The Tale of the Moon

Chapter 2: The Forgotten

Colin stepped on the MTI, with Tucker behind him. As the door closed, Colin began to feel the dust revolve around his face. He looked around. It was large and spacious. It seemed a lot bigger than the outside. Tucker waved his hand in front of him to turn the dust away from his face. Suddenly, the lights switched on. A quiet whistle came from a deep corner of the ship. Tucker quickly summoned his weapon. He walked nearby, spear in hand, Colin holding onto his arm. Tucker's eyes stopped at a ghostly figure. The shadow was hugging a furry creature, both of them trembling. He stammered,

- "I... um, who—"

The figure nervously looked around,

- "—who are you two...?"

Tucker sighed. He let go of his spear and bent down.

- "My name is T-053, Tucker. That person over there—"

He pointed at Colin, smiling,

- "His name is Colin. We're here to fix the planet Earth."

The figure's eyes lit up.

- "Oh! An Improver?! Gah...! I made such a bad first impression... My—my name is Kip!"

Colin lifted Kip up from the ground. Kip wiped the dust off their shoulders. Their hands seemed as if they were part of their scarf... And they were. Their entire body was made of cloth, actually. Tucker asked, slightly sceptical,

- "So, Kip... Why are you in our ship?"

Kip looked at Tucker, slightly confused.

- "Your ship? We were here originally... Milky Way, my... my dog, found this ship when the Separation War befell. We've been burrowed here forevermore."

- "Separation War? No, no, no... I only recall one war, and that is the Celestial War. It was quite recent."

Kip sighed and said,

- "Let me describe to you the Separation War. Sit down, because this story is going to be a long one."

Colin and Tucker sat down next to each other on the ship's floor and listened carefully to Kip's story.

- "Three million years ago, when I was made, the Moon Tribe and Sun Tribe were one big Tribe, called the Eclipse Tribe. But about two million years later, the former Sun Tribe leader, king Arius, thought that being together with the Moon Tribe was a horrible idea, due to their opposite personalities. 'Aggression and kindness do not go together well,' Arius said, days before the Separation War fell upon us. The Eclipse Tribe broke up into what you now know as the Moon Tribe and the Sun Tribe. We were forced to choose which side we wanted to belong to, so many friendships were broken. While at the Moon Tribe campsite, I met a little dog who I named Milky Way. She fought with me during the war, which I now realise was a horrible idea. But, I mean, she was a very good fighter. Her saliva is... rather deadly, so she went on and bit the Sun Tribe members on the leg or on the face. Anyway... Milky Way and I managed to find a hiding spot. It was this very ship, in fact. We encountered it far away from the war area. And that's how we ended up here in 'your' ship."

- "So... you're telling me that... the Moon Tribe once was with that—"

He tensed his fist,

- "—horrible Sun Tribe?"

Kip's eyes widened and said rather loudly,

- "Horrible Sun Tribe? What have they ever done to be horrible?"

Colin's jaw dropped. Tucker glanced around and he whisper-shouted,

- "Don't say that so loud! Apollo could be hearing us... You never know when the Attacus are right behind you."