Phyxx

The Phyxx are the ancient sentient people of Daedalus.

Phyxx developed much larger and more complex brains than humans and were intellectually superior. As such they had a different technological development that focused on mastering first the force of gravity, and then their own biology.

Their language(s) had more than 750,000 alphabetic characters. One has a remarkable statistical consistency in writing, while the other is composed of component replication configurations.

## History

At the earliest history of the Phyxx, life was hard. Survival in the harsh environment of Daedalus was difficult. They felt trapped by the gravity. Many died, and the race would have died out entirely if it were not for the knowledge discovered by the First Great Learner, Gen who gained mastery over its gravitic forces. Architecture and transportation completely changed once the secrets of Gen became common knowledge. Transportation was built around it, in ways alien to the humans (the Phyxx never needed propulsion systems, elevators, ramps or stairs).

The Phyxx engineers changed the face of the world as they mastered survival on Daedalus but were confronted by a new threat which nearly wiped them out completely. Their bodies seemed to weaken and wear down and the race was diminishing in number.

But the race was saved by the knowledge discovered by the Second Great Learner, Vid. There are chemical compounds that not only make up the raw material substance of life, but also by their combination determine in what form this life will develop; Vid defined and categorized these, and geneticists divided their race into two completely distinctive classes- Learner/Leaders and Worker/Soldiers.

### Separation

For generations Learner/Leaders lived lives of no physical effort in floating, gravity free palaces. Their only purpose was to learn, think, and order while Worker/Soldiers existed only to work, fight and obey. The two classes developed into two separate races, and radically divergent cultures, fiercely exclusive from each other, but in the same time interdependent.

The development of these two divertging social classes caused increasing stress. The complications became intolerable but irreversible. Their languages also became different, the only common words between them were commands and responses. Eventually both Learners and Workers took chemicals to change their genetic composition, and gain some limited telepathic communication between them.

The Phyxx were also accomplished astronomers and knew about the vast universe beyond Daedalus. Using gravitational technology they left their world and set up several small bases throughout their star system. As their technology was based on gravity, they believed that faster-than-light travel (which was attained by humans) was impossible. They attempted interstellar travel through sleeper ships, hoping that the crews in suspended animation would reach other planets in the next centuries.

### Age of Drastic Upheaval

This dark age was spurred by a political conflict that developed once the Houses of Gen and Vid had finally died out. The Master Learners of the world battled with each other for control. This situation escalated into the Thirty-Six Territorial Wars. It was realised that whoever controlled the most Soldiers could ruled the planet: Hundreds of thousands of Worker/Soldiers died in battle and dozens of Learner/Leaders were assassinated.

The wars utilized gravitic forces and targeted the floating cities, that proved very vulnerable. These were destroyed and eventually reestablished underground: Control of gravity allowed the construction of cities covering every side of great, hollowed out caverns. But despite technical sophistication the world labored under the control of one Learner/Leader or another, each as bad as the last, for hundreds of generations of violent reigns, when hundreds of Soldiers would be sent to bloodshed to settle a small conflict. Over half of the population perished (tens of millions). Civilization stagnated.

Finally, in a swift and virtually bloodless revolution, the old social order changed. The Worker/Soldiers assumed the title of Soldier/Leaders and Learner/Leaders assumed the title of Learner/Workers. But this new order of class equality was ultimately much less efficient than the old one. The Soldiers/Leaders knew nothing of the technology that sustained the race, and they obsessed over territory and war. Generations of their leadership drove civilization into ruin. Finally, the day came when their order stopped and anarchy took over.

Eventually the last of the old Workers and Learners scavenge across the surface of the world looking to collect the remaining pieces of their civilization, thieving and killing as they go. They are animals, savages and Phyxx of the Northern City no longer considered them to be a part of their race and have fended them off for one hundred generations.

The Phyxx no longer have anything left that they could want and placed themselves in hibernation using the facilities left behind from the days when the Gravity Ring was built.

Gen was believed to return and awaken them and guide them to a new age.

## Legacy

Soldier/Leader Dren, Architect and Scientist Nask and Learner/Worker Borm made a synopsis of the Phyxx history on the obelisks of the Glass Room for whoever may find them.

Millennia later, Phyxx remained in hibernation in the New Northern City hoping for the return of Gen. Meanwhile Phyxx ships roamed the space, looking like meteorites, as their surfaces became coated with dust and debris. They have no propulsion system, but some manner of gravitic drive.

Centuries later, a Phyxx hibernation ship was discovered by the *Ambassadoria*, and looked unlike anything the Reticulum knew. It was its sensor signature that revealed they are spacecraft. Inside, captain Strom and his team found 8 individuals, that looked like big marble statues. They brought on a Soldier to study, but he awoke and started wrecking the ship and killing the crew. Before humanity could be notified about their existence, the distress signal was intercepted by the Mondites, who were led to the discovery of Daedalus. They built an Archeology Base to study them, and used Phyxx technology in their cybernetic experiments.

Sarcophagi of dozens Phyxx were found in the Tomb of Soldiers and the ruins, deep in hibernation. One, labeled "Drogg" by Dr. Amet Mastaba, showed signs of revival. The sarcophagus was placed in the Cellblock, until he revived and caused damage resulting in massive systems failure.

AP-127 broke into the Dig Site and met the remnants of the Phyxx civilization, noting that he feels like his home, as part of him is also Phyxx. Gen somehow returned when the cyborg powered up the Alien City Platform; with telepathy, Gen welcomes him as a "brother", warning that Daedalus's destruction was imminent. Gen awoke the Phyxx still in hibernation. AP-127 opened the Gravity Ring, got to the surface portal, and escaped with the *Icarus*; Phyxx ships also emerged and followed the *Icarus* right before Daedalus was destroyed.

## Trivia

Gen expresses his intention to awaken the Phyxx, resulting to the game's epilogue where they escape the cataclysm. However AP-127 has the option to kill him. Even if he does, the Phyxx ships are still seen escaping Daedalus, meaning that some were already alive, or they awoke without Gen.