Estebol was a planet which was destroyed by immense pollution. Prubert Gastridge was sent to Estebol to show the people the concept of the internal combustion engine. After its introduction, the inhabitants of the planet became more and more reliant on machines for everyday life. The people of Estebol eventually created AI for the machines and the technology for the machines to be able to merge with them. This led to the machines taking over the planet and influencing the minds of the people into submission.