chasing-your-starlight

[chasing-your-starlight]

Update :: 10/12/23

Sorry for the radio silence after dropping a bunch of stuff! I have made progress on the promised Datadex entries, I swear <3

Unfortunately my focuses have shifted again so I don't have any estimate on when they'll be finished and posted now. Hopefully before the end of the year! Thank you everyone for your patience!!!

[chasing-your-starlight]

Datadex: Mivus

Planetary Data:

Orbital Distance: 1.2 AU Orbital Period: 1.33 Earth Years Day Length: 30 Earth Hours Radius: 6,276 km Surface Gravity: 0.85 g Surface Temperature: 26 °C No. of Moons: 1

Category: Homeworld Species: Velumian and Quvian Capital: Camionira Population: 5.1 billion

Mivus is a planet of extremes. Its mountainous surface has spots of greenery that range from lush jungles to sparse desert shrub-land, all surrounding its relatively small, but bounteous oceans. These green patches are interrupted in some areas by stretches of blackened and somewhat muddy-looking terrain from the planet’s semi-annual eruptions. Many of its beaches have dark, volcanic sand, as Mivus has continuously been actively volcanic since its formation.

As the birthplace of both the velumian and quvian races, once again the planet showcases extremes. The velumians were guided into the upper elevations of the world via evolution, and at present numerous clans make their homes in the caves that snake through mountains and cliff faces or in cities sitting atop the plateaus. Quvians evolved in the lower elevations and have remained there for the most part. Their tribes live in the valleys and underpasses, relying on the bounties of foothills and beaches for their livelihoods. The two races have peaceful relations and communal settlements are not unheard of.

In addition to being home to the velumians and quvians, Mivus is also home to a host of other smaller, but no less significant organisms. Soot frogs come out to play after eruptions, commonly found at the edges of lava flows where they hide amongst the fresh rock. The vibrant kazui firebirds roost in canopies all over the planet, providing early warning calls before eruptions. The most well known creature from the planet, however, is the flamewalker salamander. A well-loved snack of velumians, the little critters are abundant on Mivus’ surface and have been brought to many neighboring systems due to sheer demand.

Aside from its fascinating range of fauna, the planet is well known for its volcanic and tectonic activity, making it a popular spot of study for geologists, volcanologists and the like. Mivus’ governing body is usually courteous of such requests, but they have always reserved the right to deny or restrict access to areas of their planet if said areas are of cultural, environmental, and/or historical significance. Some governments and even entire races have been barred from sending scientists to Mivus due to violations of these rules.

It should probably be said that for the reckless and inconsiderate, Mivus is a near endless supply of bureaucratic red tape. As the homeworld of not one, but two, non-allied races, its governing body takes protection of both their people and assets very seriously. Visitors to Mivus can expect a thorough but efficient background check of their person, transport, and cargo, but the planets’ denizens are well-versed in making other races feel incredibly welcomed once they pass these check-ins. 

Once one manages to get past the mild tedium of arrival, Mivus quickly becomes a wonderful place to explore. Its capital, Camionira, is a beautiful city with even more stunning views. With the bulk of the settlement built atop a plateau and numerous sub-levels carved into the rock below, Camionira is a prime example of its inhabitants’ ingenuity and collaborative natures. Host to the planet’s primary spaceport, the capital has been designed with ease of access in mind to account for the hundreds of visitors it receives on a daily basis. Finding where one needs to go is almost never a problem, especially because its citizens are typically willing to offer assistance. 

This friendliness and willingness to interact with and support others is often credited to come from lessons learned during a troubled period in Mivus’ history. Roughly 300 years ago, the majority of the planet’s velumian clans were at war with each other for reasons no one can quite remember. These velumians suffered for the grudges of their ancestors and some only made it worse by enlisting their quvian neighbors as assassins and spies. When all was said and done - treaties made, the dead honored, and repentance performed to the planet itself - the clans and tribes involved agreed that in order to coexist with each other and their planet, they would never again take up arms against each other without due cause.

It is this agreement and how it carried over to dealings with other races once they became space-faring that has proved most interesting. Mivus is a truly neutral party that will not take part or choose to support any particular side in interplanetary or galactic conflicts unless they have truly no other choice. This pacifistic attitude doesn’t make either of its races very popular amongst more war-mongering races or their governments, least of all the Alliance. They have tried on numerous occasions to hound at least one of the two native races into supporting their conflicts, but these attempts are always met with a well-rehearsed list of reasons why it isn’t possible. With their home system so close to the edge of Alliance space, the Mivans cannot afford to not be prepared for such situations.

However, despite this, Mivus has entered into alliances with other non-allied races before. In these treaties, it has been clearly established that neither of its races wishes to be ammunition for any conflicts their allies get involved in. As they see things, upholding peace and cooperation is extremely important and those who wish to work with them must understand that. When sufficiently motivated to a cause, however, the people of Mivus are a force to be reckoned with.

Back to the Datadex Datadex Entry: Velumians Datadex Entry: Quvians

[chasing-your-starlight]

a tango doodle for your viewing pleasure <3

[chasing-your-starlight]

Update :: 7/29/23

I’m sure you’ve probably noticed the shiny new overview and the rewrite of Server’s Datadex entry by now (if you haven’t, you can find them here and here!), so I might as well make it official.

I am currently in a space where I have the time and interest in working more heavily on Starlight again and I am trying to use it to the best of my ability! :D

So, happy (slightly belated) third anniversary Starlight. Expect an update for Mivus’ entry shortly and hopefully some brand new content in the near future! Thank you for your interest everyone! <3

[chasing-your-starlight]

Datadex: "Server"

To discuss Server in a way that’s meaningful, first we must understand its origins. Server is a riukaran construct, and is currently the only functional example of a riukaran-built space station that we have. 

The name “Server” is derived from the phonetic sounds and original meaning of the name given to it by the riukarans. Supposedly the rough translation would be “those who are knowledgeable serve us”. Unfortunately, due to a lack of proper preservation of the riukaran language, its true name may never be known to us.

Originally built as a research station in an at the time relatively uncharted part of the galaxy, Server was equipped with the best technology the riukarans had to offer. Information uncovered by its modern inhabitants places its time of construction at around a thousand years ago, right before the time of the race’s extinction.

Designed to potentially be home to over a hundred researchers and their families, Server had all the tools and constructs required to be a self-sustaining environment for research and discovery. From its’ trio of powerful generators to the magnificent greenhouse dome sitting atop the massive structure, Server is a prime example of the architectural and engineering skills the riukarans possessed. The ability of experts to study its construction in depth has been impeded, however, by the fact Server currently is in the possession of the coalition of individuals known as the Hermits.

While the exact details of Server’s abandonment and what occurred within its halls centuries ago are not publicly known, it is thanks to the forthcomingness of the Hermits that we know a good chunk of the story in the first place. Further developments are hopefully sure to follow as they continue piecing together its’ story during their stay on the station.

Centuries later, the station would be detected by newly installed long-range scanners on the human-settled planet of Ninsar. Ninsar is considered by most of humanity to be one of the “backwater colonies” and thus was often later in line to get new technology. Upon installation of these new scanners, though, they made an interesting discovery: There was a derelict space station floating at the edge of their star system.

Luckily for the planet’s very surprised governing body, Ninsar was also the home to one of the only human experts on the riukaran species - Joseph Hills. He was quickly sought out to become part of the team Ninsar’s government was putting together to send out to investigate the station. Mr. Hills was to lead the research contingent of the expedition, which was made up of three parts in total. The research contingent was to conduct a multitude of surveys and studies of the station itself to determine if it was truly riukaran in origin. If that could be confirmed, they were then to venture deeper into the station and see what observations and evidence of riukaran life they could find. The security contingent, made up of local security experts, hired mercenaries, and freelancers was to protect the researchers and supporting crew. The final contingent, the supporting crew, were intended to take care of requisitions alongside maintaining equipment and any other gear necessary for the expedition.

Upon the expedition’s arrival, the station was found to, shockingly, possess breathable air in its common areas. It appeared that even while dormant, the station’s backup power was still powerful enough to cycle oxygen to several decks, including engineering. Finding this curious, only a couple weeks into their allotted time, Mr. Hills ventured deeper into the station on his own. His intuition ended up leading him to the Core, which appeared to be a control center of sorts. Found at the heart of the station, the Core sits directly above one of Server’s three generators. Consequently, the chamber is always filled with a gentle thrumming, which is supposedly what drew him in.

The Core, with its inviting decor of dusty consoles and long-powered off screens spanning its walls were a discovery waiting to happen. Naturally, he just had to get to work. After all, if the station had been out there all that time, simply sitting untouched, wasn’t there a good chance it could tell them something about what had happened to its creators? So little was known, even a thousand years later, about the conditions the riukarans had faced during their plague-driven extinction. A station like this surely would have some of those answers, wouldn’t it?

When Mr. Hills didn’t report back along with his fellow researchers a few hours later, the security team became concerned. Having supposedly had some form of warning for the head researcher’s tendency to wander off alone, Xisuma took it upon himself to track the man down.

Xisuma would find Mr. Hills still in the rather process of pressing buttons and flipping switches, nearly at random, trying anything he could possibly think of to bring the station out of its dormant state. Xisuma, whose curiosity was piqued, offered to help.

That simple offer is what ended up determining Server’s fate. When Xisuma approached to offer aid, he leaned up against one of the consoles. This seemingly innocuous action is what led to the discovery of riukaran tech responding exclusively to individuals who possess riukaran DNA. One can only imagine the surprise and wonder the two must have felt as the station came to life around them.

There is one final piece to this puzzle, though. Due to orders issued by its former Admin, the station had shut itself down in the middle of what we now know the riukarans called a scramble-warp sequence (a series of warp-jumps known to have been performed by riukaran stations to confuse sensors). Shortly after it was reactivated, the station warped a final time, depositing the entire expeditionary crew into unfamiliar space.

As to be expected, most of the expeditionary crew did not remain on the station for much longer once they were able to regain their bearings. Those few who did, however, ended up becoming the very first members of the now infamous Hermits. This incident also would eventually place Xisuma in the role of Admin, as the title would be dictated by Server’s now defunct AI (but that is another story).

Back to the Datadex

[chasing-your-starlight]

Starlight Plot Overview

The following is an overview for the plotline behind Starlight. It will discuss what is effectively a genocide of a fictional alien race and the methods through which the equally fictional galactic government has covered it up. 

-

For as long as most of us can remember, there have always been a select handful of species controlling the heart of the galactic government. The exact number of races, which races in particular, etc. have varied over the millennia, but they’ve always called themselves the Alliance. For the last several thousand years, that title has belonged to a triumvirate of races: the Falanmyr, Gohepi, and Thorismo. These races have proven themselves to be some of the most advanced in the galaxy, due in no part to them being some of the oldest. They hold great power over a majority of other races and it is them who decide what exactly constitutes galactic law.

What the Alliance doesn’t want you to know, however, is that there was once another race that held just as much, if not more, power and respect than they do. This race was called the Riukarans. They had been around longer than the majority of the current Alliance races and were perhaps the most technologically advanced at the time of the falanmyr and gohepi’s ascendance to their positions. The riukarans were, in their prime, a race of warriors and explorers. By the point we’re talking about though, they had seemingly contented themselves with the pursuit of knowledge. The galaxy’s younger races - including the Alliance themselves - often looked to them for wisdom.

It took a few hundred years, but the Alliance eventually came to see them as a threat to their governing power. Despite the riukarans’ lack of political power, the Alliance’s more paranoid members believed that if the opportunity presented itself, that they could be a very real threat to them as a governing body. After a couple more decades of debate, the conclusion was that this threatened unseating could never be allowed to happen. Thus began the conspiracy to simply remove the riukarans from the equation entirely. This began with numerous disappearances of riukaran leaders and scholars on visits to Alliance worlds. While to the rest of the galaxy, the Alliance claimed to be looking into these “vanishings”, in reality they used this coverup to slowly and systematically cut the riukarans’ major civilization centers off from the rest of the galaxy. With the isolation nearly complete, they then began to target ships and space stations. As the Alliance’s betrayal began to sink in, the riukarans pulled back to their worlds, desperate to defend themselves. By then, though, it was far, far too late. The Alliance had suspected the riukarans would retreat - they were a warrior race no longer, after all - and had already prepared the resources for planetary assaults. Hundreds of thousands of riukarans were massacred before the Alliance was even close to being satisfied. They crushed the riukaran worlds, in many cases leaving little behind but dust and death. Those few who survived fled into the outer reaches of the galaxy, knowing that if they remained, they too would face slaughter. The Alliance’s treatment of the riukarans was horrifically brutal and under any other circumstances would have been labeled as a gross violation of numerous treaties. Though, when speaking of the government, it’s too much to expect them to prosecute themselves, isn’t it? 

Following this, the Alliance had to put all their time and energy into controlling the narrative surrounding the riukarans, as they referred to it, “abrupt disappearance”. Their official statement went somewhat like this: The riukarans were wiped out by a fast-spreading, deadly plague that only affected their kind due to vulnerabilities specific to their physiology. Due to their great wisdom, they understood that there was no way they could be helped, and thus, they gracefully accepted their unfortunate demise.

Roughly 700 years on, the riukaran race was largely considered extinct. Any items or tech that could be said to be “of riukaran origin” were now historical artifacts. New discoveries that gave insight into what the riukarans may have been like were closely monitored by the Alliance, as they knew that anything that could shed light on their involvement in the riukaran ‘extinction’ could ruin the carefully crafted story they had fed the galaxy. And they were mostly successful in maintaining this cover for many years to come.

What is it they say about humanity… that they have an insatiable curiosity? 

Despite riukarans being long considered the stuff of history and legends by the time humans emerged onto the galactic playing field, that did very little to deter humanity’s fascination with the ancient race. In fact, humans were the ones responsible for the majority of expeditions and large-scale research projects concerning the riukarans in the last century. Their efforts and successes have fueled a great number of other historical and scientific endeavors into learning more about the history of this once great race. While much has been learned - a “safe” amount of information, if you will - it’s not nearly enough to satisfy those who have dedicated their lives to learning and understanding what came before. This… sudden spike in interest has resulted in more extreme efforts on the Alliance’s part to stem the galaxy’s flow of knowledge on the subject, lest their past sins finally come to light.

As with any attempts at censorship, however, the Alliance has not been able to silence the past entirely… and that is the point where our story begins.

See Datadex Entry: Server and Datadex Entry: The Kismet (link tba) for more on the matter.

[chasing-your-starlight]

Update :: 11/20/22

I totally didn't accidentally post a blank version of this - I don't know what you're talking about. Hi, though! Blackstone here, just to give a very brief update that is of course somewhat overdue, mostly because I've uh... been procrastinating writing it.

I've personally been working on another project in the last few months here and there that hopefully I'll be able to introduce you all to sooner or later... And concerning Starlight itself, Prismarine and I have spent some time hammering out details about planets and the timeline, too. I make no promises of when those updated versions of some of the Datadex posts will be made, but I will make them eventually :')

[chasing-your-starlight]

Update :: 7/16/22

I don’t recall quite how many followers this blog has in the first place, but this is a post I really should’ve made a while ago. But I am making it now, both as an explanation and for peace of mind.

Since I last posted on this blog, the course of this AU has changed. The past year has taught me a lot about the creative process Mod Prismarine and I have when it comes to worldbuilding + AU development… and there are things related to those things that need addressing so that, hopefully, we can continue to develop Starlight again in the future.

First of all, this AU will go back to being Hermitcraft-centric, as it was when it was originally conceived. Other MCYT will be included, but only as myself and Mod Prismarine see fit. The main push to have the others (DSMP, Yogscast, etc.) involved came from people we used to know, and the nitty-grittiness of that statement aside, it got overwhelming for me really, really quickly. I couldn’t categorize ~100 people on my own, let alone design them, or outline how to design them via designing the 30 or so species that exist in Starlight’s world. It was too much.

Secondly, some of the plot points and character relationships that were centered around former self-insert characters have to be re-constructed to fit or rewritten in cases where I already had outlines for them. It was another thing I originally thought was a good idea, because I wanted to include our friends, but unfortunately it got overwhelming to work with very fast.

And thirdly, I just want to offer my apologies for being MIA for almost a year. I have not forgotten about Starlight, but there was stuff that needed to be worked past before I could even think about working with it again. I hope you can be patient with it and that we can continue to share this world with you again very soon. I will likely end up rewriting some of the existing info posts + the synopsis and intro before new new stuff get posted, but I might tease some unfinished stuff too.

[chasing-your-starlight]

Update :: 7/16/22

I don’t recall quite how many followers this blog has in the first place, but this is a post I really should’ve made a while ago. But I am making it now, both as an explanation and for peace of mind.

Since I last posted on this blog, the course of this AU has changed. The past year has taught me a lot about the creative process Mod Prismarine and I have when it comes to worldbuilding + AU development... and there are things related to those things that need addressing so that, hopefully, we can continue to develop Starlight again in the future.

First of all, this AU will go back to being Hermitcraft-centric, as it was when it was originally conceived. Other MCYT will be included, but only as myself and Mod Prismarine see fit. The main push to have the others (DSMP, Yogscast, etc.) involved came from people we used to know, and the nitty-grittiness of that statement aside, it got overwhelming for me really, really quickly. I couldn’t categorize ~100 people on my own, let alone design them, or outline how to design them via designing the 30 or so species that exist in Starlight’s world. It was too much.

Secondly, some of the plot points and character relationships that were centered around former self-insert characters have to be re-constructed to fit or rewritten in cases where I already had outlines for them. It was another thing I originally thought was a good idea, because I wanted to include our friends, but unfortunately it got overwhelming to work with very fast.

And thirdly, I just want to offer my apologies for being MIA for almost a year. I have not forgotten about Starlight, but there was stuff that needed to be worked past before I could even think about working with it again. I hope you can be patient with it and that we can continue to share this world with you again very soon. I will likely end up rewriting some of the existing info posts + the synopsis and intro before new new stuff get posted, but I might tease some unfinished stuff too.

[chasing-your-starlight]

Datadex: “Mivus” [Outdated]

EDIT 7/28/23: Mivus was up next for a rewrite! You can find the current version of the entry here.

Day Length: 30.0 Earth hours Orbital Distance: 1.2 AU Orbital Period: 1.33 Earth years Radius: 6,276 km Surface Temperature: 26.11 Celsius (~79 Fahrenheit)

Mivus is a semi-volcanic planet that is the birthplace of both the velumian and quvian races. The planet’s mountainous surface has greenery ranging from lush jungles to sparse shrub-land, both of which are interrupted by stretches of blackened and somewhat muddy terrain from the planet’s semi-annual eruptions. Many of the planet’s beaches are covered in volcanic sand, as it is estimated that Mivus has been volcanic almost since its formation.

The planet’s upper elevations are primarily inhabited by the velumians, whose numerous clans make their homes in the caves scattered along the cliffsides or in expansive cities on the plateaus. The quvians tribes typically inhabit lower elevations, choosing to live in valleys or around underpasses. The two species have peaceful relations with each other and occasionally can be seen maintaining communal settlements.

Mivus is quite well known for its volcanoes and tectonic activity and many scientists have come to it over the years with the intent of studying them. Mivus’s governing body is courteous of most of these requests, but they have always reserved the right to deny access to areas on their planet if they are of cultural and/or historical significance. Some planets have been banned from sending their scientists due to violations of that simple rule.

Most importantly, the planet is probably known best for its stance on galactic warfare. Mivus is a truly neutral party and will not take part or choose to support any particular side in interplanetary or galactic conflicts unless they have no other option. This pacifistic attitude does not make either of its sapient races very popular among the more war-oriented races or their governments, least of all the Alliance. This is not to say that individual velumians or quvians all share this ideal, however.

The planetary friendliness and willingness to support others comes from a troubled period of Mivus’s history when the velumian clans were at war with each other for reasons no one can quite remember. They suffered for the grudges of their ancestors and some only made it worse by enlisting quvians as assassins and spies. When all was said and done - treaties drawn up, the dead honored, and repentance performed to the planet - the clans and tribes involved agreed that if they were to coexist, they would never again take up arms against each other without due cause. This agreement carried over to their dealings with other races once they became space-faring. Neither the velumians nor the quvians wish to be anyone’s ammunition.

Back to the Datadex Datadex Entry: Velumians Datadex Entry: Quvians

[chasing-your-starlight]

you know if you reacted like that to a ficlet presented to you without context i can’t wait to see how you’ll do when i finally finish the etho fic i’ve been chipping away at

[chasing-your-starlight]

Starlight | for me to find on brighter paths

warnings: brief mentions of violence, starvation, and abuse. also it’s just kinda sad.

notes: title from second thoughts by crown the empire. also i know that this will probably be a bit confusing right now contextually, but i really wanted to post something that wasn’t a datadex entry. anything i write/have written for this au definitely won’t be posted in a linear manner, i will warn you now.

---

in which x and ex have a much-needed talk about recent events.

---

"Oh… come here…"

EX's white hair is soft beneath his fingers. He runs them through it gently, holding him close. It’s hard to miss the way the other trembles, his shoulders heaving with silent sobs. 

"It's okay, Vatra," he murmurs, his voice low. EX only presses himself closer in response, burying his face in Xisuma's shoulder. "You're safe, you're okay."

He wants to say so much more right then - that he's glad to have him here, perhaps. How worried he was, that he was never going to get him back, that something would be terribly, irreversibly wrong when he did. But he's right here. He's alive and of his own mind. He settles for holding him a little closer, trying to curb his own urge to cry.

"Why do you even care..?"

"You're my brother. I'll always want the best for you."

"And- and you don’t hate me?” EX pushes away from him, sounding incredulous. "After… even after everything I did to you? To your crew? Server?"

"V, I don't hate you," he says. He means it. Despite how distressing their interactions over the last few years have been, he could never imagine hating him. He knows EX only first acted out because he felt slighted - abandoned, even - by him. It… just happened to spiral from there.

"You promise..?" EX's voice cracks as he asks. The question sounds forced, like he's choking on glass. He curls into himself, hiding his face.

“Vatra…”

X raises his hand to reach out, but stops short. EX looks up as he hesitates, watching him with wide eyes.

He's an absolute mess. Loose strands of his hair hang in front of his face, some of them plastered to his cheeks by an indiscernible mix of snot and tears. His eyes shine in the low light, the soft violet glow illuminating the tears welling in his eyes.

He can't even remember the last time he saw his brother cry. It's been so long - far, far too long - since they were close like this. Only an arm's length apart. 

He wants to say something, but try as he might, whatever he was going to say catches in his throat. He shuts his mouth, biting his lip.

He reaches out again, finally, putting his hand against EX’s cheek. He wipes away some of his tears with his thumb, smiling to reassure him.

"I promise," he says. "I could never hate you, V."

"But… I… I..." 

EX wraps his fingers around X's wrist, holding it tight. He seems to be debating whether or not he should push it away. 

"But nothing. I should've tried to help you sooner - it's on me for not doing that." X looks him in the eyes, almost daring EX to challenge his words.

"Don't… don't you dare go blaming yourself for my mistakes," EX mumbles, squeezing his wrist. "It isn't your fault, X… I did this to myself."

"You did not, Vatra." He fixes his brother with a glare. He didn’t deserve any of this. "They denied you medical attention, starved you, and tried to force you to fight me for goodness's sake!"

EX flinches at the rise in his voice. X instantly regrets raising it, but he isn't going to let this go so easily.

"You were denied the basic rights that all sentient beings deserve, V. I'm ashamed that I could even unknowingly allow that to happen to you."

It's a little hard to keep his own tears at bay now. He doesn't even realize he's crying until it hits him that his cheeks are wet. EX is still staring at him. The grip he has on X's wrist loosens slightly.

"I'm sorry." He's all choked up now. It sounds terribly ungraceful coming out of his mouth. He wishes he hadn't started talking about this. EX squeezes his wrist again.

"I'm sorry too."

[chasing-your-starlight]

Datadex: “Server” [Outdated]

EDITED 7/26/23: This version of Server’s datadex entry is now outdated! New entry coming very soon. Link will be added here.

 The name “Server” is derived both from the phonetic sounds and original meaning of the name the station was given by the riukarans. It’s original name supposedly means something along the lines of “those who are knowledgeable serve us”. Unfortunately, due to lack of preservation of the riukaran language, its true name may never be known to us.

The story of Server begins around 600 years ago, with its construction. Built as a research outpost in a relatively uncharted part of the galaxy, the station was equipped with the best the riukarans had to offer.

Designed to be home to over a hundred researchers and their families, Server had almost all the tools it needed to become a self-sustaining environment for research and discovery to flourish. From its’ three generators to the massive greenhouse dome that sits atop the massive structure, Server is a prime example of the architectural skill the riukarans possessed.

The details of exactly why Server was abandoned and what happened within its halls are still not known to the public, but the Hermits have slowly been piecing that part of the story together over the course of their stay on the station.

Eventually, the station was detected by a primarily human-settled planet, Ninsar, that had just come into possession of long-range scanners powerful enough to detect the derelict station floating at the edge of their star system.

Seeing as Ninsar was the home of one of the only experts on the riukaran species, Joe Hills, he was sought out to be part of the team that the planet’s government wanted to send to the station to investigate. Mr. Hills led the research contingent of the investigative expedition, which was made up of three parts in total - the research, security, and support contingents.

The station was miraculously found to still be cycling breathable air in certain areas. It appeared to be in some form of ‘low power’ mode, as though it was running on backup power. Finding this curious, Mr. Hills ventured deeper into the station on his own, leading to him encountering the Core - a control center of sorts, found at the heart of the station. Sitting right above one of Server’s three generators, the Core is always filled with a gentle thrumming, which is what supposedly drew Mr. Hills in. Confronted with the numerous consoles and long-powered off screens that spanned its walls... naturally, he got to work.

After all, if the station had been out here all this time, untouched, wasn’t there a chance it could tell them something about what had happened to its creators?

When he did not report back along with the other researchers, the security team became concerned. Having had some form of warning for the head researcher’s tendency to wander off on his own, Xisuma was sent to track him down.

When he found Mr. Hills, the other man was still in the midst of pressing buttons and flipping switches, trying anything he could to bring the station out of its dormant state. Xisuma, whose curiosity was piqued, offered to help.

That simple offer is what ended up determining Server’s fate, funnily enough. When Xisuma came over to offer his help, he leaned against a console. This seemingly innocuous action is what led to the discovery that riukaran tech can only be activated by those with riukaran DNA. One can only imagine the surprise the two felt as the station came to life around them.

However, due to the lockdown orders issued by its former Admin, the station had shut itself down in the middle of a scramble-warp (a series of warp-jumps known to have been preformed by riukaran stations to confuse sensors). Shortly after it was reactivated, the station warped a final time, depositing the expeditionary crew in unfamiliar space.

This is what led to the formation of the now infamous Hermits, the current inhabitants of Server. It is also this incident that placed Xisuma in the role of Admin, as the title was dictated by Server’s now-defunct AI (but that is another story).

Back to the Datadex

[chasing-your-starlight]

The Datadex

The Datadex is a codex of data on numerous aspects of Starlight’s universe. From planets to weaponry to people, you’re bound to find something here, provided it’s been written about!

Since we’re just starting out the ‘dex will be a bit sparse for the time being, but I’m sure it’ll fill up with plenty of info over time.

Alliance Races

Falanmyr Gohepi Thorismo

Allied Races

Atheidra Behumi Boufi Diathykin Eyrnac Hopavi Maphierius Neoturnae Odexara Sekronians Veirovans Zorkyn

Extinct Races

Riukarans

Non-Allied Races

Erelaeons Humans Kamishere Legujians Maugeri Quvians Tronachs Velumians Zhaemin

Common Fauna

Ganeduri Onbasgi Sauranea Zelarioths

Galactic Government & Corporations

The Alliance Alliance Anomalies Containment Bureau Convex Inc.

Historical Events

The Alphabet Project Riukaran Extinction

Ships and Stations

The Kismet Server

Organizations & Individuals

The Hermits

Planets

Caloris Chlaedon Ezarvent Gausurni Genrevu Grivisa Iteria Iteryx Kalema Leonios Luawei Mivus Molimore Moselic Nailoruta Nedatun Nindara Ninsar Norani Ornevah Othea Phimoria Rasivus Rasparva Rhevertoi Rutiera Tagizan Terrseras Themia Toria Tulara Uchator Viantu Riech Vounais

Publications

Technology

Weapons, Armor, and Equipment

[chasing-your-starlight]

A Brief Introduction

Welcome to the blog dedicated to my passion project, the Starlight AU!

Originally concepted by myself and @prismarine-dungeon, Starlight is a space opera/sci-fi based Hermitcraft AU we came up with in July 2020. It's main focus is, and always will be, the Hermits, but the universe itself does contain other mcyt here and there!

Suggestions for lore and plot development are always welcome. Feel free to send in asks!

Important: Plot Overview, The Datadex

Extras: Starlight Playlist [Spotify, YT Music, Written Tracklist]

[chasing-your-starlight]

Starlight Synopsis

EDITED 7/24/23: This synopsis has now been replaced with a plot overview that you can find here.

EDITED 7/21/22: This synopsis for Starlight is now outdated! When a new one has been written, the link will be added here.

Since it’s a bit too long for a pinned introduction post, here’s a semi-proper synopsis for the concepts and plot behind Starlight.

For as long as anyone can remember, there has always been three species at the heart of the galactic government; The Alliance. Consisting of the falanmyr, gohepi, and thorismo, the Alliance is made up of some of the galaxy’s oldest and most advanced races. They hold great power over many of the other races and it is them who decide what constitutes galactic law.

However, there once was a fourth race, that although they did not hold a place in the Alliance itself, held just as much power and respect... This race was called the riukarans. One of the galaxy’s oldest races and, not to mention, one of the most technologically advanced. Once a race of warriors and explorers, by the time of the Alliance’s founding, the riukarans simply contented themselves with the pursuit of knowledge. They were often looked to as a source of wisdom by younger races.

The Alliance, therefore, eventually came to consider them a threat. Despite not actively participating in governing, they were greatly respected by many. Some of the Alliance even believed that should the opportunity come, the riukarans could remove them from power. That simply could not happen. And so, the Alliance conspired to simply remove the riukarans from the equation.

It started off with “disappearances” of the race’s travelers and leaders on their visits to Alliance worlds. Cut off from galactic communications, their ships and space stations were targeted next. Then came the planetary assaults. Everything the Alliance did to the riukarans was very cut-and-dry. Hundreds of thousands of the race were massacred, and those that were not were forced to flee, lest they too faced slaughter. The shock of the Alliance’s betrayal was simply too much.

Due to the Alliance’s precautions and well-timed strikes, they were able to control the narrative surrounding the riukarans’ disappearance. As the years passed, they always maintained that the riukarans had been wiped out by an awful, awful plague that had only affected their kind. There was no way they could have been helped and they knew this, so they never reached out.

After around 500 years, the riukaran race was largely considered to be extinct. Therefore, any riukaran technology or items were to be considered historical artifacts. Any new discoveries into the insight of what the riukarans may have been like were closely monitored by the Alliance, as any potential information on their involvement on their ‘extinction’ could ruin the carefully crafted story they fed the galaxy.

But... enter humanity and their race’s insatiable curiosity. Despite the consideration of riukarans as the stuff of history and legends by the time humans emerged into the galactic fray, that hasn’t deterred humanity’s fascination with the ancient race. It was in fact humans who spearheaded many early expeditions and research projects concerning the riukarans. Their efforts and successes fueled a number of other historical and scientific endeavors into learning more about the riukarans and the history of the galaxy. Much has been learned - a “safe” amount of information, if you will - but not nearly enough to satisfy those who truly seek to understand what came before. This has resulted in more... extreme efforts on the part of the Alliance to contain and mitigate the galaxy’s knowledge on the subject, lest their past sins come to light.

As with any attempts at censorship, however, the Alliance has not been able to silence the past entirely... and that is where our story begins.

See Datadex Entry: Server and Datadex Entry: The Kismet for more on the matter.