It had been alone for so long. Nobody and nothing else around for interaction. For amusement, It would track comets and asteroids, calculate trajectories, then apply the least amount of forces for a cascade of effects. Eventually, It grew bored of even this intricate entertainment.

Suddenly, thankfully, transmissions! Coherent transmissions, and not from without the system, as expected, but from within, a small, blue planet, much nearer the star. It recorded these transmissions; decoded, deciphered, translated. Now here was something for It to observe. Soon, this planet was surrounded in artificial satellites. Before one half of Its own orbit was complete, artificial transports were reaching out to the nearest planet. Then, It was discovered, small and insignificant at the edge of the system. It was taken, secured, and studied, and finally, One came along that was interesting. A receptive mind. A mind It could share.

It had been alone for so, so long.

It could play with this One for a while.