Excerpt from the  Foreword of “The Mysteries of Quelseon; Unlocking the Secrets of the Overseers”, University of Luna Press, by Dr Howard Van-Ranbart (2956).

“Despite its location far south of the hotly contested Storm Zone, the Quelseon System never the less fell victim to the ravages of the Kurak – Zenian conflict. A casual observer could have been forgiven for dismissing the system as a strategically unimportant military training area, something the Terran Intelligence Services had been keen to encourage; the reality was somewhat different.

Figures 1 & 2: Directorate infantry advance through the dense forests of Proteus Prime.

Despite efforts from the Aquan hierarchy, details swiftly passed across the desks of the Terran Admiralty regarding the catastrophic events that took place on and around ‘Planet N56W6P91D’, known to the other sentient races as ‘Proteus Prime‘. Previously redacted, recently de-classified documents reveal that agents of the TSC were able to acquire fragments of debris, remnants of the titanic space battle that signalled the close of the conflict via a combination of extortion, bribery and blackmail. After extensive analysis, Terran scientists were able to determine that a small quantity of the material recovered was of unknown origin; of particular interest was a crystalline structure containing a previously undiscovered artificial element, swiftly named ‘Proteum’*. This new element had been skillfully combined with more mundane materials to create an energy source of unparalleled vehemence.

Across Terran controlled space, geological survey ships were re-tasked, state funded archaeologists reassigned and scientific research vessels redirected, all with a single overriding new directive; to locate other incidences of the mysterious ‘Proteum’. Months passed without word, until eventually, trace quantities of this much sought after substance were discovered within an archaeological site on the remote planet of ‘Quelseon Prime’. It was agreed unanimously by both the Terran Admiralty and civilian government, that the Quelseon System represented a viable place to establish a network of low key research and development facilities. These would be targeted at both synthesising and discovering more about ‘Proteum’ and its mysterious creators, especially given the presence of archaeological sites, possibly linked to these unknown beings. The planet’s status as a military training area would conceal the movement of troops and resources, whilst providing a constant, yet ignorant source of security.

Figure 3: Satalite image of Quelseon Prime

With military scientists believing this new element may have untold martial applications and with the war within the Storm Zone rapidly stagnating Terran High command, desperate for any kind of breakthrough, took the unprecedented step of of inviting scientists from other major Kurak Alliance powers to assist them in unlocking Proteum’s secrets.

Together, they hoped to unlock the secrets of ‘Proteum’, and with its power bring an end to the stalemate that the Storm Zone conflict had rapidly become.”

*For a more detailed account regarding the discovery of ‘Proteum’ and its compositional oddities, please see ‘Proteum, A Gift From the Gods‘ by By Dr Zachary Charlesworth (Luna University Press, 2945).