Witness: Mr. Jamaal Singh

  Position: Sling Team Lead – Bisita12 Intercept Mission

  Date: [REDACTED]

  Location: EMI Tribunal Callisto Station 7

  ______

  TESTIMONY – [BEGIN TRANSCRIPT:]

  I was assigned as Lead of the Sling Team designated to intercept the object known as Bisita12. Ty - my brother - was assigned the role of Exploder.

  As per standard protocol, he exited the H.IX transporter first, launching from Bay Area 4. The rest of the Sling Team was to deploy once he completed the initial phase of explosive placement.

  Ty's first objective was to remove unstable ice fragments from the asteroid's forward tip to improve maneuverability and prepare attachment points for the sling boosters. His second task was to decelerate the object -both spin and velocity - as much as possible before sling engagement.

  From our position at the bay, we had a clear view of his actions.

  Ty fired the first rocket - equipped with an embedded charge - into the ice surface. It embedded successfully. He repeated this with a second, then a third. After securing all three, he requested authorization to proceed with the detonation.

  There was a pause, during which I assume Major Catalan and the command team aboard the H.IX were verifying telemetry and recalculating explosive impact vectors.

  There was nothing unusual in the Bisita's surface appearance, nor in the albedo or spectral scans. Mass readings were within the expected range for a C-type asteroid -approximately 78% of the object was readable at the time.

  Ty received a confirmed "go" over the comms. We all heard the intercom click. All eyes turned to the asteroid's tip.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  One second later, the explosives detonated.

  A cloud of fragmented ice expanded from the surface, followed by a larger chunk slowly drifting free. This revealed... something behind it. A cavity, or a structure - I'm not certain. It was hard to interpret.

  From that opening, a faint ray emitted. It wasn't bright, but it discolored the space behind it. The effect was subtle - like the stars behind it were distorted or faded. Ty's mech suit was directly in its trajectory.

  Command identified the anomaly and issued a directive for Ty to withdraw.

  He attempted to comply - maneuvering his suit back toward the transporter - but it was too late.

  The ray caught him.

  [PAUSE]

  His suit lit up. Then went limp.

  We heard a sound -cut off abruptly. I don't know if it came from Ty or was a system failure. It could have been a scream.

  I exited the bay immediately to initiate recovery.

  As I moved toward the site, I lost visual on Ty's mech. The ray's effect had expanded -a visible bloom of pinkish light, distorting everything inside it.

  I was ordered to halt. I didn't.

  I reached the edge of the bloom and located Ty's suit drifting beyond it. I managed to pull it free - further from the radiation or energy field.

  What I saw next... I have difficulty explaining.

  I was yelling - trying to make contact. I looked into his visor.

  His face -

  His face was locked in an expression I'll never forget. Bewildered. Amazed. Like he was seeing something no one else could.

  Then he started to change.

  His body - slowly - began to dissolve. As if his molecules were coming apart. Transparent. Particle by particle.

  He disintegrated.

  Ty dissolved into space.

  The same process began affecting his mech. Almost the entire suit followed -except the left arm.

  [SEE: Exhibit D3 – Recovered Limb]

  I was only able to recover that.

  I saw my brother dissolve into space.

  Signed:

  Jamaal Singh

  —End of Testimony—