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Galactic Federation Intelligence ::
General Knowledge
The Sphere
The volume of space that we inhabit is shaped as a perfect sphere (and hence the name) some 137.22 light years in radius centred at the Alpha system (see entry below). The high-energy region known as the Tachyon Manifestation (see entry below) encloses the Sphere. The Manifestation is directly responsible for the region’s shape and isolation from what is surmised to be the rest of interstellar space. Despite the isolation, the sector is quite well populated with stellar elements. Within the boundaries may be found 622 stars with 352 star systems. Four nebulae, one pulsar, and two black holes also grace the Sphere's volume.
The Tachyon Manifestation
The histories of all the species in the Sphere have always contained reference to the pale luminescent veil that covered the night sky of our worlds. It was not until the discovery of the Retrokron Crystal (see entry below) that the true nature of that beautiful twilight mist became known. We know now that the Tachyon Manifestation is an area surrounding the Sphere of intense tachyon disturbances that manifest themselves visibly as the spectral cloud we have always known. The intense tachyon activity blocks all attempts to scan the space outside of the Sphere. It is also impossible to leave the Sphere using the tachyon drive (see entry below) as the unpredictable tachyon flux caused by the phenomenon creates a barrier in tachyon-space (see entry below) that would force ships back into real-space. As tachyon nodes (see entry below) are extremely rare outside of gravity wells, any attempt to breach the Manifestation would leave a ship effectively stranded without any hope of rescue. Those few who tried have never been heard from again. Research has found that the Manifestation is actually an artificial construct created and maintained by the Retrokron Crystal.
The Retrokron Crystal
We did not immediately recognize the significance of the Alpha system (see entry below) when we first arrived. To us, it was a place to escape the disaster that befell out homeworld of Centurium. Once we had recovered we took the time to make deep seismic scans of Alpha Prime, and discovered an object deep inside our world in the semi-molten part of the core: the Retrokron Crystal. The faint, but distinctive, sensor signature of the Crystal marked it as a relic of the Scion (see entry below), and further research determined that it was directly responsible for the Tachyon Manifestation. Using methods yet to be determined, the Crystal emits bursts of tachyon superstrings at regular intervals at the core of Alpha. The superstrings are then enhanced and expanded by the star's core (the energy dynamics are also yet to be understood) and 'flung' outwards from the Alpha star system. The energy decay of the superstrings reaches a critical point some 137.22 light years from the star, and creates the familiar Tachyon Manifestation. Disrupting the transmission of the superstrings would seem to be the only method of dismantling the Tachyon Manifestation. Such an action, however, remains outside the realm of our abilities. Scans show that as the planet orbits the star, the Crystal actually moves to keep the distance between itself and the star as small as possible at all times while remaining in the semi-molten layer of the core. We can only suspect that the acting mechanism is within the Crystal itself.
The Scion
There is conclusive evidence of another species that once roamed the Sphere, although they have long since disappeared. The people of the Sphere have named them the Scion. Nothing is known about the Scion, their civilization, culture, or appearance. Judging from the objects they left behind, the Artefacts (see entry below) for example and ultimately the Tachyon Manifestation, it can be safely assumed that the Scion possessed extremely advanced technology and the accompanying scientific knowledge. As for the motives of the Scion for sealing off the Sphere from the rest of the Universe, that remains a complete mystery although it has not stopped people from speculating. A popular belief is that the Manifestation was erected to protect the Sphere dwellers from some outside threat. Surely anything the Scion feared would be absolutely lethal to the Sphere dwellers, and the only way to ensure the survival of the lesser species would be to create an unbreakable barrier. Better to be closed in than be exterminated. Not everybody believes in the benevolence of the Scion. The Draconians (see entry below) take the opposite view in that the Scion made the Manifestation specifically to ensure the Sphere dwellers would never be able to expand and become a threat. If so, the implications would be truly unsettling. In any case, we do not know what has happened to the Scion, whether they are dead or waiting for us outside of the tachyon barrier.
The Sentient Races
There are nine known sentient races within the Sphere, and they are as follows:
The Alphans
Although we now call ourselves the Alphans, our species did not originally herald from the Alpha system (see entry below) at all. Instead, our history begins on the world of Centurium (see entry below), now a dead planet. Over 700 years ago, we were forced to abandon that world when a meteorite made the planet inhospitable for us carbon-based oxygen-breathers. We chose Alpha Prime as the terminus of our flight and set down here what was left of our civilization. For two hundred years afterwards we struggled to rebuild what we had lost, and in the end founded a great Empire that now spans the Sphere. The greatest scientists come from our schools and universities, the finest pilots from our academies. It is no wonder that we are the dominant species in the Sphere.
The Draconians
Second only to the Alphans (see entry above) in terms of cultural advancement and intellectual ability are the Draconians
from the world known as Draco (see entry below). The natural agility and strength of these reptilian bipeds make them ideal
ground troops, and indeed the finest units in the Emperor's army are composed of Draconian soldiers. By themselves, the
Draconians maintain a militaristic and disciplined social order with the population segregated into castes. The three main
castes comprise of the Judicators, the Seekers, and of course, the Warriors. While the function of the last of the three is
obvious, the preceding two merits some explanation. The Seekers (or more formally, the Seekers of Knowledge) are primarily
tasked with scientific and diplomatic functions. The Judicator caste comprises the core of Draconian society, providing the
necessary oversight and administration of society.
The Amon Nira
The Amon Nira are a peaceful species of numerous individuals. They have tripedal silicon-based bodies that are able to
survive in extremely high-pressure environments. Despite discovering the Scion Artefacts and the information contained
within (see entry below) the Amon Nira did not develop any desire to expand (or even explore) beyond their own star system.
In any case, once the Empire discovered them, this placid species became the last of the five species to be incorporated
into the Empire.
The Aurilei
Emerging from the cold methane oceans of Aurax VII would be the Aurilei, another species that calls the Empire home. Like
the Amon Nira, the natives of Aurax VII are also silicon-based organisms, although in this case adapted for an aquatic
environment. The Aurilei usually do not come into physical contact with other lifeforms as their required environment
is extreme compared to other species: methane is liquid only between the temperatures of 90.5 K and 111.5 K, or in other
terms, over 160 K below the freezing point of water. The flimsy structure of an Aurilean does not make for an ideal
soldier, and few of the swimmers choose to make a career in the military. While the Aurilei may not be well known for
their prowess on the field of battle, it is generally agreed that they make outstanding engineers. The buildings on their
home world are characteristically graceful and flowing in appearance while being sturdy and strong. In addition to their
phenomenal construction abilities the Aurilei are also superb traders, a necessary profession in the vast methane seas and
one that is easily adapted to the great distances between habitable worlds.
The Har'naga
The Har'naga are very much like us, they are carbon-based oxygen breathers, except they are invertebrates and have six
tentacle-like appendages. A long-standing mystery concerning the Har'naga is that according to genetic analyses of their
genome, it would appear that they have a common ancestry with us. This would seem impossible as both our species originated
from two separate worlds many light years apart. Many theories have been put forth, ranging from 'freak coincidence' to
'Scion intervention.' None have been proven as yet, and it seems unlikely that the mystery will be solved any time soon
seeing that much of the evidence no longer exists as both of our home worlds are effectively destroyed. The Har'naga home
world of Harnah (see entry below) was destroyed by Imperial Decree after the unsuccessful Har'naga rebellion (see entry
below). As punishment for their insolence, the Empire now uses the Har'naga as slaves and manual labourers, a task that
their great physical strength makes them suited for.
The Korothor
The people of the world of Koroth (see entry below) are very secretive, and little is known about their current disposition.
Ever since the Avarax Incident, the Korothor have prohibited all access into their territory. All citizens of the Empire
are advised to observe this decree as numerous attempts to enter Korothor space have met with unfortunate episodes. Current
information indicates an efficient military establishment, and xenophobic tendencies. All other data is classified.
The Rim Tribes
There are some species that do not merit the attention of the Empire. Three of these are recent additions to the
interstellar community, having just recently developed the Tachyon Drive. These three species are known collectively as the
'Rim Tribes.' Through the limited contact that the Empire has had with these barbarians, it has been made perfectly clear
to them that they are prohibited from entering the Empire's territory. Realizing their position of weakness, they have been
most diligent in doing so. As a further sign of their primitiveness, there have been reports that some members of these
tribes actually worship us as divine deities. In any case, the Rim Tribes are of little concern to us, as they expend much
of their resources fighting each other.
Of the Days of Centurium
Ancient History
For as long as anybody could remember, our people had always lived on the world of Centurium, and as was bound to happen all record of our ancient achievements, whether in writing or in epics, were lost to the erosion of time. Although we know that our history goes much farther back, the unfortunate truth is that our recorded history only starts from a point 3000 years in the past. In many ways, it is not too much of a loss as the true outstanding point in our history (as in the history of every other species) was the discovery of the Artefact (see entry below), and that did not occur until some 1200 years ago.
The Enlightenment
Before the discovery of the Artefact, we were a primitive people. Our knowledge of the sciences and of the Universe was pitifully limited. We were nothing more than glorified barbarians who marvelled at our stumpy huts and simple carts. As a legend records, on the summer solstice of the year -634 AE (Alphan Era) our path changed suddenly and irreversibly. As night fell on that fateful day, and the elders of our people gathered around the Pillar for the annual solstice festival, it was noticed that a series of symbols had appeared at the base of the monolith. The symbols had not been there yesterday, nor had they been noticed earlier, but under the darkening skies the glow of the symbols were unavoidable. When the initial discomfort had subsided, it was decided that the mysterious script could very well be a divine message and a gathering of the local ‘learned’ worked to decipher the messages meaning. They worked for two weeks and were rewarded with what translated into a crude diagram, a map almost, with the position of the sun on the solstice as the major point of reference. An expedition was immediately organized to find the spot designated on the map. The story then degenerates into a tale of heroics and adventure, but the end of the tale is not disputed. Once the location revealed by the glyphs was located, the people quickly uncovered the Artefact that had been buried in the ground. The Pillar then became inactive again, and no further signs of its ability were ever observed again.
The Ascension
For the next five hundred years the Artefact was studied, first by seers and shaman, then by scholars, and later by scientists. Little by little these people ‘unwrapped’ the Artefact and illuminated the knowledge contained within the lustrous orb: social theory, mathematical formulae, scientific compilations, and technological schematics. The relative ease in which we decoded the Artefact and understood its contents was almost disturbing when we realized the greater significance of our ‘find’. Somebody had left this for us; somebody had made it such that we would be able to understand it. And that somebody knew who and where we were. Within 150 years of the discovery the Centurians coagulated into one unified society. As out technology progressed, so did our means to exploit our world and soon we had spread across Centurium and our population blossomed into the billions. At 250 years, our first steps off of our planet were made. And then at 350 years, the secrets of the tachyon drive became known to us, and it seemed but a matter of time before we would touch that ghostly light that danced across the night sky...
The Great Exodus
Yet, for all of our newfound power, Fate almost succeeded in dealing us a mortal blow almost from the first. In the year -1 AE, just after we had established the first colonies outside of our star system, the space-borne sensor arrays orbiting the homeworld detected an immense meteorite tumbling towards us. Rapid calculations quickly determined that it would impact our fair planet in little more than a century. Efforts were immediately put into motion to destroy the intruder, but it was quickly realized that we could only hope to diminish the rock so that the death of our world would be prolonged and not immediate. So while we launched cryoplasma warheads at the harbinger of doom, our world began what we call ‘The Great Exodus.’ There were two priorities. The first was to construct evacuation vessels to ferry our people and civilization to safety. The world chosen was that of Alpha Prime, a planet with a similar gravity index, similar orbital time, and great potential for terraforming. We did not know then of the Alpha system’s cosmic significance. The second priority was to construct reinforced shelters to allow the population to survive the initial impact and the ensuing environmental decay until the small space fleet could complete the evacuation. For a hundred years this effort continued, and slowly the colony on Alpha Prime took shape.
Alpha Prime
The plan to develop Alpha Prime was quite ingenious. Instead of building the settlement from scratch, the Centurians would move their homes, factories, and research facilities straight from the homeworld to the new site. After all, there was little point in leaving perfectly good equipment and material on a planet that was about to be abandoned anyway. The only limiting point would be transport capacity, and after the initial meteor impact the orbital yards of Centurium would cease to function thanks to the numerous smaller accompanying meteors. However, the end result would be a drastic reduction in the time necessary to create a full-fledged civilized world. There would be perhaps a delay of fifty years before any new spacecraft construction took place, but the small existing fleet would be sufficient until then.
The Destruction of Centurium
As the fateful day approached, the evacuation fleet vacated the space around the planet to prevent any casualties from the smaller meteors accompanying the larger. Those on the planet took one last glance at their homes and finished sealing themselves in the underground chambers. One hundred years of concentrated effort had succeeded in providing the necessary facilities for the survival of billions. Our efforts proved to be in vain. The impact of what was left of the meteor was more forceful than anyone had calculated; the resulting seismic shock tore through the crust of the planet, causing the continental plates to crack. Billions of our people, confident that they were safe in their bunkers, were killed. In that terrible hour 728 years ago, our species was almost eliminated from the Cosmos. What had been an evacuation became a rescue effort. There were few survivors.
The Forging of the Empire
The First Emperor
With the Centurians greatly diminished, and resources scarce, it was realized that the refugees would require firm and
capable leadership. Yet, who would have the ability to provide these things? Initially the Central Directorate, composed
of high-ranking individuals, led the fledging colony but it was not enough. There was much work to be done, not least being
the terraforming of Alpha Prime, and the numerous Directors found that there was too much friction in the bureaucracy.
They attempted to reduce their numbers, but that simply led to remaining individuals being overworked. Finally, an
unprecedented solution was agreed on: the creation of a genetically engineered person to rule over the Alphans. The most
desirable traits were extracted from leading scientists, politicians, and warriors, and infused into an artificially created
individual. The 'newborn' was 'born' from the incubator shortly afterwards, and using advanced neural imprinting
techniques, given all the knowledge that could be gathered. This individual became known as the First Emperor. During the
reign of the First Emperor, the foundations of the interstellar regime was formed as the refugees quickly regained their
lost infrastructure under the fair but firm Imperial rule. Alpha Prime was turned green, and new colonies were created.
When the First Emperor died without any clear successor, it was decided that a clone would be created to take the throne
using exactly the same material that was used to create the First. Over the years, the cloning the successor became the
accepted practice. The successor would be cloned during the height of the current emperor's reign, and the current emperor
would then train his copy.
The Har'naga Rebellion
Although the Empire was created some 700 years ago, the calm that we know today only emerged after 200 years. The 500 years
after this turbulent time proceeded smoothly, seeing the Empire expand to encompass more systems and species. During this
half-millennia of peace the Retrokron Crystal and the Tachyon Manifestation were encountered, and their relationship to the
Scion discovered. One of the few major disturbances to the peace during this period was the Har'naga uprising some 220
years ago. Seeking to increase their standing in the Empire, Har'naga demanded greater autonomy within the Empire. When
the Emperor refused, the Har'naga instigated an uprising claiming to be seeking greater autonomy for all of the Empire's
'lesser members' and the acceptance of non-Alpha candidates for the position of Emperor. With the inevitable failure of the
coup, the Emperor ordered that Harnah (see entry below) be destroyed as an example to any future would-be rebels, and to
ensure that the lesson was not forgotten, the entire Har'naga race was stripped of their rights and reduced to slavery.
Har'naga slaves can now be found almost anywhere in the Empire: in the factories of Alpha Prime, to the mines and shipyards
of Karatax.
The Empire Today
For 500 years the Empire has been surprisingly stable, its citizens and institutions going about their business taking the
grandeur of the greater whole more or less for granted. Only a few of the core elements have changed since the Empire's
inception. Even now, the cloning option remains a method of last resort. With 121 systems under its fluttering banner, the
Empire is by far the predominant power in the Sphere. Within the Empire itself, Alphans and Draconians continue to hold
commanding positions in the hierarchy, controlling nearly 85% of the Empire's star systems.
The Acolytes
The distinction of being the oldest known religious group in the Sphere goes to the Alphan group whose members are known as
the Acolytes. The formation of the organization predates long before even the discovery of the Artefact on Centurium. The
group follows what they call 'the Codex of Krom' which espouses that honesty, duty, and honour are the prime virtues of any
Alphan. No one but the High Acolytes may see the Codex, and so it is a matter of contention whether such an item exists.
In any case, each Acolyte carries a copy of the supposed Codex. The Acolytes hold the old Alphan home world of Centurium
in high regard, and frequently hold arcane ceremonies on the dead world. The Acolytes are frequently derided by other
species (and frequently many Alphans) as being unnecessarily dogmatic and ruthless when it comes to their ideology.
However, their devotion to the Alphans is unquestionable. There is always the potential for the Acolytes to become a
dissident group within the Empire, but as long as the Alphans maintain their primacy in the hierarchy, the Acolytes are
remain more or less satisfied.
Stellar Cartography
Alpha System
The Alpha system is located in the centre of the Sphere and consists of one star, Alpha, and one planet, Alpha Prime.
Spectrographic analysis of Alpha shows that it is a Class VII blue giant, a relatively hot and young star cosmically
speaking. It would seem logical that Retrokron Crystal was placed nearby to exploit the vast quantity of energy produced
by this bright blue star. The orbiting planet, Alpha Prime, appears as a blue, white, green, and brown orb from space.
There is no moon. The planet's landmass is actually a series of archipelagos scattered throughout the seas. Added
together, there is considerable surface area despite how it may seem visually. The close proximity to water ensures a
moderate climate without extremes. Cities and industrial centres are concentrated primarily in the northern hemisphere,
with much of the southern being composed of Imperial Parks with entire islands remaining in their pristine natural state.
Not visible from orbit are the numerous underwater colonies where (surprisingly enough) the majority of Alpha Prime's
population resides. The underwater domes also home to vast aquaculture farms and mineral mines. The space surrounding the
planet is clustered with orbital factories, shipyards, and habitats. Huge platforms serve as staging areas for the Imperial
Fleet. Despite being the centre of the Empire, the planet's greatest distinction is the presence of the Retrokron Crystal,
buried deep within the semi-molten part of the planetary core. Scans show that as the planet orbits the star, the Crystal
actually moves to keep the distance between itself and the star as small as possible at all times while remaining in the
semi-molten layer of the core. We can only suspect that the acting mechanism is within the Crystal itself.
Beta 'Ring' Systems (or Guardian Stars)
The four stars of, Argo, Beta Prime, Karatax, and Scinthra form the points of a perfect tetrahedron with Alpha at the exact
centre. In function, these four stars systems serve as the 'outer' core of the Empire, with critical industrial and
military facilities. The obvious unnatural formation of the stars is widely attributed to Scion manipulation, although the
methods used are well beyond even that of the imagination. The appearance that these stars are guarding the Alpha system
has earned them the nickname of the Guardian Stars in addition to their more formal Imperial designation, the Beta Ring.
Why the Scion would move (or make?) four uninteresting systems remains a mystery.
Argo System
The Argo system serves as the Imperial Fleet's primary training, and research and development site. The prestigious
Imperial Naval Academy is located under the primary armoured dome on Argo II. Micro-g and atmospheric test ranges are
scattered throughout the system, putting the latest advancements in space warfare through the rigorous programmes. Although
not as extensive as those in Karatax (see entry below), the military-industrial complex in Argo is sufficient to allow for
the construction of prototypes that the Empire would rather keep under wraps. Access to the Argo system is restricted, and
weapons platforms and warships monitor all entry points continuously.
Beta Prime System
Beta Prime is the Empire's core commercial centre. The need to accommodate the many different species found inside and
outside of the Empire has necessitated the construction of huge space stations throughout the system, with each species
being able to find many stations that suit their environmental needs. An ultra-efficient local communications grid (custom
designed for the purpose) allows for billions of transactions to take place every standard day. The communication
platforms themselves are just as large as some of the massive habitat-malls. The amount of space traffic in the system
boarders on being horrific, and the Imperial Traffic Control officers who keep the lumbering space freighters moving are
recognized as being the best in their line of work. The origin of this bustling centre of commerce, the sole planet in the
system (also called Beta Prime), has lost much of its significance these days. Originally, Beta Prime was home to very
successful mines of rare minerals and metals. The mining colony attracted the attention of entrepreneurs and business
persons from across the Sphere as an entire industry sprang up around the planet: assayers, bulk transport providers,
etc.. Even though the rate of mineral extraction slowed due to the exhaustion of easily reached deposits, the amount of
activity in the system continued to rise. Beta Prime had become a convenient meeting place, especially when it was so close
to Alpha and Karatax. The only factor keeping the situation in Beta Prime from becoming any more chaotic would be the
chokepoints provided by the tachyon nodes: only so many ships can arrive and depart at any one time. The traders maybe
upset about this, but Traffic Control? Traffic Control is very glad.
Karatax System
With two large arid worlds, a vast asteroid belt, and three massive gas giants, the Karatax system is as big as its daily
output of goods. The well-nigh inexhaustible source of materials provided by the asteroid belt makes such an output
possible. Asteroids are brought into orbit of either Karatax I or II, where orbital smelters extract the useful materials
from the rocks. The material (now in convenient blocks) is sent down the space-elevators to the surface. As an interesting
piece of trivia, Karatax I and II have the largest concentration of space elevators in known space, although the number of
new elevators has levelled off in the past hundred years or so simply because there is beginning to be a lack of space along
their equators. Once at the surface, the factories (that stretch off into the horizon) process the material into every
conceivable item: from cheap cups to massive space frames for interstellar vessels. Then, up the elevators these things go
to waiting freighters that will deliver the goods either to some distant corner of the Empire, or to a more local
destination such as the Karatax Fleet Yard. The energy for the factory-planets comes mainly from geothermal sources, while
waste products are disposed via the deep core dumps. The amount of excess heat generated by the planets has meant the need
to convert some of the space elevators into massive liquid-nitrogen radiators. Even the gas giants are not immune from the
industrial bustle. Their hydrogen content is used to power the process needed to make cryoplasma, the fuel for space
vessels and the warhead material for weapons. The planners are always careful not to place a cryoplasma production platform
close to another production platform, or anything else for that matter. Making and transporting cryoplasma is a risky, but
profitable, business.
Amon Nira System
This system contains three massive and volcanically active planets, each with high gravity and a thick atmosphere of
carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and significant quantities of sulphur and hydrogen. In other words, a paradise to the Amon
Nira. Perhaps it is not so surprising that the Amon Nira decided to stay in their home system; the space and resources
provided by three huge planets was more than sufficient to meet their needs. Indeed, it actually encouraged population
growth. The local star (of the same name as the species) is also unique as it is the only star that appears green in
colour in the Sphere. As a whole, green stars would be extremely rare as a star that emits green light also emits colours
to the blue and red ends of the spectrum making the star appear white or yellow instead. Amon Nira (the star) is a truly
rare natural occurrence where a star is emitting an overwhelming amount of green light, enough to negate the emissions of
reds and blues.
Draco
Homeworld of the Draconians.
Aurax
As expected, the frigid environment (or to Aurilei, the warm environment) on Aurax is a direct result of the planet having
an orbital radius of some four billion kilometres. As can be expected, the atmosphere is mainly gaseous methane and other
non-reactive gases, with an extremely small percentage (less than 0.1 percent) of reactive gases. Thus, contrary to the
popular imagination, Aurax is not a planet waiting to go up in the event of a stray spark. Offworlders will rarely enter
the beautiful blue oceans; rather they are housed in artificial environments on the diminutive continents that constitute
the planet’s surface where they then communicate with their hosts via the local communications grid. The docks orbiting
the blue world are famous throughout the sphere. Whenever a ship requires a refit, customers will bring their vessels to
Aurax where the local engineers will then suggest improvements after a first-hand examination of the ship. Needless to
say, the spacecraft design bureaus of Aurax are the finest anywhere. If it’s not designed on Aurax, it may as well be
space junk.
Koroth
Presumed to be the homeworld and capital of the Korothor. Further information is not available at this time.
Centurium
The ancient homeworld of our people, once a lustrous living green planet, it is now no more than a barren rock. When the
meteorite hit the world over 700 years ago the seismic shock caused entire continental plates to shift violently and
created instant ranges of volcanoes where before there had been none. The amount of magma released evaporated the oceans
and created thick cloud cover that eventually destroyed the basis of the ecosystem. Over the proceeding decades, impacts
from the smaller meteors that had followed in the wake of the harbinger robbed the planet of much of its atmosphere. The
results are self-evident. Although it is unadvised to do so, it is still possible to walk through the crumbling ruins of
old cities and visit the silent underground survival bunkers that survived. It is a poignant lesson: if we had failed to
pursue the technology within that black orb when we found it, if we had been complacent and decided that our role in the
Universe was satisfied on our homeworld, our species may not have survived. Thankfully, that is not the case.
Harnah
Few now speak of Harnah, the Har’naga homeworld. The Har’naga once lived in cities where it was possible to travel from
building to building via poles strung between buildings hundreds of metres above the ground. For the six-limbed Har’Naga,
airborne aerobatic feats were parts of everyday life. Visitors took the more conventional airtrams. These feats of
engineering came to an end after the failed Har’naga Rebellion (see entry above) when all signs of civilization were
destroyed by order of the Emperor some 200 years ago. Nature has since reclaimed Harnah, dense rich foliage growing atop
the fallen skyscrapers and thick vines making their way up the ragged metal stumps that remain. The few orbital facilites
that were not forcibly deorbited are now used to study the ecosystem of Harnah.
Scion Relics
The Pillars of the Scion
Central to every world on which a civilization spring was one of the towering monoliths known collectively as the Pillars of the Scion. Each Pillar appeared as a smooth 50-metre tall white-coloured nappe, and later scans revealed that the Pillars were firmly rooted in the bedrock the world they were placed on. Like other prominent Scion, the Pillars are virtually indestructible. Indeed, the Pillars on Centurium and Harnah remain standing and unharmed, despite their surroundings being completely devastated. It would seem that the purpose of the Pillars was to ensure that a major settlement remained within the vicinity of the buried Artefact (see entry below) and determine when a species was ready to embark on the process of radical modernization. Upon the necessary criteria being met, the Pillar would reveal the location of the co-resident Artefact. The method of revelation may vary depending upon the sensory capabilities of the target species. It would seem that the Pillar would require some means of communicating with an Artefact in order to confirm the latter’s location. If so, then the Pillar must contain some sort of transmission device, and it even possible that the Pillars’ send data to the Scion - if they are still out there. As yet, the Pillars all appear to be dormant after the completion of their primary task, and so no transmissions have been detected.
The Artefacts of the Scion
Every Artefact ever recovered is identical to all of the others. The initial appearance of an Artefact is that of a black sphere some three-metres in diameter, the surface seemingly etched with ideograms. Tests have shown that the spheres are perfect blackbodies, and are impervious to every form of energy and radiation known to our science. To ease movement of the object, each Artefact is equipped by what is suspected to be micro-gravimetric stabilizers (confirmed by the detection of graviton emissions) that allow the sphere to glide across the ground. An internal gyroscope of unknown design keeps the orb from moving undesirably even when on sloped ground. The material the Artefacts’ skin, and possibly the devices as a whole, is best described as being a magnetorheological fluid. This is based on the ability for the surface to change its morphology, displaying different configurations of output and input devices. Like the Pillars, these devices may vary in their nature from species to species. However, what is consistent is that there are some 64 different surface configurations in all, referred to as ‘layers’. Each layer conveys a set of problems ranging from social scenarios to complex mathematical dilemmas. Upon inputting the correct answers via input devices for one layer, that layer is ‘solved’ and the next layer is displayed. Later layers incorporate more practical learning methods, testing specie’s ability to develop technology to a suitable level from a sample device. For example, a device provided by the Artefact provides the introduction to practical micro-fusion mechanics. The specie is then required to refine the initial device to meet certain specifications (such as energy conversion efficiency and raw energy output) and submit for evaluation a modified device by interfacing the ‘new’ version with the orb. To aid the process, the spheres’ are designed to produce critical parts for some of these practical projects. There is later instruction on how to manufacture these components using local methods, although for many of them there is no elaboration concerning the theoretical bases of the components. The average needed to solve one layer is somewhere on the order of ten years. Alphans take great pride knowing that they best this statistic by some 20%. The Artefacts’ impart information pertaining to social organization and structure, tachyon drive fabrication and use, tachyon node locations, applications of artificial gravity, advanced metallurgy and particle physics. Curiously, the only topics not covered are detail is the biological sciences. However, overall an Artefact contains all of the data necessary to build an interstellar civilization. The Artefacts have yet to display any information concerning the Scion. While the Pillar was meant to be conspicuous, the Artefact was meant to remain hidden for an extended period of time. As such, it would have been necessary to have the Artefact move constantly to take into account changing population distributions. If we assume that the Artefacts are made of some type of magnetorheological fluid and are equipped with anti-gravity devices, then movement would be a simple matter of changing to a stealthier configuration, extracting itself from the ground, and gliding to another location. It is possible that during some of these journeys it may even have disguised itself as an inconspicuous boulder!
Technologies of the Sphere
Particle Cannon
The most prevalent type of defensive armament used by the Sphere civilizations fall into the category of particle weapons.
The basic principle behind such devices is the direction of sub-atomic particles using micro-gravimetric accelerators
towards a target. Less advanced versions are known to employ electromagnetic acceleration using superconducting
guidelines. The performance of the latter type is inferior to their gravimetric-enhanced cousins. Particle bursts maybe
in the form of continuous streams (beams) or packages (bolts). Depending on the properties of the particle type emitted,
the weapon will have different effects on different target denominations. For example, some particle types are extremely
useful for disabling resonance shield fields (see entry below), but may be ineffective against hull and armour layers.
Other weapons may have the opposite effect, and so on and so forth. The selection of appropriate weapon systems is often
critical for the success of a mission. Experience has shown that the beam variants require extreme amounts of energy to
employ and although they are extremely effective, their use is generally confined to capital-sized platforms. Smaller
craft are thus relegated to the use of the lower-energy pulses.
Resonance Shield
A force field that allows us to deflect material and energetic projectiles away from its generator. Utilized widely in
virtually all spacecraft and some ground units of the Empire.
Cryoplasma
Used as a fuel and a reactor energy source in spaceflight.
Cobalt-Nanotubular Supermesh
The most durable compound known to us (except for the inexplicable armor of Scion artifacts). Cobalt atoms are dispersed
inside spherical molecules of composed of individual aromatic carbon compounds such as benzene or cryptofenantrene. These
cobalt-reinforced "granules" are then assorted into planes of nanotubes. Each plane consists of billions of parallel
nanotubes. Each two successive planes have nanotube direction rotated by 30 degrees. Recently experiments have been made
with sillicone atoms in place of some of the carbons.
Rudimentary Tachyon Physics
The Tachyon Domain (or Tachyon-Space)
Conventional physics dictates that the c barrier provides the upper limit of the speed of any object. Before the decryption of the second-final layer of the Artefact, the concept of faster-than-light particles remained just that: a concept. The Artefact helped us to bypass hundreds of years (if not millennia) of painstaking research by providing us with a solution directly. The solution was almost unbelievable: tachyons. Despite the popular modern connotations, strictly speaking, tachyons do not move faster than light. As a tachyon nears the c barrier in real space, it ‘pops’ out of this dimension and into another, tachyon-space, where it continues moving at high relativistic speeds. The decay of the particle will eventually bring it back into real-space. This would be nothing more than a scientific curiosity if it were not for the space-time metrics of real- and tachyon-space being radically different from each other. Travelling one light year in tachyon-space may be equivalent to traveling one hundred in real-space. Thus, by travelling via tachyon-space to a destination in real-space an object can effectively circumvent the c barrier while never actually travelling faster than the speed of light.
The Tachyon Drive
While an individual tachyon has little difficulty making the transition from real-space to tachyon-space, it is far more difficult for an individual of any other particle type, let alone a spacecraft consisting of countless particles. The tachyon drive provides a means for a ship to cross the interface between real- and tachyon-space and vice versa. The drive saturates the immediate vicinity of the ship with tachyons allowing the vessel to slip into tachyon-space. The concentration of energetic tachyons necessary for the trans-dimensional jump is very specific depending on the type of ship. Too much and too little will lead to a failed jump attempt. It should be noted that none of the Sphere inhabitants are anywhere close to completely understanding the mechanics of the tachyon drive. Every tachyon drive known to exist is nothing more than slightly modified, scaled up carbon copies of the design displayed by the Artefacts. Our knowledge is confined to constructing, employing, and maintaining the devices. As such, our ability to improve upon the design is limited, and all tachyon drive systems retain a distinctively alien appearance.
Tachyon Nodes
The prime limitation of current tachyon drive designs is the inability to penetrate the barrier of the two dimensional planes without the assistance of tachyon nodes. Tachyon nodes are points where the space-time ‘distance’ between the two planes is closest, decreasing the energy differential of the two planes (and the barrier’s) to levels that the drives can compensate for. Therefore, the nodes act as interfaces between real-space and tachyon-space, and only at such nodes can a vessel enter or leave tachyon-space. Fortunately star systems are saturated with these spatial ‘weak-points’. Outside the immediate gravity wells of stars and planets nodes may be found at a density of one every 1000 cubic metres, making a transition to tachyon-space possible nearly anywhere in a star system. As one leaves the combined gravity well of a star system, however, fewer nodes are to be found, and ultimately nodes are rarely found outside of star systems.
Tachyon Drive Inhibitors
These horrendously energy-intensive devices are one of the few tachyon-based devices developed by the Sphere dwellers that were not included as part of the Artefacts’ vast data libraries. Tachyon inhibitors (or more technically: trans-dimensional interface disruption devices) serve to prevent the use of tachyon drives. When activated, inhibitors create a field of countless randomly moving tachyons. The mass of chaotic tachyons disrupts the cohesive fields necessary for a ship to penetrate the real-/tachyon-space barrier, and creates turbulence in tachyon-space that forces a ship in tachyon-space back into real-space. In many ways, an inhibitor accomplishes the same feat as the Tachyon Manifestation, except on a smaller scale of course. Inhibitors do not guarantee the complete dimensional immobility of a vessel. Due to their larger tachyon ‘footprint’, vessels with high mass ships like warships will find it difficult to ‘sink’ through an inhibitor’s field as well as that of the dimensional barrier. Smaller vessels like shuttles will have significantly less difficulty. In any case, should a dimensional transition fail within a disorderly tachyon field the tachyon drive may suffer a catastrophic failure. There have been incidences of vessels being destroyed when their tachyon drives failed in this situation and all ship masters and pilots should be aware of the potential risks before activating a tachyon drive within an inhibitor’s field.
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