CRANIUM

"the 16-seater chartered plane, bound for Paris, crashed into an area of rice fields that has now been turned into wreckage. Officials presume that all fifteen occupants, including pilots and crew, died. They are currently investigating the cause of the accident." The neutral voice of a young reporter spoke into the microphone in front of the crash site. Although the area was cordoned off so as not to interfere with the work of the police and aviation safety officers who were tasked with determining the cause of the accident, several media outlets were continually trying to get close and disrupt their work. A young woman dressed in a collared shirt with rolled-up sleeves and dark pants exuded a confident aura. Although her eyes are visibly tired from the trip, she's looking at the scene of the accident through square-rimmed glasses. Dr. Busaya, or Bua as she was known, arrived at the crash site after receiving a direct call from her supervisor that morning. A few hours later, Bua was talking to the officer in charge of coordinating the scene of the plane crash. "Just a moment, please. I need to check the list of names first." Bua nodded as she adjusted her glasses on her nose and brushed aside a small strand of short hair that fell over her face to improve her vision. "I am replacing Professor Dr. Nissara," Bua explained, handing over her PhD student ID card, which had not yet been returned to the Graduate Studies Directorate, to identify herself. "At the moment, the professor is abroad." The officer responsible for registering the people involved at the accident site looked down to consult the documents and check the list of names again. "Here it is. Professor Dr. Nissara from the Institute of Bioanthropology. Then she looked at the list until she found Bua's name, which was right below the name of the advisor, listed as the professor's replacement. "Yes, the professor is my advisor. She is attending a seminar in Panama, so she asked me to come in her place." "Please sign here and we will provide you with your identification badge, "the officer said in a calm voice. "If you have any problems or need additional equipment, please let me know, Dr. Busaya," the coordinating officer added, handing over the registration documents for signature. "All right," Dr. Busaya said as she handed back the signed paper. "Thank you very much for coming to help us. This way, please, "the coordinator said. "The operations center and your work tent are on this side. Later in the evening, someone will take you to the accommodation. We are preparing everything. This night may still be a little turbulent." "No problem, thank you very much." Busaya positioned herself in front of the access to the crash site. It had been about twenty hours since the small passenger plane crashed in a rural area in the central province of the country. Estimates were that all fifteen passengers, including the pilot and crew, had died, but the search for survivors continued unceasingly. She watched the rescue dogs actively patrolling around the site, and firefighters in fluorescent orange uniforms spread out around the area to be prepared in case new fires broke out. About four hours earlier, Bua had received a call from Professor Dr. Nissara, her advisor, asked her to go to the scene immediately to help the police identify the victims. Victim identification is a field of anthropology, or more specifically forensic anthropology, that is usually performed by forensic anthropologists or identification specialists. This field of anthropology studies human evolution since prehistoric times, including ancestors and close relatives of humans, such as primates and mammals, and sometimes other animals, to understand the evolutionary sequence. Bua's specialty is physical anthropology, which examines humans and primates in terms of structure and morphology, especially central bones and upper and lower limbs, and interprets how life and society evolved for the survival of the species, also using insights from social anthropology to investigate structure and context. In addition, physiological structure can be interpreted in relation to evolution prior to the modern human form. "Please come in," said the police officer in charge of the crash site, as he lifted the yellow tape that cordoned off the area of the rice field, now containing the wreckage of the plane, whose fire had already been brought under control. About five hundred meters ahead, several people were working hard, and some of them were still searching for possible survivors. Bua noticed about ten rescuers ready in the area, but they had not yet had the opportunity to start their work, as they had not yet found any survivors. It was an extremely distressing moment. Another young police officer led her to the tent, which Bua assumed was where she would carry out her work. "Later in the afternoon, there will be a meeting with everyone involved. If you are ready, you can start working now. Thank you very much for coming." "It is my pleasure." She replied. Busaya looked around the tent, which is equipped with six stainless-steel examination tables. She's not sure how many victim identification experts have been called in, but experts in physical anthropology or forensic anthropology are not easy to find. Perhaps she's the only one. Bua did not consider herself an expert, she was still far from achieving that title, especially compared to her advisor, Professor Dr. Nissara, one of the respected leaders in the field. The professor had worked in all areas and had already assisted several agencies. In the field of victim identification, both nationally and internationally, she was a respected authority in the area, who had assisted several national and international organizations in more than ten countries. In terms of academic publications, although this field is not very well known, the professor has at least thirty articles published in specialized journals. She is, without a doubt, one of the prominent figures in the field. And Bua was just a PhD student. In fact, she had graduated about three months ago and had recently received final approval from the institution, with the dean's signature stamped on the cover of her dissertation. She could already be called "Dr.", but she was not yet completely accustomed to the title; she had taken some time to relax after more than five years of intense study in preparation for a research position at the research institute her advisor had founded. Bua packed her things, including a silver tool bag and a backpack full of clothes and essentials, and propped them on the side of the examination table, thinking that someone would soon take her to her accommodation, which would probably be a tent. Working in the field is like that; you often sleep in tents more than in hotels. She positioned herself next to the stretcher where the first bones were, brought in by the rescuers. The bones were piled up without being separated due to the rush. Some were whole, some were broken, and some were burned. The sight made Bua exhale a long sigh before she began to search for the necessary equipment, which included gloves and a face mask. She immediately got to work. The first bone she picked up was a collarbone, still with some tissue on it since it had not been cleaned, and separated it from the pile. Piling up bones like this made her job a hundred times harder, as normally the process would follow the principles of forensic evidence collection: isolate the area, photograph the items, collect them in parts, and then begin identifying the victims. By delimiting the area of the accident, taking photos of the evidence and organizing them in parts, the process of identifying the victims could begin. "But look who I found here?" About forty-five minutes later, a voice dripping with sarcasm sounded from the entrance of the tent, making the young doctor's concentration break. "I really thought you wouldn't come." It's a voice that Bua recognized immediately, even after some time without hearing it. Although it's soft and pleasant, it's full of sarcasm and irony. As she looked up at the visitor at the tent door, she couldn't help but sigh for a second before looking away, wondering why she could recognize this woman's voice and how much it bothered her. Pinya, dressed in a light-colored rolled-up sleeve shirt tucked into dark pants, leaned against the tent entrance. With her hands in her pockets, her long, dark brown hair swayed gently in the wind, and her gaze is piercing, as if she was about to devour. "Welcome," Bua said disinterestedly. "Really?" "Feel free to interpret it however you want... "I can't believe they asked you to help." Bua replied before bending down to focus on her work again. "If I had known before, I wouldn't have even come." Pinya had also been a doctoral student of Professor Dr. Nissara, just like Bua. However, on one chaotic day, she had caused a huge commotion by accusing the advisor of favoritism, which consequently affected Bua. After that, Pinya resigned and Bua learned that she had gone abroad to continue her studies, and she had not heard from her since. "Where is your mommy?" Pinya asked about Bua's advisor. "In Panama," Bua replied in a dry tone. The two had always been at odds for as long as Bua could remember. Pinya would often tease her, calling her the teacher's "sweetheart," which made Bua try not to care, thinking it was nonsense. In addition, there was Pinya's habit of stealing seminar topics to present to the teacher, which left the two almost unable to look at each other. Until one day, Pinya made a fuss and resigned, leaving her classmates perplexed. Bua's disdain made Pinya approach the examination table full of charred bones, probably the result of an intense collision and fire. Bua couldn't help but look up again, unconsciously moving her glasses with the back of her hand. "Don't cry just because your mommy isn't here," Pinya said. "What do you want from me, Phinya?" "Me? What would I need from you?" "Go Play with Your Bones, Dear." "...." "Aren't you glad to meet an old friend?" The question made her stare at Pinya's long face through her square-framed glasses, and a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of Bua's lips. "Friend?" That's an interesting choice of words." Bua said as she picked up a skull from one of the victims and held it, still keeping her gaze fixed on the woman in front of her, who had just called her a friend, although in reality... Then she continued: "You know, there's a theory that says that modern humans have a larger frontal lobe, which leads to more complex emotions, and the ability to think and analyze logic and reason in more detail than ancient humans. So, please, act like a modern human, Phinya." These words make Pinya immediately grab Bua's wrist and come closer. "You're going too far, Bua!" "If you have nothing else to do besides tease me, then help with the work. "And then we'll fight." Bua replied, pulling her wrist back and putting the skull back in place while she searched for a glove in the toolbox to give to Pinya. "Separate this pile on the other table." Pinya shrugged, took what was offered and started working without saying anything else. She thought back to the old college days, when the two of them would argue all day long to the point that Professor Nisara had to separate them. Bua also used to do her research at times when Pinya wasn't in the building. The situation made her find it almost comical that they would suddenly find themselves in such a tragedy, a disaster that no one would want to see. Their work was just beginning. Some of the passengers' parts were scattered across the area, covering a field and the edge of the forest for about three lanes. Besides, the Aviation Department still hadn't come to a conclusion about what happened and was working hard with other authorities to find answers. "Do you have a magnifying glass I could borrow?" Phinya asked, normally this time. "Why come prepared, right?" She still searched through her toolbox and handed over the magnifying glass. "I arrived from the airport three or four hours ago and came straight here. I was expecting you to find one for me." "So they couldn't find anyone else and had to call you?" Bua couldn't help but comment. "Still got the same sharp-tongued, huh? "Be careful with that,"Phinya said, picking up the magnifying glass and examining the first bone. Bua listened, let out a sigh, and returned to focusing on the important work in front of her. Next Chapter .....