Archimedes Engine

Humanity’s long and arduous journey to the Centauri Cluster began 40,000 years ago. Fleeing a dying Earth, they set out in search of habitable planets and a new beginning.

Upon arrival in Centauri, they discovered dozens of densely packed star systems teeming with “Eden Worlds”, brimming with life. These planets became the heart of the interstellar civilization, the foundation from which the entire Cluster would eventually evolve. As the first human settlements took root, they faced immeasurable challenges in this new universe. Slowly, they transformed over thousands of years, diverging from what we once knew as “humanity” into the earliest Celestial Dominions – powerful, alien beings with abilities and intelligence far beyond our understanding.

As the Dominions of the first wave continued to expand their territory and arkships continued to arrive, competition for Eden Worlds grew fierce. The wars that followed were cataclysmic, fought with weapons so powerful that they sometimes devastated the very planets they sought to claim. Entire worlds were reduced to ashes in the pursuit of dominance, until finally they brought the Cluster to the brink of annihilation.

In the aftermath of the brutal Formation Wars, during what became known as the Remnant Era, a technological marvel emerged: the Archimedes Engine. This incredible invention reshaped the very architecture of the galaxy, by enabling the movement of entire planets within a star system, repositioning them into life-sustaining “Goldilocks” habitable zones. The Engine stabilized orbits, controlled atmospheres, and terraformed barren worlds into new Eden Worlds. The Archimedes Engine fueled a population explosion across the Cluster. Where once there were dozens of habitable worlds, now there were thousands. The Celestial Dominions expanded their empires, creating vast networks of colony worlds. Later waves of human arkships, arriving after the wars, found untouched Eden Worlds waiting for them. As they acclimated to this thriving but volatile region of space, they had to adapt and evolve like their Celestial overlords… or risk extinction.

But the miracle of the Archimedes Engine was not without its flaws. Nothing lasts forever, and when one of these ancient machines begins to fail – usually after thousands of years – the consequences are catastrophic. A world supported by a failing Engine can spiral into an uninhabitable hellscape within a single generation. Entire civilizations – cities, towns, millions of lives – can be wiped out almost overnight. Due to the incredible complexity of their design, repairing a failing Archimedes Engine is nearly impossible. The Celestial civilization that created them went extinct ten thousand years ago, taking much of their knowledge with them. Now, when a world begins to die, its inhabitants have only one choice: struggle to survive as conditions worsen, before finally abandoning their home and becoming refugees in a cold and unforgiving galaxy.

This extraordinary planet-moving relic still powers numerous celestial bodies in their current orbits – including our own homeworld of Lidon – a moon precisely positioned in close proximity to the gas giant Galarus in the Malakbel system. However, the unthinkable is happening. A technological virus known as “The Rot” is slowly degrading all our advanced technology, including the critical machines we depend on for survival. Even the Planetary Engines, which were once our lifeblood, are beginning to fail, threatening the future of everything that we’ve built and everyone we hold dear. Seeing the impending disaster, legendary Travelers - like Orion Aslan - embarked on Exodus missions to save Lidon. The solution, though obvious, seemed impossible: repair the Engines.

Now, as Jun Aslan and Orion’s heir, you stand as the culmination of a decades-long dynastic effort to save our world. You are Lidon’s last hope, a lone spark in the darkness of a dying planet. But the journey ahead is fraught with peril. Enemies from all sides, driven by their own desires and fears, are determined to thwart your mission to secure humanity’s salvation.

Traveler, the fate of Lidon depends on you. Can you overcome the challenges you face, unlock the secrets of the Archimedes Engine, and save our home? Or is our planet doomed to repeat the tragic errors of Earth, becoming just another casualty in the long and brutal history of the Centauri Cluster? With the power to shape worlds in your hands, what path will you take?