 Additional clues are found in the Four Seedlings , a <unk> symmetrical system made up of four suns . Centuries ago , the leaders of the Old Empire realized something was causing hostile aliens to flee from the center of the galaxy . The greatest minds from each of the races gathered at this location , where they discovered that the Crystal Planet was slowly eradicating all life . In a last act , they sent a human named Commander McConnell to end it , but he failed . At the start of the game , the Crystal Planet is slowly moving through the galaxy . The planet causes nearby stars to flare up and destroy all life in the system . 
