was also probable that watching over the lifeless widow had taken its toll on him.

    Now, Cassius' passing might have jeopardized the remaining Phases of The Shadow Project. However, between him and yí mā, they had prepared for any eventuality, even their deaths. Intensively, they'd groomed and mentored an apprentice who they had deemed worthy.

    Me.

    And thanks to their teachings throughout The Solution years, I was now a formidable doctor and masterful in a varied range of the sciences. Aboard Dwarven Earthian Star, I had inherited the cryogenics lab, as well as the role of Shadow Project Caretaker. And essentially, I was now the one watching over my comatose aunt. But aside from that important task, The Elders had left me with some profound instructions. Quoting yí Myā before she had left the dwarf, she said: 'Niece, no matter the cost, train her... No matter the obstacles, enlighten her...'

    Lastly, once my second cousin, Skye, was able to communicate effectively, I was to summon the family. And subsequently, the junior was now fully conversant, and ten years old, today...

    Skulking around with a purpose, I'd performed my final checks. Moments later, everything inside of the cryogenics lab was ready for the presentation. This included two strange-looking machines which were placed either side of my elevated aunt. The machines were also connected to her horizontal pod via intravenous tubes and electrical cables. As instructed, my next course of action was to invite four important people here - our other family members. "Time to send out a multiple mind-message," I reminded myself in murmur. "It's time to ask them to bring their gifts..."

    A short period of time soon passed.

Then the lab's external sensor began to pick up movement.

        They had arrived.

    "...Here, we, go," I further whispered, forcing myself to be calm. "Yí mā, I hope this goes to plan..." Nervously, I decrypted and then dematerialized the holo-field to allow access. And understandably, three of my kin sauntered in with pace and stood defensively - their body languages showing signs of frustration.

    However, the fourth member dragged her little feet, while her aura gave off an attitude which was juvenile and aloof. "Every day I have to come here and watch her sleep. What's the point?" Skye asked. "I want to be here when she finally wakes up."

    "Siyu, the point is respect," the girl's father explained, whose firm tone inspired silence.

    "Xen, Chon, Sarah and Skye, hello," I started, hoping to ease the tension. "More importantly, happy birthday, Little Lady! Siyu, once we've finished up here, I plan to treat you to the biggest spirulina sundae that you can handle!" With a sudden change in demeanor, Skye beamed an ecstatic smile.

    Meanwhile, stood a few feet away, the girl's uncle couldn't help but interrupt the offer of my playful prize. "Sukes, Siyu was in class. Chon and Sarah were in the middle of broadcasting. And I was on a profound link with Secretary-General Albers. We're now weeks away from The Second Solution. Every second counts and I need a clear head. Couldn't this have waited until we passed by later?" Xen quizzed.

    "Yeah, Sukes. What's going on?" Sarah questioned, unable to stop the displeasured tap of a foot. "Why've you brought us here so unexpectedly?"

    "Well, because, I was instructed to..." I said with gravitas.

    As expected, the undertone in Sarah's voice was, unusual. "Sukes, who exactly would demand such a thing?"

    Despite my nerves, I just came out with it. "Our matriarch," I hummed, at the same time pointing to my sleeping mentor.

    "Suki, what!" Chon quipped with sudden worry. "Is she okay?"

    "She is, she is. And still stable in the pod's Cold Cloud."

    "Phew," Xen breathed with relief. "Suki, if she's still in the induced coma, how did mùqīn ask you to bring us here...?" he pressed.

    "Well, Xen, because, she no longer is..."

    "Cousin. If so, then why does it look like she's still sleeping?"

    "Because now, she is only sedated," I revealed. "Guys, it's meant that her mind-messages have been coming through, successfully."

    "What?" Sarah grumbled. "Sukes, if that's the case, why hasn't she messaged any of us?"

    "Yeah," Chon added in vexation, "what on Dwarven Earthian Star is going on?"

    "Cousins, relax," I suggested, my appeasement an objective in the moment. "Soon enough, all will make sense... But for now, I will disclose the first bit of information.

    "Everyone, following her secret instruction, I 'reanimated' yí mā three days ago. Using the appropriate drugs, I've been nursing her, and as a result, she is getting stronger. The remaining sedative in her system is only mild. Therefore, I believe it won't be long before she can force herself awake."

    "But Sukes, Cassius always explained that if she was ever reanimated, the tumor would start growing again! So why would you do this?" Xen asked, his tone just as aggressive as his mother's abnormality. "And, why would she even ask you to?"

    "Because, my dear family, Phase Two of The Shadow Project is about to begin..."

    Instantly, Xen, Sarah and Chon looked at one another. Their facial expressions seemed unsurprised and naturally so. After the epic reveal of SS-CSP almost a decade ago, they all knew of Widow Lai's unorthodox genius. And to most aboard Dwarven Earthian Star, it was clear that The Elder was the originator who Xen had acquired his abilities from.

    Once the words had left my mouth, I paused and glared at Skye again.

    However, this time for longer.

    Then in that strange moment, an air of uneasiness seemed to manifest from Skye. Responsively, my Little Siyu shied away from me and hid by curling herself around Sarah's lower body.

    I'd glanced at Syke that way to warn her that something serious was coming. And now that I had her attention, I knew she was ready. My next move was to inhale deeply, in order to share more of my aunt's deepest, darkest, and oldest secret.

    I'd drifted away from the four of them until I was beside Widow Lai. Then I'd held my wrist aloft. After opening a holoscreen interface and configuring it, three fibre-mesh ports beamed out in front of me.

    All three port holders were differently shaped.

    Next, I made an obvious request. "Xen, the gift that yí mā once gave you; please; unwrap it and place into the left port." Before he did so, Xen examined the object. It was palm-sized, flat, and rectangular in shape, although the middle was hollow.

    Xen's next move was to ogle me. "Sukes, this had better be good..." Based on his behavior, it appeared that Xen knew nothing intricate of our project. Based on his choice of words, it also appeared that he did not like the fact.

    Leaving Skye momentarily, Sarah followed. "Come on Sukes, tell me what she's up to? What does this cylinder thingy do?"

    In response, I only offered a mute smile which was accompanied with an instruction. I'd pointed for Sarah to put the cylinder into the middle port.

    Finally, Chon ventured forwards. While he strode, he unwrapped his. It was much smaller than Xen's gift, but clearly the same type of technology. "Suki, this is either an amazing present for Skye - the start of something big - or both. I know it," he surmised, before placing the last gift into the right port.

    Again, I didn't share a thing until all were standing back and ready to listen. And observe. "Xen...in an inadvertent way...The Solution started before you, or any of us, were even born..." Immediately, it was clear to see that adrenalin had rocketed through the visionary's body. This was because a shocked frown imploded across his face.

    But preemptively, I'd asked something of my eldest cousin. "Xen, please, don't interrupt..." To reinforce my request, all four of my words were solemn. "There is much more to explain..." Rightly so, Xen managed to control himself and offered me a yielding nod. After all, over his illustrious career, Xen had often asked audiences to remain patient, too.

    Appreciative, I divulged more. "...For yí mā, she had called it, 'The Mission'..."

    "...Okay. Go on," Sarah requested. "We're listening..." Based on her reserved expression, it was possible that Sarah was very anxious to see how my revelation might involve her only child.

    Skye glared on, none-the-wiser.

    "Xen, your program was only ever a smaller part of a much bigger picture. In 2010, and before Laina had met Tengfei, she arrived in the Altai Mountains. As you know, her purpose there was to compare old glacial ice cores with the melting ones to understand our weather and the dying Earth. Furthermore, Baiko's secrets were the most, 'significant'. It helped yí mā to comprehend the fact that a rare type of storm might purge the world one day.

    "Xen, in a means to prepare and defend against such an event, your mùqīn, 'groomed you'. She did so via the sciences and political will, confident that one day you would pioneer a solution - confident that one day, you would champion The Solution, itself. She tells me that she did not know how it would happen exactly. But, yí mā always hoped that the outcome would ascend civilization into space - feeling that our constellations are where mankind's destiny will truly begin..."

    I paused on purpose, expecting questions to follow.

    "...Okay, Suki, look. I get all of that," Chon said. "After all, mùqīn was obsessed with astronomy just as much. But what is the bigger picture here? And how does it relate to these weird gifts docked in front of us?"

    Along with Chon, the others looked at me blankly, until I'd responded. "Well, Chon, abnormal ice cores were not the only secret that the last glacier, harbored..."

    "...What?" Xen uttered - his one word filled with intrigue.

    As planned...I touched at Sarah's trinket until a dull orange glow emanated from it. Once it had wowed their eyes, I touched at it again which allowed a long rectangular hatch to open. After the retraction of the cover, gasps followed. "Astonishingly, yí mā also found, 'this'..."

    "What, is it?" Xen asked, looking as though he was trying to discern whether the encased object was a large desiccated bone, or some type of, elongated key.

    "We're not sure," I finally shared. "Nor do we know how it got locked in the ice. But what we do believe is that, this artefact is not of Earth. At yí mā's secret request, James Raythorpe and his associates analyzed it for many years. All they could determine was that it predates most archaeological and palaeontological records - hence our belief."

    "...What the hell," Chon murmured, putting a hand over his mouth. "You really believe that we're not alone, don't you?"

   "Yes," I said with a confident raise of my brows. "This is our hypothesis. However, we want to make absolutely sure that we are right."

    "And how do you plan on doing that...?" Sarah asked, who also frowned with disbelief.

    "...I will, s-show you," Widow Lai sputtered. Suddenly, our matriarch had come back to life. "Suki. I will take it from h-here."

    "Yes, yí mā, as you wish," I responded with a bow.