THE LIVING DUST
Backstory
“From the seas, vast and blue, emerged different lands, green and new. Our ancient world turned the page, to where states were not states, but remnants of a golden age.”
Excerpt from The Living Dust, a novel on the origins of Monad
Introduction
Towards the end of World War II, a weapons experiment went terribly wrong. It eradicated almost all of civilization.
The few who survived faced a new reality in a destroyed, reshaped world. After centuries of rebuilding, mankind found a way to leave the planet, to venture into the great unknown as intergalactic pioneers.
These pioneers had their aims set on founding new corporations, perhaps even the next generation of mega corporations. Driven by fear and hope, they left their wretched, dystopian home planet where states had fallen and ultra-capitalism reigned, and ventured towards the stars.
Black iron
The world became a very different place after the great cataclysm. It began as an experiment that tried to exploit a new mineral discovered in Central Europe. The mineral went by different names: schwarzeisen, black iron, devil’s gold, and more.
Intelligence agencies around the world had it on a shortlist of key topics, but very few knew of an experiment involving three important scientists: Ludwig Vavruch, Darius Ecker, and Marlon Dyne. Marlon Dyne would eventually give Earth its new name, Dyne.
Over the following centuries, black iron played an important role for all life on the planet. Mankind repopulated the recovering surface after a generation underground, and black iron dust was everywhere. It became known as the living dust.
The dust became tied to mysterious events: forests with giant animals, prodigies with seemingly magical abilities, clairvoyance, and soothsaying. It was blamed for disease and recovery alike. Mega corporations later rediscovered its potency, each with its own agenda for the elusive mineral.
Infinity Rockets
More than 300 years after the disaster, mankind had seen the rise and fall of nations, the emergence of ruthless mega corporations, and the ruin of the world. Long-distance space travel opened the door to escape.
Enormous space vessels called Infinity Rockets departed in great numbers in search of riches, success, and purpose. Inspired by the mega corporations, their passengers sought to found new commercial empires in distant galaxies.
Vavruch Engine
Before the disaster, Ludwig Vavruch discovered the mysterious black iron mineral. It had a pitch-black color and a blue shine. When shattered, its dust shimmered like a rainbow.
A distant descendant, Jino Vavruch, made a startling discovery while researching his infamous ancestor. With extensive mechanical engineering knowledge and support from the Ominiyan research community, he found a way to surf pseudo-physical particles with a new cosmic engine.
He called it the Vavruch Engine. Processed black iron dust provided an interface to metaphysical highways, giving physical structures the ability to fold into meta space and cross great distances in almost no time.
Monads
The term monad refers to singularity, that which is one. A monad has no parts and is indivisible. The idea came from Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz and stood against atomism, which grew in popularity at the same time.
Researchers learned to dissociate black iron molecules and blow them through a magnetized wind tunnel. This opened access to the monadic dimension. A rainbow shimmer showed that the process worked. Adjusting dosage and combining crystalized minerals let them control the field.
The Vavruch Engine quickly gained traction as the planet ran short of natural resources. Wealthy corporations and families acquired the blueprints and built Infinity Rockets, large exploration vessels made to begin again in distant galaxies.