Fronos (Lazendus)

TIMELINE

This article takes place in the 26th century of Distant Worlds.

THIS PLANET IS UNDER QUARANTINE
BY THE ARCHANGEL TRIBUNAL

THE PLANET IS INFESTED WITH PARASITES, PROCEED WITH EXTREME CAUTION, INFECTION STAGE = 10

"Thought we have uncovered all Greek ancient architecture, Guess God had more planned for Archeologists."

Overview

Lazendus One, more commonly referred to as Fronos, is a temperate marine terra, similar to Emerald, orbiting a dying, neon-rich M Dwarf star. The history of Fronos traces back to its origins as an inhospitable world, completely covered in impenetrable thick ice and enveloped in a hostile atmosphere.

Over the course of eons, as the star Lazendus began entering its red giant phase, the once-hostile environment of Fronos transformed. The planet shifted into the Goldilocks Zone, where conditions became ideal for habitability. The ice covering its surface melted, creating vast oceans, while lichen and other simple life forms began cleaning the atmosphere. This gradual terraforming led to the emergence of a thriving biosphere and, eventually, the rise of the native species known as the Maleros.

The Maleros

The Maleros (Μαλέρος) are an ancient native species originating from the Milky Way galaxy, specifically in the far regions of the Shibui Arm. Their homeworld is Fronos, which transformed into a paradise planet as the red giant expansion phase of Lazendus reshaped the environment.

Structurally, the Maleros are carbon-based lifeforms bearing an eerie resemblance to humans, though with noticeable differences in their anatomy. The Maleros are part of the Sahuri Homous Genus, which includes humans and Archangels, highlighting a shared evolutionary lineage.

Culturally, the Maleros progressed significantly after their "cave age." Through the division and eventual unification of various groups, they developed a global focus on achieving shared goals. According to theories derived from The Library, human Greek culture may have been influenced by the Archangels through the Maleros. This idea is supported by numerous cultural similarities between Maleros spiritual practices and Earth's Greek paganism, such as their pantheistic belief system and rituals.

The Maleros became part of the Archangels' program roughly translated as the "Save and Assist Program", designed to support native Sahuri civilisations. Unusually, the Archangels directly supported the Maleros, providing them with advanced knowledge and access to technologies related to the Anti-De-Sitter (AdS) subspace. This was an exceptional case, as the Archangels typically exerted only indirect influence on developing civilisations.

The rapid technological and cultural development of the Maleros positioned them as a significant force within the Shibui Arm of the galaxy, and their history continues to be a subject of study and fascination for humanity.

The prosperity of the Maleros came to an abrupt and tragic end due to an unforeseen threat: parasitic life forms originating from the Maleros' orbital neighbor, the planet Nibiru.

The Parasitic Threat from Nibiru

Nibiru, a planet within the Lazendus star system, was a world entirely corrupted by a parasitic ecosystem. The parasites, highly adaptive and malevolent, were capable of hijacking the memories and bodies of their hosts. These organisms acted purely for survival, without any overarching goal other than reproduction and sustaining their colonies. Over time, they transformed Nibiru into a barren, spore-filled wasteland, devoid of native biomass but entirely suited to their needs.

The catastrophe began when a Maleros research expedition, charting the Lazendus system, unknowingly brought the parasitic threat back to Fronos. Upon returning, the infected members of the expedition initiated an outbreak in a small town. The parasites quickly established a foothold, creating a colony and releasing spores to terraform the planet for their survival. With Nibiru depleted, Fronos—rich in biomass—became the ideal target for the parasites to reproduce and thrive.

The parasite invasion spread rapidly. Within weeks, three towns and the third-largest city on Fronos had fallen. Recognizing the existential threat, the Maleros sent a desperate plea to the Archangels, who responded swiftly by establishing a military outpost on the nearby airless Selena, Diona.

The Archangels deployed fully automated war machines constructed from Angelic Metal, hoping their technological superiority could halt the spread of the infestation. These machines were designed to exterminate the parasites and reclaim the infected regions. However, the Archangels underestimated the parasites' adaptive capabilities. The parasites could inherit and utilize the knowledge of their hosts, learning to counteract even the advanced Angelic Metal constructs.

As the situation on Fronos worsened, the Maleros began evacuating their population aboard colony ships, seeking refuge with neighboring civilizations. Despite their best efforts, some colony ships became infested, carrying the parasitic threat into uncharted parts of the Shibui Arm. This created an unknown and looming danger for anyone passing through the region.

Fronos, once a vibrant paradise, now lies abandoned. The remnants of Maleros civilization stand as crumbling ruins, resembling the Greek Ruins of Earth. The planet itself remains a beautiful but eerie reminder of what was lost.

Nibiru, the source of the invasion, is now an uninhabitable wasteland, its atmosphere toxic with spores and home to only a few parasite extremophiles surviving off the dead planet.

Diona, the Archangels' former military outpost, is littered with deactivated war machines and the wreckage of countless ships. The automated constructs, built for extermination, remain dormant—silent sentinels waiting for their next command. Diona has become a grim relic of the Archangels' desperate struggle to save the Maleros and a ticking time bomb of destructive potential.

Legacy of the Maleros

Though the Maleros civilization was effectively eradicated from Fronos, their diaspora continues to exist among other civilizations in the Shibui Arm. The cultural and genetic legacy of the Maleros lives on, blending with neighboring societies. The parasites, meanwhile, remain an ominous mystery, their exact locations in the Shibui Arm unknown, leaving explorers and settlers wary of venturing into uncharted regions.

Today, in 26 and beyond centuries, Fronos stands as both a cautionary tale and a symbol of resilience, its ruins a testament to the once-thriving Maleros civilization and the devastating power of unchecked parasitic life form.