Great Jump

The Great Jump refers to the extragalactic evacuation that rescued a small group of refugees from the doomed Pyxis Globula, transporting them to the neighboring Circinus Stream region of space. This incredible feat of engineering was made possible by the desperation and dedication shown by the Arkblazer Order - most crucially, the timely discovery of a Yoni Ark capable of extragalactic travel.
The primary objective of the Great Jump was to escape the Oberon Incursion decimating the doomed galaxy and to establish a permanent refuge for the Ark survivors on the hospitable, life-bearing worlds of Tau Elpis. The Great Jump succeeded, and several colonies eventually developed into full-fledged civilizations. Nowadays, the descendants of the Ark travellers thrive across the entire star system, but the fate of the peoples left behind in their ancestral galaxy remains unknown.

Background

After a prolonged period of relative peace within the Pyxis Globula galaxy, the Oberon, an extradimensional faelike race, launched a sudden and devastating attack. With their superior and unconventional weaponry, they swiftly overwhelmed the galactic forces in just fifty cycles, disregarding all attempts at diplomacy. As worlds burned in the fury of faerie fire, every battlefield adaptation proved futile against the relentless advancements of the Oberon.
Amidst the chaos, various desperate groups sought ways to combat the Oberon or find means of escaping their foretold doom. One such group was the Arkblazer Order, a millenial order consisting of scientists and Imperial soldiers. They had harbored a closely guarded secret for hundreds of cycles : they possessed a functional enough Yoni Ark, a remnant worldship built by estranged, technologically superior Precursors. Though they had occupied their Ark for centuries, their understanding of the spaceship remained limited. Yet, they worked out that the Ark could execute a single jump and then deploy modular blocks held together with Programmable Matter to "seed" new colonies.
As time ran out and the Oberon forces approached ever closer, the Order engaged in heated debates over where to send the Ark. Ultimately, they settled on the Tau Elpis system, situated in the nearby galactic cluster known as the Circinus Stream. Tau Elpis was believed to harbor several life-bearing worlds, raising doubts about the accuracy of such data. Inddeed, life-bearing worlds were exceedingly rare in the Pyxis Globula, hinting that the Tau Elpis system might be inhabited or in the process of terraformation. Nevertheless, desperation compelled the Order to make their choice and pick Tau Elpis as their destination. In the event that the system proved inhospitable or inhabited, the Ark would serve as a generation ship, traveling at sublight speeds toward another star.
Meanwhile, plans were made to select 500,000 individuals from each major space nation to join the expedition, with many placed in cryostasis. Notably, the ranks of the Boshaari and Hhrot expanded significantly, as their easier access to the Ark facilitated their participation. The Mewei and Hiderid delegations secretly arrived to the Ark in staggered waves, so not to raise suspicion from the Oberon forces nor local inhabitants, whose numbers vastly outnumbered the capacity of the Ark. The Zaalan, who had accidentally opened the breach the Oberon originated from, but then bravely held the line for fifty cycles when other civilizations fell, only arrived in the final days. Despite opposition from the Hiderid delegation, the Mewei and Boshaari brokered their passage, and the Ark departed with mere minutes to spare.

The Jump

The Jump itself spanned ten cycles, during which numerous refugees opted to inhabit emergency habs scattered throughout the worldship's Stanford Torus. Unfortunately, the Arkblazer Order was disheartened to observe that species tended to segregate, and within months, each of the four sectors had become dominated by a particular core species. The initial hope of a united colonial front upon arrival was shattered when the Hiderid and Boshaari delegations openly plotted new government structures for the colonies.
Correctly predicting that the five species would part ways upon reaching the unnaturally habitable worlds of Tau Elpis, the Arkblazers established the Embassy Committee to oversee the newly-named Embassy Ark. In doing so, they positioned themselves as a neutral, pan-colonial support initiative. Their focus shifted from understanding the enigmatic workings of the Ark to facilitating the coordinated unpacking of the Ark's payload, ensuring equitable and sustainable development across the four habitable inner worlds.
Upon the Ark's arrival, the programmable matter payload was deployed as planned, and the four colonial governments bid their farewells. Within a remarkably short period, approximately five cycles after arrival, much of the Ark had emptied as settlers departed for distant shores. Only around 10% of the original settler population remained on board and renamed their Ark the Embassy Ark. Thus, the Great Jump came to an end, ushering in a new era of colonization across the Elpis system.

Legacy

The Great Jump extends beyond the obvious colonization of the Tau Elpis system and the narrow escape from certain doom; for many colonists, it represents a time of both despair and hope in equal measures. While some argue that the shared grief and newfound aspirations were insufficient to foster a united colonial culture, historians maintain that every colonial culture underwent profound transformations due to the Jump. Decades later, all worlds had welcomed a varying proportion of participating species—a phenomenon rarely seen during the times of Pyxis Globula.
The Mewei remained reclusive but adopted a more conservative stance towards their advanced technology. In contrast, the Boshaari and Hiderid embraced openness and adjusted their precepts to align with the changing times. The Hhrot, characterized by their isolationist and militant nature, surprisingly formed amicable bonds with the Boshaari as a consequence of the Jump.
Even today, a wealth of art and fiction draw upon the relative lawlessness experienced by many settlers across the Ring-Below during the Jump. Themes of community, shared trauma, hope, and grief pervade these works, offering unique perspectives on this tumultuous period. Mewei dramas lament the loss of their Bond with their ancestral land, while Hiderid films glorify newfound freedom and opportunity. The Boshaari religion, Fallanism, evolved and grew to the point of welcoming many Mewei and Zaalans.