I've got most of a story here but it is barely more than an outline and the ending is at best incomplete. I think that my big problem is that this is more of a novel length idea that I tried to stuff into a short. Maybe I should have done it from the point of view of the probe as it entered the system.

 

An Unintended Impact

* At earth *

Alex tweaked the magnification on the view screen and settled into the command chair. Natasha entered the bridge and leaned against a console.

 

"You get the big chair."

 

"It’s my ship, besides, Commander, you get a whole solar system." He pointed toward the screen. "Count down timer is on the bottom right, Mag view of the probe is top left and most of the screen will show the effect when the jump drive kicks in."

 

They stared at the screen in silence. In a week they would be following in the probe’s path. Not as fast and with a lot more stops but in twenty years they would arrive in the target solar system.

 

The clock ticked down to zero. "Five light seconds away. I didn’t add that in," the captain said. The magnified view showed a bright flash then went dark. In the wide view the star jumped toward the center then snapped back.

 

"Not much of a show for 5X light speed. Do we know if it worked?" Natasha asked.

 

"If it failed there would be Cherenkov radiation all over the place. In three years we’ll get a status report."

 

"After we’ve left."

 

"Exploration is iffy. We could always turn back," the captain said.

 

Natasha smirked. "The crew would space you."

 

 

* Three years from earth *

 

The bridge was crowded. Everyone who could fabricate a reason was waiting for the probe’s first report.

 

"I’m not sure why this is so popular. All it is is a status report. The probe was five light years from earth when it sent it," the captain said.

 

"We’ve been traveling for three years at roughly light speed. The news we hear from earth is what was happening when we left. This is the first new event in that time."

 

"Still all it will be is a report of the probe’s health."

 

"Which is why you’re in charge of the ship and I’m in charge of the people."

 

The comm officer approached them. "General health is 97.5%. There are a few anomalies but the probe is pretty much in the condition we expected."

 

 

* Nine years from earth *

 

Alex looked around the bridge. Aside from Natasha and the comm officer he was alone. The first two reports of ‘probe okay’ had reduced the enthusiasm for the probe’s reports.

 

"How far away is it?" Natasha asked.

 

"When it sent the report it was five light-years from the system. It’s been in the system five years by its clocks."

 

"Captain! You have to see this."

 

"Put it on the screen."

 

"Protocol says I can’t unless the bridge is secure."

 

"Ship, lock the bridge. What is .. is the probe okay?"

 

The comm officer types in a bit. "Look at the radio frequency scans. There are carrier waves, modulated signals, pulses. The probe’s AI thinks that they are non-natural."

 

 

* Twelve years from earth *

 

"The probe should have entered the system a few months ago. Its first priority is to locate a gas giant and refuel. However, in the case of detection of possible alien life it should try to avoid detection. Its last exit from FTL will produce a bright Cherenkov flash but it is highly collimated and unlikely to be detected."

"So what’s it going to do?" Natasha asked.

 

"Depends on how blatant the life signs are. Our simulations show that depending on how obvious the life signs are it may ignore them or it may try to hide and observe."

 

"Data coming in Captain."

 

Probe one preliminary report: The system scans show one gas giant. An earth sized planet circles it as a moon. This moon appears to be the source of the radio signals intercepted earlier. There is no indication that I have been detected. There appears to be a nascent space based economy limited to low orbit. I will finish refueling from the gas giant and then proceed to survey the other planets. So far I have detected three other planets and an asteroid belt. Probe out.

 

"That’s it? What about the aliens?" the captain asked.

 

"The message repeats plus there is data about the gas giant and the moon." the comm officer says. "The preliminary report was to report if the probe had found a gas giant to refuel so we would know if we can expect more reports."

 

"That’s all?"

 

"We’re eight light years away. The data rate is low and the energy required is high. Sorry."

 

* Twelve and a half years from earth *

 

"I don’t like giving the probe data to everyone real time." the captain said.

 

"The crew would have mutinied." Natasha said.

 

"Not my crew."

 

"Well my colonists. Besides why not? We’re all going there and the more we know the better."

 

Captain, the data is coming in. There is a lot of survey info about the system. The asteroid belt is quite extensive. It should be easy to mine," the comm officer said.

 

"Screw that. What about the aliens?" Natasha asked.

 

"Here it is."

 

Probe one first year report: The inhabited moon is the only site suitable for colonization. It would need some terraforming to make it habitable for humans without life support. I believe that I have been detected by the aliens. Several high power radar sweeps have been made of my position. Other radio signals that I interpret as attempts to communicate have been made. As of yet I have not deciphered the language. Multiple languages appear to be in use.

 

 

* Thirteen and a half years from earth *

 

"Mission protocol is for the probe to be as open as possible with its information but to not reveal the location of earth." Alex said. "If they are smart enough to figure out where we came from then okay but no sense giving them our location for free. Also it is to destroy the FTL drive."

 

Probe one three year report: Communication with the aliens has been established. There are multiple nation states on the planet. The group I designate as alpha is quite defensive and doesn’t wish to share information. The group I designate as beta is friendlier and is more willing to share information. I have shared all the information I have concerning their system and that a colony ship is to arrive in about six and a half years.

 

* Fifteen years from earth *

 

Probe one six year report: The nation state designated alpha has turned hostile and attacked me with several missiles. I have had to defend myself by using the comm laser to destroy the missiles. Unfortunately this has degraded the laser and I will not be able to expand my reports as you get closer. The nation state designated beta has objected to the attacks by alpha and have warned the alphas to stop or be attacked.

 

* Sixteen and a half years from earth *

 

Probe one nine year report: The alphas and the betas are in a full scale space war. Much of their planet has been devastated by nuclear weapons. I have retreated to the outskirts of the system but have left probes near the planet to continue observations.

 

* Eighteen years from earth *

 

Probe one twelve year report: I have had no contact with the aliens for over a year. It appears that one side in fear of losing maneuvered a small asteroid or sub-moon to impact the continent of the other side. Their aim was off and the impact hit a major ocean. This resulted in a major disruption of the ecosystem. All large land animals appear to have been exterminated. On the plus side with no native land species I will be able to begin terraforming.

 

* Nineteen years from earth *

 

Probe one fifteen year report: Terraforming is proceeding. Because the current planet environment is unstable after the impact it is proving difficult to …

 

"That’s the entire message. The comm laser must have failed. After we enter the system we should be able to contact the probe by radio," the comm officer said.

 

* Twenty years from earth *

 

The ship approached the gas giant and prepared its refueling drones. The probe was in a farther out orbit but was not responding to queries from the colony ship. A scout ship was nearing the probe.

 

"The probe is riddled with small impacts and dead in space. We will extract the AI components and bring them back, at least the parts we can find. I’m not very confident that we can revive the AI or extract any memories from what is left," the scout commander said.

 

END