History
About 1500 years ago from the day Samus arrives on the planet Elysia, the Chozo created SkyTown, a research station that is composed of many linked facility pods of varying sizes. They built these to study the universe but also to monitor for any potential threat or oddity. It stretches across a portion of the planet’s upper atmosphere, which is dominated by highly energised electrical storms and strong winds, a perfect world to harvest energy from and receive a continuous supply of it. According to unused lore, Elysia is a gas giant which makes perfect sense due to the ever-raging storms as well as unknown and noxious substances that make up its atmosphere, similar to Jupiter in our own solar system. During the first five decades, they gained great knowledge about the universe around them, but they also realised that they could not keep the station maintained for much longer. The hostile weather of Elysia proved to be harsher than they thought. As any scientist with limited research time, they started solving this problem by creating the first Elysian, which was called the First, and many more followed. But the more SkyTown expanded, new problems erupted and persisted. Therefore, within just a few years, they upgraded the First to become self-aware. The First realised that in order to maintain the station it would have to grant the Chozo relief from their burdens so that they can focus on their research, and thus linked with the other Elysians to share this gift amongst them.
The Elysian dawn began around 1450-1440 years ago (0 EE = Elysian Era) and together with their creators they handled maintenance which allowed the Chozo to explore unhindered. Eventually probes and satellites were launched in all directions, each gathering valuable information about planets, stars and anything else the Chozo wanted to know more about. At some point between the years 0-400 EE, a female Chozo Searcher (Astronomer) managed to recover very limited but valuable intelligence from a probe thought to have been lost. Analysing the data, she learned that there was a unique sentient planet that sadly was too distant even by Chozo standards. The probe likely malfunctioned soon after and nothing more was uncovered. For unknown reasons, by the year 400 EE, the Chozo decided to leave SkyTown and entrust it and its purpose to the Elysians, a science haven for any knowledge-seeking alien. Besides being told to assist any visitor seeking more knowledge, the Chozo Searcher tasked the Elysians with the mission to find the truth about this strange world. Having been self-aware for about 400 years by this time, I’m curious if the Elysians ever questioned their creators on why they had to depart, or if they blindly accepted the unfolding events because now they had a mission granted to them?
Around 600 EE, both fuel and vital materials were lacking as the population increased over the centuries. Smaller new mechanoids were programmed to process new fuel from the atmosphere, but still wasn’t enough. They then entered standby mode, linking themselves to the entire network of the station, receiving and processing new data in this state. Among this data, it became known that the Chozo had found a new home in Tallon IV, unfortunately, a Leviathan struck the planet not long thereafter. The corruption that spread killed most of the Chozo and the Elysians were helpless to do anything other than to observe the calamity. Survivors disappeared to an unknown location in space and the Elysians never saw a trace of them ever again. In the year 1435 EE, a group of Galactic Federation troops discovered and arrived in SkyTown. The Elysians awakened and took defensive positions, but quickly learned that these humans were not hostile and both parties negotiated and formed the Treaty of Elysia. In exchange for fuel and much needed resources, the Galactic Federation installed Aurora Unit 217 shortly after because they could no longer resist the harsh atmospheric conditions of the planet.
The Aurora Unit was linked to the station, gaining control over it and the Elysians. Now connected, both sides transferred and gathered data from one another. A few months before Samus’s arrival, they detected a Leviathan striking a distant planet in a nearby galaxy, most likely the Pirate Homeworld. Not before long, Aether, Bryyo and Elysia were next, and if that wasn’t enough, the Space Pirates located the eastern sections of SkyTown and attacked once the Leviathan had struck Elysia’s core. The Elysians found that Phazon sustained and empowered the pirates unlike any other life-form observed before, but soon enough, both the Aurora Unit and most of the remaining Elysians were corrupted too. Fortunately, they managed to identify the unknown planet to be Phaaze, but sadly were unable to transfer this information to the Galactic Federation since the Aurora Unit was disabled. Ghor was sent as a last measure of resort but even he fell to the corruption. History of the Elysians was recorded in data pods by Elysian (its name), the descendant of the First.
Physiology
Sentient mechanoids, likely based on a type of neurorobotics combined with advanced gas turbine technology of Chozo origin; that presumably make use of the gases in the Elysian atmosphere. They do not have a standard model to be considered the most prominent one, and they come in all shapes and sizes, each having specific orders to assist both their creators and the research station. The First could possibly have been an older model of the Steamlords which currently seem to have the highest authority in SkyTown, excluding the Aurora Unit. Steamlords resemble renaissance-like thin Chozo with a node-resembling head, similar arms, two sharp blade-like parts that go straight downwards from the nether parts of its torso, two exhaust pipe instruments on its upper back and a second node coming from its core (also connected to its main head forming a magnet shaped part). They hover, can cloak themselves (perhaps through manipulation of gases and electric power), and commands, repairs and maintains all other Elysians. Steamlords are also able to generate EMP fields as a disruptive measure against enemies, shoot bolts of electricity and have a cape connected to its “head” that either has some important function or is just there for decorative purposes. They primarily control Steambots, the standard defence unit, but created numerous smaller Elysians like Vaporwings (small hovering circular mechanoids that probably functioned as pollution cleaners) and Steamspiders to conduct different tasks.
Culture and Technology
While the Elysians themselves are a technological marvel, the majority of what they possess is of Chozo design as well. As stated earlier, the entire SkyTown is one big research station composed of several interconnected areas like East SkyTown and other parts Samus never visited. The Leviathan had destroyed big portions of the station once it entered the atmosphere, including many of the transports called Skytrams, spherical platforms that were connected to electric ziplines between distant areas, with only one functional today. These ziplines are also present between smaller distances which small hovering Elysians maintain. There are also wheel-based versions of these same mechanoids going around mainly the inner areas of the station, maintaining and repairing any damage. One could say that the Elysian culture is purely industrial and information based. There are many holographic projectors around the station, each made to monitor important areas. A Chozo Statue holding the Spider Ball technology can be found in the Powerworks room, an engineering facility. Rails that the Spider Ball can be used on are found all over the station, obviously important enough to keep it sealed from unauthorised figures of any kind. Several Kinetic Orb Cannons can also be found around the station as another means for transportation, to areas where the electric ziplines are either damaged or non-available. Ever since the Treaty of Elysia was formed, there are also traces of Galactic Federation technology in the mix, most notably the Aurora Unit and what else it might have added or changed around the station.
Weaponry and War
Defence Drones were one of the largest Elysians and were made purely to defend key areas in SkyTown. They were large bipedal machines with an armoured core that contains internal weaponry like bomb launchers, three moving antennas at the back and a huge high energy steam-based cannon coming out from underneath its core. The only war they participated in was the one against the Space Pirates when they invaded the station. It is unknown if the Elysians had any heavy artillery-based weapons that protected the station from flying or interplanetary forces, but even so, they would have been greatly outmatched seeing as the pirates took control over Eastern SkyTown with ease. The main line of defence were Steamlords and Steambots. Most of their involvement regarding wars and enemy threats in general have been to assist the Federation with intelligence gathered by their scattered satellites and probes. Helios, one out of possibly a few amount of units were war machines that protected SkyTown, most except one were probably destroyed by Ghor and the Space Pirates, and the Leviathan keeping one as a guardian.
Future
Since the Leviathan was destroyed by Samus, it is very likely that the Elysians will try to rebuild and possibly expand SkyTown once more with the aid of the Galactic Federation. But, since Aurora Unit 217 is still in command of both the station and the Elysians, can they truly become independent? Would they create their own purpose if SkyTown disappeared one day? I personally think they would, after all, the Chozo did everything in their power to obtain knowledge, often reckless despite their supposed wisdom, and that part of them is also imprinted into the Elysians. The Elysians were created out of necessity and programmed to primarily unburden the Chozo with anything that wasted their time from exploring. Self-awareness was granted to ease this situation over time but instead of treating them like slaves, they were regarded as their children in a way, just like with Metroids. Freedom for the Elysians might just be the same as their creator’s, perhaps learning from their mistakes along the way, choosing to be a bit more cautious in their search for unlimited knowledge and avoiding certain doom from reckless unending thirst.
Written by Quadraxis
