Story

It's the year 31337. Nearly a thousand years have passed since the last climate catastrophe that led to the doom of humanity. With the end of the Anthropocene era, the Earth has become a graveyard of human progress. Certain regions of the devastated planet have turned into biological deserts others into extremely cold wastelands or humid areas of toxic vegetation. Most continents have become uninhabitable. In the last centuries before the last extinction, humanity has focused on developing advanced technologies. Efforts towards new nuclear energy sources and artificial intelligence failed to save humanity from its fate. Earth has become an abandoned planet in the heart of the galaxy. But new non-human forms of "life" have slowly taken over the control over Earth. The uncontrolled decay of isotopes left in nuclear reactors and their penetration into the soil led to the formation of new minerals. Three of them — Ether, Deuter, and Plasma — became a source of energy for the machines that humanity left behind.

The robots first gained self-awareness, then independence, and finally new skills. Robots began rebuilding ancient cities, establishing social structures, and experimenting with complex behavior patterns similar to human emotions. With the onset of the 32nd century, it became evident that robots seamlessly assumed roles previously held by humans. The era of the Technocene had begun. Motivated by the bitterness of inheriting a world devastated by its previous inhabitants, robots united to painstakingly rebuild the Earth. However, their peace was short-lived. To rebuild the planet, robots needed more units ready to work. So, for the robots, this meant increasing the consumption of new energy sources. This situation began to raise doubts among the new owners of the planet. Once the robotic kind faced a scarcity of resources and energy shortages, work on rebuilding civilization was interrupted. Fear, anger, and dread once again gripped the planet. Among the robots, factions emerged, embroiled in bitter conflicts over crucial minerals vital for survival. The Great Resources War began, ending the times of peaceful reconstruction.

Previously united, now the robots have divided into hostile factions. Each of them tries to seize control of the last energy sources. The first faction was the authoritarian technocracy Deuter, followed by the separatist party Ether, and finally the anarchist group Plasma. A complete tripartite division of the world occurred. Borders were redrawn once again. Military rule prevailed. Apolitical robots, who did not join any of the groups, were deemed disruptors of the new social order and exiled to resource-depleted areas, beyond the jurisdiction of any faction. The majority of outsiders — alone or in groups — attempt to search for small mineral sources. They fiercely defend their mines and consume their components in minimal energy consumption mode. They await the end of the robot era.

In a world engulfed in war and techno-melancholy, alternative political movements and secret societies have also emerged. One of them is the Order of Hypatia. This is a group of robot-scientists who were previously involved in research on ancient human civilizations and the energy sources they used. The Order of Hypatia consists of representatives from the Ether, Deuter, and Plasma factions, who seek to end the tripartite division and restore the former robo-order. The group argues that the only possible solution to the conflict is to reclaim and refine ancient technologies. The Order of Hypatia believes that renewable energy sources, which humanity abandoned research on, could provide a solution to the contemporary mineral crisis. To this end, they send specially trained military units called "archeologists" to various parts of the world. Their task is to find any possible traces of human engineering knowledge. Unfortunately, most ancient sources of information have been destroyed, and any remnants of human civilization are scattered and hidden. Recently, the Order obtained information about plans for ancient prototypes hidden somewhere in the vast southern desert. One "archeologist" has just been sent there. Will the Robot come back as a Hero?