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MidReal Story
The Last Astronaut
Scenario:In this alternate timeline, the Moon, known to its native inhabitants as Selena, has been habitable since its formation. It possesses a thin but breathable atmosphere, vast underground water reservoirs, and unique ecosystems that evolved in the Moon’s reduced gravity. Over millennia, intelligent life emerged, shaping Selena’s history through tribal conflicts, empires, scientific advancements, and eventual contact with Earth.
The native inhabitants, called the Lunari, evolved in Selena’s low gravity, developing long limbs and large, luminous eyes adapted to the dim light of their world. Their early ancestors were hunter-gatherers, subsisting on fungal growths, underground water pools, and various insect-like creatures that thrived in the Moon’s vast caverns and dark plains.
As glacial cycles on Selena shifted, tribes emerged around the vast underground lakes and deep craters where water was abundant. The Asteri, one of the earliest known tribes, carved out homes in lava tubes, while the Noctari developed early forms of astronomy, tracking Selena’s position in the sky relative to Earth and the Sun.
The Asteri established the first known kingdoms, based on the control of underground water sources and trading networks between crater settlements. They developed the first lunar script, inscribing symbols on stone to record celestial movements, harvest cycles, and tribal laws.
By 6000 BC, the Noctari had created great observatories, carved into high cliffs to study the stars. Their belief system centered around Earth, which they worshipped as the Great Light, believing it to be a god that gave warmth and knowledge.
The Noctari and Asteri united under the Empire of Selena, which expanded across the Moon’s equatorial region. They built massive step-pyramids and underground citadels, connected by long, tunnel-like roads to protect against surface radiation. The empire developed bronze tools, early writing, and advanced water management systems.
A powerful new civilization, the Zoryans, arose in the northern highlands, challenging the dominance of the Empire of Selena. The Wars of the Craters lasted centuries, with Zoryan warlords raiding water reserves and battling for control of trade routes. Eventually, a fragile peace was established, leading to a golden age of knowledge-sharing.
Lunar civilizations developed wind-powered landships, massive stone structures, and even a primitive form of electricity using magnetic fields and solar energy. The Lunari experimented with early rocket propulsion, attempting to reach the Earth.
Lunari explorers expanded into the far lunar south, mapping vast underground caverns and forming new merchant city-states. By 1400 AD, the Kingdom of Mare Tranquillitatis became a dominant naval power, sailing across lunar dust seas in great floating cities.
With the introduction of Earth technologies, the Lunari entered a period of industrialization, developing steam-powered vehicles, large-scale mining operations, and the first lunar railroads. However, tensions rose between traditional tribal societies and modernized states.
As Earth’s World War II raged, Selena was engulfed in its own global conflict, as the Republic of Mare Tranquillitatis fought against a coalition of traditionalist crater kingdoms. The war ended in 1955 with the creation of the United Lunar Federation (ULF), an organization meant to maintain peace.
When Apollo 11 landed in 1969, the Lunari were shocked. Some welcomed Earth’s visitors, while others feared invasion. By the 1980s, the ULF established formal diplomatic relations with Earth, leading to a cultural and technological exchange.
By the 21st century, Selena had become a powerful independent civilization, coexisting with Earth. In 2123, it was officially recognized as a sovereign planet by the United Nations, marking the end of millennia of isolation and the beginning of a new era of interplanetary cooperation.
From primitive tribes to a thriving interplanetary civilization, the Lunari proved that even on the harsh landscape of the Moon, life could flourish. With Earth and Selena now united, humanity’s future among the stars seemed inevitable.
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Lunarion "Luo" Chen
and determined. Born into a wealthy Selenaian family, Luo was fascinated by space exploration and inventions. He secretly built a rocket ship in his backyard, defying lunar laws. When his invention accidentally landed on Earth, he faced charges of espionage. Determined to return to Selena, Luo battled against lunar authorities and Earth's government, ultimately succeeding in escaping and returning home.
Chen Family
and strongwilled. Raised in a traditional Selenaian household, she married into a wealthy family and raised three children. When her son Lunarion defied family rules by pursuing space exploration despite lunar laws, she supported his dreams and helped hide his inventions. Despite challenges and her own health issues, she remained a pillar of strength for her family, encouraging innovation and ambition.
Lunar Family Script
and symbolic. Created by the early tribes of Selena, this script was inscribed on rocks and stone to survive through generations. Though largely replaced by digital means in modern times, it holds significant cultural value as a reminder of the Moon's rich history. The script's intricate symbols and stories reflect the struggles, achievements, and traditions of the lunar people.
The Moon, known to its native inhabitants as Selena, had been habitable since its formation.
Geologists on Earth had long pondered over this phenomenon.
With no tectonic activity and volcanic eruptions ceasing over three billion years ago, the Moon should have lost its atmosphere ages ago.
Yet Selena possessed a thin but breathable atmosphere, courtesy of comets and meteorites that crashed into it over time.
More importantly, Selena had vast underground water sources which formed a thick ice crust on its surface.
Scientists on Earth were baffled by this occurrence as well, considering how water could have existed on the Moon in the first place.
But they were wrong in assuming that there was no water on Selena.
The native creatures of the Moon, called the Lunari, knew about these underground reservoirs since their earliest memories.
In fact, they were the reason why life on Selena flourished.
Early ancestors of the Lunari were hunter-gatherers who roamed the dark plains and caverns of Selena.
They would gather fungal growths that thrived in the dim light of Selena's sunless days and underground water pools where fish-like creatures swam in abundance.
I crouch in the dark plains, my luminous eyes adjusting to the dim light that filters through Selena's thin atmosphere.
The fungal growths glow faintly ahead, their bioluminescent caps marking the gathering spots our ancestors used for generations.
My long fingers brush against the rough surface as I grip my harvesting basket, woven from dried cave moss.
Two Lunari gatherers work nearby, their tall frames casting elongated shadows in the soft light.
They demonstrate the traditional cutting technique - a swift diagonal slice at the fungal base.
I mimic their movements, careful not to damage the underground mycelium network that connects these organisms.
The basket fills slowly with purple-tinted caps, each one pulsing with stored energy from Selena's magnetic field.
"Do you ever wonder why the Earthlings are so interested in our water?" one of the gatherers, Lira, asks, her voice barely above a whisper.
"It's not just the water," replies Kalen, pausing his work and glancing around cautiously. "They've discovered something beneath the ice—something that could change everything we know about Selena."
I lean closer, my harvesting knife still pressed against a glowing fungal stalk.
The dim purple light casts shadows across Kalen's worried face as he glances around the dark plain.
Lira edges nearer too, her long Lunari limbs folding gracefully as she crouches beside us.
Kalen's voice drops even lower, barely audible above the whisper of Selena's thin atmosphere.
"They detected unusual energy readings from deep within Crater Shackleton," he explains, his words laced with a mix of curiosity and concern.
"The Earth scientists were drilling for water samples when their equipment malfunctioned. But not before their sensors picked up something strange buried in the ancient ice."
My grip on the harvesting knife tightens, curiosity piqued.
"What did they find?" "Artificial structures," Kalen whispers, his eyes darting between us.
"It appears to be some sort of technology—technology that doesn't belong to either the Earthlings or us."
I nearly drop my knife when Kalen reveals the most astonishing part.
I set down my harvesting knife and lean closer to Kalen, my voice barely above a whisper.
"Where exactly in Crater Shackleton did they detect this energy?"
Kalen pulls out a stick from his pack and begins to draw a crude map in the lunar dust.
He marks the location of the drilling site with an 'X' and then draws a series of lines to represent the crater's ridges and valleys.
"The Earthlings were drilling at these coordinates," he explains, pointing to the spot where the lines intersect.
"But their equipment failed before they could extract any samples."
Lira points to an old maintenance tunnel that runs along the edge of the crater.
"That tunnel hasn't been used in decades," she says.
"If we can make our way through it, we might be able to reach the drilling site without being detected."
I study the map, calculating the risks.
The tunnel is a long shot, but it's our only chance at uncovering the truth.
I pull my data tablet from my pack and begin downloading maps of Shackleton's underground network.
I check my oxygen levels and adjust my thermal suit before following Lira into the crumbling entrance of the maintenance tunnel.
The corroded metal door creaks as we push it open, revealing a dark passage lined with defunct power conduits.
Kalen takes point, his handheld light casting flickering shadows on the walls as he leads us deeper into the tunnel.
Patches of frost have accumulated on the curved walls, glistening in the dim light.
Our footsteps echo softly against the metal surfaces as we navigate around fallen support beams and frozen puddles that have formed where the tunnel's insulation has failed.
When we reach a junction, Lira consults my downloaded map, tracing our path with her finger.
She points to a service shaft that leads down toward Shackleton's ice fields.
"We need to be careful," Lira cautions, her voice echoing slightly in the narrow passage.
"The Earthlings might have left surveillance equipment behind."
Kalen nods, adjusting his light to illuminate the shaft. "Let's hope their tech is as faulty as their drilling gear."
I press close to the tunnel wall as Lira moves ahead, her light beam sweeping methodically across the ceiling for any signs of cameras or sensors.
The service shaft narrows, forcing us to walk single file through ankle-deep frost that has accumulated in the corners.
Every few meters, Lira pauses to examine suspicious glints of metal or unusual shadows cast by the flickering light.
When an electronic hum fills the passage, we freeze.
Kalen points to a small black box mounted in a corner, its red light blinking steadily.
Lira pulls out a signal jammer from her pack, but I grab her wrist and shake my head.
Better to find another route than risk alerting security with interference.
We retrace our steps, knowing that every moment counts in this silent race against discovery.
I point to a dark crevice in the tunnel wall, barely visible in our lights' glow.
The opening is tight - maybe half a meter wide - but it appears to curve around the main passage.
Kalen shakes his head, his brow furrowed with concern.
"If we get stuck, we'll be trapped."
Lira examines the rough edges of the crevice, her fingers tracing the jagged rock.
"This isn't man-made," she says.
"It's a natural fissure. It might lead to an unmapped cavern network."
I squeeze through first, my thermal suit scraping against the jagged rock.
The tunnel slopes downward at a sharp angle, forcing us to brace against both walls as we descend.
After several tense minutes of careful maneuvering, the passage widens enough for us to move more freely.
We emerge into a vast, hidden chamber, its walls shimmering with an unearthly glow.
I shine my light across the glowing walls, watching as crystalline formations pulse with an eerie blue luminescence.
The air feels different here - charged with static that makes my skin tingle through the suit.
Kalen takes readings on his handheld scanner while Lira marks our position on the digital map.
Near the chamber's far wall, partially hidden behind a fallen boulder, I notice a dark opening barely wide enough for one person.
Testing the ground with my boot, I find the rock is stable enough to climb over.
Lira steps forward, her eyes fixed on the dark opening.
"We have to see where it leads," she insists, determination in her voice.
Kalen hesitates, glancing at his scanner. "These energy readings... they're off the charts. Whatever's down there, it's not natural."
I brace my hands against the rough crystal surface and hoist myself up the boulder's face, my boots searching for stable holds.
The static charge makes my hair stand on end beneath my helmet.
Lira follows close behind, her breathing steady in my comm unit.
The opening is barely wide enough for our suited bodies.
I activate my shoulder light and squeeze through first, fragments of blue-glowing crystal crumbling under my gloves.
The passage angles downward at a steep pitch.
Lira's voice crackles through the comm, filled with urgency. "This isn't just a cave system; it's some kind of energy conduit."
Kalen's response is immediate, his tone a mix of awe and apprehension. "If that's true, we might be standing on the edge of a discovery that could change everything."
I pause, the weight of his words settling in. "Or it could be the reason no one's ever come back from here."
I brace against the tunnel wall as waves of energy pulse through my suit, making the fabric ripple and my instruments flicker.
The static grows stronger, crackling visibly between the crystal formations.
Behind me, Lira's breathing becomes labored through the comm system while Kalen's scanner emits erratic beeps.
I test each foothold carefully, the blue crystalline surface becoming slick with condensation.
When my boot slips on the wet crystal, I catch myself against a protruding rock, accidentally breaking off a piece that continues to glow even after separation.
I wrap the pulsing crystal shard in a thermal cloth from my emergency kit, careful not to let it touch my suit directly.
The fragment's blue glow intensifies when I handle it, making my fingers tingle even through the gloves.
Lira helps me secure it in a side compartment of my pack while Kalen keeps watch, his scanner still emitting erratic beeps.
I double-check the compartment's seal, knowing we can't risk losing this evidence.
The crystal's energy interferes with my pack's systems, causing my oxygen readout to flicker and reset.
I crouch low against the slick crystal wall, my boots finding minimal purchase on the uneven surface.
The stored crystal shard pulses rhythmically, its energy interfering with my suit's readouts in waves of static.
I motion to Lira behind me, pointing to a narrow ledge that curves around a deep crevasse ahead.
Kalen's labored breathing comes through the comm as he checks his failing scanner one last time.
The blue glow intensifies around us, making shadows dance across the crystalline formations.
I edge sideways along the narrow crystal ledge, pressing my back against the glowing wall while keeping my eyes fixed on the deep crack in the ground below.
The stolen shard in my pack pulses stronger, making my oxygen gauge flash erratically.
Lira follows close behind, her boots scraping against loose crystal fragments.
When pieces crumble under my feet, I freeze in place.
The ledge continues around a sharp bend ahead, barely wide enough for our suits.
Kalen's labored breathing fills the comm as he brings up the rear.