Rosetta's Stone

Born out of creation itself, this nearly tiniest body of our universe has been tumbling through space and time on a seemingly endless voyage. 

For millions of miles over the centuries it has been bounced around like a pinball, first attracted and then repelled by the gravitational forces of larger bodies. These merciless forces have misshapen it into a tortured form compared to the smooth symmetry and perfect spherical rotation of its giant repellers.

Most of its kind were long ago drawn in and accreted to those larger bodies, as if by some cosmic assimilation. But this one was always repelled and sent on its way again and again, thrust into the cold black void not knowing when or where the next wrenching encounter would be.

It has more craters and pockmarks than bodies many hundreds of times its own size, attesting to the constant and never-ending battering it has had to endure on its eternal wanderings.

And yet, despite the tiny size and odd appearance, it sparks more interest and curiosity than practically anything else in the universe.  Millions of dollars have been invested in a means to chase it for ten years across millions of miles just for an opportunity to study it closehand.

It is a survivor from the time of creation. Against all odds it is still intact after all that time. And everyone is convinced it contains vital information, a message from the time of creation.

If this little piece of the universe had ever been assimilated by any of the larger bodies, its priceless message would have been lost eons ago. Only its constant rejection by the rest of our universe has preserved its unique role in the cold darkness of space.

Sound familiar?