Claire signed the document. Her thumbprint, DNA, and Central System ID were logged.

The imperial soldiers that stood beside her did not move as she passed the tablet back to the receptionist.

“Thank you for your response. As per the letter, you are now allowed to enter the institute and be enlightened. The discloser will prevent any and all future discussions outside of these hallowed walls,” the synthetic woman replied. Her digital blue eyes glowed as she finished her statement with a smile.

“I just wish to know, about everything. The equations. The final truth,” Claire gushed as she hopped on the spot. Finally, after decades of research, she was now able to talk to her peers in this field of Xenos Sociology.

“Of course Student Claire. You are now accepted with the final papers, and we welcome you with open arms,” a confident voice said as the security doors hissed open.

Claire watched as her idol. Doctor Meng Siu stepped forth. Beside him were two other synthetic assistance. Their violet eyes glowed as they scanned the room.

Personal guards. Not that she expected anything different. Meng Siu was super famous. The lead mind in the Imperious Empire that stretched across the galaxy.

“Come, Claire, walk with me,” Meng said as he waved his new protege over.

Claire squealed as she sprinted up. The only reason she didn't crash into her idol was that the two guards stared at her. They would have probably done not so gentle things to stop her.

“What can you tell me of the unique parallels of all Xenos cultures that we have documented so far?” Meng asked as they passed the thick security doors. They hissed closed moments after they passed.

“From all dead worlds… regardless of location such as lunar bodies, orbital monuments or stations, and even geographical wonders… Two mathematical equations are always present,” Claire answered as she felt the world drop.

The elevator hummed as she entered the bowels of Institute One. The most advanced, secure, and important research center in the Empire.

“Correct,” Meng said as he nodded. “What are those equations?”

“One is for a complex set of celestial mechanics. The other is a set of coordinates leading to various stars. Or black holes if they have collapsed.”

“Correct,” Meng repeated as he made his way over to the front of the elevator. The wall suddenly changed. It went from the dull beige color to perfectly translucent.

Claire gasped as she saw the fusion sphere. The orange artificial sun hung over the cavern below, providing warmth, light, and energy. She surmised that the color came from the protective field preventing the radiation and heat from killing everything.

“There is one fact that is false, however,” Meng corrected as he gripped the handlebar so that he could rest on it. “The second coordinates are all false. The truth is that the second set of equations all lead to the same place.”

Claire stared at her idol. Her mind whirred into action. A single location? Impossible. There were over fifty million documented tomb systems. Each with a different culture that grew independent of each other.

Meng smirked as he saw her face change. They all had the same ideas. Logical minds going over known facts. “The amount of document tomb systems is also over 130 million. We have to stop listing them all to prevent issues.”

His thoughts momentarily turned over to the automated defense stations. If they detected human life, then they would issue a warning. If it was ignored, then violence was the next immediate answer.

Claire stopped thinking as she stared at the bearded man. His clean-cut features smiled as he never got tired of breaking their fragile little minds.

“Then… what do the coordinates all lead to?”

“What can you tell me about black hole evaporation?” Meng asked as he switched gears.

Claire frowned but was actually glad for the change in topics. Safe changes to facts that she could actually deal with.

“Hawking Radiation is the measurement of black-body radiation. It is the measurement of how much a black hole is shrinking as it losses mass and energy across time.”

“Good. Very good. You at least know the basics,” Meng complimented as the elevator touched down to the base floor.

The pair exited, followed by the guards who were now tagging along with the newest member of the facility. Not that she noticed as she was trying to piece together the odd string of questions.

“Now for the hardest question. If we have a black hole. A mega black hole. Nearly 30 trillion solar masses and it emits a consistent pulse of hawkling radiation… what do we have?” Meng asked as they walked across the clean floor.

Various scientists waved, but they knew better than to interrupt the breaking of the newbie. Many smirked as they remembered their own cataclysmic revelations.

“Well, that would depend on how much mass its consuming?” Claire hedged her answer as she was confused. There was conflicting data there.

“Zero mass infusion. Or nearly zero at any rate,” Meng supplied as he moved towards the residential district. Claire would settle in there, and then orientation would begin the next day.

“Zero infusions. Semi sporadic bursts of Hawking radiation. On an impossibly big black hole?” Claire asked as she was wrapping her head around the question still.

“Not semi sporadic. Perfectly sequenced bursts. Also, there has been virtually no noticeable dip in solar masses across the few millenniums we have observed it,” Meng said as he walked towards the designated apartment for his newest worker.

“Impossible!” Claire said as she refuted this scenario. There was no way this was a thing. It had to be a hard test to see what she would say.

“Yet here we are,” Meng said as his mind wandered back to that day.

The fleet had popped out, and he watched as the graveyard of old ships, and countless orbital stations littered the black hole in a sphere of junk. Much like how satellites orbited Terra, so too did these Xenos Technology orbit the black hole.

Meng smiled as he watched Claire open her door. Inside was a 118th generation synthetic helper. It would help keep her sane as she was now essentially trapped here in Institute One. Until they solved this mystery that was the bane of so many Xenos Species.

“Claire,” Meng said as he got ready to leave. Claire would need time to adjust.

“Yes?”

“Its a heartbeat. The pulse match all records of a heartbeat. That is the largest fact we can surmise right now. For millions of years, across millions of Xenos Societies, their data has to lead to this one fact. That black hole is unnatural in every shape and form,” Meng sighed as he opened the door. “It is up to us to figure out what it is, and how it will affect us.”

Claire sat down. Or rather she fell down onto her couch as countless thoughts raced through her heads.

If that was a living thing… and her researched had shown her how the many, many Xenos had destroyed themselves… then did that mean a part of their research also meant some form of mass self-destruction?

Her minds eventually focused on the new fact that dominated her mind.

What was that black hole?