Chapter 2003: Bayle’s Comet

By the time Ning finally came close enough to see the galaxy, Crownus, he had already spent an absurd amount of time crossing the empty distance between galaxies. Even with how quickly his spaceship traveled, there was still enough space left between him and his destination that the journey would have continued for millennia.

Thankfully, that changed when someone appeared on the ship he was on.

Crownus arrived directly upon the ship.

Ning focused on the figure and quickly realized that it was an avatar of Crownus rather than his true body. The shape was the same as what he had seen before, humanoid with two arms, two legs, and a head, but almost every detail made it clear that Crownus had only copied the general idea of a person rather than actually becoming one.

Its face had the shapes of ordinary organs, yet none of them had any openings. There were places where eyes should have been, along with a nose and mouth, but they were all covered by smooth flesh. There was no hair either. Instead, thick fleshy appendages spread around the back and sides of its head in a way that reminded Ning of a lion’s mane.

Even its hands were unusual, ending in only three thick fingers each.

The avatar stood before him.

"You have come rather quickly. I had thought you would have taken much longer," the Galactic Will said.

"I made a promise, didn’t I? I have to keep that promise," Ning said.

"Will you take your time? Or would you like me to teleport you the rest of the way?" the being asked.

Ning did not need to think about the offer for long. "Yes. That would save me a few years."

He had no problem traveling the remaining distance himself, but there was also no reason to refuse help when Crownus could simply skip the entire trip for him. After spending so long crossing the Void already, Ning was more than happy to accept the shortcut.

The moment he agreed, the space around him changed, and the distant darkness vanished from his surroundings.

It wasn’t just him that was teleported, but the entire spaceship. He arrived in a stretch between stars, already deep inside the galaxy.

Crownus’ avatar still stood inside the spaceship, but Ning put the ship away into his Inner Space, leaving the two floating in the middle of space.

"Where is your main body? Take me there," Ning said.

The avatar looked at Ning for a moment before nodding. Space twisted again, and Ning arrived upon a large mass in the darkness of the sky.

It was a large asteroid.

The ground beneath him was dark and uneven, filled with craters and long stretches of exposed rock. There was barely any gravity, though that hardly mattered to him. What caught his attention instead were the thick white trails behind the asteroid as material peeled away from its surface.

Ning looked back at them for a moment before saying, "It’s a comet."

"It is."

The voice came from beside him, and Ning turned to find that the strange avatar was gone.

Crownus now stood there in a much simpler form. He looked completely human now, with ordinary limbs, a normal face, and proportions that would have allowed him to blend into any number of civilizations Ning had visited.

"Welcome to my galaxy."

When Crownus spoke again, his mouth did not move.

Almost completely human.

"Good to finally meet you properly," Ning said before looking around again. "Where exactly are we?"

"We are standing on an asteroid that people of a nearby world call Bayle’s Comet," the being said.

"I see. Any significance as to why you decided to meet with me here and not somewhere else?"

"A little," Crownus said, pointing in a direction that was somewhat hidden from Ning. "There is a planet full of humans that this comet will strike in approximately 3 months."

Those words made Ning immediately focus on the direction of travel. He flew a little away from the comet and could, in fact, see a massive planet far in the distance that would orbit around its sun just in time to be struck by the comet.

Ning studied the trajectory for a few seconds. "Is it actually going to hit?"

"It will."

Ning frowned. "How bad is the collision?"

"It is a direct impact."

Ning’s frown deepened as he looked down at the asteroid beneath his feet again. It was far too large for a collision like that to be dismissed as a minor disaster. Depending on the planet and the final speed of impact, something this size could easily devastate most of the surface and possibly wipe out whatever civilization lived there.

His first suspicion came naturally.

"Are you behind this?"

Crownus turned slightly toward him. "No. I have done many things for the people of my galaxy, Sir Host, and not one of those things has been against them."

Ning watched him for a moment, then looked toward the planet again. "So this asteroid has nothing to do with you."

"Correct. Its path is natural."

That explanation answered one question while creating another.

If Crownus had not caused the disaster, then the asteroid was simply moving along a trajectory it would have followed regardless of whether either of them existed. Ning could accept that easily enough. What he found harder to understand was why Crownus had chosen this particular place to meet him.

"Is this some sort of test? Do you wish to see whether I am willing to save these people from imminent doom?" Ning asked.

"Not at all. In fact, I would ask that you do not interfere either," the Galactic Will said.

Ning glanced back at him, even more confused now. "You’re planning to stand here and watch an asteroid crash into a populated planet, annihilating all life?"

Crownus held the faintest hint of a smile.

"I am indeed suggesting that we sit here and let nature take its course," the being said. "However, I’m not so sure that they will die should we do it."