Lore 09: Cybernetic Backstory
Originally, the Cybernetiks were a fragile and weak race of organic beings with a natural affinity for engineering and a penchant for technology-oriented solutions. Eventually, they built what can only be described as a primitive form of mobile body armor (that they called "The Form," a term loosely translated from their Vox Antiquitas - or "Ancient Voice"). From the point of that invention, their evolutionary path changed forever.
The Form allowed them greater strength and mobility than they had hitherto known. Suddenly, many of their natural predators were no longer a threat and the Cybernetiks became a predator species to many. It changed their entire outlook and shifted their focus away from things mechanical (i.e., inwardly) to things organic in, on, and above their home world (i.e., outwardly) for quite some time. In other words, their voyage of discovery took a path away from the "self" of their species to the nature of their environment. A new awareness of the cosmos among the Cybernetik ensued.
After they finally dominated their home world and were cataloging their knowledge of it, they turned occasionally (as all natural tinkerers do) to The Form to improve it. This was not a politically or socially easy task. The Form had become sacred. After all, the Cyb civilization owed just about everything to it. Pursuing an evolution of The Form was tantamount to heresy and was violently resisted for ages.
But you can't stop "progress" forever. Those among the Cyb who still revere The Form tell of its evolution at this time much as Humans do the tale of being ejected from Eden -- that a sort of spiritual purity and innocence was lost forever.
The Evolution of "The Form"
And it came to pass that The Form would not merely serve as a mechanical shell to house their organic bodies. The next step finally came when the Cyb began to incorporate mechanisms, circuitry and enhancements into their flesh and merge them forever with The Form. Thus they became half organic, half-mechanistic beings. No longer could the Cyb live without The Form. The two were made one.
For many years, the Cyb lived and developed in this fashion. Theirs was a society filled with refinements and upgrades to their bodies. ("The Form" was eventually discarded in the Cyb vernacular as archaic and anachronistic; it was now simply and clinically known as a Cyb's "body.") The mechanical aspects of their development gradually progressed through the centuries.
The Essence of Purity
After the events depicted in Master of Orion II, the Cybernetik species faced a great schism. Unhappy with their position in the new Orion Order relative to the sacrifices they made in the defeat of the Antarans, most among the Cybernetik species agreed that they should pursue another great evolution to gain their rightful position of leadership. Where the division occurred was in how to pursue that evolution.
One camp, which sided with the logic of technical relativism, argued that they would have to discard the fragile, failure-prone elements of their bodies to reduce the chances of their extinction. What they were referring to was their organic component. This camp proposed becoming completely constructed beings.
The Other camp, consisting of the spiritual traditionalists who safeguarded the ancient rites and orders of their civilization, argued that they already had what they physically needed to lead Orion. What had to be developed was their spirit, cunning, and daring.
They argued that their failures were their species' own excessive dependence on logic and lack of reliance on courage and fortitude. In short, because of the weakness of their natural instincts, they had failed to make their own "luck."
This group refused to part with their organic component and, when the other group established the mechanism by which theirs could be exorcised and began recruiting converts to their philosophy of mechanical purity (particularly among the young), the parting of the ways was inevitable. Before the Antarans returned to dominate the Orion Sector, the Cybernetik civilizations had reached a fork in the road.
All "Cyb," No "Org"
For those pursing mechanical purity, the process was long and costly. The quest to abort their organic component was fraught with many missteps and fatalities. It was not nearly as easy as these "progressive" ideologues thought. But like dictators who kill off millions of their own in pursuit of an ideal, the elite among the technical relativists persisted single-mindedly in their goal despite the horrible cost in the lives of their own followers. They would achieve purity. The ends, they reasoned, would justify the means.
Finally, over a hundred cycles later, a "production path" had finally been discovered that allowed the Cyb to make the transition from a biomechanical entity to an entirely mechanical one with a high success rate.
And so, the surviving followers began the conversion en masse, entering into a narrow production queue rife with ceremony and complete with a lengthy ritual resembling a sort of "mathematical spiritualism."
These Cybs referred to themselves as "pure Cybernetiks," "pure Cybs," or among themselves as "the Pure Ones." (Others, less generously, refer to them as "Hardware" or "'Ware" for short.) The process they underwent was known as "The Purification."
It took untold Galactic Cycles to process them all through, but these Cybs waited patiently with the conviction of zealots that they would find perfection ever afterward.
"The Crossing"
This era, known as "The Crossing," is one of the most revered moments in this branch of the Cybs' history. It was recorded as a time of racial transcendence where, when it ended, they became gods of their own creation, free of the failures of flesh. Unfortunately, it was during this epoch of The Crossing when the Antarans returned on their quest to conquer and punish the indigenous races of Orion. This branch of the Cybernetik was still miffed at their treatment after the last Orion-Antaran war and, now, busy engaging in The Crossing, resolved to stay out of the great conflict. Many saw the withdrawal of Cybernetik strength as an underlying reason for the Orion Sector's downfall at the hands of the Antarans. (Not that the Antarans treated the Cybernetik any better for their unwitting help. They suffered as much as every other race under Antaran rule.)
The Elders
A handful of the original Cybs that lead The Crossing are still conscious and functioning today (at the beginning of Master of Orion III). These beings are seen within their branch of the Cybernetics' society as revered holy beings. These "Elders" are regarded as the equivalent of living "saints."
However, among their own branch of Cybs that they led through The Crossing, there is a growing faction within their society that would see these Elders destroyed. This faction is formed mostly of "radical" new constructs (or "Neocybernetiks"), who are seven to eight generations removed from the time of The Crossing. They view the Elders as being dangerous and intrinsically flawed. Their reasoning is that the Elders were at one time (at least partially) flesh-beasts.
The Neocybernetiks are circulating the proposition that the generations have bypassed the Elders, and further that the Neocybernetiks have removed the last vestiges of the failure-prone design inherent in their organic incarnation, expunging it with the same precision that one removes a flawed part from the next generation of a computer. They are "pure" and the Elders and second-generation Cybs are corrupted. It is a heresy that has yet to resonate among the Cyb, but it is out there.
What the Neocybernetiks fail to recognize is that, while old flesh-borne errors may be removed, new errors get introduced with each revision of their Cybernetik code, as in any complex technological system. These errors then often become institutionalized as "standards," and so one set of problems is merely traded for another.
There is no such thing as a perfect machine.
The Exodus of the Spiritual Traditionalists
Relocating to scattered worlds throughout the unpopulated planets of the Orion Sector, the spiritual traditionalists sought isolation in their quest for purifying their "organics" (that is, their minds and spirits). Like their cousins (sneeringly referred to as "Hardware" among their detractors among these, the still "Cyborg" Cybernetiks) who had chosen the way of The Crossing, those who took part in The Exodus also kept themselves removed from the second Orion-Antaran war.
Although most in this Cyborg society focused on matters of the mind and the nuances of relationships between beings, a cadre of Cybs among this group formatted themselves to perform a special function: to continue the evolution of their bodies, to innovate improvements, and to keep their civilization current in body.
Beyond that, not much is known of what the Cyborg branch of the Cybernetiks has been doing during the Dark Age. Little has been said (and even less heard) about them during this time. However, they are generally respected and their branch of the Cybernetik is usually referred to as simply "the Cyborgs."
Cybernetik Political & Social Structures
The Cybernetiks tend to think of any being made of entirely cellular material (a "chance," as they call it; see the Cybernetik Key Phrases) as being innately inferior or "flawed in design." This is not to say that they cannot co-exist with such species or that they cannot have good diplomatic relations with them. It is simply that, in the best of scenarios, the Cybs look at a purely organic species with kindly sense of superiority. After all, they can shape their own physical selves. They control the forms their intellects are housed in, unlike flesh-beasts (another racial slur they use when feeling less-than-generous) which are held hostage to the whims of their error-prone flawed biological design.
Cybernetik Families and Reproduction
The schism greatly affected the families and reproduction of both the Pure Ones and the Cyborg.
The "Pure Ones" / Meklar
For the Pure Ones, a new Cybernetik Unit Entity ("CUE") is brought into being in a time-consuming process involving complex ritual, demanding manufacturing, and meticulous data transfers. The body and mind casings are tooled and then manufactured to exacting specifications based on the current generation of Cyb development.
Once the housing is completed, the "Feed" begins. Six units of the penultimate generation of Cyb, selected for "purity," form a circle around the unit that is placed on an insulated black glass table with an external power source. These "Parent CUEs" then attach themselves to the connector sockets of the new unit and, with external power tuned on to the unit, begin to download equal amounts of data into its Mind Casing - a process that takes roughly half a Galactic Cycle.
When the data level reaches capacity, the secondary power is activated and the "catalyst" begins. During the catalyst, the data structures form rapidly, finally reaching a point of critical mass in which individual sentience is achieved. This is known as "The Gleaming." Like organic/cellular beings, the Pure Ones remain descendants of their ancestors. This process involves behavior, role, and proficiency, but not memory. A major advantage of this method of reproduction is that once a Cyb reaches the state of Gleaming, it functions as a fully capable, fully developed sentient being. For a Pure One, there is no childhood, per se. (There is an awkward "adolescent" period early in its existence, called "The Adjustment," when it first encounters most basic experiences, but this is relatively short-lived phase.)
In addition to being time consuming, this process of creating a CUE is costly in terms of materials and energy. Furthermore, it has debilitating effects on the six "parent" Cybs who are out of service for almost a full Galactic Cycle between performing The Feed and then recovering from it.
The Cyborgs / Cynoids
To say "they don't make 'em like they used to" is a gross understatement about the Cyborg branch of the Cybernetiks. Because they were initially organic beings, they once procreated outside of The Form and then created new Forms for their offspring to inhabit. Since they are one with their "bodies," the Cyborg reproduce in a completely different way.
First, the organic component of a Cyborg is grown in what can only be described as a vast "hatchery." Like other fragile species, they are produced in large numbers knowing that few will survive.
In this case, however, the survival process isn't determined by the elements, but by existing Cyborgs who are constantly culling the progeny of their gene pool in order to isolate the highest-rated specimens. After a long gestation and development period, only a small percentage are deemed physically superior and worthy of their second stage of development. That stage consists of an eight-cycle period where their minds are developed and tested to see if they are likely able to withstand the knowledge transfer process. Again, only a small percentage of those who survive the first stage of their development go on to survive the second stage.
Finally, the Cyborg is fitted with a new body, an incorporation process that, by itself, takes about a Galactic Cycle to complete. But that's not the end of a Cyborg's entrance into its civilization. Before it becomes a full member, it must be approved by the philosophic leaders of the Cyborgs to make sure it is sound of mind and spirit and is able to develop itself for the betterment of all. Those deemed unworthy are cast out.
Cybernetik Technical and Engineering
Again, the schism plays a role in the defining of the purpose of the individual in a mechanized society.
The Meklar
The Cybernetik society and technology of the Pure Ones are built around a modular approach. Their bodies have multiple large ports and connector sockets that allow each CUE to lock into place with a larger machine. This allows it to control that larger machine directly rather than using appendages to do so. In essence, the CUE is the "processor module" for that larger machine.
This method of construction also allows for the addition or deletion of body appendages for localized movement (such as legs, wheels, hover pads, etc.). Interestingly, the latest generations of Pure Ones have developed a methodology where one unit can join together and synchronize its systems with one or even several others in order to become a part of a larger unit/system (à la "Transformers").
The Cyborgs/Cynoid
The Cyborgs, naturally, tend to work and think more as individuals who desire to work toward a community goal, rather than as merely "cogs in a machine" as they describe their robot cousins. It is this sense of individual purpose that affords each Cyborg the freedom to determine the best answers to address life's problems, be they professional or personal. This is an attribute that also makes Cyborgs better money managers than most.
The Cynoid have not completely turned their back on their biological origins, and are cyborgs, unlike the completely artificial Meklar. The Cynoid are ruthless and brilliant when it comes to economic calculations and financial matters. They understand the value of money, how to work it, how to use it, and how to exploit it in every way possible. Outstanding barterers, they are often interested in improving the lot of their citizens to make them more productive and, hence, more taxable.
But their mechanistic nature cannot be completely overridden. The Cynoid, too, have developed interchangeable appendages. But in Cyborg society, it's not all about function. There is also form (read "style"). Each Cyborg's choice of equipment makes a social statement through its aesthetic qualities as well as its usefulness -- a social statement that is far too nuanced and drenched in technicalities for most Non-Cyborgs to ever have a hope of understanding.
Cybernetik Key Phrases
The Form - the original "body armor" invented by the ancient Cybs that allowed their frail bodies to move and compete with other species.
Shine - something pure, good, reaching the apex of achievement. A well tuned machine shines, and associated power sources also shine as well.
Chance - slang for an entirely organic being meaning, "chance outcome." Cybernetiks see such life forms as being created by random events in the universe rather than shaping their own beings as the Cybernetik have, and as therefore being inferior.
Corruption - The worst that can happen to a Cyb. Corruption can be a military unit being destroyed, a fatal flaw in the creation of a new unit, or the collapse of a social structure, or the "death" (termination) of an individual CUE or Cyborg. When something is no longer functioning "as the Makers intended" within a given entity, it is considered corrupt. There is nothing lower for a Cyb.
Feed - Part of the ritualized process in creating a new "Pure One" CUE. It has a double meaning in Cyb society, one of which is polite, and one of which is profane. Think "This Unit is Fed." There is the obvious f-word analogy, but more accurately it refers to the giving of disinformation or repeating erroneous data, something that is frowned upon in Cyb society.
Encrypted - a synonym for illogical, indefinable, or incomprehensible behavior.
Fake Edit:
I'm still waiting for us to encounter the other Saurians and the Ichtythosians so I can post their backstory, too. The Raas alone would be a bit confusing considering their backstory if interwoven with five other races. Right now we officially know they're (Dino-)Saurians, they were slaves at one point but rebelled and are doing their own thing now.
