Dr. Adelaide Black was a world renowned anthropologist when First Contact occurred.
Initially, little was known about the Galactic Union and our neighbors in the Milky Way Galaxy except stories from returning mercenaries. Frustrated with the trickling flow of information, Black obtained funding about five years after First Contact from various sources, several that have remained unknown even to this day. She used that funding to purchase a starship and plan an expedition. She left Earth with more than one hundred doctors, researchers, and assistants over a wide range of xenological specialties.
Unfortunately, she never returned to Earth, though a few members of the expedition survived. Even so, no account as to her fate was ever revealed.
Using her notes, The Galactic Union, a peer-reviewed monograph detailing her expedition's findings, was published in her name in 2040.
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