Precursor galactic
civilisations
See also von Neumann Probes and Telegates
Most
are
legends
of legends and direct encounters will be rare. Most have left
calling
cards in the form of Artifacts and other intelligent devices. Such
interactions with the AAs will be obfuscatory at best, deranged at
worst!
Note:
Most of the early
Precursors were either the hyper-fast gravitovores or merely ultra-fast
magnetovores; followed by the various ultra-slow cryospecies: Medusae et al at the opposite end of the
temporal spectrum. These extremes cause
distinct
problems for direct communications with 'normal' Oxygen/ /Water! [OW!]
biochemistries such as ours. Indeed most of the names below are
human derived terms as transliterations of their own appelations
can only be expressed as higher order equations.
"Ancient
Ones" (Gravitovores) Subsequent races (principally the
Plasmoids)
claim that the
Creation was their 'mistake' and that they were cast out of the
Universe
by some prior principle. Some legends state that they are still
present, 'hibernating' in the super-massive black holes at the
centre of galaxies. The
Plasmoids claim that the Ancient Ones can control the movements of
their Galactic disk and are responsible for the galactic jets and other
astronomical oddities. Such clains fly in the face of accepted
cosmological theories. But then so does the very existance of Plasmoids!
"Star
Mothers" (Magnetovores) it is thought that most of the
common sun
grazing magnetovores
found on the brighter stars (F7
and above) are the degenerate descendants of these species. However two
Magnetovore
spp.have initiated contact with surprised heliographers and are
clearly intelligent. Meaningful dialog is however many centuries away.
The diaphanous "Void Angels": space going magnetovore spp.encountered
to date are clearly non intelligent; more akin to phytoplankton in the
Galactic Ocean.
Luciferae
(Hot Plasmoids) claim to have been born in the first exploding
supernovae. However as their make-up seems to
include quantum singularities they
may
just be agents or avatars of the Ancient Ones. Three dormant Luciferans
are 'in
transit' across Known Space and for obvious reaons interdicted by The
Patrol and other policing bodies..
Archons(Warm Plasmoids) claim to be older than the Luciferans: being
born in
the primary condensation of matter after the Big Bang. The Archons are
self
sustaining and reproducing vortices of strong nuclear force and have
been found 'associated' with the various Molecular Clouds
or
"stellar nurseries" within
reach of the Cosmographers...
[The Rho-Ophiuchus Dark Cloud (Ro.)at
407 lytes (part of the Ophiuchus-Scorpius-Centaurus Association); the Taurus-Auriga
Molecular Cloud
(450 lytes); The Chamaeleon I Dark
Cloud (460 lytes); the Perseus
Molecular Cloud Complex (980 lytes) and
naturally the Orion Nebula
"Messier 42, M 43" a massive region (30 lyte diameter) of massive
star formation (1,270 lytes). Reports of Archons inhabiting
the Eagle Nebula
"Pillars of Creation" ( at some 7,000 lytes ) and other star forming
regions have yet to be confirmed.
The first 'living' Archon was
encountered on the ill-fated expedition to the Hyades (151 lytes).
Archons are reported to hang around in other star clusters notably the
Pleiades (415 lytes). Both in the constellation of Taurus.
There are four Archon Collectives known to "interact" with the current
Galactic Milieu. The 'Hyadeans' taking the greatest interest and enjoy
'squatting'
inside a *Craft's Fusor - much to the consternation of the *Craft's
engineering department whilst the 'Hegemony of Orion' lays claim to the
entire Spur!
"The Elder
Gods" An historic Hot Plasmoid Collective, comprising
five
distinct 'individuals' in contact with the
newly emerging Gas Giant Medusae species just over 13 Gy ago. Over the
aeons these
client species
were encouraged to initiate contact, and start building Von Neumann
probes to explore the Universe.
Medusae
'GasBags' aka
Deep Ones, Polar Adapts, Storm Gods,... All six Medusae
spp. (both Floater and Swimmer civilisations) encountered
to date claim
to be Precursors.
Most Galactic Historians will argue that all are very much of the
current Galactic Milieu. What is not in doubt is that the Medusae were
the first living forms made of 'matter' as we understand the term and
thus preceed the Rock, Golden and Ice Baller spawned *Cultures by many
Gy.
Although there are many truly ancient GasBag bioartifactsstill extant, their
creators
are probably extinct. Archeocosmopologists collectively label the
previous Precursor GasBag *Cultures: "Jotun" and are individually named
after the Norse Frost Giants: Ymir; Bestla; Geirrod;
etc.
Beyonders
a collective term for the seven cryo-species. All too solid galactic
citizens colonising the really low gravity bodies of the outer gas
and ice giants "IceBalls". With the exception of the Deese (u.i.), their simple life
processes, generally involving photosynthesis and high energy
(explosive) CN compounds, maintain the rumours of
being
bioengineered as space travelling contact species by the essentially
immoble Medusae. Slow to anger... well slow to do almost anything
really! Even simple
negotiations will take months. At roughly one word per minute!
Stories concerning their wheeler dealing amongst the early GasBag
civilisations are notorious.
Sidonians
a group of Warm Plasmoids and their eight client species (mostly
ammonia breathers), that
set
themselves up as the even handed arbiters in the conflicts between the
nascent Beyonder *Cultures. In recent times the Sidonians were the
first to initiate contact with the newly emergent "GoldenBaller"
species
and are reported to be the prime agency behind The Patrol... Currently
involved in a Cultural Cold War with their main philosophical 'enemies'
the Fredorians. The nature and the aims of the conflict are a
mystery to most of the participants as it does not concern territory or
resources or indeed any material gain!
Cold
Galacticsan amoeboidal and protean super-cooled
plasmoid (?)
species; composed of 'solid' (fluid) energy held together by
microcosmic sub-spacial forces: "Giant 'branes". Reported by the
Medusae to
have been constructed by the Elder Gods in recent times (i.e. over the
last 5 Gy) to act as emissaries (spies)
to the
newly emerging OW! life forms. Only nine Cold Galactic ambassadors are
known to be active in KS.
Deese "*Fish" (colloq.) uncannilly
resembling one metre diameter ten armed terrestrial
starfish (even on a morphological level) this 'aquatic' (Liquid
Methane) cryo-species claim to have evolved naturally. Unlike the
other six Beyonder species. Their place within the complex ecosystem
of 'methane worlds' (generally moons in orbit around the
outer ice giants.) ... would seem to support this claim. However these
IceBalls do show evidence of Habiforming - a technology thet the Deece
do not currently possess. Dating
evidence indicates a longer evolutionary path than the other Beyonders
- the Deese have been
around for a long time! And although disavowing Precursor status
as such, their role in Uplifting
similar species (most recently the Titanites) has all the hallmarks
of Precursorhood.
The Deese have
the largest presence (i.e. most readily integrated) of the
Beyonder cryospecies and even have embassies on Terrestrial *Capitals.
Deese get around in silver 'flying saucers' and make extensive use of
bio-mechanical avatars in their face to face dealings with
'The Infernals, Hotworlders, etc'.
Shi-lah
a (pan-kosmic ?) federation of eleven distinct species.
Ubiquitous. Tiny.
Protean. Nucleonic. Really
fast living
magnetovores originating on the early collapsars. Not really a
Precursor species, as they remain (hyper)active into the modern era.
However at their time scale they might as well be.
xii
Xenix
xenophobic and technologically advanced insectoids comprising 13
separate: casts? species?? But most of them warrior specialisations!
The Xenix periodically emerge from
the inner spinward portion of the Perseus spiral density wave for no
readily apparent reason. Their StL Swarm Arks usually take the form of
crudely habiformed planetoids in the 100 km (and above!) class. The
previous attempts by Precursors to eliminate this menace are well
documented. As was their failure.
Fredoriansa
radical political counter-culture spawned out of the totalitarian
Sidonian rule. Collecting a rag-tag "Axis of Fredor" some 14 free
spirited and
libertarian *Cultures (mostly chlorine breathers) . If recent events
are anything to go by the "Cold
War for Galactic Civilisation" is hotting up as Rockballer
*Cultures
are being dragged into a Conflict about which they only have the barest
knowledge.
Teenypup one of the earliest OW! species
to settle the Local Galaxy. Specialising in BioWizardry their wars of
extermination and or assimilation were only stopped by the telepathic
'Saviours'. The Teenipup-Saviour War decimated the nascent
RockBaller *Cultures across three of the four arms and well out
into the Local Group. Putting back the current Galactic Milieu by 2.3
Gk. Teenypup
viral agents capable of radical physical and cultural metamorphoses
across a broad spectrum
of biochemistries are still encountered in Teenypup ruins and remnants.
'Saviours' their real name is an
unintelligible telepathic thought symbol. Similarly their culture and
history are largely a matter of conjecture as they left little behind
in the way of instrumentalities. However the *Cultures that followed
named them well. It is their psionic artifacts that provide us with an
understanding of the TS War and the events that followed...
xvii
Y'chi
this
mysterious species of galactic litter louts has left copious evidence
of past planetary picnics strewn across K.S. This junk often appears on
the market as "rare Precursor artifacts" but remains JUNK!
K'Pok
Eosians
According to the Hyadean Collective responsible for most of the
Terra-forming and sophont relocation in the Orion Spur in the aftermath
of the last Xenix invasion. The Eosians have been linked with any
number of early sea-gods Enki, Oannes, Nommo,... and were either
aquatic or, more likely, used an aquatic client species. Much of their
work focussing on saving promising aquatic life forms Their network
of Telegates(q.v.) and macro-engineering
projects ranging from Earth to the Andromeda Galaxy.
"Ancients" Actually not a single species
this is the collective
name given to the previous Galactic Culture before the 1006
supernova
wiped out the previous interstellar civilisation in the Orion Spur.
From ruined worlds, surviving artifacts, client species and the
occasional Ancient(!) it would seem
that the Ancients were in fact two cultures that independantly
developed FtL capability. Forming the previous Galactic Milieu
with some 20 client species. Of
these the Groyn q.v. seem to have best
survived the cataclysm .
Kryll
the
most recent and most local (~100 KY) of the extinct *Cultures.
First discovered on
Altair... Their ruined outposts and other freefloating artifacts are
strewn across KS, mute evidence of a sprawling interstellar
culture.
The big question remains. Where are they now?
