The system failed without warning.
Not with noise.
Not with impact.
But with silence.
Aum noticed it first in the data.
A single deviation.
Then another.
Then a cascade.
The trajectory he had calculated - precise to the smallest measurable unit-began to shift.
Not gradually, but decisively.
"Adjust thrust vector." His voice was steady. Controlled.
The onboard system responded with a delay. Too long.
Aum's gaze narrowed. His fingers moved across the interface, recalibrating, correcting, compensating-but something was wrong.
The gravitational readings spikes. Not from a known planetary body. Not from any expected celestial pattern.
"...That's impossible."
Aum leaned closer. The numbers continued to change. Not randomly. But... In a pattern he didn't recognize.
A small alert flashed.
UNDEFINED GRAVITATIONAL ANOMALY DETECTED
Aum froze.
For the first time - he did not immediately act.
His mind processed.
Recalculated.
Verified.
Then, quietly- "There is no such classification."
A system error.
That was the only logical conclusion.
But then, the ship shuddered. Not violently, but enough.
Enough for something to break.
The internal lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stabilized.
Aum turned his head slowly.
Sensor. Life support. Navigation. All within acceptable range. Except - the trajectory.
The ship was no longer following its intended path. It was being pulled.
Aum's breathing remained even.
His mind, however - was no longer calm.
He checked the coordinates again.
And again
And again.
Each recalculation returned the same result.
ERROR. DATA DOES NOT MATCH ANY KNOWN MODEL.
Aum exhaled slowly.
"...Then we update the model."
But even as he said it, he understood.
This was not something that could be updated.
This was not within his system.
Another alert appeared.
This one... different.
WARNING: GRAVITATIONAL SINGULARITY APPROACHING
Aum's eye sharpened.
"...A black hole."
Not far.
Not theoretical.
Not distant.
Real.
And they are moving towards it.
Aum acted immediately. Hands moving faster now. More precise. More urgent.
"Activate escape vector."
The system hesitated.
For the first time - it did not comply instantly.
A paise.
Then -
INSUFFICIENT THRUST POWER. TRAJECTORY UNSTABLE.
Aum's expression did not change.
But something inside him did.
"... Insufficient?"
He checked the energy reserves.
The calculations.
The fuel distribution.
Everything was within expected parameters.
Everything - except...
The situation.
"...No." Aum's voice lowered.
"This should not be happening."
Outside the viewport - space began to distort.
Light bent.
Stars stretched.
Reality itself - wraped.
Aum stood still.
Watching.
Calculating.
Understanding - that this was no longer something he could correct.
Not with logic.
Not with precision.
Not with science alone.
The ship trembled again.
This time - harder.
The pull intensified. Aum closed his eyes for a brief moment. Then he opened them.
"...So this is how it ends."
A statement.
No dear.
No panic.
Just... acknowledgment.
But then, a thought.
"... Or not."
His fingers moved one final time.
Manual override.
A last attempt.
A final correction.
A small chance.
And in that moment, Aum realized something.
Not everything he knew...
could explain everything that was happening.
Not everything that happens...
is predictable.
And
Not everything that is unlikely...
Is impossible.
Then, darkness swallowed everything!