#Notes >[!info] >This entire entry is a bit of a thought experiment. While canon, they are not part of the setting yet. >[!warning] >Historical and narrative spoilers throughout ![[The Lost Fleet.jpeg]] ## Origins Sometime during the [[Second Golden Age]] (6127 CE - 581 AR - 2966 years ago - 1627 SGA?): After a few trial runs, a small fleet of ships was assembled for an attempt at reaching the Andromeda Galaxy. Contact was lost after their longest [[Transit|transit]]. They were never heard from again and long distance transit was banned. The theory at the time was that we just couldn’t work through the complex math for long range transits. A few more plans were made for shorter transit hops, but given the abundance of worlds in our own galaxy, the project was abandoned. The Lost Fleet endured, however. It was designed for long duration flight, as well as being mostly self sufficient. However, they could not exist in the void indefinitely. They were indeed lost in the vast distances between galaxies. Several attempts at a return transit left them still in intergalactic space. 6129 CE - 579 AR - 2964 years ago: They prepared to make shorter transits in an attempt to return to known space, but a unique opportunity appeared. While preparing for their plan, they encountered a rogue planet. While normally useless, their ships were loaded with terraforming equipment, mining rigs, and everything they would need to survive on a near-sterile planet. They set down on the darkened surface and set to work, making a subsurface colony. For a time, that plan worked. They experimented endlessly with the mathematics of long range transits, finally making some progress. It would still require more than 25 years to reach the nearest human outpost, however. No human could survive in zero-g for more than a few years. Their plans needed to change. A medical researcher developed a form of cybernetics that could be maintained by [[Nanomedical Devices|nanomedical devices]] indefinitely, so long as they had access to power. Similar to Sigmatech [[Cyberonic|cyberonics]] in the 4th age. This was more akin to artificial biologics, rather than complex machinery. The power needs were solved with efficiency. Power is derived from the body of the user. Through both movement and borrowing some of the natural electrical energy created in humans. They had a practical solution to abandon their flesh and become beings that could survive indefinitely in space. During the process of conversion, several [[Morocaschic]] infiltrators were found, refusing the process. Morocaschics were unknown to humanity during that time, and the humans of the fleet had no idea what to make of them at first. But through interrogation, they learned of their plans to attack humanity. Some of the problems the fleet had endured during their journey were due to Morocaschic sabotage. The humans began the mass conversion and discovered many more of the alien infiltrators. Realizing that the situation must be many times worse back in the Milky Way, they had a decision to make. It was clear from what they learned from the aliens that the fall of humanity was inevitable. Even if the fleet returned to the galaxy, they could not hope to make much of a difference in that outcome. So they chose to stay in the void. They burrowed deeply into their rogue planet and finished their conversion. --- ## Return To The Galaxy 637 PC: Thousands of years later, they detected evidence that humanity had arisen again. It was time to return. Entering into the opposite side of the galaxy, they found the remnants of the Morocaschic civilization in ruins, having been nearly wiped out by the [[Lacir]]. Despite knowing that the aliens had caused the downfall of human civilization, they were horrified. They chose to wait and watch from the [[Dead Zone]]. The galaxy was much changed from the time of their departure. They began to take stock of the various factions and aliens. They learned of the [[Kyserian|Kyserians]] as well. They saw them plotting to attack humanity and the Lacir when the time was right. They learned of the plot within the inner realms to release altered [[Voldeflus]] into the universe. Very little escaped the watchful eyes of the fleet. They operated from their rogue planet. Now converted into a massive transit capable [[Planet Ship]]-like marvel, even greater than what the Kyserians had built eons ago. They came to realize that they had been gone too long and were too detached from humanity to rejoin their biological ancestors. So they decided to leave the galaxy once again. Heading back towards the original destination of the Andromeda Galaxy, they found that the beings known as the [[Yill Maingess]] still existed there. Only the vaguest of myths recounted the times of the [[Ceaseless Fray]]. They wanted to avoid a conflict with them at all costs, so they kept their distance from the galactic core. But to their surprise, the [[Yill Maingess|Yims]] approached them. Despite millennia of fighting, there was never any record of actual contact with the Yims, so they approached the situation with a cautious optimism. The Yims spoke in fluctuations in spacetime. Patterns that they were able to convert into understandable language with their advanced computers and mathematics. The Yims recognized their ascension into artificial beings, and offered them no hostility, so long as they did not interfere with “The Plan.” The nature of this was never fully understood, but unlike the humans ~3500 years ago, they knew that it involved things within the galactic core and they need only keep their distance. As far as they could tell, Andromeda was lacking any sentient species at this time. They found ruins of various civilizations of the past. It was deemed highly unusual that the Milky Way had multiple civilizations spread throughout the galaxy in the same era. --- ## Expansion 1162 PC - 1497 PC: The fleet underwent a great diaspora. Now fully capable of living in almost any environment, they colonized millions of worlds in a few hundred years. Turning the once uninhabited galaxy into one teeming with artificial life. They were contacted again by the Yims, who again seemed pleased by their progress. They offered some of their primordial technology and returned to the core. This technology would allow for direct [[Hubspace]] communication, near limitless transit distances, reactionless drives ([[Traction Engine]]) similar to the [[Inter-Realm Traction System]], but much more efficient and provided considerable acceleration. The Yims existed as much in our [[Realm]] as they did Hubspace. If not for the brief moment that ships lingered there during a transit, we may have noticed them earlier. No explicit reason was given to the fleet as to why they were given these technological wonders, but they immediately put them to use. Movement between planets became as simple as walking through a doorway. Space flight was quick, energy efficient and widely available. Near instantaneous communication across their vast civilization was a huge step up from typical [[HubComm]] methods. Much of this technology could be miniaturized as well, leading to personal devices that allowed for transits and communication. --- ## Current Status Present (~2400 PC - 600 NDZ): Before they realized it, the humans of the fleet were now in a place where they had the entire universe at their fingertips. But they weren’t human anymore. Despite still retaining a semblance of their original forms, they were now immortal, nearly god-like machines. The one area they lacked in was the use of the [[Lebenflus]] for altering reality ([[Magic]]). So they walked into [[The Hub]] to see if they could gain any insight into this mysterious power. ~2408 PC: What they found was the birth of a new god. [[Rowan Warwick]] and [[Sera Maretsi]] had ascended to godhood and were trying to make sense of their new reality. [[Eriti]] pulled the fleet beings aside and gave them a rundown on everything that had been happening. They were initially surprised that she was so forthcoming about everything. But she explained they were the only branch of humanity who were capable of populating the universe over time. The Kyserians had adopted cyberonics to enhance their forms, but lacked the will to fully embrace the technology. The Lacir did not have the technological know-how to advance beyond what they are. Humans were doomed from the start, a short-lived, self-destructive species that would ultimately fade into the deep recesses of time. They of the fleet, who would become known as the [[Ascended]] or [[Ptalar]] were the best chance intelligent life had at a perpetual future. [[Samalek]]’s plan to alter the nature of reality would affect the Ptalar as well. In time, many of them would develop magic ability (if they haven’t already) as the altered voldeflus permeated the galaxy and beyond. All they needed to do was understand the various [[Discipline|disciplines]] of magic. --- ## Final Thoughts **Where does this leave us?** The Ptalar have been watching and observing our galaxy for millennia. More recently, they have acquired substantial powers from the Yill Maingess and from Samalek’s plan. Should they be player characters? Probably not, but they could pop in from time to time as generally friendly, but skittish NPCs. *Note: I’ll work on the details later - I did not expect to write this ridiculously large entry. Originally I had intended them to be more like the Chron from Target Earth, angry, resentful and hostile towards sentient life in the Milky Way, but here we are with some kind of seriously OP pacifist robots. Oh well. Such is the nature of my mind.* --- ## Going Forward [[Rowan Warwick|Rowan]] foresaw the plateau and eventual collapse of the Ptalar. They will likely be cut off from each other due to some kind of problem with some of their technology/cyberonic implants. This will lead to a sort of dark age for them, as they attempt to repair the damage. But the problems had become endemic and even after they got it under control, they had lost their ability to teleport and instantaneously communicate interstellar distances with their implants. They should still have most of their advanced tech, ~~but they've lost their interfaces with it and must use it all manually~~. They also will end up losing their archives and losing track of where Blackguard is. That should be fun to work with. ## Further notes Many Ptalar have come to dislike or outright dispose the [[Voldeform]], who they perceive as the source of their plight. With their newfound magical potential, some have aimed to master magic in order to confront the divines and their adjacent beings. They are also highly susceptible to [[Abyssal Arts]] and large numbers of them have fallen under the sway of the rebel gods. A group of Ptalar assisted [[EBRIS]] with their [[Sehrliborg]] technology. This explains why and how EBRIS was able to create cyberonic implants that can channel magic. --- ## The Fall *Work in progress* I’m not sure I want to hit them as hard up front. I do like the idea of them having advanced tech that behaves like magic. But maybe make it less OP. It would likely work better if I left the ones in Andromeda alone to pursue their destiny. But a large group of them are left in the [[Milky Way Galaxy]]. This faction of the Ptalar are cut off from the rest of their civilization. Perhaps Rowan himself decided to separate the Ptalar in the galaxy from their extra-galactic peers. That would make a bit of sense. Our galaxy is a bit of a disaster and is the epicenter of the spillage of modified [[Voldeflus]] into the universe. As such, our galaxy is uniquely… damaged. As such, Rowan may have decided to essentially quarantine the galaxy to prevent the damage here from spreading further. He already made decisions like this when he removed Methuselans from reality. So that tracks. This would lead the galactic Ptalar to be their own subspecies. They might seek to relocate Blackguard. Maybe they hold their extra-galactic ancestors in reverence for their much greater power. Perhaps to the point of worshiping them as greater beings. - The galactic Ptalar are cut off from their extra-galactic counterparts - Their abilities are diminished - Rowan did this intentionally as a sort of quarantine - They will be forced to interact with regular humans - They will be based out of colonies within the [[Dead Zone]], as they can survive in almost any environment - They cannot reproduce without the technology on Backguard/in Andromeda - They retain their communications, levitation, teleportation, “telekinesis,” etc. But it needs to be balanced for narrative and gameplay purposes - They are affected by a sort of degenerative “plague” which reduces their abilities, and are searching for a cure (this was of Rowan’s doing and cannot be fixed unless they escape the Milky Way) - Due to their inability to reproduce, they are very cautious and secretive - They may find allies among friendly [[Morocaschic]] remnants or even [[Kyserian|Kyserians]]. - More?