Melekan was the original homeworld of the Gelt species, once an Earthlike world rich in biodiversity, oceanic systems, and complex civilizations. Over centuries, it succumbed to compounding catastrophes—ecological, political, and scientific—that ultimately rendered it uninhabitable.
Collapse and Final Cataclysm
By the final era of Gelt planetary civilization, Melekan had already been weakened by global war, uncontrolled industrialization, and collapsing social orders. The decisive blow came from a rogue scientific initiative led by physicist Yandal, who attempted to use pulsar-sourced exotic matter to pioneer instantaneous travel. The resulting containment breach ignited a plasma chain reaction that incinerated much of the planet’s surface within hours.
Other simultaneous disasters deepened the devastation:
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A genetically modified suicide-plague bacterium escaped from containment.
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Toxic chemical leaks from shattered industrial zones triggered widespread genetic corruption.
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Multiple nuclear and fusion plants melted down amid global infrastructural collapse.
In a matter of days, Melekan’s biosphere collapsed. The atmosphere became saturated with toxins and radiation, and the surface was rendered a barren, irradiated shell.
Aftermath and Legacy
Melekan’s destruction triggered the Gelt Diaspora and became central to the Realm’s theology and political order. Survivors reorganized into a caste-based society centered on the divinely appointed Sovereign, who claimed the right to lead the species through its self-inflicted apocalypse toward renewal.
By 430 IE, when Marcus Leitman visited the world, it had become a lifeless inferno of fused stone, collapsed spires, and irradiated ruin. A later classified mission by the CNV Endeavour in 439 IE was tasked with recovering pre-cataclysmic genetic and longevity research data—materials thought lost in the initial disaster.
This mission, backed jointly by the Compact and the Realm, proved to be a historic breakthrough. When combined with Tishla’s own post-cataclysmic genetic research, the data retrieved from Melekan made possible true permanent rejuvenation for the Gelt. For the first time in living memory, the species could reverse the genetic degradation that had shadowed them since the planet’s fall—effectively ending the threat of extinction and opening the door to amortality on par with Compact humans.
Cultural Significance
Though functionally dead, Melekan remains sacred to the Gelt. Access is tightly controlled by the Realm, with pilgrimage restricted to approved clergy, scientists, and elite castes. It serves as both a reminder of past sins and a symbol of resilience. Some believe that in reclaiming lost knowledge from Melekan, the Gelt have completed a circle of redemption—turning catastrophe into survival.
The recovery of rejuvenation research has since become part of a new myth: that from the ashes of their first homeworld, the Gelt rediscovered life itself.
Appearances: “Torch the Sky, Storming Amargosa, Davra's Endeavour