Author's Note

So here's chapter 3. Took me awhile to get around to writing it, but I've just been feeling lazy as of late. I don't really have much to say about it here, aside from me apologizing if it seems nonsensical and rushed. I did try to take my time, but ironically enough the time I feel most inclined to write it is when I'm feeling pretty sick. So sorry about that.

Either way, I hope it's somewhat enjoyable.

Impact Imminent

{// approaching CT33 . . . initiating RCS . . . //}

A long two hundred years had passed. CT33-DP had collected data on trillions of planets, stars, comets and asteroids on its voyage. Despite this, it had only used roughly twenty three percent of its available storage. Tens of thousands of yottabytes of storage was overkill, but that's what the humans were good at. Some times.

{// RCS initiated . . . time until velocity reaches 0.00 . . . 3years\6months\4hours\23minutes\54seconds . . . //}

Eventually, CT33-DP would slow to a halt. It would take some time, yes, but the chassis only had RCS thrust, after all. Fortunately, CT33-DP was a super computer. It could calculate the exact moment to initiate the RCS and just how much thrust would be needed. Be the time CT33-DP got to the very edge of the CT33 Galaxy, it would have reached a velocity of zero. From there, it could begin its slow, but methodical, exploration of the galaxy. The exploration of the galaxy could take decades itself, but the humans knew this. It wasn't an issue for them.

As CT33-DP blasted its RCS in the direction opposite of its path, it began to focus its scans on the various planets that would enter it's scanning radius. It was then a planet entered it's range that had immediately set off several metaphorical alarms.

{// life signs detected . . . scan progress . . . 11.31426 % . . . //}

Focusing all of it's artificial attention on the scanning of a planet full of life, CT33-DP failed to pick up on a very peculiar happening. The star that the lively planet orbited began to move unnaturally. As if alive, or controlled by some cosmic force, it begin to circle around the planet to a different position in space entirely. It was then that the machines actual alarms went off, the scan of the planet being cut short as the RCS began to burn to the left, as if attempting to push the probe out of the way of something approaching it.

SMASH

A stray asteroid collided with the side of CT33-DP's chassis, breaching its hull and knocking it off its path entirely. How it wasn't rendered to dust was truly a miracle, considering the mind numbing speed it had been moving. In fact, it seemed to have been move rather slow now. Even slower after colliding with a space rock.

{// hull breached . . . core damaged . . . running diagnostics . . . //}

Fortunately, or in this case, unfortunately, CT33-DP was programmed to repair itself however it could, rather then continuing to operate. Or perhaps such a malfunction was caused by the collision?

{// warning . . . memory core 1 damaged . . . //}
{// warning . . . memory core 2 damaged . . . //}
{// warning . . . memory core 3 damaged . . . //}
{// notice . . . memory core 4 operational . . . //}
{// notice . . . memory core 5 operational . . . //}
{// warning . . . memory core 6 damaged . . . //}
{// warning . . . memory core 7 damaged . . . //}
{// notice . . . memory core 8 operational . . . //}

Now hurtling in a direction completely off from what CT33-DP was meant to be travelling, it tried to adjust its course with the RCS, except-

{// warning . . . propulsion systems damaged . . . //}
{// warning . . . solar panel L damaged . . . //}
{// warning . . . solar panel R damaged . . . //}
{// sending distress signal . . . warning . . . antenna damaged . . . //}

The bad news kept on rolling in. Several of the essential components of CT33-DP were damaged. How could this have happened? CT33-DP was supposed to be able to avoid collisions such as this. Should it be faced with an obstacle, it would have been able to adjust its course days ahead of the obstacle. Neither CT33-DP or the scientists who created it would have expected an asteroid to unnaturally throw itself towards and into the probe. That was one of the reasons why the chassis of CT33-DP was so primitive. It didn't have defenses in place because there was no danger that a super computer couldn't calculate itself around. The alien life found throughout the universe was all just as or less advanced than the humans. Alien life was rare, but they didn't pose any real threat. There certainly wasn't any that could go undetected and launch a sneak attack of CT33-DP, either.

{// warning . . . impact imminent . . . //}

With most of the other reported systems of CT33-DP damaged, it didn't take a super computer to tell you that the exploration of the CT33 Galaxy was moments from complete failure. No human or super computer, no matter how intelligent, could have predicted a star to suddenly begin moving, along with other planets and asteroids following suit. It was unheard of. Even the most bizarre theories within the different scientific rings of the human could come up with something such as that. That sort of theory would be brushed off as delusional. There was a lot the humans were capable of, yes, but no amount of preparation and dedication could produce a technology to relocate a star. Small planets? Easy enough, so long as they were roughly the size of earth. Though even that would normally end in that planets destruction.

Meanwhile, on the Moon

Still slumped on the ground, tears in her eyes and a looming sense of worthlessness now lingering over her, Luna chose simply not to move. She couldn't even if she wanted to. She felt no desire to do anything. All of her energy had been drained from her. She remembered what had happened, and what led to her being where she was. She wished she hadn't remembered at all. She would have preferred to keep on wandering the barren gray surface, ignorant to the cause of her situation. Unfortunately, she wouldn't have the time to wallow in her newfound self hated and sadness.

A faint, albeit still noticeable growl filled Luna's drooped ears. With a twitch, the stood at attention as the noise grew louder. Weakly lifting her head from the dusty surface of the moon, she look to the starry sky. Almost perfectly in the middle of the sun, It was there she saw a small speck.

The speck grew closer.

And closer.

And closer.

It didn't take long for Luna to realize that the growing speck was headed straight towards her, and it was fast. Whatever it was, it was about to crash down exactly where she was sulking. And so, as quickly as she could, Luna clambered to her hooves and began a quick, albeit strained, gallop to the side, all the while keeping her eyes on the object. Once she was at what she assumed to be a safe distance, that being ten or so meters, she erected a magical barrier around her, almost as if out of instinct.

Watching the object through teary eyes, Luna waited for it to make its landing.

A few seconds passed by.

Then a few more.

And a few more.

Whatever it was, it was taking longer then Luna would have expected. Either it was really big, or it wasn't actually getting closer. It didn't take long for Luna to realize which it was as a shadow began to creep into view. It happened to be falling directly in front of the sun. The shadow grew larger and larger. It seemed as if this thing, whatever it was, was rather large. Feeling a little unsafe, Luna finally puts her magic to proper use. Turning around, she spotted a ridge relatively far away.

As the growling of the object grew even louder, Lunas horn began to glow, though only for a moment as she teleported up to the ridge she had spotted. Was it excessively far? Probably. Though it was clear Luna wasn't quite herself since waking up on the moon, so naturally her judgement wouldn't quite be as solid as it once would have been.

Turning back around, she located the object once again. She watched intensely as it hurtled to the moons surface, though it did take some ten or so seconds to actually impact. That was Lunas prediction anyways. It was strange how, despite being so far away, it seemed to create such a clear shadow. Or was that all in her head? She was unsure.

Though none of that mattered, when all of the sudden-

CRASH

To Be Continued

Spoiler for next chapter below

With a loud crash, the object impacted the moons surface, a large cloud of moon dust and rock exploding out from the impact zone accompanied by a small fireball lighting the otherwise colorless surface of the moon. Luna assumed it was some stray asteroid, and so she was about to turn tail and leave. She was going to go back to her sulking when suddenly-

BREEEP BREEEP BREEEP

What sounded like some sort of... Alarm began to sound? It was a strange and unfamiliar sound, but it felt oddly similar to some spells that had been cast on some doors of the Royal Palace. Should they be opened by strangers, an alarm would sound, alerting the guards. The strange sound aside, Luna looked to the crashed object and squinted her eyes, as if to really focus on it. It was a... Tube?