The Stolen Ark

Ivan Kolobov is a police inspector investigating crimes in various parts of the universe. He is a diligent enforcer, but not the most perceptive detective. Besides, his assistant—a cyborg of extraterrestrial origin—keeps trying to carry out orders in a formal way, without getting into details, sometimes failing to provide the necessary information, doing only what he is directly told. Nevertheless, the tandem manages to unravel even the most complicated crimes, often taking a free interpretation of the law in favor of higher justice.

The cycle includes: 1. An Etude in Crimson Tones /story/ 2. The Stolen Ark /story/ 3. An Epidemic /story/.

“Thе Stolen Ark” // Inspector Ivan Kolobov, together with his regular cyborg assistant, investigates the theft of an ark—a valuable object stolen from the treasury of an emperor of a non-humanoid race on the planet Toukk. The case is complicated by the fact that everyone stubbornly refuses to say what, exactly, has disappeared. And, as it turns out, there is a good reason for the silence—a secret carefully hidden from outsiders, both by the planet’s natives and by the colonists.

Author’s note: The story was included in the shortlist and collection of the contest “Project of Special Significance 20.24,” held by LitRes and JSC “ZASLON.”