Theft
Nur was always the most airheaded of us. Though I didn't expect her to commit such a blunder.— Mur, logistics expert of the 26
Sometime during the 71st century, an especially deft thief managed to snatch Nur's case without the immortal noticing. It is unknown if the robber knew what the case really was, but they likely didn't, or the consequences would have been far worse. They probably mistook it for a case full of riches that the noblemen's proxies and underworld prospects carry on Beelgerian. They went off-world as soon as they put their hands on a prize, fearing retaliation.
By the time Nur realized what she had lost, it was already too late for the tracking signal to reach the surface of the planet. She called the three closest of her crew and they went on for a long hunt, putting themselves in danger regarding their pursuers, the Black Hats.
After three centuries of chasing loose ends after red herrings, they finally arrived on the surface of Thlassa-b, a remote tropical world inhabited by a small community that exiled itself from the Supreme Domain. At its arrival, the group was taken aback by the surprising longevity of the community folks. Some of them boasted of being over 500 years old, an age that even the wealthiest industrials had trouble getting to. The fresh air of the littoral was unlikely to be the reason, especially since they lacked most of the cutting-edge technology of their time.
It is a wonder to me that such primitive people managed to tune down the side effects to that extent. A normal human body would collapse on the spot from the alteration of their genes and the incompatibilities with already existing proteins. But heavily slowing the whole process allows for an extended longevity, though it is might not be viable in the long term. A shame we never got to witness the finality of this experiment.— Gur, biologist of the 26
Furthermore, they all bear feminine traits, and a disturbing likeness. This was their ultimate clue to explain this phenomenon. The thief either belonged to their community or sold them the case. Brilliant minds among them managed to bypass all security layers and access the ingredients as well as all the equipment required to massively produce the solution. Without the computer to encode specific genes however, they were left with the last input from Nur, and were all slowly turning into what she was looking like at the time, their bodies unable to withstand the brutal transformation that the 26 undergo.
That was the most unpleasant part, but our survival comes at a price. It's not that rare for a remote community to disappear overnight, these kinds of things happen all the time. — Nur, chemist of the 26
They brought it upon themselves. I never enjoy taking people's life, let alone a whole population. But they should have known not to play with a power far beyond their reaches.— Dur, treasurer of the 26
It was over for them anyway. Their rejuvenating solution might have gained them a few centuries, but eventually they would all be identical clones that the slightest disease would wipe out, if their own bodies don't give in first.— Gur, biologist of the 26
Once they got back the case, they made sure to leave no trace and engulfed into flames the whole archipelago. Nothing would tell the tale of what happened, living or inanimate.
Keepsake
Only one thing remains from these people: a unique vial of their rejuvenating chemical, kept by Nur. She changed the container from a glass test tube to a crystal flask, and kept it sealed ever since. It's hard to tell if the chemicals are still viable millennia later, as they were engineered to last long but not that much. In any way, it holds more of a sentimental value than a practical one. After all, it is but a softened version of the liquid they are all able to synthesize.
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