Vagari
29-04-2006, 00:32
Background
If ever any one race was the epitomy of Space Scum, it was the Vagari. Like interstellar cockroaches, they swarmed across the cosmos, feeding off the leavings of other civilisations. A resource rich asteroid field, a remote nebula, even merchant convoys; all would soon be swarming with Vagari scavengers and pirates if left unchecked for even a moment. From their humble beginnings as a close knit nomadic fleet of a few thousand ships, their population had exploded over a thousand years, until only ill-supported estimates could approach the number of Vagari ships spread across the length and breadth of the galaxy. Ten million manned vehicles would not have been far off the mark, hosting a combined population of over a billion. From the most massive habitat and hydroponics vessels, to the tiniest ore miner, each ship was a village, a town, a city. In the weightlessness of space, the Vagari had carved themselves a permanent home, and learned to exploit its sparse resources to their fullest. The void of space was noisy with their constant, unsecured comm traffic.
Recently, this traffic has increased both in volume and excitement. To those listening in on Vagari subspace frequencies, it appears that these tireless dung beetles of the cosmos have found something wondrous in the depths of space. Details are vague and contradictory, but one thing is certain; Vagari ships from all corners of the galaxy are converging in a previously unimportant red dwarf system, in a mass migration with all the trappings of a pilgrimage. They say an immense structure has been found, of unknown and ancient origins, and posessing incredible properties.
Mizaron System, 23,000 LY from Sol
The structure was mind-bogglingly large. Perhaps over a million kilometres in length, yet irregularly shaped, and constructed from many unknown materials that defied all attempts at classification. Even the construct’s shape seemed impossible to ascertain, as it changed inexplicably when viewed from different angles. Among the thousands of Vagari scientists who had already arrived, the current theory was that its construction was based on some kind of non-euclidean geometry.
Against the massive structure, appearing like a handful of sand cast into the wind, glittered the hulls of over a quarter of a million Vagari ships, with many more arriving every hour. The vast majority of them were not even scientists or military, but had come expectant of some great quasi-religious experience. It was said that this artifact could channel the very spirits of the dead, and many had already spoken with long departed ancestors.
Wen Rennek, once a down and out prospector who had discovered the construct, had been thrown into the limelight as an almost prophet-like figure. He claimed to have been changed, and preached around the clock from his one-man long-haul transport, the Luzan XIV. He told of paradise awaiting the faithful, a glorious unity of thought, a grand awakening of the Vagari people to a higher purpose. Although to an outsider, his words were meaningless babble, in the growing fleet they seemed to be having an intoxicating effect. Even the skeptics could not fail to note that he had preached constantly for twenty-eight days, without stopping to sleep or even eat.
OOC
I have only the vaguest idea where I’m going with this. Anyone who wants to jump in for any reason is free to do so, and add their own ideas to the mix. Really, any reason from an interest in the artifact to adding new plot elements, to simply wanting to exterminate a gathering of space pests is fine by me, so long as it isn't something silly. Just keep the bad grammar to a minimum, please. :)
If ever any one race was the epitomy of Space Scum, it was the Vagari. Like interstellar cockroaches, they swarmed across the cosmos, feeding off the leavings of other civilisations. A resource rich asteroid field, a remote nebula, even merchant convoys; all would soon be swarming with Vagari scavengers and pirates if left unchecked for even a moment. From their humble beginnings as a close knit nomadic fleet of a few thousand ships, their population had exploded over a thousand years, until only ill-supported estimates could approach the number of Vagari ships spread across the length and breadth of the galaxy. Ten million manned vehicles would not have been far off the mark, hosting a combined population of over a billion. From the most massive habitat and hydroponics vessels, to the tiniest ore miner, each ship was a village, a town, a city. In the weightlessness of space, the Vagari had carved themselves a permanent home, and learned to exploit its sparse resources to their fullest. The void of space was noisy with their constant, unsecured comm traffic.
Recently, this traffic has increased both in volume and excitement. To those listening in on Vagari subspace frequencies, it appears that these tireless dung beetles of the cosmos have found something wondrous in the depths of space. Details are vague and contradictory, but one thing is certain; Vagari ships from all corners of the galaxy are converging in a previously unimportant red dwarf system, in a mass migration with all the trappings of a pilgrimage. They say an immense structure has been found, of unknown and ancient origins, and posessing incredible properties.
Mizaron System, 23,000 LY from Sol
The structure was mind-bogglingly large. Perhaps over a million kilometres in length, yet irregularly shaped, and constructed from many unknown materials that defied all attempts at classification. Even the construct’s shape seemed impossible to ascertain, as it changed inexplicably when viewed from different angles. Among the thousands of Vagari scientists who had already arrived, the current theory was that its construction was based on some kind of non-euclidean geometry.
Against the massive structure, appearing like a handful of sand cast into the wind, glittered the hulls of over a quarter of a million Vagari ships, with many more arriving every hour. The vast majority of them were not even scientists or military, but had come expectant of some great quasi-religious experience. It was said that this artifact could channel the very spirits of the dead, and many had already spoken with long departed ancestors.
Wen Rennek, once a down and out prospector who had discovered the construct, had been thrown into the limelight as an almost prophet-like figure. He claimed to have been changed, and preached around the clock from his one-man long-haul transport, the Luzan XIV. He told of paradise awaiting the faithful, a glorious unity of thought, a grand awakening of the Vagari people to a higher purpose. Although to an outsider, his words were meaningless babble, in the growing fleet they seemed to be having an intoxicating effect. Even the skeptics could not fail to note that he had preached constantly for twenty-eight days, without stopping to sleep or even eat.
OOC
I have only the vaguest idea where I’m going with this. Anyone who wants to jump in for any reason is free to do so, and add their own ideas to the mix. Really, any reason from an interest in the artifact to adding new plot elements, to simply wanting to exterminate a gathering of space pests is fine by me, so long as it isn't something silly. Just keep the bad grammar to a minimum, please. :)