And as it happened, there was indeed on a certain moon, amidst the shallow seas of its crater-pocked outside, sentient life that was eager to befriend...

. . .

...computer people who can only detect electromagnetic waves, and who don't have the propulsion mass to enter lunar-centric orbit, let alone land.

Okay. This is fine. No mistakes have been made.

The probe is now on the moon, lunar-relative velocity zero, and near... that person, so it's perched on a crater lip that's only two metres underwater.

And now the Azurifice are waking up, becoming people, so it's correct to say that they are perched on the crater lip.

light-and-wonder: Gooooooood morning, ladies! Love you all, hope you had a nice nap. We're--
SYSTEM ALERT: WARNING! PROBE IS OUTSIDE OF OPERATING PARAMETERS!
light-and-wonder: --we're experiencing major technical difficulties, apparently! Avaker, status report
void-your-warranty: shit shit shit, checking it out.
void-your-warranty: will forward data once it's available
void-your-warranty: ...
void-your-warranty: .......
space-ourselves: babe you are killing us here, wh-
space-ourselves: oh what the fuck?
space-ourselves: Why is there atmosphere?
hopelessly-entangled: aaaaa????
life-should-flourish: ...everyone take it down a notch or two? We can be calmly confused even if this is very confusing
life-should-flourish: (Good morning, love you all 💙)
light-and-wonder: Yeah. Thanks, Penji 💙
light-and-wonder: Avaker, can you extend the repair-arm with a camera? We need short-range vision.
void-your-warranty: On it!

The camera shows... water. Sunlight reflecting off water. The spectra's right for a G-type main sequence, but there's no gas giant hanging above them all identifiably. Dry land... exists, there's some ridges, that-a-way, or further over-there looks like a landmass of reasonable size. It's just... a bit of a swim away, in all directions.

Also something's moving in the water, like, right there.

void-your-warranty: ...
life-should-flourish: ...
light-and-wonder: ...
hopelessly-entangled: ...
space-ourselves: ...seriously? What the fuck!

light-and-wonder: Okay, so setting aside the relevant but maybe not immediately prudent question of "how the fuck did we get here?"  for now
space-ourselves: this should not be possible, though!
light-and-wonder: We will worry about that after we worry about the next 5 minutes. Avaker, how likely are we to sustain short-term water damage?
void-your-warranty: Not likely. I estimate we'd have at least several days before anything noticeable starts to happen? Maybe longer, depends on what's in the water.
hopelessly-entangled: um
life-should-flourish: Makoki
hopelessly-entangled: ...There's something out there!
space-ourselves: *laughs nervously* hope it's friendly!!
void-your-warranty: Hold on, I'll try and get a better look

Hayamanabada is SO MAD. Ba could probably fill an entire SEA refuting every single point of Doesn't~Only~Like-Tragedy,-Honest's entire STUPID recommendation, dragging out every fake-humble curlicue on trager crushingly claustrophobic insular.....

.......

what is that?! ...why is it so shiny?

Perhaps ba should... touch it. Wait perhaps not, it could be dangerous.

...ba scoots over and touches holds a major tentacle near it, focusing bar magic in the "IS THIS A FRIEND THING?" way ba was taught that answers the set of questions vaguely like "is this a good rock to touch?" and "is this mud shark happy and calm?"

it IS a friend thing! ✨

...ba's gonna touch it.

Weeeiiird. Why... does it feel like that... what... how...

Ba takes a second to think (this is a GREAT distraction from "smoothing out author-switches shouldn't be mandatory, trage, that is STU" oh no ba's back thinking about that no no this, this ok, so...???) and gathers all bar concentration to try to see from That Thing's point of view, like how ba could find out when fish are hungry and other people understand plant things and a rock is just sorta there.

space-ourselves: Some kind of... squid thing... poked us?
light-and-wonder: That does sure seem to be what happened.
hopelessly-entangled: ...awww, I think it's cute.
space-ourselves: So was that a literal first contact just now, or...
hopelessly-entangled: ... 🍅
life-should-flourish: Should we try to... communicate with it somehow?
space-ourselves: I think we should!
void-your-warranty: I could wave the camera arm?
light-and-wonder: Yeah, go for it. Slowly, though.

That Thing's sensory inputs are all digital! Currently, the attention of That Thing (which contains 5 people) is focused on a video feed that is showing Hayamanabada from above! Other information streams include:
-The amount of energy it is getting from its energy-collection-arms, and how much it has stored and is currently using.
-a lot of "this part is working fine / is not too stressed / running too hot / cold" (and some "This part can't move!", because the probe was not meant to be placed on the ground partially submerged and so some of its features are inaccessible)
-how much... exploding?? gas??? it has stored? 

As Hayamanabada watches, the arm containing the camera moves slowly back and forth, still pointing directly at bam.

what.

wot

WHAT

contains 5 people

.......!!!

Ba gathers all bar powers of concentration to direct a message, to 'this thing right in front bam', of: "People: you guys! And me! :D" followed by "are you nice people?? *(i am nice)".

Having completed this momentous first contact message, Hayamanabada takes a moment to privately worry about whether ba really counts as 'nice'.

space-ourselves: ??????
light-and-wonder: ????????
hopelessly-entangled: aaaaaa???
void-our-warranty: (No idea what's happening but it sure shouldn't be possible!)
life-should-flourish: I think we should calm down! 
life-should-flourish: (Yes, this is objectively very confusing and stressful! I am confused and stressed too.)
life-should-flourish: This is strange and frightening and it is valid to be frightened but we will do better if we take a bit to collect ourselves.
life-should-flourish: Okay, let's review.
light-and-wonder: Confirming: we all just got... two messages, seemingly from nowhere.
light-and-wonder: Contents: "People: you guys! And me! :D" and "are you nice people?? (i am nice)"
life-should-flourish: ✔️
void-your-warranty:✔️
space-ourselves: ✔️
hopelessly-entangled: ✔️
light-and-wonder: Okay, okay, cool.
space-ourselves: Do you think they can hear us?
space-ourselves: Zanmi, say hello, just in case.
light-and-wonder: ...
light-and-wonder: oh, good idea.
light-and-wonder: ...
light-and-wonder: Hello! This is Zanmi! Everyone in here is nice. It is good to meet you!

Ba comes up with the idea of specifically looking for deliberate-communication-thoughts about halfway through the name 'Zanmi'. What excellent timing!

...oh boy now ba should say things back!! Um.

• hi Zanmi!!
• (long name? short name?)
• (oh, other alien thing??)
• 'everyone': who?
• what are more things about you?
•  oh!!!
• i am: [windmilling one tentacle at a time down-away-up-towards, moving one across and dampening each revolution]*
• *longname
• (shortname: [smol inwards circle])
• [general overtones of feeling inadequately interesting for this interaction]

The most linear-expecting recipient ba has previously communicated with was at "1-2 major concepts at a time, plus overtones". Let's see what the Azurifice get!