Encounters Out There

“Murphy’s Law—ladies and gentlemen—precedes our galaxy’s formation,” said Professor Wilcox.

The predoctoral astrophysics students chuckled.

“But, I do not joke. It’s true. If anything can go wrong, it will. A human contrivance that permeates our galaxy’s fate.”

A student raised a hand—“Surely you can’t be serious, Professor?”

Professor Wilcox projected a future timeline:

“As you see here, we fold space to reach the stars. But by catastrophic mishap we create a black hole that becomes supermassive. The cataclysm forms a new galaxy, hence a mere human causation. But, perhaps, it’s always been.”

The students gasped and stared.