As I pass by massive structures, with unknown functions and goals, I see their guardians, the sleeper drones come to live and give me chase, executing millennia old routines to safeguard their masters and their structures.
Damaged Sleeper Structure
And yet, we capsuleers raid these sites with near impunity, disregarding the damage we wreck upon this strange advanced civilisation. We plunder it for the data we can retrieve, for the advanced materials and technology we can salvage to keep building our strategic cruisers and improving Dust Merc technology.
And in our greed we leave behind a trail of destruction and desolation among the Sleeper civilisation, hundreds, even thousands of structures raided and plundered, their sleeper guardians perished as they were unable to overcome our aggression.
Capsuleers raiding a Sleeper Site
But what if they awake someday? What can we expect when Sleeper drones no longer stick to defend their own sites, but under the influence of their awakened masters start to cooperate, no longer defending sites, but entire systems?
In the end, we know nothing of the advanced technology an awakened Sleeper civilisation can field, but we do know they are much more advanced than us... Much of their technology is still a mystery to us and the little we can duplicate are merely crude versions of the original...
Should this day of Awakening come, then let the Winds be with us as then we'll see the full might and power of Sleeper technology and their wrath will be terrifying but justified.
Then desolation might visit us in return...
Judging by what the first generation clone soldiers had to endure, it is likely that the Sleepers are already awake, or always were.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, they are not really 'sleeping' but rather immersed in some Virtual reality, or perhaps an 'augmented' reality. There's quite some reports of 'awakened' sleepers as well, like the ones you mentioned. But it doesn't seem to stretch out to a national level yet.
DeleteThere's some reports from deep Wormhole systems that do indicate they're getting more organized, but still inconclusive currently.
Right now, most Sleeper sites seem to operate independantly, albeit they are able to escalate their presence when a Capital ship or fleet is deployed against them, showing signs of at least a system-wide defense protocol. But should the Sleepers ever be able to link together their sites, across the Wormhole systems and start to operate at a national level, fighting the invaders (us!), we would be in for a universe of hurt. Right now we claim their moons & planets with impunity and raid their sites with little resistance.