Labeled as a WEB-DL from a dead streaming server, the metadata read: TR-BES.3MP-RES. —Three-Megapixel Resolution Test, Terran Bureau of Extrasolar Security. Classified. Deleted. Then somehow re-uploaded.

Dr. Elara Venn decoded old video streams for a living. Her job at the Farpoint Archive: salvage ancient .264 encoded files from the pre-FTL internet. Most were cat videos or forgotten sitcoms.

Then her screen flickered. A new message appeared: