Aliyums
As of 2320 it is unknown where the Aliyums came from, or what they called themselves. The name is a Grawla word derived from the Human Language that has come to be used as their official-unofficial name.
Over the past few hundred years the Aliyum's robots have interacted with the Grawla and the Humans in the Hawking System. These Aliyum Constructs seem to be dependent on their creators for higher level guidance, and are currently carrying out their last high level instruction to prepare for their creator's arrival. While it seems they expect their creators to be nearby, they have not been observed by either the Grawla or the Humans. Similarly, the Aliyums calls for their creators to handle diplomacy with these found species are met with silence.
History
A Brief History of Aliyum Activity
Currently there is not much known about the Aliyums. Much of them has been destroyed during the first Aliyum war, the newly Arrived Azathoth is particularly stubborn about sharing information, and the Daqin seem dedicated to destroying as much of them as possible which has hampered scientific efforts. What is know is pieced together from Grawla and Human accounts of the Aliyums.
Currently there is not much known about the Aliyums. Much of them has been destroyed during the first Aliyum war, the newly Arrived Azathoth is particularly stubborn about sharing information, and the Daqin seem dedicated to destroying as much of them as possible which has hampered scientific efforts. What is know is pieced together from Grawla and Human accounts of the Aliyums.
Around 800 CE
Research and Carbon Dating on Aliyum artifacts put the oldest of the materials used in Aliyum constructs at around 1500 years old. This seems to indicate that the Aliyum colonization fleet started production around 800 CE.
Around 2000 CE
Sometime around 2000 CE, the Aliyum Fleet passed by a planetoid that had been ejected into deep space which was on a course to pass near the Hawking System. They would deposit Aliyum Constructs onto this planetoid as they passed by, leading to the eventual creation of Azathoth.
Around 2100 CE
First Contact with the Aliyums happened around 2100 on the Planet Hawking between the Grawla and a colony fleet sent to that system using STL methods. Their hundred+ year trip resulted in the Aliyum Invasion of Hawking which would end with the destruction of the Aliyum colony fleet by the Grawla. While the destruction of the fleet would mostly bring an end to the activity of the Aliyum's robots planetside, many would still remain in operation for the years to come albeit in small numbers.
2200-2210 CE
The Grawla's interaction with the Humans of Hawking popularize the Grawla using the term 'Aliyums', a bastardization of the human word 'Aliens' to refer to the Aliyums.
2320 CE
In 2320 Azathoth would arrive in the Hawking System. This planetoid had been converted into a massive supply-ship with the intent of aiding the Aliyum colonization efforts, only to find no Aliyum colony. The Grawla and The Magnetic Assembly would both send expeditions to Azathoth, while the Empire of Daqin would send a strike force to capture or destroy the planetoid. The resulting conflict would see the Daqin's main force scattered, but not destroyed and extensive damage done to the upper levels of Azathoth itself.
The efforts of The Edward Deming would result in some limited communication being established with a construct from the first Aliyum war that was being contained by the Grawla, and Azathoth being re-routed to the second planet of the Hawking System instead of Hawking itself.
Research and Superluminal Forensics have been used to determine the likely origin system of Azathoth and the Aliyum ships from the first Aliyum War, though an expedition to this star system has been delayed by the outbreak of war between the American Union and The Magnetic Assembly
Research Notes
Research Note #1- Dr. Quarum Wazu
We still have no clues as to what the Aliyum's original name is, nor do we have any examples of pronunciation of the Aliyum's original language. Even with the Grawla warming up to us the Aliyum's don't embelish their tools or workspaces with text or art so the artifacts they have provided for study haven't given us any further clues to what their language might be like. The Grawla gave them a number of different names in the early days, most of which were very descriptive: Star-Machines, Abduction-Mimics, Star-Invaders, etc. These names all come from before the time that Grawla in general understood that these were all from the same creators. During the first Aliyum war the Grawla name for them became "The Alien Robots". In the early 2200s the Grawla got their first taste of the English word 'Alien'. The common story is that they heard us refer to the robots as Aliens and ended up applying the English word specifically to the Alien Robots from the 2100s. The Grawla found the pronunciation 'Aliyum' much easier than their own words and it quickly spread throughout the population. Conversely, once the Alien Robots returned in 2321 the Grawla name ended up crossing back over to the Humans who ended up adopting it.
Now everyone just calls them 'Aliyums'
