First Contact, the Tirtris

The technology that went into the communications cube was the first they had been able to attain. The cubes didn't come about for quite some time afterwards but this was one of the first alien technologies the Klatvix acquired. It was through their dabbling with technology that they picked up a signal being transmitted, it was an open, unencrypted signal looking for alien life, much like what humans used to do in hopes of finding another alien species, however this one actually did what it was trying to do. When they picked up the signal they used the information provided in it, which included instructions for making a transmitter to send a message back, to further their development. It was probably around this time when they had this major boost to their technology that they grew hungry for more. When the aliens who sent the original message received the reply they had advanced quite a bit since that message was sent and so they actually traveled to meet with the Klatvix. Before their departure they sent another message informating them that they would be coming to visit, the message arrived in days instead of years but the ship would take much longer to arrive. The updated information sent with the second message advanced the Klatvix even farther, they could now communicate with these aliens with only days of delay instead of having to teach the next generation to wait for the message, they used this to their advantage and inquired of what they could construct in anticipation for their arrival. The aliens, being so excited about making contact, didn't think much of the request and quickly sent back some specs for a space station for the ship to dock at, the ship would be far too large to actually touch down on the planet and if there were a space station they wouldn't have any problems in their visit. They also figured that having it done would save them some years before they could properly interact with this new, advancing race. The Klatvix began designing their station using the information they were given, but they had no ships to perform the work, so once again they expressed their interest in helping and explained that they didn't have ships capable of doing this. Once again the aliens sent them the information they needed, after that all was quiet for the years it took to make the trip. It was this race of aliens that had started the Klatvix's ability to travel among their own solar system and gave them the information they needed to prepare for conquering them.

When the aliens finally arrived the station had been finished for quite a few months and the Klatvix ships had evolved a bit beyond the original specs sent, which pleased the aliens. Upon arrival they introduced themselves as the Tirtris and expressed their joy at having found an alien species advanced enough to receive and understand their message. The first couple of months with the Klatvix was a pleasure, they were treated to the finest things that they had to offer and talked freely of their technology and their sciences. The Klatvix learned quickly, taking note of everything in books and drawings and collecting samples when they were available. They learned much of the universe from the Tirtris and began advancing their technology farther. It wasn't until the Klatvix asked about defenses and weapons that the Tirtris quickly learned that this race wasn't quite as advanced as they had hoped. The Tirtris had long ago evolved beyond conflict and used their technology for bettering the lives of their people, but with a simple question about defenses and weapons they figured out that the Klatvix were still suffering from the desire for war and conquest, they talked to them about this, trying to help them understand that there was a better way, but when the Klatvix learned that they were not going to get any additional advantages from these aliens they wasted little time in deploying the ships they had kept hidden, the Tirtris didn't have time to respond to any of it and their ship was quickly destroyed and the visitors taken as slaves to help the Klatvix advance. Unfortunately the Klatvix knew now where their home world was as well and worked diligently to prepare some ships to make the trip there and destroy it, fearing that there would be more Tirtris coming to take revenge for what they had done, but the Tirtris had no idea what was coming.

When the Klatvis ships arrived they found a world that was disarmed, there were no defenses and no weapons and so they took it, enslaving the people and forcing them to mine the planet dry. After years of working in these conditions the Tirtris were dying off and their planet with them, all life had been destroyed so that the Klatvix would be able to continue developing their ships and technology. It was towards the end of this world's life that they received a response to the Tirtris signal from another alien race, and realizing they could once again conquer a world and take its resources they responded, posing as the Tirtris. So it was, that with one group of aliens, not realizing the damage they could cause, had advanced another alien race to the point where they could go out and begin their conquest of other races and worlds. After reading over all the history this cube contained about the origins of its technology I made note of where the Tirtris world was, I didn't anticipate finding any survivors, but I had to see what had become of the planet when the Klatvix abandoned it.