The world of IKAREE · Beyond the Union
Lumen
Beings of plasma and magnetic fields that look like aurorae kilometres long, slowly rippling. Nobody knows whether they are one organism or billions.
History
Discovered in 2291, when the science ship Halley lost all power inside the nebula and survived only because the Lumen carried it out. Since then, slow contact through patterns of light. After 96 years of research the Union understands about forty of their words.
How they live
They feed on the light of the stars inside the nebula. Ships' warp fields have a taste for them: sometimes they attract, sometimes they irritate. They seem to perceive time differently and answer questions asked years ago.
Technology
None in our sense. But they can bend magnetic fields to open safe corridors through the nebula, or drain a ship of its last drop of energy.
Ships
None. They are their own ships.
Why it matters to the IKAREE
A translation problem that has lasted a century, and a nebula where ships still go missing.