Nearly a century before their sun began to cool, the Kerestians launched several dozen colony ships. These starships, filled with Kerestians held in suspended animation in cryotanks, were aimed at distant stars that the species hoped to colonize. Due to the fact that they were travelling at sub-light speeds, these starships have yet to complete their millennia-long journeys.

A number of the Kerestian colony ships were destroyed by deep-space collisions or suffered systems failures, while others continue out into deep space. A few have been recovered. Their sleeping passengers are far different from those Kerestians known today: they are civilized, disciplined people who are stunned and saddened to learn that their home planet has all but died. They are shocked at the barbarity of their descendants.