Prologue. Part 1

Mars-4 transport station needs a renovations desperately. About 10 years ago, the government of the Martian colony succumbed to numerous business demands and built new transport hub to ease-off the main station. Although, it didn't help much. The new station clearly failed to cope with intense stream of cargo moving to the Mars surface and in the opposite direction. Years later, they'd say even a private mini-station near the outer planets looks like a mansions comparing to Mars-4.

Captain closed the door of the customs office behind, and immediately found himself in the wailing crowd. Hi resisted firmly the desire to push people aside, and made his way into the waiting room. After a moment of hesitation, he took a chair by the window and stretched out his legs with relief. A seat at the left was occupied by an elderly but sturdy, unkempt woman, twirling a broken keychain in her hands. Captain glanced at her with dislike and sighed. Only two hours to wait, and he'll leave this place. Two hours: that is how long it takes for robotic loaders to secure the cargo on the external sling of the White Walrus, his spaceship.

Mars — one of the most industrialized planets of the solar system — was clearly visible outside the window at a distance of more than 9 thousand kilometers. A chain of three cargo ships stretched from the station in a direction of the planet. To their left a huge transport flew up to the station. In space, it is difficult to estimate by eye speed and direction of objects, but something unnatural in this ship caught the captain's attention. A huge lump, lined with metal, not less than 20 meters high. On its board, he barely read the numbers: 2264. This is probably a year built. Such large ships are usually used in the outer solar system, because this is just commercially unfeasible to send small transport ships there. And this is not always possible, given how much fuel such flight takes.

Suddenly the captain realized what's wrong with this ship. It was further from the station than it seemed at first. And therefore the transporter was moving very quickly. Much faster than it should.