Confused about the Tau system and the void

[(PSN)DEAD_LOCK55]

So, I know the Tau system is, like, the sentient' homeworld but I'm just confused about one thing: why did the sentients need to go into the void? Was the Tau system past the void? Was the void just a way to get there faster? Like hyper speed, or was something/someone compelling them to enter the void? 

I'd appreciate if someone could explain this to me.

Thnx in advance.

[Numerikuu]

I assume they used the Void to get there faster, like some kind of hyper speed. Mainly because the solar rails are powered by void energy and used in the same manner within the origin system, but it's limited just to that system.

[(XBOX)C11H22O11]

Pretty sure the first time the sentients went to Tau was the slow way while building a solar rail on their way there, since they were made to do that and endure the journey something Orokin couldn't really do

[Dhrekr]

15 minutes ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

Was the void just a way to get there faster

Passing through the Void is the only known way to travel faster than light. The Void itself is an alternate dimension with different laws of physics where this sort of time/space manipulation is possible.

This is made entirely clear by Albrecht Entrati's log, or by the fact that our Railjack has a... certain piece... inside of its Reliquiary.

[Loza03]

There's no way to travel faster than light according to relativity, and this holds true for the Warframe universe as well. The Orokin get around this by using the void to cheat - the laws of physics don't exist in a conventional form in the void, so if you do the right sort of prep work, you can completely flaunt normal restrictions. This is how FTL travel works in the Warframe universe - you use the void either as a shortcut or a speed booster (or both).

The Sentients can't use the void because it's poison to them. So they'd be limited to conventional space travel. In theory, this blocks them off, as even before you consider the durations required to get there, there's other barriers like space dust shredding or obliterating your craft and the incredibly precise calculations needed to actually aim the launch properly (You've got two different targets an unimaginably vast distance apart and so comparatively small so even the tiniest flaw will send you wildly off course - and they're both moving in different directions). The Sentients just figured out exactly how long they could spend in the void was just enough.

[(PSN)DEAD_LOCK55]

8 minutes ago, (XB1)C11H22O11 said:

Pretty sure the first time the sentients went to Tau was the slow way while building a solar rail on their way there, since they were made to do that and endure the journey something Orokin couldn't really do

What does a solar rail do?

[devildevil21]

The sentient were sent to tau with the goal of colonization without going through the void. In the old war/sentient invasion, they did, however, jump through the void into the solar system to attack the orokin by surprise.

And yes, consider the void as a tool for hyper-speed/portals, but the cost on the sentient body for crossing the void is their reproduction capabilities.

[Loza03]

1 minute ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

What does a solar rail do?

It's not 100% clear, but it's basically the means by which any long-distance void travel is made possible. Similar to a Mass Relay in Mass Effect. Given the name, I personally believe they work by projecting some 'real world' physics into the void, so craft that enter the void have means to navigate properly whilst still being able to ignore relativity. Leaving its effects would mean you're liable to get lost or unable to come out entirely.

[(PSN)DEAD_LOCK55]

28 minutes ago, Loza03 said:

It's not 100% clear, but it's basically the means by which any long-distance void travel is made possible. Similar to a Mass Relay in Mass Effect. Given the name, I personally believe they work by projecting some 'real world' physics into the void, so craft that enter the void have means to navigate properly whilst still being able to ignore relativity. Leaving its effects would mean you're liable to get lost or unable to come out entirely.

So a solar rail is like a waypoint?

[(XBOX)C11H22O11]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

So a solar rail is like a waypoint?

You know the junctions, we activate solar rails when we finish them, they basically allow for easy travel between places, it's how we can be on earth then go to Sedna* in a minute or two

[Loza03]

2 minutes ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

So a solar rail is like a waypoint?

Seems to serve some kind of double duty between that and as a railway in and of itself, yes.

[(PSN)robotwars7]

31 minutes ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

What does a solar rail do?

basically shoots you to another planet, literally, using Void energy. the rails were designed by the Orokin to travel across the system and colonize planets. as others have said, the Void doesn't have the same laws of physics that our plane of existence does, in fact it seems more like anything goes when it comes to the void. the problem is that if a void jump goes wrong, it goes HORRIBLY wrong, which is what happened to the Tenno in the first place: the Zariman 10-0 incident. 

generally speaking, Time and/or inter-dimensional travel is usually a bad idea. the easier and cheaper solution would have been to reach a point with Cryotechnology where you can reliably keep people on ice for hundreds of years, and then just have them go into stasis until the ship reaches it's destination. but the Orokin thought they knew better than everyone else, so here we are.

[Kaotyke]

1 hour ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

So, I know the Tau system is, like, the sentient' homeworld but I'm just confused about one thing: why did the sentients need to go into the void? Was the Tau system past the void? Was the void just a way to get there faster? Like hyper speed, or was something/someone compelling them to enter the void? 

I'd appreciate if someone could explain this to me.

Thnx in advance.

Dude, Tau is a real Solar System. Its has the closest yellow star (Tau Ceti) to Sol. Scientists say that one of its planet's is in the habitable zone.

The way Void Travel here works is the same as Mass Effect Relays. They make a Corridor to make travel much, MUCH faster. The Sentients got there the old fashioned way: throught real space.

The Void is a different DIMENSION. The Way Void Travel works here is by folding space, getting into the Void and getting back out at the destination.

Sentients who enter the Void, even briefly, are sterilized and it likely hurts like a *@##$. But those who are already sterille likely bear with it and just use it. Those who never did make the sacrifice to never bear children again (and get a *@##$ of a pain dose), but its the way they can get back and forth from Sol to Tauin a timely manner.

How are the Sentients in Tau fairing? We have no idea WTF they are doing.

[(PSN)DEAD_LOCK55]

But the thing is, why make an ENTIRE sentient race that can think for itself and reproduce?

[Loza03]

7 minutes ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

But the thing is, why make an ENTIRE sentient race that can think for itself and reproduce?

They didn't. At least not on purpose.

Spoiler

The rifles at my back tried to urge me inside. Old faces filled the dome’s projections, immense and god-like. I walked into the center of the room and the scorched scent choked my lungs. All around me they watched, bored, as I knelt upon the darkened judgement disc.

The projection of Executor Ballas swelled large in front of me. I could see his purity, his symmetry, the beauty of his glittering gold irises. His voice thundered, “The principles are clear. Your sentence is death. May the Void forgive you.”

As the judgement disc began to light I stood, took a deep breath and spoke, “She will not forgive you.”

Laughter broke out among the faces of the dome. Other’s asked “what did he say?” Ballas only smiled, “You challenge us, Archimedian?”

“I do. Kill me and the Empire you are sworn to uphold dies with me.”

Ballas turned his head as the judgement disc went suddenly dark, “An appeal comes at a price. Should you fail, you and your corpus will pay dearly.”

“They already suffer in this growing wasteland. They have already paid. Will you also sacrifice the royal futures by ignoring my solution?”

“Your solution is an abomination, like you, it will be annihilated.” Ballas motioned to a guard in the corner, “Present the evidence.”

The chamber doors opened and a mass of guards entered, guns trained inward. As they reached the center, they parted, revealing a small cart. Atop the cart was a motionless creature, no larger than a hand. Its body was symmetrical, star-shaped with a seamless, matte-black shell.

A new projection, that of Executor Tuvul ballooned into the space, “It looks harmless.”

“Harmless?” Ballas boomed in Tuvul’s direction. He turned to the center of the dome, “Show them.”

On command, the guards backed away from the cart and readied their weapons. Their leader took careful aim and fired a whisper round into the body of my creation. Two of the limbs tore off the frame revealing a glossy, gelatinous interior.

Silence gripped the dome as Tuvul shook his head. Then suddenly, the creature moved, convulsed, the hard surface started undulating. In a moment the wound closed and the thing was whole again. Beside it another machine had grown from its severed parts. Their surfaces had changed however - brighter, harder, resilient to whisper rounds now.

Ballas looked triumphant as voting lights began to appear on the judgement disc.

My green death was coming, so I roared at them, “Did our ancestors, burned by fire, reject its power? No. They conquered their fear and learned to control it. The Seven Principles are a joke.”

His projection swooped down to me, “The Orokin is the law and the law is the Orokin. We are unbending. Your appeal is denied.”

Tuvul interrupted, “Our laws are sacred but do not forget The Plan, Ballas.” His visage turned down to me, “Countless other ventures have failed The Plan, how will this machine fulfill its design?”

I tried to catch my breath and speak, “The crossing to the Tau system is perilous. Adaptation and replication are the only way a terraforming journey can be made. They will build an interstellar rail as they travel, they will adapt to the host planet and prepare it for our arrival. They will save you.”

Tuvul peered down at me, “And when it completes its task, what will prevent it from turning against us, as the Seven Principles say?”

“The flaw.”

Tuvul’s eyes narrowed, “The flaw?”

“The Void is poison to them. Once they have reached Tau they will be marooned there. To travel the rail here would destroy them. Whatever the risks, the Origin system will be-”

Ballas shouted, “Enough! Dereliction of the law threatens the entire empire. Which one of you will risk this?” Ballas was growing increasingly frustrated.

“The empire is already at risk,” cried the shrill voice of another Executor, “Or perhaps you haven’t noticed from your cozy position on Mars.” To this there was a round of applause and the judgement disk remained unchanged.

“Ballas, you lack consensus.” shouted Executor Tuvul.

His projection seemed to shrink smaller until he finally broke his silence, “Archimedian Perintol, against my better judgement,” his disgust was palpable, “Your appeal has been accepted. You are free to go.”

One by one the projections of each Executor in the Tribunal flickered off and the guards ushered me into the hall. There I stood, rapt with shock when I heard his footsteps behind me.

“You did better than I thought you would,” it was Ballas, the man, not the projection. “It would seem nobody truly knows they want a thing until you threaten to take it away.” He broke into a smile, “Wouldn’t you agree, Archimedian?”

 

[Corvid]

34 minutes ago, Loza03 said:

They didn't. At least not on purpose.

What's interesting about that entry is that it starts with the execution of a female Archimedian, and ends with Ballas revealing that his opposition to the Sentient project was an act. Given what we know of Ballas from the Sacrifice quest, if the Archimedian in question was Margulis...

Spoiler

Ballas set up the downfall of the Orokin mere minutes after his wife's execution.

 

[(PSN)guzmantt1977]

1 hour ago, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

So, I know the Tau system is, like, the sentient' homeworld but I'm just confused about one thing: why did the sentients need to go into the void? Was the Tau system past the void? Was the void just a way to get there faster? Like hyper speed, or was something/someone compelling them to enter the void? 

I'd appreciate if someone could explain this to me.

Thnx in advance.

The Tau system is a place light years away from our Solar system. Travelling that far in real space would take a long, long time. The Orokin made the Sentiments to build relays along the way and ultimately terraform the planets there. They needed self replicating machines which could repair and replace themselves as needed, so the sentinels are basically Von Neumann probes. 

The idea was, "1)send them out; 2)wait a long time; 3)use the relays to get there in far less time; 4)get rid of the sentients?; 5)probably enjoy the new planet until it becomes trash". There was always a risk of the machines turning on us, but the Orokin designed them so that if they tried to use the gates to come back, they would lose the ability to self replicate. 

The machines decided to send some of their number back to attack the Orokin anyway, hence the old war. They were mostly successful but the final part of the plan wasn't carried out, and the small force was effectively wiped out. The rest of the machines seem to have decided to come finish the job. 

 

Along the way, some of the rejected machines, ones that had adapted in useful ways, but not achieved sentience, and somehow got split off of the group. A group of them were discovered and while they were suspected to be dangerous, seemed to be following people around and, trying to make themselves as useful as possible in their own specific ways. They are our sentinelsm

[Loza03]

Just now, Corvid said:

What's interesting about that entry is that it starts with the execution of a female Archimedian, and ends with Ballas revealing that his opposition to the Sentient project was an act. Given what we know of Ballas from the Sacrifice quest, if the Archimedian in question was Margulis...

  Reveal hidden contents

Ballas set up the downfall of the Orokin mere minutes after his wife's execution.

 

It wasn't though. Timeline doesn't add up. The Sentients pre-date the Tenno, because the Tenno were sent out on a Colonisation effort, and the Sentients were the setup for that. Margulis must be alive in order for her to care for the Tenno, and for that to be implanted in the Tenno's memories for Natah to mimic. In this entry, we see the creation of the Sentients, so the Tenno don't exist yet.

Also, there's no evidence that Margulis ever worked on the Crewmen project, or was a Geneticist. She worked on the Warframe project for a time, yes, but also on Transference pre-dating that, indicating she may have been more of a void scientist or psychologist.

[(PSN)guzmantt1977]

2 minutes ago, Loza03 said:

It wasn't though. Timeline doesn't add up. The Sentients pre-date the Tenno, because the Tenno were sent out on a Colonisation effort, and the Sentients were the setup for that. Margulis must be alive in order for her to care for the Tenno, and for that to be implanted in the Tenno's memories for Natah to mimic. In this entry, we see the creation of the Sentients, so the Tenno don't exist yet.

Also, there's no evidence that Margulis ever worked on the Crewmen project, or was a Geneticist. She worked on the Warframe project for a time, yes, but also on Transference pre-dating that, indicating she may have been more of a void scientist or psychologist.

[AltairFerenc]

The orokin sent the sentien to Tau to terramorf it but they rebeled because they were treated like sh*t.
What I don't understand is how they started 2 wars when they suppused to be allergic to the void or something like that if I remember correctly.

[Corvid]

Just now, Loza03 said:

The Sentients pre-date the Tenno, because the Tenno were sent out on a Colonisation effort,

Is it stated anywhere that the Sentients were the first colonisation effort? For all we know, the Zariman might have been an earlier attempt whose failure made the Orokin reluctant to try again, until they became desperate enough to make the Sentients.

 

[Loza03]

Just now, Corvid said:

Is it stated anywhere that the Sentients were the first colonisation effort? For all we know, the Zariman might have been an earlier attempt whose failure made the Orokin reluctant to try again, until they became desperate enough to make the Sentients.

 

Margulis was nevertheless still alive during the creation of the Warframes, as confirmed in the Silver Grove, which we also know were created in direct response to the Old War. The Old War was Orokin vs Sentients, so she can't have died before the creation of the Sentients.

[(PSN)guzmantt1977]

11 minutes ago, Corvid said:

Is it stated anywhere that the Sentients were the first colonisation effort? For all we know, the Zariman might have been an earlier attempt whose failure made the Orokin reluctant to try again, until they became desperate enough to make the Sentients.

 

That piece of lore shows that adaptation was new to the Orokin at the time, and the flaw matches what the sentients have. 

[(PSN)DEAD_LOCK55]

21 minutes ago, Corvid said:

What's interesting about that entry is that it starts with the execution of a female Archimedian, and ends with Ballas revealing that his opposition to the Sentient project was an act. Given what we know of Ballas from the Sacrifice quest, if the Archimedian in question was Margulis...

1 hour ago, Loza03 said:

The rifles at my back tried to urge me inside. Old faces filled the dome’s projections, immense and god-like. I walked into the center of the room and the scorched scent choked my lungs. All around me they watched, bored, as I knelt upon the darkened judgement disc.

The projection of Executor Ballas swelled large in front of me. I could see his purity, his symmetry, the beauty of his glittering gold irises. His voice thundered, “The principles are clear. Your sentence is death. May the Void forgive you.”

As the judgement disc began to light I stood, took a deep breath and spoke, “She will not forgive you.”

Laughter broke out among the faces of the dome. Other’s asked “what did he say?” Ballas only smiled, “You challenge us, Archimedian?”

“I do. Kill me and the Empire you are sworn to uphold dies with me.”

Ballas turned his head as the judgement disc went suddenly dark, “An appeal comes at a price. Should you fail, you and your corpus will pay dearly.”

“They already suffer in this growing wasteland. They have already paid. Will you also sacrifice the royal futures by ignoring my solution?”

“Your solution is an abomination, like you, it will be annihilated.” Ballas motioned to a guard in the corner, “Present the evidence.”

The chamber doors opened and a mass of guards entered, guns trained inward. As they reached the center, they parted, revealing a small cart. Atop the cart was a motionless creature, no larger than a hand. Its body was symmetrical, star-shaped with a seamless, matte-black shell.

A new projection, that of Executor Tuvul ballooned into the space, “It looks harmless.”

“Harmless?” Ballas boomed in Tuvul’s direction. He turned to the center of the dome, “Show them.”

On command, the guards backed away from the cart and readied their weapons. Their leader took careful aim and fired a whisper round into the body of my creation. Two of the limbs tore off the frame revealing a glossy, gelatinous interior.

Silence gripped the dome as Tuvul shook his head. Then suddenly, the creature moved, convulsed, the hard surface started undulating. In a moment the wound closed and the thing was whole again. Beside it another machine had grown from its severed parts. Their surfaces had changed however - brighter, harder, resilient to whisper rounds now.

Ballas looked triumphant as voting lights began to appear on the judgement disc.

My green death was coming, so I roared at them, “Did our ancestors, burned by fire, reject its power? No. They conquered their fear and learned to control it. The Seven Principles are a joke.”

His projection swooped down to me, “The Orokin is the law and the law is the Orokin. We are unbending. Your appeal is denied.”

Tuvul interrupted, “Our laws are sacred but do not forget The Plan, Ballas.” His visage turned down to me, “Countless other ventures have failed The Plan, how will this machine fulfill its design?”

I tried to catch my breath and speak, “The crossing to the Tau system is perilous. Adaptation and replication are the only way a terraforming journey can be made. They will build an interstellar rail as they travel, they will adapt to the host planet and prepare it for our arrival. They will save you.”

Tuvul peered down at me, “And when it completes its task, what will prevent it from turning against us, as the Seven Principles say?”

“The flaw.”

Tuvul’s eyes narrowed, “The flaw?”

“The Void is poison to them. Once they have reached Tau they will be marooned there. To travel the rail here would destroy them. Whatever the risks, the Origin system will be-”

Ballas shouted, “Enough! Dereliction of the law threatens the entire empire. Which one of you will risk this?” Ballas was growing increasingly frustrated.

“The empire is already at risk,” cried the shrill voice of another Executor, “Or perhaps you haven’t noticed from your cozy position on Mars.” To this there was a round of applause and the judgement disk remained unchanged.

“Ballas, you lack consensus.” shouted Executor Tuvul.

His projection seemed to shrink smaller until he finally broke his silence, “Archimedian Perintol, against my better judgement,” his disgust was palpable, “Your appeal has been accepted. You are free to go.”

One by one the projections of each Executor in the Tribunal flickered off and the guards ushered me into the hall. There I stood, rapt with shock when I heard his footsteps behind me.

“You did better than I thought you would,” it was Ballas, the man, not the projection. “It would seem nobody truly knows they want a thing until you threaten to take it away.” He broke into a smile, “Wouldn’t you agree, Archimedian?”

 

So the sentients were the idea of the corpus, only created because of the lack of resources?

p.s. Where is that from, y'know.. the writing 

[Loza03]

Just now, (PS4)DEAD_LOCK55 said:

So the sentients were the idea of the corpus, only created because of the lack of resources?

p.s. Where is that from, y'know.. the writing 

No, it was the Orokin. Corpus founding lore was retconned a little bit, although we can assume that it just means 'family' to the Orokin as it's used as such in other parts of the Lore. Parvos is basically calling his cult civilisation 'the family'.

The writing is from the 'Synthesis imprints' - they can be found in Simaris's room, unlocked through the 'personal targets' section.