Before Egypt

Space freighter captain Mike Mallison runs a modest charter out of the bustling Outer Port, assisted by Nicko, a four‑armed Martian whose sharp teeth and bell‑like voice turn heads wherever they go. Their routine is interrupted when an elderly professor, Arnold Brandon, and his striking daughter Doree step aboard, clutching a translated papyrus that allegedly maps a lost world hidden in the ninth segment of Orion. The professor insists the scroll proves the planet exists, despite skeptical earthbound scholars who dismissed it as a fantasy.

Intrigued and wary, Mallison negotiates a risky voyage, agreeing to haul the pair for seven thousand credits in hopes of uncovering the ancient mystery. As the crew plots a course toward the uncharted starfield, the promise of buried Egyptian knowledge collides with the practical dangers of deep‑space travel. Listeners are drawn into a suspenseful first act where trust, curiosity, and the lure of forgotten history compete for dominance.