Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer

The capsule lies open, a multitude of wires connecting it to a frame bristling with circuit boards. On the other side of the jury-rigged device, a single fat cable connects to a socket in the wall of the shielded room.
Mike looks up as Colin taps the armoured viewport between them and the room before querying him.
“What’s wrong?”
Mike smiles.
“Nine weeks to comprehend the output. No input ports, and it starts pushing data as soon as its connected. Initially we were confused, but then realised it’s only a short message on infinite loop.”
Colin frowns.
“An emergency broadcast? From what? There’s been nothing unusual of late.”
“That’s why I called. I’ve finished converting from an unbelievable hologrammatic format. Don’t comment. Just watch.”
He taps ‘play’.
A haggard-faced man in a spacesuit of advanced design sits facing them.
“This is Flight Officer Anders Portman, MTV Adelaide, Final Report.”
“Adelaide was at Mars departure point NH3 when the object dubbed Kantautau entered the solar system. As we were the nearest long-haul vessel ready to go, the Adelaide was re-tasked with taking an expedition to examine Kantautau.
“We swapped one of our two entry shuttles for its military equivalent, took on a passenger complement consisting of military specialists, scientists, and the grunts necessary to keep them all safe and served.
“We were still executing the fast burn when we learned about the loss of Pluto. Survey satellite videos showed Kantautau to be a 500-kilometre diameter artificial toroid that generated a 460-kilometre shining vortex within its ring. The effects of that tore Pluto apart, sucking pieces in as it went. The destruction took a week to complete. Kantautau then headed deeper into our Solar System.”
“The panic on Earth and in the Colonies was phenomenal, and was mirrored here. After the disorder was reined in, the survivors voted. It came out two-to-one in favour of getting closer, hoping to make useful discoveries as we neared Kantautau.”
Anders pauses for a moment.
“For the record, I voted to continue, and regret my choice. Not entirely because it’s going to get me killed, either. We should have observed from a distance.”
After checking something off-screen, he continues.
“We couldn’t determine its propulsion method, but that led to the idea of approaching it from behind to see if we could detect anything in its wake. In hindsight, the naïve idea of sneaking up on an interstellar black-hole weapon of unknown origin was also a stupid one.
“Whatever controls Kantautau doesn’t like snoopers. Their tractor beam is slowly pulling Adelaide towards them. They’ve stopped moving and have started the vortex, which Professor Dondridge assures us is some form of black hole. He’s also convinced it’s a wormhole, not an obliterator.
“I took one of the armoured strike skimmers on the military entry shuttle. I launched hoping to use the shadow of the Adelaide for cover, but the tractor beam got me an hour ago. I’ll swap this capsule for the warhead on missile in a few minutes, then fire it. It’ll be able to go much faster without a living passenger. Hopefully it’ll get away.”
He shuts his eyes for a moment, then salutes.
“That’s it. Good luck, whoever gets this.”
Mike gestures toward the screen.
“The Mars Colony project is a good twenty years from completion. This comes from ahead of that. My guess would be a century from now.”
Colin shudders.
“Wonder if we got it by sheer luck or as part of some diabolical strategy? Either way, it gives us a few decades for planning.”
Mike nods.
“We’re going to need every second.”