Eduardo Olmos

Federation Officer Shapiro crash-lands on a desert planet with no sign of water, life, or a way off. Her crew-mate Rand is no help, resigned to his fate on the hypnotic alien dunes. Locating the ship's emergency beacon is their only hope, but when a salvage crew answers their distress signal, it's already too late.

It is the lunchtime rush at The Grill, a New York tourist trap that serves thousands of customers on a regular Friday like today. Money has gone missing from the till and all the workers are being questioned.