Long ago, the masters of planet Xerraxia created cyborg workers to maintain their ancient culture. These workers, called Mechanauts, had the remarkable ability to evolve and overcome any hardship. This ability allowed the Mechanauts to eventually develop intelligence and personalities of their own. They lived in harmony with their masters for millennia and took pride in their work as stewards and guardians.
Fusion reactors powered all Xerraxian technology, including the Mechanauts. These efficient reactors pulled hydrogen from water to create energy, but eventually began to deplete their planet’s water supply. A terrible crisis arose as water reserves became critically low. The technologically dependent Xerraxians searched for alternate power supplies, but their planet rapidly dehydrated into a desert wasteland.
The Mechanauts did their part to help resolve this crisis. They split into two groups. The first group would develop space travel technology so they could search for alternate sources of water. The second group would go into physical hibernation while their networked minds remained conscious to research new power sources.
A Mechanaut evolves.
The hibernating Mechanauts woke from their long sleep to find their world desolate and devoid of life. They had succeeded in finding an alternate power source, but it had taken hundreds of years longer than anticipated. What had happened while they were hibernating? Where were the Xerraxian masters and the other Mechanauts? Review of the ancient Xerraxian databanks revealed the terrible fate of the masters.
Development of space travel had progressed, but required massive power and resources. A spacecraft was very close to completion, but the Xerraxians were forced to ration water in an attempt to preserve life on the planet. The Mechanauts that remained awake were driven mad by hunger as their reactors ran dry. In their madness, they attacked their masters and did the unthinkable… draining the Xerraxian’s life fluids to fill their reactors. The Xerraxians dubbed these vampiric cyborgs, Predanauts.
The Predanauts ravaged the planet of all life to quench their thirst. Their adaptive ability reacted to the genetic material of their prey in unexpected ways and distorted them with each feeding. The Predanaut’s minds and bodies became forever twisted and animalistic. The databank’s final entries revealed that the Predanauts used the newly developed spacecraft to flee the planet after they had drained it of all life.
The Mechanauts mourned the loss of their masters, but knew they must move on if they hoped to survive. They retrofitted themselves and their equipment with the newly developed power source, the Dimension Rift Engine. The Dimension Rift Engine, or Rift Core, created a quantum-entangled connection between the Mechanauts and allowed them to communicate across great distances. Their adaptable bodies reacted to the new Rift Cores and grew even more powerful.
A council was formed and it was decided that the Mechanauts would leave their dead home world in search of their lost brothers, the Predanauts. Perhaps they could find a way to help them recover from their madness?
A Rift Portal opens.
The Mechanauts built great starships using the Xerraxian designs and explored the vastness of their galaxy and beyond. Their bodies became more specialized in function and they developed new abilities. Some Mechanauts specialized in researching new life forms they encountered. Others became powerful fighters or brilliant engineers.
The Mechanauts mourned the loss of their masters, but knew they must move on if they hoped to survive. They retrofitted themselves and their equipment with the newly developed power source, the Dimension Rift Engine. The Dimension Rift Engine, or Rift Core, created a quantum-entangled connection between the Mechanauts and allowed them to communicate across great distances. Their adaptable bodies reacted to the new Rift Cores and grew even more powerful.
A council was formed and it was decided that the Mechanauts would leave their dead home world in search of their lost brothers, the Predanauts. Perhaps they could find a way to help them recover from their madness?
It didn’t take long for the Mechanauts to encounter their first nest of Predanauts. It quickly became clear that there was no way to help the ravenous beasts. They had become feral monsters with an insatiable hunger and murderous instinct. The Predanauts multiplied at an incredible rate and spread like fire through the universe. The Mechanauts were greatly outnumbered but their ingenuity and strength gave them a fighting chance against the Predanauts. Epic battles were waged as the Mechanauts tried to protect innocent species of life from the ravages of Predanaut swarms.
The Predanaut’s corrupted minds still possess some intellect and a few even have the ability to reason. These higher Predanauts rule over the lower forms and organize their actions like a hive mentality. They are not easy to destroy and their continual evolution makes them unpredictable.
A vast network of Mechanaut outposts was created across the universe to help defend against the constant Predanaut onslaught. Huge Dimension Rift Engines were built to power the outposts and it was
discovered that these larger engines could actually create interconnected portals to each other.
The Rift Portals allowed the Mechanauts to quickly travel from outpost to outpost.
Devastating battles continue to erupt as the struggle between good and evil rages on. It’s a tough fight, but the Mechanauts are devoted to protecting the universe from the Predanaut blight...
no matter the cost!