THE SKULL OF THE HIDDEN FACE - SUMMARY

After having inspired painters and poets, the Moon is now the object of the envy of men in search of a new energy: helium-3. A pioneer in this field, SpaceMill operates the first lunar mine, a company with a bright future. But the dream quickly turns into a nightmare when the employees of the company are victims of a mysterious evil. An evil that leads to the uninterrupted perception of haunting music that drives you crazy. Sent to the rescue, Franck and Nahid will discover the best kept secret in the universe, buried in the heart of the Moon.

EXTRACT

"They're on the Moon watching us!"

- Neil Armstrong

Franck was checking his cell phone to kill time. He read the pages on the screen, hoping to chase away the nervousness that gripped him every time the shuttle placed itself in its lunar orbit. The time to take a seat in the moon landing module would soon strike and, for the first time since he was in service, Franck would have had a good time. The approach procedures had always bothered him, but today it was even worse. Indeed, the message displayed on the piloting console did not bode well.

Quarantine report  :
Western drilling platform.
Virus type  : garol.
Risk of infection  : raised.
Status  : to confirm.

Worried, Franck watched the words go by in silence. They left behind a luminous trail similar to the tail of a comet in the sky. This simple graphic artifice gave the appearance of SOS to any message from space. A dog's name, a phone number, whatever. It still worked. Except, in this case, the effect could not have been more appropriate.

- Captain Melville  ! what is that  ? You are keeping me secret now  ?

A young woman had just entered the cabin. Slender and flexible as a cat, she curved her shoulders so as not to bump her head against the monitors hanging everywhere. His green eyes shone with excitement and his frank smile contrasted with the seriousness of the situation. Finding her so radiant, Franck remembered that this flight was the baptism of space for his traveling companion and he let her in without protesting.

- You are now a star, my captain  ! she exclaimed, the most recent issue of Hebdo-Sciences in hand.

The photo of his colleague occupied the entire cover of the prestigious magazine. He was seen, posing in his spacesuit in front of a large medieval tapestry. The 12th century work contrasted with the young man's modern equipment. A group of monks were kneeling beside him, their hands clasped in devotion. Their pious faces were turned towards a stained-glass window illuminated by the star of the night. "  Prayers to the Moon  », Could we read superimposed at the bottom of the photo.

- Nahid, please. How many times will I have to tell you that I am a commander, not a captain.

- Sorry...

- As for the article, I might disappoint you. I read it on the ground. It's riddled with errors.

- Ah  ? Truly  ? I find that very good. Listen to this passage  : "  The most famous of the Space Alliance astronauts, Franck Melville, has been chosen to lead a mission shrouded in the utmost secrecy. He will be assisted in his task by Nahid Majumdar, leading figure in the Pakistani Society of Ethnomusicology.  "I am a luminous, you realize  ? The expert on tambourines and bells is me  !

- That's what I said  : it's riddled with errors, Franck could not help joking.

- Very witty, as always, replied the young woman, hitting him with a magazine on the back of his neck.

- Hey  ! Gently  ! I would point out to you that damaging Alliance property is considered an act of sabotage.

- You are right, Captain. We must preserve this precious document for the archives  ! Nahid teased him, removing the magazine from his stuff.

Franck returned to his screen, annoyed by the importance given to this cabbage leaf. The report which was devoted to him pretended to lift the veil on the stakes of his mission. In reality, it was not. Anxious to sell his paper, the journalist had rather lingered on the personality of the commander and the pleasant figure of his partner. Nothing new on the strange affair which had precipitated the sending of this unusual crew into space.

Basically, it's probably better this way, Franck thought wisely.