The Cycle

"The Cycle" is a phrase used to refer to a periodic rise and fall in supercivilizations, like those of the Old Race or the Primarchs. Prior to the Old Race, it seemed as though a civilization would rise to the peak of its power over trillions of years before ultimately extinguishing itself, either through technological destruction, societal suffocation, civil war, or other means. Following a period of quiet, a new civilization would then arise.

Prior to the current era, the Old Race were the dominant supercivilization up to about 16 trillion years ago. Before them, the Primarchs reigned supereme before receding, although their ultimate death blow was struck by the Old Race, who attacked them at their weakest. The Primarchs, therefore, succeeded another race known as the Viusti, although little to nothing is known about them.

The Old Race managed to break this cycle by creating the Gatekeepers, which suppressed budding species like the Alinteans or the Rhurni, preventing them from leaving their home solar system. By the time the Alinteans broke free and destroyed the Gatekeepers, and went on a campaign to annihilate them permanently, many civilizations had reached spacefaring status. Freeing the Gatekeepers, therefore, caused an explosion of life into the Galaxy, staring with the Alinteans, Rhurni, Heil, Ragans and Zetans. This is the first time in Galactic history, fossil record or chronal record that multiple races have coexisted in space. Prior to this, the supercivilizations usually displaced other races, either by forcing them out of the Galaxy entirely (a possible origin to The Silent Ones), annihilating them through combat and conquest, or by assimilating them.