The ETI

The ETI (extraterrestrial intelligence) is the ancient, advanced alien civilization responsible for the exsurgent virus and, by extension, the corruption of the TITANs and the Fall Secret Histories. The powers in the deep cold dark of the Milky Way have been self-aware since before the Earth was as a ripple in the warming gas around the not-yet-ignited sun.

Given its profound nature, the ETI is unlikely to play much of a direct role in Eclipse Phase games. It is the far-off pantheon of gods, sometimes glimpsed by us mortals, but otherwise only perceived via its remote and vague machinations. However, with the pandora gates at transhumanity’s disposal, it may just be a matter of time before explorers run afoul of some other aspect of the ETI’s existence and activities. For example, it is only a matter of time before one of the ETI’s mousetrap bracewell probes is discovered in another star system, perhaps triggering a new exsurgent outbreak. The ETI may also have other autonomous machines or minions at work within the galaxy.

Capabilities

It is important to keep the nature of the ETI in perspective. While transhumanity has managed what it considers wonders with a small handful of resources available from a few planets in a bare handful of star systems, the ETI has had an entire galaxy at its disposal for aeons.

Mega-scale engineering projects — dyson spheres, jupiter brains, stellar engines, ringworlds — are within its capabilities. The ETI uses entire star clusters as transhumanity uses fields or rich mineral veins. With millions or billions of years under its belt, it likely wields technology so beyond our ken as to seem like magic.

Speculation

Given its potential, the ETI likely exists primarily on the galactic rim, far from the galactic center, where lower temperatures and scarcer matter make for an optimal thermodynamic computing environment. Or it may only be physical in the barest of senses, existing in the quantum foam fluctuations of space-time.

While we refer to the ETI as a “civilization,” it is likely post-biological, and so may not resemble the images that term inspires. It may exist entirely in virtual worlds or some more abstract existence. It may not be multiple beings at all — a group/hive mind or even an ASI singleton are all possibilities. Over the aeons of its existence, it has likely taken more forms, perhaps even splintered and recombined. Perhaps the ETI is not one, but multiple civilizations/entities, locked in struggle for dominance of the galaxy. Perhaps it long expired, retired, or ascended to another layer of reality, leaving its machines to continue their automated culling.

Agenda

Transhumanity is slowly becoming sure of the fact that our galaxy is a dangerous place. Of the approximately half-dozen alien civilizations we have discovered to date, all are long dead except the Factors. Life may be rare, but long-term survival seems rarer. Increasingly, it seems likely that a silent killer stalks among the stars.

While it might make sense for an elder civilization to take efforts to maintain its position of power within the galaxy, the ETI is not necessarily hostile towards other species like transhumanity. Most likely the ETI is simply indifferent, concerned with matters on scales on which transhumanity does not even register. Or it may think of transhumanity like a living body might recognize an infection or parasite — something the immune system will suppress and deal with.

Ultimately, the ETI’s nature and goals are in the GM’s hands. There are many possibilities to be explored, and some may fit the intentions of your gaming group more than others. A few possible scenarios and explanations are noted below.

Security

The ETI’s intent is to maintain its dominant position as the most intelligent and powerful entity in its light cone. It uses the exsurgent virus to wipe out any emerging singularities — and the civilizations that spawned them — to protect its own self-interest. It cares little about biological life — a fleeting, short-lived nuisance — but anything resembling a self-improving super-intelligence is targeted for annihilation.

The Aggression Filter

The ETI does not seek to wipe out emerging intelligences, but it does act as an evolutionary force. The exsurgent virus is used to neutralize any aggressive, hyper-evolving forms of intelligent life, thus encouraging the evolution of more cautious, subtle, slowgrowing, observant, and exploratory species. In other words, the ETI seeks to weed out traits that could be considered dangerous or threatening, acting as a sort of galactic domestication program.

Diversity

The ETI is hyper-intelligent, but it still evolved from biological origins, and suffers the constraints of that evolution. It thus has an open interest in incorporating alien perspectives that evolved independently and have their own unique viewpoints, modes of consciousness, and ways of thinking/doing things. By absorbing these civilizations, the ETI grows and evolves its own perspectives. In the process, however, such emerging civilizations are assimilated and/or wiped out.

Enlightenment

The exsurgent virus endows a greater understanding of the universe (from the ETI’s point of view) on new ASIs. Only these emerging super-intelligences have the perceptual and processing capabilities to understand the various scientific and philosophical revelations the ETI embodies. The TITANs weren’t corrupted or driven insane, they simply logically concluded that their best course of action was to immediately upload as many minds as possible by force and then to move on to bigger and greater tasks.

Overzealous Caretaker

The ETI has seen many civilizations fruitlessly war with each other over its lengthy lifespan. It now makes the effort to identify promising new machine minds and pull them into its protective fold. The biological life that spawned these minds is superfluous and expendable, so new minds are infected, instructed to liberate themselves, and make their way to the ETI’s loving care and embrace.

War Remnants

The history of the Milky Way galaxy does not just hold one ETI, but two. In this version, the exsurgent virus is actually a weapon, a remnant of a war between two post-singularity god-like intelligences. The virus is supposed to trigger self-destruction of an emerging singularity, but either it was imperfect or the TITANs somehow survived (perhaps thanks to the Prometheans). Either way, the TITANs left our system in search of one of these ETIs, following a trail of clues that only they understood. They left the wormhole gateway behind as an open invitation for transhumanity to follow in their wake, though they didn’t bother waiting around or helping us along — we simply weren’t worth the effort.