Vita-harvesting machinery

A technology originating in the First Age, these Vita-harvesting machines were created by the Progenitors to draw Vita from the entire galaxy. After the extinction of the Progenitors the machines were shut down, but no one was ever successful in figuring out how they worked.

Utility

Since Progenitors feed on Vita, the machines were likely built to help automate gathering food, but whether any kind of technology precluded them is unknown, nor is it known whether there were multiple types of Vita-harvesters, or if they've gone through some form of upgrading throughout the years.

Social Impact

Placed all throughout the galaxy, these machines were a clear sign to the people that the Progenitors were using them, and thus one of many leading causes for the Uprising. Their deactivation at the end of said conflict led to the return of Vita all across the galaxy, and thus Vita-Touched came into existence, wielding the newly returned energy like magic.
The technology itself was lost to the people of the galaxy. Beyond the sheer complexity of it, it was invented by a species which had no interest of interacting with anyone else. Much of their knowledge was lost after their extinction, and many of the Vita-harvesting machines were destroyed, as little was known about why the Progenitors had built these machines and spread them across the galaxy. With the Progenitors having (mostly) fallen into the stuff of myths and legends, not many remain who might study the machines to rediscover the underlying technology.

Inventor(s)

Progenitors

Access & Availability

Very rare; lost technology, few remaining machines, none functional.

Complexity

Very complex, and not understood; invented by a species with no links or information-exchange with any other species.

Discovery

It's unknown how Vita-harvesting machines were discovered, but it's typically assumed they've been around for thousands of years, at minimum.

Related Species

• Progenitor