Invictus Fluff

"It's artificial."

The synthetic voice of the AI named Proteus stated the incredible,
as always, in a matter of fact tone.

"That would suggest this planet was seeded for life." replied a rather exhausted
scientist. "This substance... this subspace material..."

"Defies the laws of physics." quipped the AI. "It violates many of my developed models of reality."

"Begin work on experimenting with it. Do everything you can think of to test its effectiveness." The scientist yawned.
"We're here because of it. Time to find out what it can do."

And thus, ended their world.

On October 18th, 2056, a deep space probe was launched on a extrasolar track, as many probes were during its decade,
to explore exoplanets for research, with the promise of potential colonization. It was this probe, FNI-1856, that would
make a promise to humanity, of a future among the stars. When the first bits of data from the entangled communicator
came through, the results were well beyond what was expected. Instead of being full of argon & nitrogen gases like the
scans had detected, the inner atmosphere was rich with oxygen, a thriving ecosystem, and signs of biological life beyond the flora.
It was paradise.

This would be the height of scientific research for the next fifty years. The discovery coincided with massive droughts, famine,
and some of the largest superpowers of the world slamming into each other for the now dwindling resources needed to power their
economies. By the 22nd Century, the world would be teetering on ecological and economic collapse from which there would be no
recovery. But there were those who had kept the backchannels open, and what started as discrete dealings blossomed into full blown
treason on all sides at the highest levels. They shared one common goal: Leave Earth, and head to FNI-1856's fabled planet, and rebuild
society. They called themselves, the Foundation. And on the eve of their departure, on the 1st of July, 2110, nobody could have imagined
what they would find.

Upon the surface of the planet was a material that defied the laws of physics. When exposed to a substance, and given electric current,
the material would rend into existence the exact same material, at a near 2:1 ratio. While it was clear what materials had been generated
through this method, they were practically identical. It was this material that ripped apart the Foundation's Arkship, the Abyssal.

No records exist of what happened that day. Only that huge segments of the ship crashed to the planet and lodged themselves deep underground.
The porous rocks and huge vaulted caverns gave way to the sections of reentered ship, enveloping them, and their secrets. Regardless of the
catastrophic damage, sections of the ship where the colonists had remained in stasis managed to jettison, and scatter across the planet.
These would be the humans that would stake their claim upon the harsh, alien landscape, and eventually return to the stars.