Chapter 2 - KX-31

Universe: UNIVERSE 21,

Time: Year 2357, 

 Location: Rhea Research Facility, Outer Saturn orbit

  The hum of distant machinery filled the sterile white corridors of the Rhea facility. Dr. Nyle grey stood before the immense observation window, staring out into the void. Saturn’s rings shimmered faintly against the darkness of space, but Nyle’s gaze was fixed on a much more distant and dangerous entity: the black hole, KX-31. A dark maw lurking at the edge of the solar system. He couldn’t particularly see the blackhole because it didn’t reflect light, but the bend and warp of space was well evident. 

  “Velox, show me the anomaly data again,” Nyle said, running a hand through his unruly hair. Sleep had become a foreign concept over the past few weeks, ever since the anomaly had first been detected. Kx-31 had just magically appeared in the orbit of Saturn about a month ago. It changed the orbit of Saturn, which led NASE, formally known as NASA to notice it. A blackhole appearing out of nowhere was a big mystery for them. A bigger mystery was that the blackhole didn’t act like the regular blackholes they knew. For instant, it didn’t dilate time though having a massive gravitational pull or radiate hawking’s radiation. This led NASE to send a team of physicists and astronauts to study it. 

  Their assistant, an AI housed within a sleek black console beside the workstation, obliged. “Anomaly wave frequency has increased by 0.34 percent in the last hour, Doctor,” Velox replied, its voice a smooth, measured monotone that never wavered. “The gravitational waves from KX-31 are becoming more erratic.” Nyle’s eyes flickered with a mixture of excitement and exhaustion as a holographic display materialized in the air before them, showing the gravitational wave patterns. The anomaly was like nothing they’d ever seen before. It pulsed, not like a natural black hole devouring matter, but with a rhythmic pattern. Almost… intentional Nyle felt a familiar pang of unease as they studied the readings. 

  “It’s like it’s… alive,” he muttered under their breath. 

  “What was that, Doctor?” Velox inquired. 

 “Nothing. Just thinking out loud,” Nyle waved it off. But deep down, the thought gnawed at them. Every instinct he had told him this was no ordinary black hole. And if the calculations were correct, it wasn’t just alive—it was very old, older than any celestial they had ever encountered or observed in the solar system. It really didn’t make any logical sense and questions flooded his mind.

  Was the blackhole always around Saturn, growing as it ate?

  “Prepare the probe for another scan,” Nyle said, his voice resolute. Velox paused for a moment, a flicker of hesitation crossing its interface. 

 “Director Lysan has requested that we cease further probing into KX-31 until more data is collected. The temporal distortions—”

  “I’m aware of Lysan’s orders, Velox. But we’re closer than we’ve ever been. There’s something inside that black hole, something that could change everything. And we’re not stopping now.”

  There was a brief silence as Velox processed the command. “Understood, Doctor.”

  Nyle sighed as his thoughts came crowding in. He remembered Mira, his former partner that died during an experiment two years ago. An experiment that they were told to stop. He always blamed himself ever since for not stopping Mira. Somehow, he thought the black hole would present a solution. As if it would bring her back. 

  Nyle glanced over his shoulder at the rest of the lab. It was late, and most of the team had gone to their quarters, except for Dara Sol, the pilot and engineer, who sat slumped over her console, tinkering with the probe’s systems.

  “How’s it looking, Dara?” Nyle asked, striding across the lab. 

  “Running final diagnostics now,” Dara said, not looking up. Her hair was tied back in a loose knot, and her eyes had the weary look of someone who’d spent too many hours fighting temperamental technology.

  “The probe’s holding, but if you ask me, it’s only a matter of time before the gravitational pull rips it apart.”

  “That’s why we need to act fast,” Nyle replied, glancing at the holographic display again. “This is our chance. If we can get inside that event horizon, we could uncover technology that’s… beyond our comprehension.” 

  Dara snorted. “Or we could get ourselves killed. You want us to enter the event horizon of a blackhole?”

  A faint smile tugged at the corner of Nyle’s mouth. 

  “This is no ordinary blackhole. If you noticed, time is still the same around the blackhole like it is outside. I have a hunch that we won’t be spaghettified”

  “A hunch? You want me to put my life on the line for a hunch?” 

  He appreciated Dara’s pragmatism, even if it came with a dose of cynicism. 

  “We’ll play it safe,” He said, though even as he spoke, he knew ‘safe’ wasn’t an option anymore. 

  Dara looked at him once more. Despite the affair they have had for a while now, she admired his intellect and was ready to follow him anywhere, even the center of a blackhole. She stood up from her chair, walking seductively towards him. She then kissed him, saying 

  “You know I would follow you to the ends of the universe. Let’s do it”

  Velox’s voice interrupted their moment. “Probe is ready for launch.” 

  Nyle nodded. “Send it in.” --- The launch was uneventful at first, the probe drifting steadily toward the black hole’s event horizon. Data streamed back to the lab, showing everything as expected—gravitational readings, radiation levels, and time dilation rates. As expected, the time dilation rate was zero. But as the probe crossed the threshold of the event horizon, the data feed began to warp. 

  “Nyle, look at this,” Dara said, her voice suddenly sharp with alarm. 

  Nyle leaned in closer, eyes narrowing. The readings were… impossible. Nyle assumptions were correct, the blackhole didn’t tear the probe apart. Instead of being torn apart, the probe was sending back images. And not just images—schematics. Structures. An entire alien complex, suspended within the heart of the black hole. 

  “My God,” Nyle whispered. Inside KX-31, hidden from the universe for untold millennia, was an Ouroboran Artifact—a relic of a race that had long since disappeared from the universe, thought to have been destroyed by their own experiments with time. 

  “Velox,” Nyle said, their voice trembling with a mixture of awe and fear, “we’ve found it. The key to time itself.”