A Study of Hummus - The Boring Stuff

13 gross before the first Chime of Peace, there was the end of a dark age. It's believed it was due to an almost universally spread parasite. This parasite caused widespread "natual" division, which does nothing to preserve memories. Imagine a society that has barely had to see deal with kindergartners suddenly overrun with babies. High mortality rates, locales suddenly going practically feral. Massive loss of knowledge, high mortality rates.

The end came with refining older methods of controlled division to exclude the parasite, and widespread treatment. Recovery... was slow. Governments evolved along Feudal lines.

The masses were ignorant, a few argued. It was merited.

Kingdoms weren't entirely consolidated before the rediscovery of space travel. Enough knowledge had been lost that the kingdoms of the two planets had little authoritative answer which was the original. Language drift hadn't helped.

The war between the planets started as a minor resource war.

The authoritarian dictators of each made a very limited access democracy among themselves in mutual defense; it was a long buildup, and then an exponentially hard attack.

An initial colony had already been planted on the third planet. Realizing what they had just done by following orders, reducing their planets to another dark age, the two planetary space navies called a truce- which led to their leaders denying them a home harbor. The minimally populated third planet's orbit was the only one left to take them in.

Some forces, once the proper armies disbanded, tried to teraform the planet to their needs. They succeeded, at great cost of life. Others tried to adapt their race to the new planet- they succeeded, at great cost of life, making the equivalent of their ubermensch.

One of these was Grerbe's ancestor.

Eventually they decided the only way they would survive long term was with the resources of their home worlds.

The authoritarians - the few left intact after the destruction of their planets (as they had the the deepest bunkers) - were strategically assinated, and the now three world government slowly restored the worlds to working order.

The chime of peace was first sounded at the official end of this effort.

It's sounding, in effect, notified near by solar systems of their presence, and started a renaissance in trade and culture.

The Jump drive, or the underpinnings of it, was not a slime alien invention. But it was their understanding of optics that made it workable - their trading partners were now a relatively safe jump or three away, instead of hundreds.

However there was still the maxim of space exploration- if you go looking for something where you see nothing, you'll just find empty space

Earth was far too distant from this homeworlds for our radio transmissions to make any sense. But. The patterns that did leak through interstellar space were worth following up on.

Mind you, the chime was more powerful than anything Earth has broadcast.

SETI is freaking out right now.

They just don't know where to look.