▁vast ▁inter stell ar ▁emp ire ▁en comp ass ing ▁the ▁entire ty ▁of ▁the ▁Mil ky ▁Way ; ▁the ▁emp ire ▁col lapsed ▁suddenly ▁and ▁myster iously ▁ 5 0 , 0 0 0 ▁years ▁ago , ▁leaving ▁almost ▁no ▁traces ▁of ▁its ▁existence . ▁It ▁is ▁revealed ▁later ▁in ▁the ▁game ▁that ▁the ▁Pro the ans , ▁along ▁with ▁numerous ▁inter stell ar ▁civil izations ▁before ▁them , ▁had ▁been ▁system atically ▁ex termin ated ▁by ▁a ▁race ▁of ▁artificial ly ▁intellig ent ▁machines ▁called ▁Re apers . ▁ ▁The ▁ar cade ▁shoot - em - up ▁X e vious ▁( from ▁Nam co ▁ 1 9 8 3 , ▁designed ▁by ▁Mas an ob u ▁End ō ) ▁were ▁also ▁deeply ▁inspired ▁on ▁ancient ▁astr onaut ▁theories . ▁ ▁In ▁Ass ass in ' s ▁Cre ed ▁II ▁and ▁its ▁success ors , ▁it ▁is ▁gradually ▁revealed ▁that ▁human ity ▁was ▁originally ▁created ▁as ▁a ▁slave ▁race ▁by ▁the ▁then - r uling ▁people ▁tent atively ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁" First ▁Civil ization " ▁e ons ▁prior ▁to ▁the ▁game ' s ▁setting . ▁Human ity ▁eventually ▁revol ted ▁against ▁their ▁" god s " ▁and ▁full - scale ▁war ▁er upt ed . ▁This ▁race , ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁humans , ▁were ▁nearly ▁w ip ed ▁out ▁by ▁a ▁solar ▁f lare , ▁forcing ▁the ▁two ▁to ▁comprom ise ▁a ▁tr uce ▁to ▁ensure ▁the ▁surv ival ▁of ▁both . ▁The ▁First ▁Civil ization ▁have ▁since , ▁as ▁a