Editing Modification:The Long Night

It would surely be something truly monstrous.

It would surely be something truly monstrous.

During the last era of the Great Solar Empire, many religions as we understood them had faded away under the increasing pressure of science and reason (not to mention the Empire's designs to remove any higher loyalty than the state), leaving only odd syncretic cults and harmless corporate-sponsored pseudo-faiths to placate the masses. However, existing on the fringes of society radical ideas were fomenting, ideas which would serve to drive a wedge through united pan-humanity and spark a long, bloody conflict. Originally known by many names, its basic philosophical tenets were rooted in a semi-esoteric quest for personal power, with believers seeking to train and test themselves to reach ever greater levels of strength and knowledge, even if it meant rejecting civilization and law entirely. In the past, such a belief system would be little more than a contrarian rabble-rousing thorn in the side of authority, but the advent of nanotechnological modification had changed the playing field of society in ways that even in those advanced times few could truly comprehend the significance of. In ancient times, if a person chose to forsake civilization or work alone against it, they would be defeated by or re-integrated into society, since no lone person or small group of people can perpetually stand up against an organized community of their peers. But with innovations in nanotechnology, 3D printing, bioengineering, and other sciences, it became possible for one human to sufficiently upgrade their body to the point that the social contract was no longer required for them to prosper, and they would have the ability to exist outside the organized systems that dominate conventional human life simply through having enough power to take what they needed. Antinirvanism codified and sanctified this discovery, associating it with the Vedic Asuras of ancient myth, the terrible warrior-kings who tried to conquer heaven itself for the sake of their own ego. Instead of taking their story as a parable of the importance of temperance and cohesion, the Asura themselves were glorified and seen as the ideal specimen of the new era, a demigod-like entity which lived for itself and was divorced from creation, beholden to none save those it deigned to acknowledge or with the power to suppress it. Combined with the way technology seemed to have given mankind the power to "reincarnate" into various lesser or stronger forms depending on their capabilities and resources, it was no surprise that other terminology of the old Vedic system was incorporated into the growing movement (and indeed, even today Vedic terminology is used to describe many posthuman concepts and entities out of respect for the humans who first developed the system and devised a means of speaking of it that was cloaked in metaphor and symbolism) as more similarities became apparent. The more esoteric believers (often the ones most talked about in news cycles) saw the road to bodily perfection and ultimate power as a spiritual journey as much as a physical one, and devised many forms of meditation, ritual, and prayer believed to enhance one's willpower and make them more suited for evolution. Others believed that as technology grew on its own through self-learning and self-improvement and became more incomprehensible, it would eventually make more sense to simply treat it as magic, with the reverence and caution that such a thing implies and the impossible heights of power it seemed to promise. In the era of the Long Night, it is this mindset which dominates most Posthuman cultures.

During the last era of the Great Solar Empire, many religions as we understood them had faded away under the increasing pressure of science and reason (not to mention the Empire's designs to remove any higher loyalty than the state), leaving only odd syncretic cults and harmless corporate-sponsored pseudo-faiths to placate the masses. However, existing on the fringes of society radical ideas were fomenting, ideas which would serve to drive a wedge through united pan-humanity and spark a long, bloody conflict. Originally known by many names, its basic philosophical tenets were rooted in a semi-esoteric quest for personal power, with believers seeking to train and test themselves to reach ever greater levels of strength and knowledge, even if it meant rejecting civilization and law entirely. In the past, such a belief system would be little more than a contrarian rabble-rousing thorn in the side of authority, but the advent of nanotechnological modification had changed the playing field of society in ways that even in those advanced times few could truly comprehend the significance of. In ancient times, if a person chose to forsake civilization or work alone against it, they would be defeated by or re-integrated into society, since no lone person or small group of people can perpetually stand up against an organized community of their peers. But with innovations in nanotechnology, 3D printing, bioengineering, and other sciences, it became possible for one human to sufficiently upgrade their body to the point that the social contract was no longer required for them to prosper, and they would have the ability to exist outside the organized systems that dominate conventional human life simply through having enough power to take what they needed. Antinirvanism codified and sanctified this discovery, associating it with the Vedic Asuras of ancient myth, the terrible warrior-kings who tried to conquer heaven itself for the sake of their own ego. Instead of taking their story as a parable of the importance of temperance and cohesion, the Asura themselves were glorified and seen as the ideal specimen of the new era, a demigod-like entity which lived for itself and was divorced from creation, beholden to none save those it deigned to acknowledge or with the power to suppress it. Combined with the way technology seemed to have given mankind the power to "reincarnate" into various lesser or stronger forms depending on their capabilities and resources, it was no surprise that other terminology of the old Vedic system was incorporated into the growing movement (and indeed, even today Vedic terminology is used to describe many posthuman concepts and entities out of respect for the humans who first developed the system and devised a means of speaking of it that was cloaked in metaphor and symbolism) as more similarities became apparent. The more esoteric believers (often the ones most talked about in news cycles) saw the road to bodily perfection and ultimate power as a spiritual journey as much as a physical one, and devised many forms of meditation, ritual, and prayer believed to enhance one's willpower and make them more suited for evolution. Others believed that as technology grew on its own through self-learning and self-improvement and became more incomprehensible, it would eventually make more sense to simply treat it as magic, with the reverence and caution that such a thing implies and the impossible heights of power it seemed to promise. In the era of the Long Night, it is this mindset which dominates most Posthuman cultures.

But some did succeed, of course. The Asura as we know them now are the culmination of Antinirvanistic thought and countless generations of deliberate techno-evolution, though like many philosophies it played out differently in reality than in theory. The social contract remained to an extent, but in posthuman society is focused primarily on the acquistion of power, material comforts, and accomplishing persoal goals rather than ensuring survival, a relatively easy task when you have a body that can metabolize just about anything and rip a man's throat out with your teeth. The additional resources required to produce an Asura keep the population too low to sweep across the earth, leading them to grit their teeth and engage in diplomacy with cultures they once would have thought of only as prey. That said, as the Asura (and other posthumans) reconnect with biological humanity it has been observed that some of the edge has come off of their nature. While they remain alien in many ways, it seems that partial re-integration with human culture has done something to stimulate their more human tendencies, resulting in a culture that continues to value personal might and the quest for power but is slowly being tempered with appreciation for art, culture, and luxury, though given the extent to which posthuman thought-forms have been modified it is likely impossible they will ever completely revert to baseline human psychology, if they would even want such a thing. But they are no longer the imminent sword of Damocles hanging over all biological life, and for many this will be enough.

But some did succeed, of course. The Asura as we know them now are the culmination of Antinirvanistic thought and countless generations of deliberate techno-evolution, though like many philosophies it played out differently in reality than in theory. The social contract remained to an extent, but in posthuman society is focused primarily on the acquistion of power, material comforts, and accomplishing persoal goals rather than ensuring survival, a relatively easy task when you have a body that can metabolize just about anything and rip a man's throat out with your teeth. The additional resources required to produce an Asura keep the population too low to sweep across the earth, leading them to grit their teeth and engage in diplomacy with cultures they once would have thought of only as prey. That said, as the Asura (and other posthumans) reconnect with biological humanity it has been observed that some of the edge has come off of their nature. While they remain alien in many ways, it seems that partial re-integration with human culture has done something to stimulate their more human tendencies, resulting in a culture that continues to value personal might and the quest for power but is slowly being tempered with appreciation for art, culture, and luxury, though given the extent to which posthuman thought-forms have been modified it is likely impossible they will ever completely revert to baseline human psychology, if they would even want such a thing. But they are no longer the imminent sword of Damocles hanging over all biological life, and for many this will be enough.

If you aren't born an immortal posthuman, then you're likely an organic life form. And if you're an organic life form, then you're doomed to a short, miserable life on a world that you no longer dominate, unless you are one of the few who can command the teeming hordes of mortal soldiers to match the monsters of the current era. However, for those who refuse to be content with mediocrity, a second path awaits. Through studying the datasphere and converting portions of your biology into computronium (essentially, a highly efficient computational matrix), one can surpass their original form to become a cultivator cyborg, one who perpetually strives to gain full understanding of the datasphere and mastery of the nanomechanic cloud that permeates the solar system, learning powerful martial techniques and gaining physical upgrades as they grow more experienced. It is a difficult journey, and few ever find full attainment, much less discover even one technique. However, those who do are powerful indeed, and not to be trifled with. For not only do they unlock the mysteries of cyberization, but so do their progeny. Any being that becomes a cultivator cyborg effectively has the potential to found a powerful dynasty of inhuman cybernetic demigods, demigods who influence much of life on this shattered planet.

If you aren't born an immortal posthuman, then you're likely an organic life form. And if you're an organic life form, then you're doomed to a short, miserable life on a world that you no longer dominate, unless you are one of the few who can command the teeming hordes of mortal soldiers to match the monsters of the current era. However, for those who refuse to be content with mediocrity, a second path awaits. Through studying the datasphere and converting portions of your biology into computronium (essentially, a highly efficient computational matrix), one can surpass their original form to become a cultivator cyborg, one who perpetually strives to gain full understanding of the datasphere and mastery of the nanomechanic cloud that permeates the solar system, learning powerful martial techniques and gaining physical upgrades as they grow more experienced. It is a difficult journey, and few ever find full attainment, much less discover even one technique. However, those who do are powerful indeed, and not to be trifled with. For not only do they unlock the mysteries of cyberization, but so do their progeny. Any being that becomes a cultivator cyborg effectively has the potential to found a powerful dynasty of inhuman cybernetic demigods, demigods who influence much of life on this shattered planet.

Humanity is not alone in the void. There is life across countless worlds, civilized and not, though due to the way most develop cloaked information transmissions and wormhole-derived transports it is most difficult to find evidence of them unless they wish to reveal themselves to you, or you simply stumble across an inhabited planet. However, a large portion of the space around humanity is devoid of what we would recognize as rational life, and there is a terrible reason behind this. For just outside the vision of men, whose light rays only have recently reached our planet, there is a star. And this star thinks.

Humanity is not alone in the void. There is life across countless worlds, civilized and not, though due to the way most develop cloaked information transmissions and wormhole-derived transports it is most difficult to find evidence of them unless they wish to reveal themselves to you, or you simply stumble across an inhabited planet. However, a large portion of the space around humanity is devoid of what we would recognize as rational life, and there is a terrible reason behind this. For just outside the vision of men, whose light rays only have recently reached our planet, there is a star. And this star thinks.

It should also be noted that a corpse, if properly preserved, may retain traces of the original owner's psyche. As long as the body remains more or less intact, there is rumored to be a technique capable of restoring them to full health. But is it truly the same person who died, or merely a perfect duplicate with the same memories? Who can say?

It should also be noted that a corpse, if properly preserved, may retain traces of the original owner's psyche. As long as the body remains more or less intact, there is rumored to be a technique capable of restoring them to full health. But is it truly the same person who died, or merely a perfect duplicate with the same memories? Who can say?

Bioframes inspire terror and awe across the world. As some of the most advanced and sophisticated weapon systems ever produced, they are without a doubt among the greatest remaining relics of the Solar Empire's military might. Intelligent, fast, strong, and armored with powerful defenses, they are any civilization's trump card. They can also be modified to function with a pilot enclosed in its womb-cockpit, or function autonomously. Either way, few things are as terrifying as being stared down by a bioframe in the heat of battle.

Bioframes inspire terror and awe across the world. As some of the most advanced and sophisticated weapon systems ever produced, they are without a doubt among the greatest remaining relics of the Solar Empire's military might. Intelligent, fast, strong, and armored with powerful defenses, they are any civilization's trump card. They can also be modified to function with a pilot enclosed in its womb-cockpit, or function autonomously. Either way, few things are as terrifying as being stared down by a bioframe in the heat of battle.