The Orrery

The Orrery is a Remnant relic of immense power, allowing the user to simultaneously track every piece of matter in the universe. It is comprised of a Quantum computing system, orders of magnitude more powerful than anything constructed by any other known species, and a holographic display that shows whatever data the user wishes. It was extensively utilised by the Remnants, but is so powerful and different to the rest of the species’ creations that it is generally agreed upon that it must have been constructed by the Architects. It is linked by unknown means to the universe itself, even being able to show visions of the distant past or future. To be ready for operation, it requires both every fragment of the artefact, and a biological access code that has presumably been lost to time.

## History

### Creation

The Orrery was presumed to be created by the long-extinct Architects, by unknown means. Its intended use was unknown, but judging by the Architects’ generally passive disposition, it can be assumed that the device was constructed for benevolent reasons. It is also unknown how it was linked so inextricably with the universe itself, being able to see into the distant future or past. The competing theory is that it was constructed by some other entity, even older than the Architects, and was simply adopted and used, or even modified when the Architects discovered it.

### Discovery by the Remnants

The Remnants discovered the Orrery circa 216,000 BC, on a desolate tidally locked planet. They noted its complete inertia until it was removed from bedrock, and that it seemed to produce strange visions showing the distant history of the Remnant civilisation. The Remnants were never able to activate it fully, determining that it would require a biological access code that was presumably held by the Architects.

### Discovery by the Faceless

When vessels infected by the Faceless bacterium landed in the Remnant hive in which the Orrery was housed, it was shattered into seventeen pieces and scattered across relatively nondescript planets to avoid the Faceless’ combined intelligence from discovering and using it. It can be presumed that the Hive was destroyed.

### Rediscovery by Humanity

At the point of their extinction, they seeded the young Human civilisation with several bloodlines that cold interact with the Orrery, and should the Faceless ever return to the Universe, be able to receive visions that would reveal the locations of each fragment of the artefact. John Socorro is one known example of a Remnant bloodline, who had begun to recieve his visions just before contact with the Faceless aboard the ESS *Solace* unmanned scout ship in 2615. Over the next year, John Socorro and Eve Ramirez reclaimed several fragments of the Orrery, eventually completing it in high orbit of HD-6930 B.

### Use and destruction

During the Battle of Calypso’s Maelstrom in the Hespera and Calypso binary star system, the Faceless attempted to reclaim their creation, before the last living Architect, the Forgotten arrived, Ordering John Socorro to sacrifice his mind to the Convergence, and the Orrery would be destroyed forever. Its final fate is unknown, but it was presumably destroyed by the Forgotten.

## Function

### Intended Use

It is known that the Architects held this artefact in very high regard, suggesting that it was highly important to their society. It was most likely originally constructed to allow the Architects to keep tabs on all their creations across the Universe at once, and to foresee every possible outcome of an endeavour. Given its power even to those without full access, it can only be imagined what its full functionality could be. Since it is obviously linked inextricably with the Universe itself, and can see into the past and future, maybe it allowed for travel through time, or to alter outcomes. This artefact could have been what made the Architects as powerful as they were.

### Design

The Orrery is constructed from a Tier-0 Quantum Computer, orders of magnitude more powerful than anything constructed by any other known civilisation, connected with a 3-D immersive holo-display. It shows a massive chart, by default of the Milky Way, but can be configured to show as deep as Planck-level particles, and as wide as the entire material Universe. It simultaneously tracks all physical matter, and every living thing. By completely unknown means, it can show visions of the past and future. All this functionality is available without the Architect access code, so with its obvious fundamental linking to the Universe itself, it can be assumed that it may have been able to bend and distort the temporal continuum, allowing the user to travel to different points in time, or even alter past or future events.