Chapter 4 - Journey to the Blackhole

Universe: UNIVERSE 21,

Time: Year 2357, 

 Location: Rhea Research Facility, Outer Saturn orbit

  Doctor Nyle looked at the entity coming from the drone’s feedback with awe. He needed to witness it himself. But first, he needed to report the findings back to headquarters. Dara sol still stared in disbelief. She was affirmative now that this man was all brilliance.

  “Put a transmission back to headquarters, we need to tell them of our findings” Nyle had a smirk on his face. Dara did as she was told and in minutes, the director, Lyan was on the big screen in the middle of the control system.

  “What is it Nyle?” Director Lysan said. He was a short grumpy man who had little tolerance for anything. He wore his glasses so close to his nose that it made it bulge. He had always disliked Dr. Nyle because Nyle always went against orders to satisfy his curiosity; same thing that got his partner killed.

  “We have been able to send a probe to the blackhole–“

  “Who granted authorization for that operation?” Lysan interrupted. “I thought I gave orders that no further probing on KX-31”

  “I know that you gave that order sir, but-“

  “But what Nyle. It was this same stubbornness and pride that made your partner die!”

  There was silence for some seconds. Nyle knew what the director was getting at.  A beep sound broke the silence and Lysan finally spoke.

  “What am I looking at?” His voice stern but surprised.

  Dara sol finally spoke up. “It is the camera feed from the probe we sent into the blackhole”

  Director Lysan was confused. “The probe wasn’t destroyed?”

  “No sir. As calculated by dr. Nyle, the blackhole is like some kind of ship or something like that. We aren’t yet sure. We still need to investigate further.”

  “I see. Await further instructions from me. Tomorrow, we send people up there to continue the investigation with you” The screen went blank. Director Lycan had ended the transmission. 

  Dara looked at Nyle. “Let me guess. We are defying orders” 

  Nyle smirked and held her by the hand. “Let’s go get our blackhole”

  Dara readied the mini craft they were going to use; Two pods for the both of them. 

  “Careful not wake them up” Nyle said. When they were done with the preparations, they sat down for a drink. Incase they died, at least they had a last drink. Just as they were about to enter the pods, Jason, one of their team mates came out from his room. 

  “What do you think you are doing?” 

  Nyle sighed. He didn’t want to deal with another blockhead. “We’ll be back”

  With that, he and Dara sol headed for the pod. “Velox, set a route for the probe’s location”

  “Okay doctor”

  There was a whushing sound, and then the pods went into space, heading directly for the blackhole. Nyle’s heart was pounding. He was an inch close to his dream. On the other hand, Dara Sol was afraid. The only thing that made her go on this journey was the love she had for Nyle. She hadn’t told him yet because she felt it would end the affair they had. She looked at him once more before they finally reached the heart of the blackhole. The probe’s location they had locked in on their pods became nearer as they approached the ship. Sooner enough, they got to the probe. They were on something that looked like a ship; the Ouroboran ship, which was called the Epochis, was no ordinary spacecraft. Even from a distance, it defied the traditional expectations of ship design, resembling less of a vessel and more of a monumental relic—something mind-blowing, almost sacred. Its structure was vast, with a central core shaped like a massive ouroboros—the serpent eating its own tail—crafted from unknown alloys that shimmered faintly in the light, as though the ship itself was alive. The body of the ship coiled into itself, an endless loop of corridors and chambers that seemed to stretch into infinity. Unlike human ships, which prioritized functionality and aerodynamics, the Epochis was built by those who had long since transcended the need for such things. The Ouroborans had conquered time, space, and gravity, rendering such considerations irrelevant. This ship did not travel through space—it bent it, folding reality around itself as it moved. There were no engines, no exhaust ports, no visible propulsion systems. Instead, the ship pulsed with an ethereal glow, its hull covered in intricate, shifting runes that hummed with temporal energy. The Epochis had no discernible front or back. Its many layers intertwined like a living labyrinth, with hallways that spiraled inward like the arms of a galaxy. Each part of the ship seemed to defy conventional logic: doorways led to nowhere, or everywhere; rooms that expanded into vast chambers one moment, then collapsed into claustrophobic tunnels the next. The very structure of the ship appeared to change depending on how one looked at it, as though it existed in multiple states at once. At the heart of the ship lay the Chrono Core, a massive sphere suspended within the ship's endless loops. It was the source of the Ouroborans’ power, a machine that manipulated time itself. Encased in a translucent crystal shell, the Core pulsed with swirling temporal energy—blue, green, and violet light swirling in mesmerizing, dangerous patterns. The device connected to every part of the ship, powering its time-bending abilities, allowing it to navigate not only through space, but through time. The Epochis had long since been abandoned. Left adrift in the blackness of space and lost in time, it had been experiencing different states and time at the same moment. Though in the center of a black hole for as long as anytime could count, it was preserved by the Ouroboran technology that shielded it from being torn apart. It hung there, suspended on the edge of oblivion, like a ghost ship, its secrets waiting to be discovered.

And there, Dr.Nyle had discovered them