9
Low Earth Orbit
ISS Control
In the Eyes of Commander Randy Bresnik
Home never looked so gorgeous, Randy thought. In the weightlessness of the black void, Commander Randy Bresnik gently caressed the side of the solar panel, his other hand gripping one of his repair tools. His eyes, however, were somewhere else. Despite his face hidden behind the black visor of his space helmet, he could tell his team knew he had the biggest damn smile on his face.
It was routine maintenance. Nothing fantastic. Randy didn’t mind taking the reins every now and again. In fact, he loved it, because it gave him an excuse to gaze at home. Planet Earth. God, she never looked so gorgeous. He always said that, but damn it all she always did. In the corner of his eye, he could see his buddy Joe Acaba working on the other end of the ISS, tool in hand, facing away from home, probably doing more work than he was.
As Randy turned to Joe, he twisted his body and felt himself turn right. He made sure to grip the edge of the solar panel to stop himself, but then he gazed. Out into the wild black yonder. The glare of the sun was strong, but his visor kept his eyesight safe. As he turned his eyes away from the light, he gazed into the black. Millions upon millions of lights dotted the blackness, crafting a portrait so breathtakingly beautiful he could have wished others back home could have seen it. He always loved stargazing.
“ISS Control, this is Houston Command. Do you copy? Over.”
Back to work. Randy mentally sighed, pulling himself back towards the solar panel.
“Roger, Houston. This is Commander Bresnik reading you loud and clear. Over,” Randy replied, watching as his fellow astronaut—or cosmonaut, considering his nationality—and good friend Alexander Misurkin crawled across the ISS, carrying tools. Probably for Joe.
Houston replied almost instantly. “ISS Control, we are getting some strange readings near your vicinity. Take a quick sweep towards the eastern side of the Earth. Over.”
“You got this one, Randy?” Paolo Nespoli’s voice asked through the comms.
Randy kept a strong grip on the solar panel, turning himself over to the right. “Yeah, yeah. Hold on,” he replied, his visor facing the far east side of the Earth. Other than seeing the brightness of the sun shimmer against the edge of the hemisphere and the shining lights from the darker areas farther west, there was nothing that appeared strange.
“Uh, negative, Houston,” Randy said, still gripping the solar panel and gazing to the world. “No external forces that we can see. Maybe you got some solar flares?”
“We are unsure at this time, Commander Bresnik. Keep your eyes to home. Over.”
You read my mind, Randy thought. He brought himself back to the solar panel and watched his team work below. Both Joe Acaba and Alexander Misurkin were crawling down the solar panel they were working on, both turning themselves backwards to stare at the Earth.
Joe pointed forward with his free hand, saying, “Hey, I got nothin’ near the Western Hemisphere.”
“Same for the south and north. What say you, Randy?” Alexander asked, turning his visor up to the astronaut working on the last solar panel.
He wasn’t working on it. At least not anymore. Just like the others, he constantly scanned the Earth to find some sort obstruction, some form of odd occurrence. Yet there was nothing. The comms were silent for almost a minute before Randy finally replied.
“I don’t—”
“ISS Control, there are severe spikes in gravitational instability in your vicinity. Our readings show the ISS is in stable orbit; is that correct?”
Randy didn’t need any confirmation to know that. The ISS had been stable ever since, and there wasn’t any form of disturbance and no words of warning from inside to tell him that something was wrong. “Roger, Houston. The ISS is stable. I don’t know what to tell ya.”
“Looking into it, ISS Control. Keep those eyes peeled. We may have a problem here.”
The grave tone Houston Command gave didn’t calm Randy’s growing anxiety about the current situation. That anxiety was starting to grow the longer he tried to search for the disturbance Houston may have found, yet there was still nothing that he could see. That anxiety started to send shock waves across his skin beneath his suit, causing a very unnatural chill to race up and down his spine.
“You feelin’ that?” Joe asked, gazing at his palm and arm.
Alex turned to him, nodding. Or tried to. He moved forwards and backwards, but still said, “I thought I was the only one.”
“What do you see out there, Commander?” Mark Vande Hei said from within the ISS.
Nothing. Randy saw absolutely nothing. It could have been a solar flare, but they would have been informed earlier if that was so. Feeling the need to tell Houston something of interest, Randy kept his eyes on Earth, saying into his comms, “Houston Command, uh, about those strange readings you mentioned earlier… Uh, we’re starting to—”
Then he felt it. It felt like a tug at first, then it tried to pry him right off the solar panel. Randy reared forward, abandoning his tools and holding onto the solar panel for dear life. He saw below as Joe and Alex were almost pulled back themselves, but they found a grip somewhere against the hull on the ISS. Finding a steady grip himself with one arm, Randy turned himself backwards, trying to catch what caused the strong gravitational pull that he felt.
He saw it. He almost couldn’t believe it.
“What the hell?!”
They all saw it.
It was almost unreal, but it was there just as clearly as Randy saw the world and the stars in the void. It was almost like a tear in the sky. That was the best he could put it. Then it grew, holding a bright blue aura around its edges and forming a massive orb. It grew so gargantuan that Randy couldn’t even see where it began and where it ended any longer. Within the orb it created, something emerged. Almost like it was pushed or pulled forward, out of the darkness came something that made Randy’s heart plummet.
“ISS Control, what is going on out there?!” Houston Command screamed, the comms fizzling out.
Static was their response, but they managed to catch Mark Vande Hei scream, “Oh, my God! Oh, my God!”
“ISS Con—!”
Communications to Houston were instantly cut when the massive object came fully into view.
“Houston?” Randy asked, voice heavy and breathless. The front of his helmet quickly began to fog up from his continued breaths. “Houston!” he screamed, spittle hitting his mask.
“Randy, get back inside!” Cosmonaut Sergey Ryanzansky shouted on their shared comms unit.
He felt the panel lurch forward towards the massive object escaping the vortex, now clearly the source of the gravitational pull he and his team felt earlier. Randy reached back and gripped onto it with all the strength he could muster, gasping for air almost like he couldn’t breathe.
“ISS has broken orbit!” Paolo Nespoli screamed. “We’re being sucked into the planet!”
The planet.
“Randy, get out of there!” Joe exclaimed, waving up to his fellow astronaut from below, where he and Alex barely held on.
The planet. Not Earth.
Commander Bresnik didn’t answer. As he gripped onto the solar panel, his eyes were forced away from the approaching celestial body and turned towards the far Western Hemisphere. Beyond Earth. He reached up to his helmet, slowly but surely raising his visor with a shaking glove. His expression said it all. Complete and utter shock, suddenly filled with unhinged terror. His eyes continued to grow.
“Randy!”
Another tear in space appeared, this one far from Earth, but near something else. Randy could only watch as a second celestial body was practically pulled out of the shimmering black and blue vortex. It slowly moved forward, onward, closer and closer like time itself slowed down. He couldn’t even breathe when that celestial body impacted the Moon.
His body was on fire. All of his communications were fried. As he watched the ISS get torn apart and free fall to the planet above them, the last thing he saw were chunks of the moons scatter from their collision, each piece moving towards Earth very, very slowly.
And then he closed his eyes and burned, as he and his crew fell to the new world.
...Holy fuck. Thanos just teleported Equestria to Earth... ...and destroyed the moon.
Luna is going to be pissed if Thanos destroyed her moon by making it hit Earth's moon. God damn, this is getting crazy!
An epic true First Contact! Can't wait to see what will happen next when the ponies discover them
If Earth's moon is destroyed, not good... that is not good...
Jesus Christ Thanos. This Is extremely excessive!
Having two planets right next to each other can’t be good for all life on either planet.
I guess it's true what Rick and Morty says about teleporting planets.
"Any astronauts you guys had in orbit are definitely dead."
Well then
That just happened
Thanos used the Power and Space Stones to pull Earth and Equis together!?
This is gonna have extreme effects on each planet! On the other hand, this will make the Equestrians and Avengers teaming up far easier!
I wonder how everyone in Equestria is reacting?
8993230
Exactly my thought. Honestly I'm amazed Celestia and Luna and Discord didn't all show up the first time Thanos stepped foot on Equus. But the reactions, not to mention prophetic dreams or whatnot, are going to be fascinating to read about.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2014/11/13/763510__safe_screencap_sunset+shimmer_equestria+girls_rainbow+rocks_animated_solo.gif
Sweet mother of God and Faust... Thanos has brought Equestria in orbit next to Earth and destroying its moon as well as costing the lives of some unfortunate astronauts in the process. Having both planets dangerously close together with their own gravitational pull pulling each other is not going to be good in the long run. And with the moon gone, Earth's rotational axis is as good as screwed up and I don't even want to imagine where those chunks of rocks are gonna land. Now just have wait and see how everyone is reacting to this catastrophe.
Luna is not going to be happy.
derpicdn.net/img/view/2017/11/24/1593255__safe_artist-colon-filipino-dash-dashie_princess+luna_angry_bust_female_gritted+teeth_jewelry_mad_mare_open+mouth_pony_quiet_regalia_simple+bac.png
Huh. That's new.
https://makeagif.com/i/dMib-O
Earth and Equus, the moon... Holy sweet smokes...
Holy f@#king chimichangas, for real!!
Oh, the humanity of Mother Canada! Why?! Why the Moon, and the ISS? Thanos you prickhead!
Oh, my God.
I don't even...just...holy fucking shit.
Equestria to earth comes to together
So, Thanos pulled Equestria closer to Earth, as well as Luna’s moon, which destroyed Earth’s moon.
I’m anxious to see how everyone and everypony reacts to this.
Short, but powerful chapter!
Talk about powers that can move worlds... dang!!!
So the first part reminded me of this.
And still after it, reminded me of it entirely. Then it played the OST where Ghost and Roach died.
The Council of Earth ain't gonna be happy, and The Princesses aren't too. Especially with the fact that they lost control with their celestial bodies.
Now that I think about it, the princesses should probably die because they lost their powers. (Well not Luna)
Still, I got hyped up for the next! That constricting feeling in your body, impatient for the next part? Goddamnit.
8993257
They ded brother.
And very accurate, tons of tsunamis would happen across Earth. But the Equus moon is still there, so it wouldn’t mess up half the world right?
8993150
I also thought of that too.
Yikes. Namor will be very confused as to why the Ocean isnt making waves like it used to. And, though I may be wrong, everyone's gravity just got screwed up to kingdom come too, so that's nice.
This is pretty powerful stuff for sure.
...Thanos you insane bastard, what've you done?
8994570
Mad Titan to a T.
8993030 Luna gon' be pissed, boy!
8993058 Next chapter, both worlds will react to what's over their heads...
8993080 Not good at all.
8993132 The aftermath is going to be insane.
8993150 Rick and Morty called it yet again.
8993257 Luna lost her moon... When she finds out who did it...
derpicdn.net/img/2013/7/15/374954/full.jpeg
8993334 Right?
8993378 Thanos ain't messing around.
8993404 No words.
8993866 You'll see their reactions next chapter.
8993875 Dang indeed!
8994016 Definitely inspired from that MW2 mission to make this chapter. Nice catch!
8994124 Tsunamis, gravity shifts, the whole debacle.
8994570 Made things easier.
8993356
8994393 Right?
8995293
If that's the case, then let me give this story's theme
*Makes a phone call*It's Anthony. Yeah, we're probably gonna need them.
*George, Ralph, and Lizzie from Rampage 2018 face off against the Black Order*
Ebony Maw:*to Proxima* You might wish you never said those words.
*George attacks Corvus and Proxima, Ralph chases after Maw, and Lizzie slams her jaws shut on Obsidian, causing him to drop his hammer*
8995282
Oh.... no...
Luna will lose more than her moon.
Sunset will just realize that this catastrophe will be even worse than the Friendship Games, right? Earth next to Equestria, the upcoming Infinity War.
I hope you remember them... your friends...
Damn that Thanos.
Is there a chance Red Skull will appear? If the movie can’t show Rogers his fate, can you at least?
8995293
Wonder what will happen if Grubber and Scotty's wombat friend Luis met together?
I N T E R N A T I O N A L
S P A C E . S T A T I O N
E A R T H, L O W E R . O R B I T
Oh damn. Took me a little bit to figure out what just happened. Thanks, comments!
I’m finally reading this again!
Oooh boy... Things are really getting intense. Course, we all know what happens when something bad happens to the 'moon'. Without that little planet to control the oceans, much like that Yu-Gi-Oh episode, the oceans will either start swaying in chaos or there won't be any oceans. That's definitely not going to look good for all the sea life and the fishing industry that's for sure. Don't know if that's exactly what happens but one thing to note when it comes to the Moon's destruction in any form of media, it's never a good thing.
Man, Thanos moved the planets together with just two of the Stones, and destroyed the moon in the process. All the death that did alone is just the start. Things are about to get really bad.