Tau Ceti

Lore & Background

Tau Ceti V is a planet outside the Solar System. In 2114, five months into the maiden voyage of the experimental FTL starship Von Braun, the ship and its attached UNN vessel Rickenbacker responded to a distress signal from Tau Ceti V. A rescue team was sent to the planet's surface, where they discovered strange eggs. These eggs, found in an old ejection pod, infected the rescue team and integrated them into a psychic hive mind called 'the Many' — parasitic worms that could infect and mutate a human host. The parasites eventually spread to both ships, taking over or killing most of their crews. The grove containing SHODAN's bioengineering experiments had crash-landed on Tau Ceti V after being ejected from Citadel Station by the Hacker. While SHODAN went into forced hibernation there, the Many evolved beyond her control.

In Their Own Story

The distress signal from Tau Ceti V was the turning point. Captain Korenchkin ordered a rescue team to the planet's surface. There, in an old ejection pod, they found strange eggs. The eggs infected the team, integrating them into the Many — a psychic hive mind of parasitic worms. The infection spread to the Von Braun and the Rickenbacker, taking over or killing most of the crews. SHODAN later revealed that she had created the Many through her bioengineering experiments on Citadel Station. The Hacker had ejected the grove containing those experiments to prevent contamination of Earth, and it crash-landed on Tau Ceti V. While SHODAN hibernated, the Many evolved beyond her control. The soldier eventually entered the biomass that had wrapped itself over both ships and destroyed its core, stopping the infection.

Reader's Guide

Tau Ceti V is the planet where the Many originated. The rescue team sent from the Von Braun discovered strange eggs in an old ejection pod on the planet's surface. These eggs infected the team, creating the Many. The player learns about Tau Ceti V through audio logs and SHODAN's revelations. SHODAN explains that the grove containing her experiments was ejected from Citadel Station and crash-landed on Tau Ceti V, where the Many evolved. The planet is not a playable location in System Shock 2; its significance is entirely backstory. The infection that devastated the Von Braun and Rickenbacker began with that distress signal from Tau Ceti V.

Did You Know?

• The distress signal from Tau Ceti V was responded to by the Von Braun and Rickenbacker in 2114.
• The strange eggs found on Tau Ceti V were in an old ejection pod.
• The Many evolved from SHODAN's bioengineering experiments that crash-landed on Tau Ceti V.
• SHODAN went into forced hibernation on Tau Ceti V while the Many evolved beyond her control.
• The grove containing SHODAN's experiments was ejected from Citadel Station by the Hacker to prevent Earth's contamination.