The mining moon of Themis, is and has always been, more than it seems. Originally it was discovered by the human Vrozlydian Emperor Zebulon Kosted, who many assumed knew of its existence for many years and only pretended to have found it. He explained to the masses that it had been theorized about on Earth for centuries but only he could actually identify it through his remote viewing abilities. A different kind of technology had made this sighting possible, yet even the most capable of Vrozlydian scientists could only guess as to what it was. The Emperor told many lies like this that no-one could, or wanted to disprove. It was part of his charm but would eventually lead to his downfall.

A scouting vessel was dispatched to its surface by request of Sequiniux Purtinoz, Minister of Mines. A mineral capable of fueling spacecrafts and industrial equipment was quickly found and named themintian. Most Vrozlydians, especially those within the scientific community, saw this as yet another falsified find due to the expediency of its discovery. There was no complaint however for it was good news, was it not? If this ore could be brought to Vrozlyd it would further the pursuits of many projects currently requiring excess energy. The planet would be more prosperous and comfortable than ever before.

The Emperor had different plans for the mined and processed themintian however. There were other inhabited worlds close by that the Vrozlydians had known about for millennia. The attitudes of astronomers and shipbuilders alike before his majesty came to power however was to leave others alone and wish them well. Probes had been sent to study these alien worlds and their inhabitants. Wars and famine, triumph and exaltation, all had been captured and beamed back to Vrozlyd for the population to watch and speculate about. Nothing was kept secret until the Emperor had taken power through fear and intimidation. For all of their positive attributes the Vrozlydians were easily frightened and pacified, never having developed a hierarchy of class or social structure. Most would see this as an accomplishment but His Majesty viewed it as an opportunity.

Zebulon Kosted did not stop the people from viewing life on other worlds or speaking about it. He did not require the broadcasting networks to edit their footage. He simply decided to interpret what was being seen as something the Vrozlydians should be afraid of using propaganda that proved his points with emotion instead of logic. There had never been a reason to use feelings instead of dialectics to make decisions on Vrozlyd in the past. Fear was a powerful tool in his hands, an exacting, opportunistic, quick and direct device at that. This would become a popular theme during his long and bloody reign.

Once the invasions of these worlds began using bio-mechanical slave soldiers as the Imperial legions, broadcasts of these worlds were shut down indefinitely. His Majesty did not want the population seeing what was happening on these planets. To be fair, the Emperor used advanced weaponry and the presence of the Cave Ghoul, now known within the Imperium simply as The Duke of Vrozlyd, to frighten most of the conquered worlds into submission. A few far flung outposts fought for a few years, but even they were subdued using non-lethal means. Using a mining laser meant for drilling hundreds of miles into Themis on an alien monument of considerable size and melting it into a lake of ooze then broadcasting it to a planets largest cities was the Emperor's preferred violence deterrent.

Using the technology of the Vrozlydians and the fuel and power source provided by themintian dozens of planets were subjugated within a few short years. The resources from these planets were also brought back to Vrozlyd for further scientific research and development of new technologies. Within academic circles there was very quiet discussion about what the ultimate goal of all of this extraction and accumulation was. The most popular opinion was that the Emperor was building towards a specific scientific breakthrough, step by step, that had nothing to do with the military or exploration. In a way, the idea of some greater unknown goal fascinated all of the conquered peoples and the Vrozlydians. This human had ambitions beyond comprehension and although they would never be permitted to ask outright what they were it intrigued them.

While working on Themis miners had found alien bones. They were immediately told to keep quiet about it. Near the largest alien burial sites, with more skeletons, there was more themintian. Was this mineral formed from the bones of this planets former inhabitants? Soon specters were seen by many of the workers while on site together. All of the miners knew this was real because many of them had recorded videos of these hauntings. Soon the colonial workers and the Vrozlydian overseers were replaced by new mining robots who knew no fear. Eventually something starting destroying the robots as well. Mining came to a halt.

It had been foretold that Emperor Zebulon Kosted would lose his life on Themis at the hands of King Utryn of Synthos. His Majesty was spending all of his time making music from depression and consulting his obsidian mirror for glimpses of the future. Those closest to him assumed that what he saw was not good news. What kinds of decisions does a tyrant make when he loves his people but knows he will be replaced by a less kind and forgivable despot?