Mission to the Moon

by Mark Cheverton

  It wasn’t necessary for him to execute his plan on a planet filled with life; it was just a bonus, making the creations of those who had shunned him suffer a bit before they were swallowed by the void. Reaching out with his mind, the user imagined himself clicking on one of the planets. He first tried his target, but nothing happened; he’d need a larger ship to reach that planet, and for that, he’d need to battle another boss and take the tier-eight ship schematic from the treasure room. But for now, all he could do was reach a tier-four planet.

  “Let’s see, which tier-four planet is farthest from the sun?” Entity303 said, his voice echoing off the cold walls of his rocket ship. “Ahh … there it is, Diona. That’s the one.”

  He thought about clicking on that planet with his wireless mouse. Suddenly, the map disappeared for a moment, then all the stars went out.

  “What happened?”

  There was a blackness around the ship that was darker than the void, darker than shadows at midnight, darker than … nothingness. Icy shivers of fear crept up his spine, making him shake for just an instant, then everything disappeared.

  His ship was gone.

  Entity303 found himself floating through space, unable to tell which way was up or down.

  “Am I in the void?” he said.

  There was no echo around him. His voice just seemed to disappeared into the endless darkness.

  “Should I leave?”

  Entity303 knew he could use the EXIT command, and the Digitizer that he had stolen would take him back to the physical world. But this was his best opportunity to destroy all of Minecraft, and take his revenge on all those programmers who had kicked him out. He had to see his plan through.

  The darkness wrapped tightly against him, as if it were coiling around him like a snake getting ready to strike. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and trickled down his face. They felt like tiny spiders crawling across his skin. Entity303 reached up and tried to wipe the sweat away, but his hand just bumped against his space helmet and left the tiny cubes of moisture clinging to his eyebrows and cheeks.

  And then, just as quickly as the darkness came … it was gone. In what seemed like a burst of light, the stars suddenly appeared, their brilliance shocking him. He was surrounded by the sparkling universe, a harsh white sun hanging in the inky sky. It seemed as if he were completely motionless, the starry background remaining fixed, but then Entity303 felt the faintest tug on his body. There was a sensation of down, like something was pulling on his feet. This made it feel as if he were descending toward something, the gentle caress of gravity guiding him somewhere. Glancing at his feet, Entity303 saw a planet appear beneath him. It was pale, without any land features or vegetation; just a barren cube floating in space. Above him, a cratered blue moon suddenly appeared. It hovered over the planet, trapped in its gravitational embrace.

  He’d never known of anyone going to the moon of Diona, but there it was. Turning his gaze back to the planet, he watched the pockmarked surface as he drew nearer. Off to the right, a wooden crate floated down, a large, billowing red parachute slowing its fall. Glancing up, Entity303 saw a similar parachute above him, controlling his descent.

  Memories of the last time he’d been on this planet came to his mind. There had been a thriving ecosystem here, with tall, skinny trees that were able to reach up to the cloud level in the reduced gravity. Flying creatures soared from tree to tree on delicate wings, harvesting the brightly colored fruit that grew in the thick purple leaves. Fields of blue grass covered every inch of the planet, providing sustenance to the small herds of green and white striped six-legged creatures that were raised by the villagers on this planet. It had all been incredible … until Entity303 had arrived.

  “I wonder if my tainted virus has finished destroying this planet?” he said aloud as he drew closer to the surface.

  He had released a self-replicating virus that spread the Taint across the planet. It had first spread out, turning the ground and plants a dark, obsidian-like purple, making everything poison. When the tainted wave touched the animals and villagers, it had turned them into the evolved monsters that he now saw moving about on the surface.

  “If only the Minecraft programmers could see my Taint working now.”

  This was one of the many reasons he’d been fired from the Minecraft development team. Entity303 liked focusing on destructive additions to the game, rather than things that could make the creative experience within the digital landscape more incredible.

  Below him, he saw the end result of his creation. The Taint virus had worked exactly as he hoped. The planet was now stripped of the life that once covered the planet like a blanket of hope. Now, it was a hopeless place, with hopeless inhabitants … perfect.

  Entity303 landed gracefully on the pale surface of the planet. The crate landed nearby, the parachute instantly disappearing as soon as the wooden box touched the ground. He ran to it and pulled it open. Inside were his tier-four rocket and launch pad. He gathered the two items and stuffed them into his bulging inventory.

  A hissing sound filled the now poisonous Diona air. Entity303 spun around and drew his sword in a smooth, fluid movement. He slashed out at what he knew would be a creeper, without even looking. His glowing yellow blade struck the monster hard, making it flash red with damage. The monster stopped its ignition process and stepped back, but that would not save it. Entity303 moved forward and attacked again, hitting the creature two more times. With a confused and terrified expression on its mottled face, the creeper disappeared with a pop.

  “Ha ha … that was fun,” Entity303 said, then turned and scanned the landscape. “Anyone else want some?!” he shouted.

  The monsters continued to shuffle about, ignoring his presence unless they happened to move nearby.

  Entity303 laughed again.

  “To think all of you were once villagers, and now you’re mindless monsters.”

  Entity303 smiled, pleased with his cleverness. The lives he destroyed with his virus were of no real concern—after all, they were just computerized creatures, and of no importance to him.

  “Now, let’s see if the virus completed its work.”

  Reaching into his inventory, the user pulled out a lodestone. The dark, polished stone felt cold in his hands, but there was a pulse of magical power in the object that radiated into his fingers. Entity303 slowly turned in a circle, watching the stone. It remained dark and cold as he pointed it across the landscape. And then, suddenly, it grew warm and bright, a red glow emanating from within the enchanted device.

  “So the transformation is not complete,” he said just to hear his own voice. “There must be some tainted ground in that direction, still completing the poisoning of this land.” He smiled, pleased with the level of destruction he’d caused on this planet. “That must be where the dungeon is located. They’re always the last to change. And since the transformation isn’t complete, that means there is no Diona Boss … at least, not yet. That’ll make getting the supplies from the treasure room that much easier. “

  He removed his furry white chest plate and replaced it with his jet pack. Activating the tiny rockets, he flew high into the air just as a group of zombies approached. The user was tempted to destroy the monsters, but there wasn’t time to play … he still had work to do. The monsters glared up at him as he climbed in the air, then arced forward in the direction the lodestone had indicated.

  “I’ll quickly get the supplies in the dungeon treasure room. After I build the tier-eight rocket, and get to the next planet, then I can start the last phase of my plan. Soon I’ll be in the Outer Lands of Thaumcraft. Let’s see if Gameknight999 has the courage to follow me there.”

  He soared through the deadly air of Diona, toward the dungeon that lay hidden underground, his prize waiting for him. Soon, all of Minecraft would be as dead as this planet, and then even the pyramid of servers itself would be destroyed. And there was no one here to stop him, not even the meddling Gameknight999.

  CHAPTE
R 18

  IRREPARABLE DAMAGE

  The rocket felt cold and empty, even though his friend Tux was with him. Gameknight glanced out the window at the vastness of space. Stars sparkled in the distance, but they seemed so far away; it made him feel even lonelier.

  He knew he’d hurt his friends’ feelings back on Mars when he suggested continuing after Entity303 on his own. It had actually made Crafter weep. The young NPC had said they were family and they should work together, no matter what.

  Stitcher had just hung her head down … she’d probably been crying as well.

  Hunter had refused to look at him, she was so angry. He’d tried to make her and the others understand that he was trying to protect them … but they didn’t care. They’d felt abandoned and betrayed, just as he anticipated. Gameknight thought he could have handled that, but what he wasn’t ready for was the expression on their faces, the disappointment and pain and tears.

  Herder and Weaver had both been confused. They’d asked him why he was leaving them behind. Gameknight said they could stay there on Mars, in the oxygen bubble, until he finally caught Entity303. Weaver had pointed out that Gameknight wouldn’t have any oxygen collectors or bubble distributors or anything; that was something the User-that-is-not-a-user had not considered.

  That had ended up being the weakness in his argument. He knew he couldn’t go on without his own oxygen generation equipment, and he couldn’t leave his friends on Mars without any. He had no choice; they had to accompany him … to what might very well turn out to be the bitter end.

  But the damage he’d done to the relationship with his friends might well be irreparable.

  Suddenly, the stars went out. It was like a light switch for the universe had just been flicked off, leaving him in a darkness that seemed to seep into his very soul.

  Squawk! Tux said.

  “I know girl, it’s okay. We’re probably going from the Sol solar system to the Sirius solar system. This was why we needed the larger, tier-four rocket, so we could make this jump through the void to the next solar system.”

  Squawk, squawk! The penguin moved back and forth from one foot to the other.

  Gameknight could tell she too was feeling the strange emptiness from the starless abyss.

  “Just close your eyes, Tux. I’m sure it will pass soon.”

  The User-that-is-not-a-user closed his eyes. It seemed to make the blackness wrap even more tightly around him, digging its dark fingers into his sense of guilt. He’d unintentionally hurt those that meant the most to him … how could he be so foolish?

  The darkness grew deeper, amplifying his feelings of guilt and sorrow. An overwhelming sadness spread through him like a deadly poison, devouring his courage. And just when he thought he couldn’t stand it anymore, when he thought this might be the end of his hope and the end of his sanity … the darkness disappeared.

  Gameknight opened his eyes. Through the window, he saw countless stars. They were very far away, too distant to reach with this ship, but it was something to drive away the sense of loneliness. The craft rotated slowly, allowing a pale-yellow sun to move into view.

  “Tux … look, it’s Sirius. We made it!”

  Squawk, squawk! The little penguin jumped up, then started floating in the cabin of their ship, the lack of gravity giving the usually flightless bird wings on which she could soar.

  Gameknight reached down and picked up his friend, holding her tight to his chest. Just then, the ship disappeared, and they were floating through outer space. The brilliant stars wrapped around them like a bejeweled blanket. It was beautiful in all directions, and filled his spirt with hope.

  A force began to pull on him, slowly drawing him into the gravity well of Diona. Reaching out, he held her tight, then gazed down at his feet, where he saw the planet appear. It was a desolate place, with craters from countless meteors marking its surface. Off to the left, a blue moon hung in space, the cube possibly within reach if he were still in his ship. But he was committed; Gameknight999 was descending toward Diona.

  As they drew closer, he saw countless monsters moving across the surface. There were evolved creepers, zombies, and spiders all moving aimlessly about. Each wore a glass space helmet and had oxygen gear to keep them breathing, but there was no plant life anywhere.

  “I thought this planet had life on it other than monsters,” Gameknight said to the little penguin under his arm. “In fact, I thought there weren’t monsters at all on any of the planets in the Sirius solar system. The earliest videos of the More Planets mod, the add-on to Galacticraft, showed nothing but fantastic new biomes and interesting new creatures. But this planet seems dead.”

  Squawk, Tux agreed.

  As they floated to the ground, a group of space wolves moved past, their white coats almost glowing in the light of the small, yellow sun. When he finally had his feet on solid ground, Gameknight set Tux down and drew his two swords. A pair of zombies approached, interested in the newcomers; that was their first mistake. They initially moved toward Gameknight999, but when they saw Tux, they decided to attack the little penguin; that was their second error.

  “You stay away from Tux!” Gameknight shouted.

  One of the monsters reached out with a clawed hand and swiped at Tux. She saw the attack coming and flopped down on her white belly, allowing the sparkling claws to pass overhead.

  “No, you didn’t!”

  Gameknight fell on the monsters in a fury.

  “No one tries to hurt my friends!” he growled.

  He hit the first monster with his diamond sword, then followed with the iron blade. The monster flashed again, then let out a sad and sorrowful moan. It tried to back away, but Gameknight would not let it escape; he knew the creature would be back. With both swords, he hit the monster again, destroying the beast and leaving behind glowing balls of XP. Its companion growled and lunged at Gameknight, but he was ready. Knocking aside its attack, he slashed at the monster, hitting it over and over until it disappeared.

  Turning to scan the landscape, Gameknight didn’t see any other monsters nearby; he and Tux were safe … for now.

  “Tux, come with me.”

  Gameknight moved to a large, flat area and started building their base. Their crate of supplies had landed nearby, but he didn’t want to worry about those right now. Instead, he pulled out the blocks of leaves and oxygen collector and constructed their air bubble as he had on all the other planets. When he was finally finished, he used the teleportation ring and brought his friends to Diona. As before, they appeared in a flash of light, the slightest purple haze of teleportation particles left floating into the alien atmosphere.

  “Glad you remembered to bring us here,” Hunter said, pain still in her eyes.

  “I got the base set up as quickly as I could,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  “Look, wolves!” Herder shouted.

  “They’re space wolves,” Gameknight said. “I remember hearing about them. For some reason, they aren’t hostile to anything, even monsters.”

  “That’s unfortunate,” Hunter said.

  Weaver sprinted to the wooden crate that had fallen with Gameknight and Tux. He yanked the lid off and pulled out the rocket and launch pad, then sprinted back to the air bubble before any monsters became curious. He placed the launch pad and rocket on the ground.

  “Good work, Weaver,” the User-that-is-not-a-user said.

  The boy only grunted; he, too, was still angry at Gameknight.

  “Well, I know you’re all still angry at me, but you must realize …”

  “A Third!” Forpech exclaimed.

  “Yes, yes, a Third … Empech feels him as well.”

  “What are you talking about?” Crafter said.

  Empech moved to stand in front of Gameknight999.

  “There is another Third, yes, yes,” Empech said. “They must be found and protected.”

  “Another Third?” Gameknight asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “Hmmm … the
re is another Third … another pech, like Forpech and Empech,” the pech said in a deep, gravelly voice. “They are in danger.”

  “Yes, yes, we can feel their fear,” Empech said.

  Gameknight glanced at Crafter. The young NPC’s bright, blue eyes were filled with uncertainty.

  “We need to catch Entity303,” Hunter growled. “Getting distracted by a side quest will not help.”

  “Well, right now, we have no idea where to go on this planet,” Gameknight said. “Heading toward another pech is just as good of a direction as any other.” He turned to Crafter. “So far, the pechs have been critical to our success. I suspect this third pech will be the same.”

  “I agree,” Crafter said. “Likely having three pechs with us will help our cause in the end.”

  “Then you agree with Empech and Forpech?” Gameknight asked.

  He wasn’t addressing Crafter, he was asking the whole party. They all nodded their heads, with the exception of Hunter. Instead, she glared at Gameknight, anger simmering behind those deep brown eyes.

  “Well?” the User-that-is-not-a-user asked.

  She finally nodded. “I agree, let’s go get this pech. We don’t leave anyone behind and we don’t abandon our friends, no matter what.”

  Before Gameknight could respond, the pechs took off across the pale, desolate landscape. Forpech had his emerald-tipped wand out, the end glowing bright green when it pointed in the correct direction. Somehow, his magical weapon was guiding the party directly toward the new pech. The rest of the group followed the gray-skinned gnomes, leaving the safety of their oxygen bubble behind as they went out into the unknown of the planet Diona.

  CHAPTER 19