"Cloning will enable mankind to reach eternal life" - Claude Vorilhon, French celebrity.

(30 standard years after the collapse of the First Ones central government)

On a forgotten world in a sector even the most traveled spacer would have difficulty finding on their starmaps, the greatest minds that world had left gathered for a single purpose. Their planet was dying, Their species was dying on they, the greatest experts in all scientific fields that had survived the chaos of the previous decades, were to use their vast knowledge to reverse the decline of their people and world by any means necessary. Magic was immediately ruled out as a potential recourse. The hated First Ones overuse of it had been the chief cause of the devastation that effected their world and indeed countless others. Even if this were not the case, it was determined the planets Magical reserves had been so thoroughly depleted it's use was simply no longer practical.

The scientists divided into two teams, the Botanists, Zoologists and experts in similar fields of study began work on healing the flora and fauna of their world while the rest tackled the problems facing their species specifically. One who quickly emerged as a leader of this second group in particular was a brilliant geneticist who became increasingly outspoken in his belief that cloning was the answer to his peoples ills. If their species' population had been so diminished as to be unable to recover their numbers organically he argued, then the obvious solution was to turn to more artificial methods. His fellow geneticists signed on but the greater population was more hesitant. Cloning had been a controversial practice sense it's introduction by the First Ones conquerors. It's implementation had been limited to plants and non sentient animals. Cultural conservatives had deemed the process "unnatural" and an "overreach of the scientific community". This debate had only intensified when the cloning process became so perfected that the clones could reproduce with a natural born specimen and eventually even with each other.

It was this success that emboldened scientists to declare they would began to implement cloning of their species. This took the debate from a largely cultural issue to the political realm. Should the government allow private groups to essentially grow their own people? What if any regulations should be imposed? Should the government claim sole cloning rights for itself? What rights should these clones be afforded? Should they be given the full rights as a natural born citizen and was it morally acceptable to do any less. So many important questions, none of which had been answered before the breakup of the First Ones empire had brought the discussion to a urgent halt.

The geneticist and his fellows argued that time for such debate had passed. Such ethical quandaries were rendered irrelevant in face of the imminent catastrophe their people faced. Especially since the damage to the planet itself was proving harder to heal then initially expected, meaning it was possible that they would have to consider evacuating the planet. The debate ended without resolution and with tempers flaring on both sides. The geneticist and those siding with him vowed to look into cloning as a solution whether or not the others helped them.

And so it continued for a time until, as it always does, disaster struck. One of the virologists had been experimenting with a way to fortify their species immune system but during their work had inadvertently released a deadly contagion. It spread quickly throughout the densely populated facility and before long the geneticist was the only one left alive. Using what little time he had left he enacted a desperate plan. Using a mind transfer device created by a now deceased neuroscientist, his plan was to upload his mind into the body of the one successful clone that had been created from his dna. With the last of his strength he attached them both to the machine, said a quick prayer to whomever might be listening and activated the machine

He slowly opened his eyes. He sat up to remove the device attached to him before before looking around the room. What had happened? He was struggling to recall his own recent actions. His confusion went away as his eyes went to the controls of the strange machine he had been hooked to and saw himself. Recollection washed over him as he recalled his desperate -though apparently successful- gambit. He had done it! He had achieved something without parallel in the history of his people! This opened a whole series of possibilities for the preservation of his species. They were about to enter a whole new phase of their civilization!

And he would lead them there.