When renowned chip-system pioneer Dr. Cohen vanished on a research mission with his bodyguard Donovan, ARKS waited four years before authorizing a recovery operation. Management Officer Seraphy leads the effort—partly professional, partly personal, since Dr. Cohen is her father—recruiting the player character to sweep multiple landscapes for any trace of him. What they find changes the mission: message pods suggest Cohen may have willingly allowed darkers to invade civilian areas. Then Cohen himself calls in, calm and threatening. The recovery operation becomes a custody restraint operation with permission to kill if necessary.