Chronicles of The Etherium - Origins

[|nfrared]

The Change - From Utopia to Hell



I was overwhelmed. Thrust from a perfect existence to the hostile unknown in such a short period, many of us succumbed to a shock they did not awaken from. We had created a synthetic utopia, wanting for nothing, but now that was gone. We had left it behind. But this was not the first time.

When the Etherium recovered from their abrupt escape, they quickly realised that their evacuation had not gone according to plan. The Bridge was an ancient relic of Etherium technology and an extremely powerful device capable of altering space and enabling the race to transport their massive station across seemingly impossible distances. This had ensured the survival of the species many times and was solely responsible for the Etherium Empire lasting thousands of years by Sirian standards, having prepared a new destination each time an enemy had become too strong for them to escape to. But this time that had not happened, and for reasons unknown the station had instead been deposited on the very fringes of an uncharted sector.

The Etherium began to feel things that had long been forgotten. Fear. Uncertainty. The imminent need to survive, knowing that all those left behind had perished. Once again they would start from the beginning.

It soon became apparent that the newcomers were not alone. The "invaders" as the Etherium had dubbed them were also present in this sector as well and those able enough were deployed to secure the star system they had arrived in, although whether or not local Nomads have any idea of the reasons for Etherium hostility are currently unknown.

The affinity for technology that the race possesses is a large part of their culture. They incorporate it into every moment of their lives, and even their bodies. Some of these are simple and have specific functions - communication and sense enhancement are but a few. Others can be utilised as weapons for personal protection or attacks. This supplements their physical characteristic, as without these enhancements they would be quite vulnerable, particularly in a physical aspect.

This became more of a problem some years after the survivors arrived in Sirius. Radiation sickness was weakening them, and they had no new source of Iridium to draw from, the nebulae bought with them but a finite amount that would dwindle until the Etherium flickered and died as a flame without oxygen. This became a goal that would need fulfilling in the next century or so before their time ran out. When they became sick and more dependant on Iridium to survive this time shorted dramatically, causing even more panic and desperation to set in. To conserve their precious resource, the majority of the Etherium went into a type of hibernation, bonding themselves to the station and transferring their consciousness to another state entirely. A small amount of them stayed awake on the station, becoming more degenerate and insane.

During the time the Etherium slumbered it is documented that another race arrived at the station. With most of the Etherium still bonded to the station's systems and those still awake so weakened they concealed themselves with their advanced technology, another alien - humans - discovered the Etherium outpost approximately 20 years after its arrival. Seeing no threat as long as they went undiscovered, they allowed the humans to utilise the most basic aspects of the station, all the while learning about Sirius by observing them, studying their vessels and technology and matching it against their own, and even allowing them to take some of that technology for themselves. Then, without warning and as abruptly as they arrived, the humans abandoned the station, leaving some of that technology in the form of vessels and equipment behind.

More time passed, and by this time the reserves of Iridium were dangerously low, and now are forced to act. The Etherium stir and must find this precious resource, must face the dangers of this new space, or fade into memory.

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Shard - The Faceless One