This year, the World of Progress celebrates its 900th birthday with SLA Industries at its helm. For all these centuries, SLA has remained the benign ruler of this dynamic society, guiding its growth and expansion, an industrial father figure that protects the World of Progress, a vast universe of opportunity and advancement.
The World of Progress is a great family whose members are numerous planets and solar systems trading ideas and resources, guided by the benevolent eye of their greatest friend, Mr. Slayer – the motivating force of SLA Industries.
Before the birth of SLA Industries and the World of Progress, the immature societies of the Known Universe (as they called it) had suffered a history of war that seemed, in their limited view, to have lasted forever. Countless warring races battled constantly for supremacy, dominance, and other shallow reasons long since forgotten.
The universe was caught in a spiral of moral decay that, within 150 years, would have caused total extinction of all life in every Conflict Society, including those races and planets who wisely remained passive in the thick of the unceasing battle. The war spread like a malignant cancer across every corner of the so-called Known Universe creating a sea of devastation.
In the middle of this incessant turmoil, a tall man appeared in Conflict Society. While others lumbered around in antiquated powered armour for protection, Mr. Slayer walked gracefully and regally in a sharp black suit.
Slayer and his companions had come to the Conflict Planets to broker an agreement of peace and mutual improvement. Slayer’s proposals became a reality as the various societies accepted his offers of advancement. Since many items of technology were involved, Mr. Slayer established the new company of SLA Industries, overseen by Mr. Slayer himself, who would guide and oversee the steady progress of the Conflict Planets towards peace.
One of Slayer’s closest companions, Senti, had proposals for the production of Biogenetics to lift many burdens from Mankind. During the process of their creation, Senti was joined by the famous military unit "The House of the Black Church", under their fearless leader Cadaver, who had made experiments of their own into biogenetics. Senti generously offered them a place in SLA Industries’ biogenetics project. Sadly, Senti was betrayed by Cadaver, who turned out to be nothing more than an opportunist seeking to advance himself at the cost of the greater Big Picture. Fearing Mr. Slayer’s justice, Cadaver fled into the depths of the Conflict Worlds. In the meantime, Senti finally made the breakthrough that eventually resulted in the now-famous Stormer 313
After the Stormer concepts went into mass production, Intruder went on to teach the Ebon race how to utilise and enhance their abilities. Like their teacher, the Ebons were an extremely emotional race and appreciated Intruder’s sensitive approach to their training. To the Ebons, Intruder is regarded as a father-figure who raised the Ebons to a place in Mr. Slayer’s beneficent society.
With the addition of the Ebons to SLA’s great society, Mr. Slayer turned his attention to the Conflict Planets. The Conflict Societies had sadly ignored Mr. Slayer’s overtures of peace and continued to fight practically to a standstill. Reluctantly, Mr. Slayer acknowledged that their would have to be a new order within the World of Progress. Tragically, many of the Conflict Societies refused to become a part of Mr. Slayer’s vision of peace and prosperity and fell by the wayside. Only the Ebons, the philosophical children of Slayer’s vision; the Shaktar, fierce and noble warriors loyal to the Big Picture; and the hardy and loyal Wraith Raiders were wise enough to see that Mr. Slayer offered a true future free of the all-pervading wars of the Conflict Worlds.
During the early years of its existence, SLA Industries set up its headquarters on the planet of Mort. Mort was a tragic world that had suffered a terrible disaster to its ecology that Mr. Slayer hoped to revitalise through the warming presence of SLA. Coincidence, however, had provided a new resource on Mort – the then-misunderstood presence of the White.
To understand the White, we must return once more to the Ebon race. Three pupils excelled beyond the high standards of the rest of their race – Mandrake, Durer and Draco. Mandrake was a bold and cunning warrior; Durer a wise philosopher. Draco, the girl, was the bridge between these two disparate but great personalities. They were the first to test the magnificent first creation of Dark Lament, the Deathsuit, that allowed them to manipulate the Flux to create the special abilities we know so well.
Yet in the middle of triumph came tragedy. Both Durer and Mandrake loved Draco, but of course she could only choose one. Wise and noble Draco chose to stand aside, volunteering to explore the White and leaving the field clear for Mandrake. Draco and Mandrake would be together as soon as the latter returned from his mission aboard the foldship Yung. Tragically, Mandrake was never to return; the treacherous enemies of SLA, the Soft Companies, somehow sabotaged the Yung, and neither it nor Mandrake were seen again.
Poor Draco, stripped of both her closest friends, fell into despair, uncheered even by the birth of her son, a son she shared with the disappeared Durer. Then a miracle happened – Durer returned! Hyper-evolved by the awesome power of the White into the first Necanthrope, highest evolutionary stage of Ebon power. Sorrowing at the loss of his friend Mandrake and the despair of Draco, Durer – now of course, better known as Preceptor Teeth – took the child into his own care. That child, of course, was Albrecht Durer, first of the mighty ebb-warriors the Brain Wasters.