The Swift is a research ship on its way home from a newly discovered alien planet. Last year's new model of research vessel, the Swift is equipped with an artificial gravity field generator, automatic air recycler, and an instant food synthesizer, along with the best portable research facilities available. The need for only a minimal crew is a testament to the advanced technology and convenience present on the ship.

The hope for researching this planet were simple: will we finally discover life on a planet beyond our own? After making a few orbits to scan the planet for life, the crew discovered that despite the all of the necessities of life being present, there were no living creatures on the planet and no plant life visible anywhere. They sent down several automatic pods in several locations of the planet to collect some air, soil, and water samples in the following days to see if perhaps there was any microscopic life present, but even still, they were not able to detect anything. After finishing up taking more photos and notes on the planet, they prepared their trajectory back home and left.

A few days into the long trip home, just before they would enter their stasis pods for the long haul, the crew met in the food dispensary for a last, celebratory meal. Just because they hadn't discovered life doesn't negate the fact that they were the first group of researchers to ever physically visit an alien planet! As everyone was sitting down with their synthesized meals, everyone noticed that one of the scientists, Henry Cho, was absent. The captain decided that some of the crew should go check on him to see if maybe he was feeling sick and needed some help.