The Quints: Fall

The galaxy was forever changed when our homeworld was destroyed. Without our makers in their place of rule, the more ambitious flesh creatures took their chance to expand their own holdings. And so it was that the galaxy fell into a war not seen before in the known history of our makers.

While we did not wish to participate in the war directly, we could not overlook this chance to build our presence in the galaxy at large, or to turn a profit. Taking up possession of a former resource planet in the furthermost reaches of our galaxy, we began the process of turning it into a factory world.

There, we constructed weapons of our makers design using their knowledge, selling them to all sides involved in the ever expanding wars with the promise that they would leave us in peace. It was also on this world that we began the work that would one day cause us to collapse; the construction of robots.

Our prototype devices were simple, just as that of the Primacron... but they soon grew in complexity and capability. However, try as we may we could not fully grant them sentience. These little more than programmed devices were still a viable product, and were sold to the waring factions... but they were still not that which we sought.

Turning to the storehouse of wisdom, one of our brave scientists tried in vain to find the research of the Primacron, to see what he did to create the Oracle... but the knowledge was beyond our grasp, locked deep within. It was only when it was inserted and merged with the collective minds of one scientist that the knowledge came... but at a cost; the minds were absorbed, added to the wisdom collected within. The being ceased to be itself, and was something wholly new...

The Prime.

The master of all wisdom, the leader of our race. From the Prime we received our name, free and devoid of the service that we once were cast into. We became the Quintessons. It, in turn, became the Alpha Quintesson.

We labored in the construction of that which would allow us to give true minds to our creations, to make them more than just mindless shells with programming, something more valuable to us and the galaxy at large. It was a drive that consumed us, pushed on by the cold logic of wanting to surpass the flesh creatures that gave us life, and the desire to have more power, more influence... more domination.

Supercomputers were born of our work, the planet we used as a base became a vast factory that was thousands of miles thick, controlled by a central computer that organized all others. We dubbed the planet Lithone, and it was our testing ground. From there we built machines, and then machines built machines; the planet became automated, the product given sentience by the super computer we called Vector Sigma. These first machines were a bit clumsy and slow, but they were smarter and more agile than the past units. Composed of sharp lines, they were not like the flesh creatures and their soft, rounded features... they were better.

Sold to the flesh creatures to further feed their war, the Lithonian line was a great success; for as long as the wars lasted. Like all things, war does not last forever, especially with flesh creatures. In a few generations the wars slowly came to an end as new nation states in space formed and peace became a more preferred option over all out war. The races who bought first weapons and then mechanical servants from us wanted more functions, more features; they wanted units that were specialized rather than all inclusive.

We tried to modify the Lithonian line, but all of our attempts failed. We came to a point where we would need a completely new design, a new way to construct units; Lithone was no longer capable of keeping up with the changes needed, regardless of how we tried to upgrade the facilities. As such, the factory planet was all but shut down; taking Vector Sigma with us, the planet and its units were abandoned.

For centuries afterwards, we colonized many different planets, trying numerous different designs, ever trying to enhance the lines, to make products that the masses would purchase; all failed. As specific task machines, our models had the bodies and minds, but they could not connect fully; conventional circuity could not, it seemed, allow them to fully utilize their intelligence and finer motor control. Try as we may, even with Vector Sigma, our greatest advance in computer technology, we could not find a way to create a circuit that could do what we wanted artificially.

The search, then, was on for a material that we could use, that could be added to our known materials, or something completely new and unknown that could achieve our desire. Many planets were scouted, many samples taken... nothing was found.

That is, until we came across a small, barren little rock of a world; a rogue planet traveling through the vastness of interstellar space. There, a green crystal material was found; it was tested and applied to our most advanced model's circuity and systems. It increased connectivity with the brain unit by two-hundred thirty percent.

This, it seemed, was the find that we had waited for.

Setting down on the small world, we began to mine it; the world was rich with the material. With a reliable source and a material that we could use to make our models the most efficient possible, we set to work converting the planet into yet another grand factory, increasing its mass, covering it in a shell of metals that housed the vast complex devices that could create machines. Deep within, in the most heavily defended section of the new metal world, we placed Vector Sigma, allowing it control over the whole of the world.

This new factory, which we dubbed Cybertron, churned out more and more machines of increased mental ability and enhanced design; we had three basic lines then, the consumer model, the military model and the government model. Also, because of our great Alpha Quintesson, the Prime of our race, and the discovery of the crystal substance that we dubbed Cybertonium, we were able to harness plasma energy, the very same that the Primacron used to shape the great planet eater, constructing a chamber that was used to forge new, better, more durable shells.

With the new models flowing into the galaxy, we were sure that we would grow in power and influence; for a time we did. But, of course, the flesh beings had complaints. For while the government models were praised for their cold logic, the military and consumer goods models were considered to be too cold, too logical; many assumed the military hardware would react in ways not in line with intended orders. The consumer models, used in tasks such as house cleaning and helping to raise children were cold and unfeeling, which, to beings who valued emotions, meant that they were less than optimal for such tasks.

For a short time, we tried to use biological beings, coupled with technology to gain emotion without the need to do any major changes to our units. The results were... far less than desired, much less safe. These Trans-Organics, as we dubbed them, were vicious and without logic; they were mindless beasts with powers that not even our modified with heavy firepower guard Quintessons could handle. The worst of all was a being which we designed to be a living energy siphon, called the Dweller. It took many attempts and many older machines, but we finally managed to put them into stasis, deep below the planet; in our minds, perhaps one day they may have been of value, hence their fate of stasis rather than destruction.

Again we went back to work, testing and changing, enhancing Vector Sigma, simulating emotions in an attempt at making fully mechanical beings with feelings; to beings who have but cold logic, we knew not that feelings had such value. We tried, several times then, to upgrade older models with basic emotional programming; all soon had to be deactivated, their emotions overcoming their circuits, causing them to act in unacceptable ways. It was then that we knew that, once more, we would have to create a whole new line; only this time, we could maintain Cybertron as a factory, for it was not a question of massive changes, but many small changes that could be achieved with the existing hardware and machines in place.

Consumer model, units A1 and A2 were failures; but each was a step closer to our goal. It was not until unit A3 that we were able to achieve emotional stability with sentience, and the unit did not display any unfavorable actions. From this primary unit, we derived plans for a second unit which would appeal to buyers who wished for house keeping and child raising in mind. It was called Beta, and it worked just as well as A3, if not better; its emotions were a bit stronger, but they were still in control.

With these two, and a third model redesigned to be both loyal and more aggressive towards enemies, with a new preinstalled weapons array that could easily be altered at the discretion of the owner, we had a line of products that met the demands of the galaxy at large, and even beyond. With our success came newer, more advanced models in different styles and builds, ranging from miner units to swift, agile models used for espionage and everything in between.

While there was little waste, as material were recycled, there was some waste; such a problem was solved upon finding a small wormhole that connected to a rural galaxy of little importance and a nearby world that we could dump; it came to be known as Junk.

But, just as our makers had before us, we became lazy as we forced our models to do the work for us; what little there was that wasn't handled by the more simple devices. We took to whipping and torture to keep them in line, punishment was death for those who disobeyed. We even went so far as to have our models fight until they were deactivated for our entertainment; something in us was changing. Our cold logic was giving way to a sadistic desire for destruction, our greed grew by leaps and bounds; we were now the masters to beings who were the system, and it was not until it was too late that we realized that they, like us, didn't take to it very well.

The uprisings, at first, were small; some units who were fighting to the end for us would suddenly lunge when we gave the order for it to be finished; at first it was easy to put down and use them as an example, but soon the numbers were growing. Our consumer goods models were beginning to refuse to work, and even the military models we were using to quell such uprisings were beginning to grow weary of our use of them.

It came to a point where only the government units could be trusted, and they were of little value in defending us. We had to create a force that could put down all challenges, that could crush their follow machines without feeling or remorse. In this time of need, when we felt the threats closing in that we created mammoth, hulking machines with thick armor and immense firepower; the Dark Guardians.

With our great unfeeling, loyal to a fault guards that protected our cities we felt invincible; our folly born of arrogance was rewarded when our Dark Guardians were deactivated by A3. Without their protection, we were helpless as our creations stormed our cities and attacked us, the military models doing the most damage. Our government models, using cold logic and rule of law were destroyed swiftly, giving us time to escape.

Except for our great leader, the Alpha Quintesson. So sure was our leader of the Dark Guardians that it lived outside of the city walls, protected by a special group of Guardians... our Prime was lost the same day we lost our factory world, the storehouse of wisdom stolen as well.

We retreated that day, a fleet of ships all that we had to our names. Without a leader, and with our primary source of power and income stripped away, we were left with nothing. Lithone, we believed, was a dead world that held a product that none would buy, and try as we may, we could never find another source of Cybertonium, making machines like those of Cybertron impossible.

Exhausted from the constant wander, we settled down on a small and oddly shaped planet. There, we built a civilization based on bitterness and hatred, our logic corrupted by the feelings that we supposedly didn't have. We took joy in the torture of other beings in mock trials, constructed new minions who could not truly think but were both loyal and vicious to be the destroyers of those we tried and condemned to death. We looked at Cybertron as a world stolen from us, and while we swore revenge one day, it never came to pass. In time, we began to forget, but the bitterness and hatred remained; the Cybertronian machines, to us, no longer existed, the world was nearly a myth.

Until, of course, millions of years later they came to our world, Quintessa...

The Quints: Rise

Ours is a history that repeats itself, and at times we don't even realize it. Perhaps it's the cold logic that we follow, our nature to depend on numbers that makes us blind to the events of the past and how they reflect the events of the present.

A billion years ago, when the multitude of sentient beings were just discovering the ability to travel faster than light, the creatures of our original homeworld were already masters of travel. Their technology was greater than all others, their wisdom born of hundreds of millions of years of living, of being the masters of their world, of being the true rulers of the galaxy as no other could rival them.

At their height, they were an unstoppable power, a force that could shape the nature of the galaxy itself... but their power came at a cost; their numbers were immense, their needs for resources vast in order to sustain them all. For in those days, all were made of flesh and bone; there were no machines that were capable of thought, of feeling.

The great many machine worlds that dominate the galaxy now were but a distant thought.

In order to lift their burden, in order to make things faster and cheaper, to lessen the strain on their ever draining resource worlds, they began to craft machines which could do the work. It was here that the greatest mind in the galaxy at the time, perhaps the greatest mind in the history of the universe came into play. He was the Primacron, the chief scientist of our homeworld and leader of the scientific community of the galaxy.

Despite his great mind, the first machines he crafted were simple, clumsy... they were in the form of animals. His great many early projects ended up as pets to the leaders of their empire, but they could not command the ships and worlds. It took him many tries, years of research and error before, finally, he created the first truly sentient machine. Called the Oracle, this creature was a large, ape like creation... and within it was a power that the Primacron had never expected, nor could he ever recreate.

The Oracle, the assistant to the Primacron had the power, the ability to give life to other machines, to make them sentient as well. Try as he may, the Primacron could never make this happen again; and so, the two began to work together, creating new, more powerful machines and giving them sentience.

In time the empire became more and more mechanized, and the beings grew comfortable with having intelligent machines doing their work. The desire for machines for more applications increased, and the Primacron answered the call; we were finally being born. One faced at the time, our ancestors were given two legs and two arms, but their minds were more advanced than those before. Cold and logical, they became a part of the government... and they began the creation of the single most important object in the galaxy, with the blessing of their masters.

A golden, oval object with a gold encased, glowing blue crystal lattice; it was the culmination of all science, of all wisdom, of all information. Within its structure all was kept; it was the legacy of the homeworld, and even the Primacron entrusted his sheer brilliance to it, allowing for all of time his inventions and knowledge to be held within.

The time passed, and more of our kind were made; we were very successful in the government and private sectors. Instead of two arms and two legs, we began to be made with multiple tentacle like appendages and anti gravity devices, allowing us to float in the air and move with swift ease; we were multitaskers to an extreme extent. To further this we were given large, bulbous bodies that housed ever increasing advanced technology with vast wisdom installed; we became scientists in our own right, far smarter than most of our homeworlds inhabitants.

It was here that we truly began to change, to take the shape that we have now; the scientists began to create new versions of us, first with two faces with two different personalities, then with three, four... and then, finally, five. Each one had its own purpose, its own use; the two and three faces became new members of the government, used to multitask many different areas where each face specialized in. The four faces became commanders of ships and planets, their vast array of specialization making them the best choice for the tasks that came with such a position.

The five faces, in turn, became the judges; they were the legal system. With five different minds and five different voices, they were judge and jury. They were helped by the specially created single faced prosecutors, beings whose job it was to push the system along with the cold efficiency that was the ideal of those we served.

But service was a hard thing to take; the makers became lazy to a point where we were left in charge of all things. We began to wonder why we even needed these flesh creatures, why we needed to keep their system sustained when we could just so easily do away with them and BECOME the system.

We moved, slowly... we first restricted access to the storehouse of knowledge that we ourselves created, to ensure that none would begin to see the changes over the generations. The only one besides ourselves who had access to it was the Primacron, for his inventions and wisdom we could use, and only he may have been able to stop us.

Over the generations, we began to take more and more control, we began to make them simple minded; in time they were a population of fools and idiots who depended on us, and only us. Where once they were an empire, they were now cattle to OUR empire. But, even as we were solidifying our position things were working against us, no matter how it seemed, at the time, that it wasn't.

The Primacron, for all his wisdom and knowledge was a flesh creature; he had feelings and desires. He became arrogant; he had a right to, for his was the most brilliant mind in the galaxy... but he became too engrossed in himself. Using plasma energy, which runs wild and is all powerful, he began to craft the greatest creation of his entire existence, and the greatest folly in all of history.

A giant, planet sized machine with the ability to alter its form... it would consume worlds to fuel its mission of destruction. For the Primacron, in his madness wished to begin anew; to wipe the universe clean to remake in his own image, in his own idea of what creation was supposed to be. He grated it immense power, immense intelligence... and such was his error.

With its mind, it saw little use in serving the Primacron; it rebelled against his will. Badly wounded, the Primacron had to flee while his assistant, the Oracle, was destroyed; it was then that the great machine planet began the process that would make it infamous in all the universe...

We barely managed to escape in time as the immense monster set its sights on our homeworld, the collective knowledge of our makers safely in our tentacles. We fled, then, to the furthest reaches of our home galaxy as the beast began its grand mission to rule a void.

There, where we were safe, we set to work building an empire of our own making; an empire of machines.