Alimbic

Alimbic
Three Alimbics.
Featured in	Metroid Prime Hunters
Knownhabitats	Alimbic Cluster
Known worlds	Alinos Arcterra
Color(s)	Grey
Notableindividuals	General Almiiak Arctherus

The Alimbics were a race of beings prominently mentioned throughout Metroid Prime Hunters. They fulfill much the same role in this game as the Luminoth do in Metroid Prime 2: Echoes, the Bryyonians in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption, the ancient Bion race in Metroid Prime: Federation Force, and the Chozo in most other games in the Metroid series. Most of the information on the Alimbics is gleaned from lore scans in Hunters, as the species no longer exists in physical form.

Physiology

The Alimbic species had a unique exoskeleton that enabled them to survive the harsh environments of the planets Alinos and Arcterra, as well as enlarged forebrains that have helped them avoid situations that could have led to the destruction of their race and granted them potent psionic abilities. Alimbics appear to have two armlike appendages, and possibly three legs (as does the Alimbic-mimicking Gorea). The race exhibited a floating head with a single eye, but no visible mouth, similar to the Kriken (which may suggest divergent evolution). This would indicate that the Alimbics used their psionic abilities to communicate telepathically, even before they were reduced to telepathic entities.

History

The Alimbic had lived in the Alimbic Cluster of the Tetra Galaxy for a considerable length of time, probably having originated there; all that is known about their early years is that they underwent a "harsh genesis". They were a peaceful race, but that behavior changed when they were attacked by an unspecified enemy - the attack caught them off-guard, and the Alimbic leadership swore they would never allow such a tragedy to happen again. They rapidly advanced their weapons technology, focusing specifically on bioweapons and creating powerful weapons such as the Slench and Cretaphid.

Enjoying a newly earned peace, the Alimbics remained ready for future invasions and improved their already-powerful minds, making phenomenal advances in fields such as telepathy, telekinesis, and extradimensional exploration.

Technology

3 Alimbics telepathically communicating with Samus Aran at the end of Metroid Prime Hunters.

The Alimbic people were one of the most technologically advanced races in the universe, frequently employing long-distance spaceflight, teleportation, interdimensional travel, sophisticated nanotechnology, and other assorted accomplishments. Alimbic technology appears largely mechanical, although the species was highly skilled in biological and cybernetic engineering. The Alimbics focused a great deal of resources on military technology, and developed a number of sophisticated weapons systems. One of their bioweapon creations observed in Hunters is the Quadtroid, an organism with similar characteristics to the Chozo Metroids.

It is also possible that the Alimbics created or traded with several races some of the Affinity Weapons, seeing as Psycho Bits and Alimbic Turrets use them. The races and organizations include the Enoema, Kriken, Space Pirates, Vhozon, Diamonts, Chozo and possibly the Galactic Federation. In an interview, story designer Richard Vorodi implied this was the case.

Society

The Alimbics were both a war-like and a peaceful civilization, depending on the violence of the universe around them. When there was violence, the Alimbics would build up their war technology until it surpassed their enemies. In peace, the Alimbics would enhance their mental talents and became highly prosperous. Their society revered knowledge and science in all its forms, constructing the massive Celestial Archives over their capitol to hold the sum total of their records. However, their culture also suffered from a considerable amount of hubris, to the point of considering themselves invincible.

The Alimbic language found on glyph patterns and wall scrolls on Alinos resembles the written language of the Chozo. Samus Aran's Translator Module is unable to decipher it, however.

Tetra Trade Maps on the Celestial Archives indicate that the Alimbics were involved in much trade in the Tetra Galaxy.

Alimbic Order of Elders

Gorea came to the Alimbic Cluster from an unknown location, landing on Alinos and emerging in the form of a gas. However, it soon took on a physical form, one mimicking that of the Alimbic race themselves (Much like the X). Their weapons were useless against it, and eventually, Gorea took the weapons into its form and used them against their creators. It drained the life energy from its victims, leaving them as empty husks, while growing more powerful itself. The Alimbic knew that unless they stopped Gorea there, it would continue on to devour all sentient life in the galaxy.

To stop what they called "the cancer", eight Alimbic elders came together in the Alimbic Order of Elders, and created the Seal Sphere. The Alimbic people used the process of essence transference to place their telepathic essences in the Seal Sphere. This enabled them to trap Gorea in the Seal Sphere, which was then placed aboard the Oubliette, and sent to a formless dimension of antimatter called the Infinity Void by way of the Alimbic Cannon. The Elders then transferred their essences into the eight Octoliths, which were sent to the Stronghold Void, guarded by their Slenches and Cretaphids.

Alimbic characters

• General Almiiak was a fierce Alimbic general who founded the Alimbic Order of Elders and lead the Alimbic people to victory in the Tetra Border Wars two thousand years ago. It is suggested that his essence may be among those that were contained within the Octolith keys.
• Arctherus, like Almiiak, is also buried in a tomb at the High Ground area of the planet Alinos. He has received credit as the Alimbic who discovered neurogenesis, which lead the Alimbics into a modern era, a time where peace and prosperity came to the race.

Etymology

The name Alimbic may have been derived from the English word alembic, meaning anything that refines or purifies, usually by means of heating or a chemical process.

The name may also refer to the limbic system, a region of the brain responsible for processing and generating emotional responses. Combining the term with the prefix a-, which expresses absence or negation, would imply that the Alimbic species lacked a powerful limbic system and were thus rather unemotional and dispassionate.

Trivia

An Alimbic head statue, Arcterra Gateway.

• The Alimbics' Octolith system is similar to the Chozo Artifacts used to seal the Impact Crater in Metroid Prime, the Dark Temple Keys used in Dark Aether during Metroid Prime 2: Echoes and the Energy Cells used to power the G.F.S. Valhalla in Metroid Prime 3: Corruption. It is also the only one of these Keys that can be stolen from Samus and recovered.
• In several locations on Arcterra, there are structures hanging from ceilings that resemble the head of an Alimbic. The Chozo also made structures that resembled their body in various regions of their inhabited worlds.
• Although Samus has her Missile Launcher, she has no Missiles when she arrives to the Alimbic Cluster. At the Celestial Archives, Samus defeats a Petrasyl and acquires Missile Ammo, and from that point on she is able to charge her Missiles. However, as these Missiles are much different from those she is familiar with, it is possible that throughout Hunters Samus uses an Alimbic-created variety.