Discovery of a Signal: An intercepted signal coming from the Moon is a classic, high-stakes science fiction trigger, a compelling event that triggers this (fictional) mission to the Moon.

The NASA/ESA angle: This is an ambiguous signal—perhaps complex, repeating patterns similar to the fictional "DNA-style" signals sometimes theorized in other contexts, that are only initially picked up by a deep-space network or a specific lunar-observing mission. The ambiguity necessitates a manned mission to investigate.

HAL and the ARK's Role: Our idea of HAL and the ARK being the only entities with the data and computing power to decode or properly survey the signal's source is cinematic gold. This creates a reliance on the specialized crew and technology, justifying their central role in the mission.

Evidence of Life: The discovery of evidence of other life on the Moon is a monumental event that would instantly trigger a high-priority mission.

The Nature of the Find: This might not be a living organism, but a biosignature—perhaps an unexpected concentration of organic molecules, fossils in an ice sample from a permanently shadowed crater, or a unique biological byproduct found by a robotic lander or rover (like the kind used in current Mars or icy moon exploration proposals). All of these possibilities are for John Storm to discover and interpret.

HAL and the ARK's Role: If the discovery is a subtle anomaly in vast datasets (e.g., spectral analysis of lunar dust or ice), the advanced data processing capabilities of HAL and the ARK would be crucial for initial identification and later, for guiding the human investigation on the lunar surface. This adds a layer of mystery and technical necessity.

ARES CORPORATION: FINANCIALS AND POLITICAL WEB

Stock and Valuation:

Ares Corporation trades publicly on the NASDAQ under the ticker ARES. Its valuation is volatile, currently sitting at an aggressive $90 billion based almost entirely on the calculated net-present-value of its potential off-world assets. The company operates with massive leverage, making its stock a high-risk, high-reward investment favored by speculators. The value often surges based on vague, high-profile announcements regarding "unconfirmed geological findings" or "favorable regulatory developments" engineered by Thorne.

Political and Covert Partners:

Senator Alistair 'Al' Babcock (R-TX): Thorne's most powerful, if unofficial, partner. Senator Babcock, a long-time member of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee, consistently champions legislation that deregulates deep-space commercial activity and provides generous tax incentives and public infrastructure grants specifically benefiting Ares Corporation's Houston operations. Their relationship is purely transactional; Vance receives massive, untraceable political contributions, and Thorne receives protection and market advantage.

The 'NASA' Shadow Division: Ares maintains a covert relationship with a highly specialized, semi-autonomous section within NASA's resource management division. This cell, staffed by Thorne’s former colleagues (The NASA Connection), provides Ares with pre-release raw telemetry data from public-funded deep-space probes. This allows Ares to file legal claims on newly identified lunar and asteroid ice deposits days or weeks before the data is officially released to the public or other competitors.

Contract History: The Ruthless Portfolio

Ares Corporation’s portfolio is built on exploiting necessity and weakness, giving it two major, highly profitable contract streams:

Space Debris Clearance (The "Cleaning" Facade): While publicly marketed as "Orbital Debris Remediation," Ares’s contracts are designed for maximum asset retention. Their agreements often allow them to claim all recovered materials, regardless of their origin, resulting in the theft of high-value components (like specialized optics, rare alloy components, and propulsion systems) from derelict or competitor satellites. This practice, a continuation of Thorne's early Orbital Salvage Hustle, has led to multiple international lawsuits that Ares consistently stalls in court.

Planetary Mining Exploration (The Claim-Jumping): Ares does not invest in high-risk exploration. Instead, it waits for smaller, legitimate exploration companies (like the struggling Frontier Geologics) to invest billions in surveying a resource, and then uses a combination of tactics:

Financial Hostility: Buying up their debt or initiating crippling legal challenges over minor regulatory breaches.

Regulatory Lockout: Using political influence (Senator Vance) to create new, sudden regulatory hurdles that only Ares’s well-staffed compliance team can navigate, effectively forcing the smaller rival out of the competition for the asset. This ensures Ares gets the resource-rich claim for pennies on the dollar, making their "exploration contracts" merely acquisition paperwork.

Investor Context: A Warning for Sharma and Meloni

For high-net-worth individuals like Anya Sharma and Musket Meloni, Ares Corporation presents a unique dichotomy:

The Opportunity: Ares offers the highest-leverage exposure to the emerging off-world resource economy. If Thorne secures the ARK asset and its associated planetary mining rights, the stock is virtually guaranteed to double, making early investment monumental.

The Risk/Warning: The company's valuation is a house of cards built on political favoritism and legal ambiguity. Any significant shift in the U.S. Senate or an unfavorable international court ruling could instantly crash the stock, as the entire business model is predicated on being above the law. Furthermore, investing in Ares means tacitly endorsing Thorne’s ruthlessness and entanglement with covert government asset appropriation. Their investments would be compromised not by market forces, but by ethical or legal fallout.

RIVALS

Ares Corporation is a competitor to Anya Sharma and Musket Meloni. They views John Storm, and the Elizabeth Swann, as an opportunity missed, but something to chase and sabotage, if that will get them the technology to increase the value of Ares Corporation. Ares calculate that John is an easy acquisition, after his saving of Kulo-Luna, the humpback whale that defied whaling pirates. If they strike the right notes.

CAST 0F CHARACTERS

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This is a work of fiction, the characters are the product of the authors imagination, except where real or historical persons are included

But where that may be so, the thoughts and actions of those persons is fictional and not those of any historical or real person.