The drone breached the moon’s surface, melting through miles of ice and rock. At the center lay a cavern that shouldn't have existed. There, suspended in a field of static, was the Nimbatus. It was a cathedral of metal, miles long, dormant and cold.
Finally, the physical drone was birthed from the salvage ship’s 3D printer. It launched into the void, a tiny spark of silver against the obsidian sky. Elias watched through the drone's eyes as it hit the atmosphere of Titan-4. File: Nimbatus.The.Space.Drone.Constructor.v1.1...
As the drone docked with the ship's ancient port, the "File v1.1" on Elias's screen changed. The text began to scroll in a language that wasn't human. the screen read. "System Status: Online." "Objective: Return to Earth." The drone breached the moon’s surface, melting through