Starfire Nebula

The Starfire Nebula

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Fire Wraiths

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Setebos

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A Young Person's Introduction To Setebos

(From A Young Person's Introduction To Setebos, Encyclopedia Galactica Press)

For you, the Setebos Cetacean Protectorate is well-known as a paradise for land-dwellers and Cetaceans alike, but it was not always so. Before starships could avoid the isogravitic eddies of the Starfire Nebula, and before the Fire Wraiths were understood to be peaceful beings, it was a place of such danger and mystery that some thought it was "haunted" (q.v. Ancient Belief Systems).

Do not judge the people of that time too harshly. Imagine yourself as an explorer of that era. You and your friends are in a starship far from home, weeks away from a wormhole station, at the highest relative velocity your ship is capable of reaching. Why have you and your friends chosen to risk your lives by coming to the Starfire Nebula? Because you want to learn its secrets and add them to the shared knowledge of the Commonwealth! (Although at the time, you would have been a member of the United Worlds – that is how long ago it was that explorers first came to Setebos.)

Without warning, your starship’s EMI filters are overwhelmed with the most intense electromagnetic interference you have ever seen, rendering your sensors useless and filling your communication channels with the sound of unearthly cries. At the same time, your starship’s shields are subjected to oscillating isogravitic shear, draining the shield coils within minutes. Defenseless against the hazards of the Starfire Nebula, flying without knowing where you are going, it is astonishing that you survived at all.

But by working together, you did. Your ship crashed on an ocean world lit by strange energy flashes in the nebula above you. Most of the planet is covered by water, but you were lucky enough to land near one of the planet’s large island chains. You decide to call the world “Setebos”, after the god worshipped by Caliban and Sycorax in William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. You are surprised to learn that you have landed on a lush world, rich in everything needed to keep you and your friends alive, but without any of the resources needed to repair your ship and go home. Unable to leave, you and the other survivors form a new society on Setebos.

The hundreds of crashed starships scattered across the seas of Setebos and throughout the nebula were a vital source of material and supplies during the early days of the planet’s settlement. Today, these shipwrecks are preserved and studied as precious historical artifacts. Scientists study them to learn about the people who came here. How did they cope with the months of confinement during their voyage? What struggles did they have to overcome? What made this journey worth its cost to them? By studying these ships, we may also discover the fate of other starships which have been lost to us.

One of the earliest ships to crash on Setebos was a Class 9 exploration vessel crewed by Cetaceans fleeing the dying seas of Earth. Today, the government of Setebos is a shared commitment between Cetaceans and approximately 70,000 land dwellers, united in keeping Setebos pristine and unspoiled, living in harmony with the Fire Wraiths and with the nebula itself.

We still do not fully understand the nature of the Starfire Nebula, or the relationship of the Fire Wraiths to their unusual home. Some day, perhaps you can be one of the scientists who study these elegant and enigmatic beings!