Episode 1 - Discovery
An unusual star system is discovered above the galaxy, a small black hole which has a binary star system and a planet orbiting it.
"Ort Telescope Station 27 log, stardate ****, space is huge. Mind bogglingly huge. (continue Hitchhikers near quote). And it's my assignment to scan it. I'm supposed to turn this telescope fractions of a degree to scan space. Today we've actually reached an interesting milestone, and interesting angle to scan. If there can be such a thing. They've had me scanning across the galactic disk for a couple years now, but today I turn the telescope dramatically, straight up, straight out of the galaxy, above Sol, which is really to Sol's side, but in the bigger scheme of the galactic view, if you drew a line from Sol perpendicular to the center plane of the Milky Way Galaxy, that's where I get to look today.
"I discovered that there are other civilized worlds between Sol and the Edge, civilizations we haven't made contact with. The spin of the galaxy makes traveling up and down much more difficult than around, and so the Fleet has never ventured more than a few hundred light years straight up.
"But beyond those new worlds, outside our galaxy, I discovered something that seemingly should not be: a black hole, with a binary star system in orbit of it. A binary star system with a planet that happens to be within the habitable zone... or at least readings on the planet with four moons indicate a stable environment full of plant life.
"I'm going to recommend Command investigate further with a more dedicated telescope. Perhaps even that a mission be sent to investigate up close this unexpected, habitable world between a binary star system and a black hole outside of our galaxy. The system will be at it's closest point in 15 years time, plenty of time to find a crew, build a ship, and travel for a decade to meet the world.
"Tomorrow I will scan an empty part of space."
