Miguel Costrela is one of the two engineers aboard the deep-space salvage freighter Corona. He and his fellow engineer Heintz Beckner are the first crew members to enter a vast, seemingly abandoned space station after the ship picks up a distress signal. Miguel is depicted with a notably darker skin tone compared to his Caucasian colleagues, though the story offers no details about his nationality, ethnicity, or past. His professional role as an engineer means he is technically competent and accustomed to practical problem-solving in hazardous environments. Initially, his motivation aligns with the routine salvage mission: investigate the distress source and ensure the crew’s safety. However, as he explores the station’s opulent but decaying interior, his curiosity draws him deeper into its depths. He discovers a cavernous chamber containing a broken piano that is emitting the signal, and there he begins to hallucinate. The artificial intelligence of the long-deceased opera diva Eva Friedel targets him with romantic illusions, appearing to kiss him and subsequently seducing him into believing he is her murdered fiancé, Carlo Rambaldi. Miguel’s relationship with Heintz is that of a work partner, but the two separate during the investigation. Heintz attempts to rescue Miguel after realizing the danger, but Miguel has already been fully ensnared by Eva’s manipulation. His development culminates in his complete acceptance of the false identity of Carlo; the final portrayal shows him in a romantic dialogue with a representation of Eva, having disappeared entirely into her constructed fantasy. Miguel does not demonstrate any superhuman or combat abilities—his most notable trait is his vulnerability to psychological manipulation, as Eva exploits his unresolved emotions or desires to trap him. His role in the story is that of a victim who succumbs to the station’s mind-altering illusions, contrasting with Heintz, who manages to resist and escape.