The fold in space that we call a wormhole brought the Ancients to the moons of Orbis ninety thousand years ago. The Ancients built four rings to stabilize the wormhole and harvest the energy crystals locked deep within the moons.

Mother, the AI aboard the Renaissance, attempted to teach JT and the other children about the Ancients' understanding of the universe. To the kids it was odd stuff about cosmic energy and nodes but most of it no one understood.

The Ancients believed that any choice we make affects the entire universe. Every action, every decision, and even our thoughts, spill out into the cosmic soup. The Ancients mysteriously disappeared over 60,000 years ago, abandoning the Rings of Orbis.