Taurus’s Quest (The Thirteenth Zodiac #4)

Prologue

The doom of civilization began the moment the avatar for the Ophiuchus constellation finally escaped its dark void prison. Its series of stars, nestled in the Milky Way, started glowing brighter, not that most people noticed or cared.

Astronomers, who watched the night sky on a regular basis, did wonder why the Thirteenth Zodiac suddenly shone more clearly than before. However, their interest in it quickly waned as something more astonishing occurred.

All this to show the rarity of interstellar objects, meaning the third one in such a short time frame had astronomers in a tizzy, especially since, like ‘Oumuamua, it had varying orbital characteristics—like a comet—yet was confirmed through spectroscopy to be comprised of rocky materials—making it an asteroid.

While many drooled at the thought of getting samples, they had to content themselves with tracking and capturing images because the modelling showed it wouldn’t come anywhere close to Earth. A good thing, since, given its size, an impact with the surface of the planet would have been catastrophic.

Only one person predicted it would shift course, not that anyone believed her.

Those within the rocketing asteroid made sure of that.