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Alternate Traveller Setting

ARMOR and DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS


Survival in space through the preservation of pressurized crew areas is the highest priority of ship designers. Whether considering theoretical enemy action, or disastrous encounters with natural phenomena, ship hulls are designed to survive, with multiple layers of redundancy to compensate for a variety of effects. Presently, combat vessels are equipped with an initial ablative layer designed to vaporize instantly at the point of contact with either kinetic or beam weapons. The high-speed cloud of vapor serves to either deflect the rest of an armor piercing round, or cause interference with a particle beam and dissipate its power. Beneath this ablative layer is a thin, power absorbing layer. And finally, the last layer protecting a ship is a thick Crystal polymer composite, interwoven with advanced ceramics. This armor is the strongest material we have yet developed, but it is capable of flexing under extreme impacts. Cockpits are double layered with this kinetic armor.

Short of the fantasy of an allpowerful energy shield, this combined kinetic/beam defense gives our ships the greatest chance of surviving damage, while maintaining a manageable mass to-thrust ratio.
 
Ken,

This is great! Thanks for sharing with all of us!

I searched for the .pdf you mentioned up-thread but struck out. Has anyone had better luck?


Have fun,
Bill
 
Originally posted by Bill Cameron:
This is great!



I thought it was pretty cool as well. Fantastic background. Deep. Engrossing.

I want to see more about it! I wish there were novels!

I was thinking that a Traveller GM could do one of two things: They could set their Traveller game in this fantastic universe, using the various Traveller sector and world creation systems to create subsectors as the People move out from Kharak towards their destiny.

Or...a crafty GM could even set this game in the OTU, where the drive found buried deep in the sands on Kharak is actually one from the one of the Five Major Races. The campaign would begin outside the standard Traveller stellar regions, travelling towards the Imperium and Zhodani space.

Just a thought. I think there are a number of ways to make this an exciting Traveller game.


I searched for the .pdf you mentioned up-thread but struck out.
I know I've seen it...recently too. I can't remember where. I'll have to check to see if I can find it again.

What I posted above is some of the background for the first game (Homeworld). I'll post some more stuff...from the second (Homeworld: Cataclysm) and third (Homeworld 2) games.

The story continues...
 
HISTORY OF THE HIIGARAN LANDFALL


The story of the Kushan Exodus to Hiigara is widely known and often told; most of us already know all about the voyage. In six months, the survivors of our entire race traveled from the prison world of Kharak to our once and future homeworld. The trip was a major turning point not only for the Kushan people, but for most of the civilized galaxy; our return to Hiigara was not only the end of our 3,000-year exile, but the end of the Taiidanii Empire, and its tyranny over billions.

By the ancient Kharakian dating system, the Kushan people returned to Hiigara in the year 1216. In honor of the momentous occasion, however, Kiith Sjet declared the beginning of a new calendar on the day the returning Kushan first set foot on our homeworld. By decree, the Hiigaran Landfall marked the first day of a new Year Zero. From that time on, "days" have been measured by Hiigara's period of rotation, and "years" according to the revolutions of Hiigara around its mother sun.

By the new dating system, then, these words are written in the year 15 AHL-15 years After Hiigaran Landfall. The past decade and a half have been a time of both celebration and adversity for the Kushan people. Nearly 550,000 of us survived the Exodus from Kharak, but our culture has been subjected to tremendous stress. There is not a single aspect of Kushan existence which we have not been forced to re-examine in light of our new circumstances. Even the simplest things, like providing our population with food and shelter, have proved far more complicated that we ever imagined.

Virtually everything our people once knew about agriculture and animal husbandry was learned on a desert world. Kharakian fruits and grains were adapted to conditions of high heat and radiation, and very little precipitation; when our people built their first farms on Hiigara, they were hard-pressed to find any land that would favor the thick-skinned, shallow-rooted crops that had been our staple foods for centuries. Very few regions of Hiigara have an annual rainfall as low as even the most temperate and forgiving areas of Kharak! The vast majority of Kharakian food plants are drowned or washed away in heavy rains, and even those that can survive the rain are often killed by the vast array of hostile microbes in the Hiigaran soil; our scientists are cataloging a new species of killing fungus every day.

The fact that our people have been able to sustain themselves on Hiigara at all is largely thanks to the efforts of Kiith Paktu. Prior to Exodus, members of the Southern Federation had the most experience with life in a water- and oxygen-rich climate. Paktu fishing operations have been highly successful, and their orchards and farms have prospered more than those of any other kiith, thanks in part to a skillful use of recombinant DNA. The Paktu also have many experiments underway to find edible plants in the local ecosphere, and have even begun to domesticate some of Hiigara's native fauna.

Alas, feeding our people is not our only worry; defending ourselves is also a serious concern. The Bentusi and the new Taiidanii Republic have established a small buffer zone around Hiigara, a region approximately ten lightyears in diameter. Anything within a five lightyear radius of Hiigara is considered our space, and we are obligated to defend it. Our warrior kiithid are forced to maintain constant patrols to keep our spaceways from being overrun, not only by the mongrel ships of the pirate races, but by the last bitter remnants of the Imperial fleet.

The Mothership, which once carried our people safely across 50,000 lightyears of uncharted space, is no longer a ship of war. Deprived of the conscious direction of Karan Sjet, the Mothership's engines are set on automatic; She serves as an orbital space station and shipyard. Manned by a skeleton crew of 8,000 engineers, the Mothership provides living quarters for those working in low orbit, and She has given birth to over 30 carrier-class ships since the Hiigaran Landfall. The result of this phenomenal output has been a new Hiigaran navy, which consists of six great Fleets; the largest of our present-day kiithid have each taken command of an autonomous carrier group. The fleets of Manaan, Soban, Naabal, LiirHra, Paktu and Kaalel take turns patrolling the outer systems, guarding our trade routes, and defending Hiigara itself.

Addressing the practical concerns of our people has been hard enough. Up until the year 11 AHL, food rationing was common, and on the surface of Hiigara, thousands are still engaged in construction. Difficult as it has been to provide for our peoples' practical needs, providing for their political needs has been far, far more troublesome. Kushan society has been in a state of flux since the Exodus; finding some way to give all our people a fair say in government is a serious problem, and no one is entirely satisfied by any solution.

The New Daiamid was completed in the year 4 AHL, the crowning glory of our planetary capital at Asaam Kiith'sid. The Daiamid Assembly is still the main governing body of the Kushan race, although its detractors claim that the New Daiamid cannot rule as fairly as its predecessor on Kharak once did. Such hotheads denounce the current Assembly as a sham, and maintain that a few families wield too much power. Sadly, there is some merit to this accusation! Over one-half of the Kushan population now belong to one of six kiithid, and by virtue of sheer population the major families have tremendous influence. The Paktu, the Manaan, the Sjet, Naabal, LiirHra, Kaalel and Soban are by far the largest kiith groupings in existence, and their combined numbers come to almost 300,000. By contrast, the majority of other kiithid on Hiigara can boast a few hundred souls at best; most are lucky to have even that many. In some cases kiithid, which were once over 100,000 strong on Kharak, now have only 30 or 40 members.

These smaller kiithid are now collectively known as the Sleepers, because most of them spent the voyage from Kharak in cryogenic suspension. Coming from all walks of life, the only thing that these men and women have in common today is their powerlessness in the present Daiamid system. Unable to compete with large kiithid which can lay claim to half a continent at a time, exhausted by years of struggle for a voice in the Assembly, many of these small kiithid have given up the fight to establish a power base for themselves on Hiigara. Dozens of Sleeper clans have chosen in recent years to abandon their ancient names and become vassals instead, joining their bloodlines to powerhouses like the Paktu or the Naabal. The family honor comes a poor second, as always, to survival. Surrendering to necessity is an ancient tradition among the Kushan, as is bowing to the greater power and resources of a larger kiith.

Given the many trials our people have had to face since landfall, some analysts believe that it would be impossible to hold Kushan society together without the influence of Karan Sjet. Karan has been the Sa of Sa's in the New Daiamid since its first vote. The Sjet'sa has spent the last 15 years serving as an arbiter in the Daiamid's power struggles, and her efforts to bind our people together have kept the Kushan from fragmenting, despite the tremendous pressure on our people from without and within.

To have some inkling of the duties Sjet'sa has performed in the past 15 years, one has only to look back over the list of our achievements. In the first year after Landfall alone, Sjet'sa presided over the ground-breaking ceremonies of over 150 new cities, towns and small settlements. She settled 36 disputes in the New Daiamid, blessed the hulls of four newly-built carriers, and personally oversaw the filing of land claims in the Shaar peninsula. The second year after Landfall, Sjet'sa proposed a monument to the Martyrs of Kharak, and personally selected a site in the Desert of the Bones; over the next several months she oversaw the engraving of nearly 300 million names on a free-standing spire of basalt in the desert. Many Kushan since then have traveled to her Tower of Names to find the people of their own kiithid, and make offerings for the peaceful rest of their one-time lovers and friends.

One of the most controversial relief mechanisms that Sjet'sa has adopted for the benefit of Sleeper kiithid has been to grant limited access to the Mothership's building facilities. Sjet'sa has permitted several small families, exhausted by the struggle for land and influence on Hiigara, to seek their fortunes among the stars. Many of these smaller kiithid have built themselves carrier-class vessels, ships with a powerful enough PDA to build and support small colonies off-world. Most of these tiny settlements are dedicated to mining, hydroponic farming or manufacturing. While so many others continue building new settlements on Hiigara, these small, hard-working kiithid prosper in trade, and provide much-needed supplies to the outbound fleets. Coincidentally, the small star-faring kiithid control a much greater tonnage of ships, collectively, than any one of the major kiithid can control alone...

The Sjet'sa no longer appears daily in the New Daiamid; she presides over the Assembly only on special occasions, or when a matter is put up for her special arbitration. Since the year 7 AHL, the Sa of Sa's has become increasingly reclusive, and appears less and less frequently at social events. Kiith Sjet has built a special compound for her in the Suungo mountain range, and she occasionally mans the observatory there; she has also been seen aboard the Mothership, sometimes wandering in the unmanned passages near the old control core. Regardless of her desire for privacy, however, her presence is felt everywhere. In the recent Kushan population explosion, the name "Karan" has been given to thousands of baby girls, and even among boys, the name "Kar" is surprisingly common.
 
KIITH KAALEL


Kaalel is an old Kharakian kiith, descended from the nomads of the Walking Dunes region. The Kaalel were poor travelers for centuries, eking out a meager existence as they moved constantly from place to place, always seeking water for their herds. Eventually their fortunes improved, however; some time in the second century they formed an alliance with Kiith Sjet. The Kaalel were permitted to graze their herds on a few superior feeding grounds then owned by the Sjet'sa, in return for a tribute of tanned yearling hides, which were the best possible surface for writing at the time.

This arrangement proved to be mutually profitable for many years, until the Kaalel, emboldened by their good relations with the untouchable Keepers of Time, requested a more permanent alliance. In the year 313, they asked the Sjet'sa for the privilege of becoming his vassals. Kiith Sjet, in recognition of many decades of harmony between the two kiithid, accepted the Kaalel into the first circle of initiation, and began training the Kaaleli children in the ways of Sjet. It was understood that the Kaalel must serve as initiates of Sjet for three generations before they would be permitted to take the kiith name and serve in the third tier, as counselors and calendar keepers.

The eager and resourceful Kaalel were good students, and their first-generation initiates soon learned a great deal about reading, writing, and higher mathematics. When their training was completed, the Sjet'sa assigned them to the holdings of over a hundred far-flung kiithid, giving them work as scribes and messengers. These Kaaleli scribes and runners were known as members of Kiith Sjet, however, and within a few years the kiith'sid of Kharak had begun to ask for them by name.

Kaaleli scribes, unlike their more educated fellows in Kiith Sjet, did not try to give their employers learned advice, nor attempt to guide their decisions openly. A Kaaleli scribe simply wrote down what he or she was told, without missing, or paraphrasing, or altering a single word. Similarly, a Kaaleli messenger did not consider his or her personal welfare before obeying the employer's wishes. If a message had to be delivered between warring kiithid, the Kaaleli would find some way to penetrate enemy lines. Long distances and dangerous terrain would not stop them; the Kaaleli would go without question even into holdings that suffered from terrible plagues, if they were so commanded. The former herders were so determined not to fail their kiith'sa, and lose their chance to become true Sjetti, that they would accept any risk.

The influence of the Kaalel grew in the second generation, when the Sjet began giving Kaaleli youngsters a more refined education. The future Kaalel'sa, Liir Kaalel, was one of the students of Kaalel's second tier. When he was not studying philosophy, history, or politics, young Liir spent his days in the council chamber of his mother. Throughout his childhood, he saw many powerful men and women come to Jun Kaalel'sa, seeking the services of her people. Bound by her agreement with the Sjet, she always sent them away.

When his mother died in 337, Liir was raised to the chair of the Kaalel'sa. Immediately he began moving to consolidate his kiith; he called a gathering in the Walking Dunes, and discussed his plans. Sworn to secrecy, the Kaaleli returned to their duties in various parts of the northern hemisphere, but Liir began to meet with several of Karak's most powerful kiithid. The goal of these discussions was not immediately apparent; kiith'sid who visited Liir always went later to the Sjet'sa, to ask some minor boon, and it was generally assumed at first that Liir had given the same answer that his mother once made. Within two years, however, Liir's intentions were clear. Kiith Kaalel moved from their long-held homes in Sjet territory to a variety of new holdings all over Kharak.

The break with Sjet was a bitter one, but there was no bloodshed. The Sjet turned their Kaaleli pupils out of their homes, but it was too late to take away the knowledge and influence that Kiith Kaalel had gained while under their direction. To avoid open conflict and a bad reputation, Liir Kaalel confined his people to the roles they had been traditionally allowed in the first tier of Sjet initiation, contracting their services only as scribes and messengers. He would not send out his people to serve as tutors, councilors, or doctors to other kiithid, despite the fact that some of his own generation had achieved mastery of the second tier, and would have been qualified for these professions. He left the majority of the traditional roles of the Sjet for the elder kiith to fill, concentrating on those jobs which his people could do better than any other.

Liir Kaalel'sa guided his people for nearly fifty years. Under his direction, the Kaalel became a genuine force in Kharakian society. Kaaleli scribes copied and recopied many thousands of documents and texts, greatly expanding the general knowledge of those Kushan fortunate enough to be literate. More importantly, the Kaalel refined their methods of delivering messages over time. From 348-360, they established chains of communication across Kharak with the use of colored smoke and signal drums, which made their good graces nearly indispensable to most of the planet's military leaders. To protect the privacy of certain communiques, they also developed many methods of encryption.

Over time, Kiith Kaalel evolved into a powerful family, a small but influential clan of information specialists. They produced many gifted historians and writers, maintaining universal literacy within their kiith, but they also delved deeper into politics and intelligence work. By the year 563, Kaaleli were more often employed as spies, assassins and torturers than as messengers or scribes; they were as likely to extract valuable information as they were to transmit it. Although most Kharakians mistrusted them, their talents were too valuable to be dismissed, especially during the Heresy Wars, when accurate and swift information could be the difference between life and death to generals in the field.

During the Daiamid Movement, Kiith Kaalel were among the first to see which way the wind was blowing, and they quickly bent knee to the Naabal. During the Intervention, it was Kiith Kaalel that carried the word of the coming Naabal armies from place to place, recommending immediate surrender to any who would listen. To this day, Naabal scholars maintain that the efforts of Kaalel saved Kharak a great deal of unnecessary bloodshed. For two generations thereafter, the Kaalel gave up their own names to study at the feet of the larger kiith, devoting themselves en masse to transcribing as much of the Naabal's knowledge as possible. When they emerged from their years of service in the year 857, the Kaalel took up their names again, and brought with them the plans of a new invention: the printing press.

Thereafter, Kaalel's influence exploded. Publishing became a more lucrative profession than anyone could have dreamed, as more and more Kharakians learned to read and write. Kiith Kaalel closed the ancient breach with Kiith Sjet in 902, when they agreed to publish the famous Sjetti Holder's Almanac, which was for over 200 years the most-read and valuable book in any kiith dwelling. The first Kaaleli newspaper was distributed in Tiir in the year 913. When the first public radio broadcasts were made in 998, the most popular commentator of the time was Ran Kaalel. They invested in television stations and low orbital satellites; even in the Mothership herself, the majority of sensors and comm arrays owed some small debt to the efforts of Kiith Kaalel. As most of us know, the bulk of the Fleet Intelligence corps during Exodus was recruited from this family's ranks.

Thanks to their specialized knowledge in communication technologies, encryption and linguistics, Kiith Kaalel had a disproportionate number of crew members and Sleepers onboard the Mothership. Nearly half of their kiith survived the Burning of Kharak, some 50,000 men and women! In accordance with their large numbers, the Kaalel now wield tremendous influence in Hiigaran politics. The former officers of Fleet Intel are one of six kiithid responsible for manning our planetary navies, and although they don't have the specialized fighting skills of the Sobanii, they make up in numbers what they lack in training. In the past decade, the Kaalel have established themselves as a powerful warrior kiith in their own right.

What the future holds for Kiith Kaalel is anyone's guess. Regardless of what comes, however, they will almost certainly be the first to grasp its implications, and they are likely to turn any situation to their advantage; this has always been their way.
 
KIITH LIIRHRA


Kiith LiirHra is a young family. Their parent Kiith, the Hraal, rose on Kharak during the Time of Reason, and gained great power as one of the driving forces in Kharak's industrial revolution. Emerging from under the wing of Kiith Naabal when the Great Daiamid was established, the Hraal were most notable for their application and improvement on the Naabal's basic steam engine. Hraal owned several steam-powered factories by the year 830, and hand in hand with its sister Kiithid, who collectively became known as the "Naabal Kiithlings," the Hraal eventually built the rail lines which linked the northern hemisphere with the rapidly growing Southern Federation.

Kiith LiirHra broke off from the main body of the Hraal in the year 1012, when the prospect of space exploration was under serious discussion at Tiir. Many of the smaller kiithid of the Hraal had expressed an interest in aerospace technologies to their kiith'sa, but at the time the Hraal'sa saw no reason to risk their assets on a venture in which they could see no possibility for short-term profit. Arban Hraal, then the Sa of a small manufacturing kiith, disagreed violently with the conservatism of his kiith'sa. Driven by a vision of the future, he began a campaign to recruit several other minor kiithid of the Hraal, selecting those who could share his vision and whose manufacturing and research facilities would be most useful to his cause. Collectively, this group of young Hraal upstarts petitioned the mighty financiers of Kiith Manaan for a massive loan-enough money to buy their freedom from Hraal, and pay for all the human and manufacturing assets they'd be taking with them.

Siima Manaan'sa, amused by the defiant bravado of Arban Hraal and his compatriots, made a thorough appraisal of their holdings and offered them a low-interest loan of some 500 million Kharakid credits--an outrageous sum at the time. Kiith Hraal, however, was not amused by their children attempting to leave the nest without permission, and would not accept the proposed settlement quietly. They branded Arban Hraal a thief and banished him from their kiith, forbidding him to take any family members or assets with him. His holdings were seized, including the account in which his Manaani credits were deposited, and he was denied access to anything he had once called his, including his wife and children. When he tried to storm into the Hraal compound where his people were being held, ostensibly awaiting "interview" by their kiith'sa, a trio of hooded Hraal security men subdued him. He was taken out into the middle of the Painted Desert in a hovercar, bound and blindfolded, and staked to a dune nearly 200 kliks from the nearest town.

Arban Hraal was not defeated by these extreme measures; he was only just beginning his rebellion. When the Hraal security men returned the next evening, to see if a day in the sun without water or shelter had taught him a lesson, they couldn't find him. They searched the surrounding area by ornithopter, but found no trace of him but a length of knotted rope. Eventually they assumed that he had been left accidentally near the feeding ground of a dune strangler...but at any rate, they were fairly certain that he would never be heard from again.

The truth, of course, was that Arban Hraal had snapped his bonds in the night and escaped. While his kiith'sa searched for him by day, he was sleeping under the sand; by night he was slowly making his way to the nearby city of Frein, navigating by the stars. Once he stumbled into the town, ragged and filthy and only half-alive, he managed to make contact with a sympathetic kiith brother, Kona Hraal. Kona was able to hide him in the Hraal railyard where he worked, and kept him there until Arban was somewhat recovered from his severe dehydration and sandflea poisoning. Penniless and hungry, but unwilling to risk the life of the man who had helped him, Arban Hraal quickly vanished again, crawling aboard a north-bound freight train. Over the next week he made his way from Frein, very near the Southern pole, all the way to the Daiamid at Tiir.

Ragged from his crossing of the Great Banded Desert in a freight car, Arban Hraal staggered into the Assembly an unkempt, blazing-eyed wildman. No one was more surprised than the Hraal'sa when he rushed into the midst of the assembled kiith'sid of Kharak and demanded his right to be heard. He insisted that he was Arban LiirHra'sa, the leader of a hidden kiith nearly 20,000 strong, and that the Hraal were keeping his people prisoner. In the resulting furor, Sobanii guardsmen stepped forward to drag Arban away and the Hraal'sa stood up, demanding an explanation: why was this lunatic allowed to intrude upon the halls of the Daiamid? Arban's future looked very dark indeed until Siima Manaan'sa rose from her chair, silencing all when she stepped down to the floor to give the ragged man her hand.

"Welcome, LiirHra'sa," she said. "We wondered what had happened to you."

The rest, as they say, is history. The Daiamid voted to allow the LiirHra their independence by a significant majority. The Hraal were punished for their mistreatment of their kiith children by being forced to part with the LiirHra at a much lower price than the sum of the Manaani appraisal, and the Hraal'sa of the time quickly found himself deposed by his sister. The upstart kiithling LiirHra went on to be a forerunner in Kharak's conquest of space, and they were key contributors to all aspects of manufacture and research of the Mothership. Among the Sleepers, LiirHra had a presence of nearly 50,000 souls, and since the return to Hiigara they have made put many of the technological advances we made during the Exodus to good use.

A minor footnote completes the ironic circle of Kiith LiirHra's history. Ten years after landfall on Hiigara, the last surviving members of Kiith Hraal, tired of struggling for a voice of their own in the new Daiamid, at last agreed to become vassals of the LiirHra, merging with the younger family for mutual profit and protection. LiirHra gave the former Hraal a kiithing gift of two factory ships when the two families joined, the Gren-Shto and the Steelweaver, and the former Hraal have proved to be as loyal and productive as any kiithid living under the LiirHra flag.
 
KIITH SOMTAAW


Of the earliest days of Kiith Somtaaw little is known, although this ancient family could once trace its unbroken lineage back over 1,000 years on Kharak. The Somtaaw made their ancestral homes in the peaks and valleys of the Kohntala Mountain range, one of the more dramatic geographic features in Kharak's northern hemisphere. In the first and second centuries, Somtaaw's holdings in the Khontala were rich and varied, running the gamut from farms, dams, and mills to fortresses and towns, including the walled cities of Hameln and Gydeo. The kiith was more than self-sufficient; the terraced farms of the lowlands and the seasonal grazing pastures of the highlands produced a great surplus of food and hides, and the Somtaaw prospered in trade.

Starting in the year 178, Kharakian artists from various disciplines were gathered under the patronage of Teigor Somtaaw, one of the most enlightened kiith'sid of his time. Employing hundreds of skilled masons, painters, architects and weavers, Kiith Somtaaw began building a series of temples on the slopes of the mountain called Lungma Jiin, "The Roof of the World." There were 33 temples in all, leading from the sands of the Kasaar to the very summit of what was, at that time, the world's highest known mountain.

Collectively, the 33 temples of the Somtaaw were known as "The Shimmering Path." For nearly 400 years, it was considered the height of spiritual devotion for a religiously inclined Kharakian to walk the Shimmering Path; most Kharakians attempted the trip at least once a lifetime. Beginning at the first temple, the Oracle of Tala, the distance that a pilgrim was able to travel on his or her own feet was considered a watermark for the strength of the Faith that burned within.

The vast majority of Kharakians finished the pilgrimage at the Seventh Temple, the famous "Dome of Heaven," which lay within the city walls of Gydeo. For those stubborn few who felt the need to move closer to god, however, there were 26 more temples along the Shimmering Path, each more inaccessible than the last. The highest of these was Temple of the Mysteries, which very few travelers could reach; the upper slopes of Lungma Jiin were a blasted ladder of crumbling granite and thin ice, and constantly buffeted by freezing gale force winds. According to legend, the most sacred relics of the Somtaaw were kept on the altar of this temple, and any pilgrim who made the journey on foot was permitted to touch them: the famed Star-Metal Scrolls, which were alleged to have been written by the hand of Jakuul Himself, in a language which no living man could read.

Up until the discovery of Khar Toba, most serious Kharakian scholars had assumed that the Somtaaw's Star Metal Scrolls were just a myth, very much like their Chalice of Life or any other mystical refuse from Kharakian legend. Before the discovery of the Guidestone, the Star-Metal Scrolls were put into the same category as Soban's sword Caaliburnos, or the Burning Spear of Gaalsi. However, given the discovery of the Guidestone, a great deal of new interest was generated in the Somtaaw holy relics. Many prominent anthrocists and historians, including the famous Mevath Sagald, joined forces and put a motion before the Great Daiamid at Tiir, requesting that the Somtaaw's upper temples, which had been closed to outsiders for over 300 years, be re-opened for the benefit of modern-day scholars.

Alas, nothing came of this motion before the Burning of Kharak. Representatives from Kiith Somtaaw dragged their heels in the Daiamid assembly, and even went so far as to suggest that archaeologists should approach the Temple of Mysteries on foot, dressed in traditional pilgrim's clothes! Sagald and her coalition declared this notion "ridiculous," and openly referred to the Somtaaw as "backward barbarians." Many Sagald supporters pointed out that the Daiamid was founded to hear sound logical debates, not listen to superstitious nonsense! Arguments on both side were still being heard when the Mothership was launched.

In any case, we will never know what we might have learned from the Somtaaw Scrolls; they were lost with the rest of Kharak, and among the Somtaaw survivors who awoke on Hiigara 15 years ago, there were none who could claim to have seen them. Since the later days of the Heresy Wars, Kiith Somtaaw had largely abandoned their role as a religious kiith; by the time of the Exodus, the vast majority of Somtaaw's kiithid were engaged in another profession, the profession by which they are still best known today: mining.

The transformation of Kiith Somtaaw from a primary religious kiith to a hard-working miner's kiith was a slow and painful one, and involved many generations of privation and suffering. The centuries of the Heresy Wars were hard times for the Somtaaw; their Khontala mountains provided a natural barrier between the forces of Gaalsi and Siid, and both sides struggled urgently to subdue or seduce the Somtaaw for nearly two hundred years. The flow of pilgrims to Somtaaw temples slowed disastrously in a world at war, and soon there was not enough money flowing into the kiith's coffers to maintain those temples in their intended role, as way-stations along the Shimmering Path. Eventually, in the year 675, all 33 of the Somtaaw temples were closed to outsiders, except for the Oracle of Tala and the Dome of Heaven.

By virtue of their own sheer stubbornness, and the natural protection provided by the narrow passes and forbidding peaks of their homeland, the Somtaaw were able to hold off all invaders during the worst of the Siidim and Gaalsien conflict. More difficult to resist, however, was the seduction of becoming a vassal clan, especially when the Somtaaw holdings, although easy to defend, were also easy to cut off from trade routes. Even a small garrison could hold the Kasaar like a cork in a bottle, and keep the Somtaaw trapped in their mountain fortresses; invaders couldn't enter, but neither could caravans and other visitors. Contact with the outside was sporadic throughout the seventh and eighth centuries...the Somtaaw held no goods sufficiently inviting to keep the Kasaar Road open.

This changed in the year 789, when Kuura Somtaaw, then kiith'sa of the 30,000 souls who still made their homes in the Khontala, awoke one night from a strange dream. Kuura had seen the image of the god Sajuuk, driving a great red sword into the earth in the Khontala mountains, in a seldom-visited region far from the main roads. Driven by the urgency of her vision, she ordered several smaller families to begin digging in the Red Creek valley. Because their kiith'sa was descended from the temple women of Tala, the Somtaaw reluctantly obeyed, and several Somtaaw kiithid moved to the area and began the excavation, although no one was quite certain what they were looking for.

What the Somtaaw found at Red Creek was a deposit of the richest iron ore ever seen on Kharak, which lay just six feet below the soft sediments of the valley floor. Here was enough metal to be hammered into a hundred thousand swords, and Kiith Somtaaw was not slow to announce their find to the rest of the world. Although both Siid and Gaalsi offered ruinous sums to buy the mine, or the ore that it produced, Kuura Somtaaw refused to trade with either side. In her own words, "Why should I sell these madmen a knife to cut my throat with?"

Instead, the Somtaaw built their own smelters and began mixing the iron with carbon, producing a very high grade steel...a commodity far more precious than gold, especially during those dangerous times. The arrangement that eventually sustained Kuura Somtaaw's kiith was made with the Sobanii, who immediately saw the use for Somtaaw steel and the superior weapons that could be forged from it. In exchange for a yearly tribute from the smelters at Hameln, the Soban signed an unheard-of contract; the mercenary kiith agreed to keep the Kasaar open and clear of marauders for a period of no less than one hundred years!

With the Naabal intervention, the Somtaaw expanded their operations, throwing themselves into their new profession with the kiith's customary enthusiasm. Although they never developed any significant technological advances on their own, they were always quick to buy, copy or outright steal any new tool or technique, once another kiith had put it into operation. Thus the Somtaaw profited greatly from the introduction of steam-powered drills, narrow-gauge railroads and chemical explosives. By the time of the Exodus, Kiith Somtaaw was nearly 500,000 strong, and had even built new holdings alongside great industrial kiithid like Naabal and LiirHra, to the extent of opening off-planet mines in the Kharakian asteroid belt.

The return to Hiigara was not as joyous for Somtaaw as for many of our people. Although a few of their number were awake during the journey from Kharak, employed in the care and maintenance of resource collectors, the vast majority of Somtaaw survivors were Sleepers during the journey. When they were awakened on Hiigara, many were horrified to hear that the families and loved ones they left on Kharak were gone, and that there was no hope of return. Of a kiith that had once been so strong, very few survivors remained; only 15,000 Somtaaw awakened on Kharak, less than a twentieth of their number, and the vast majority of these were men.

Somtaaw's fortunes were further complicated by a political conflict with Kiith Naabal, which made a bid seven years after landfall to absorb the Somtaaw survivors as a vassal clan. It was argued in the New Daiamid that Somtaaw's kiithid had valuable skills, which could be of the greatest possible use to Hiigara if channeled by Naabal's industrial planning committees. According to the Naabal, it was in the best interests of all Hiigarans if Somtaaw joined with Kiith Naabal, and provided their mining expertise to the Naabal-owned colonies throughout the Hiigaran buffer zone.

Somtaaw flatly refused this proposition, and the debate between Somtaaw and Naabal supporters in the New Daiamid has already been cited by many as a history-making event. According to the Somtaaw survivors, larger and more powerful kiithid like Naabal were deliberately campaigning to deprive the weakened Sleeper clans of their sovereign rights, which included the staking of land claims on Hiigara, a voice in the New Daiamid, and access to the ship-building capabilities of the Mothership Station. Given that the Mothership's building array had already provided whole fleets to the larger kiithid, and no less than fifteen carrier groups each to Naabal, Soban, Kaalel and Manaan, Kiith Somtaaw argued that they also had the right to seek their fortune among the stars. They proposed to build themselves a tonnage of starships which was proportional to their kiith numbers.

During the Somtaaw/Naabal debate, dispossessed members of many Kharak's devastated kiithid joined the Somtaaw as family members, swelling their ranks from 15,000 to nearly 25,000 in a few short months. The matter was contended for months in the Daiamid, with the larger kiithid of the inner council arguing bitterly. Kiith Soban honored its ancient ties to Somtaaw and opposed Naabal's power-hungry crusade, and so did the Paktu, a kiith inclined to support Somtaaw both out of historical sympathy with the underdog and respect for the rising confederation of Somtaaw with other weakened kiithid. On the opposite side of the table, Kiith LiirHra supported Naabal vigorously, citing the benefits of their own union with the survivors of the Hraal.

The matter was eventually decided by the Sa of Sa's, Karan Sjet, who came down on the side of the Somtaaw, and granted the miners access to the Mothership Station for a period of six months. In that time, the Somtaaw built two enormous mining ships, the Kuun-Lan and the Fal-Corum, which were both launched, fully manned, within 45 days. In the final days of their control over the Mothership's PDA, Kiith Somtaaw triumphantly built one final ship, the Clee San, a top-of-the-line deep space research frigate. Students of history will note that the names of all three vessels derive from the names of temples along the old Shimmering Path: Kuun-Lan, "Purifying Flame", Fal-Corum, "Silent Wayfarer", and Clee San, "Truth Seeker"...

Since then the Somtaaw have explored many neighboring systems to Hiigara. Although their numbers are small, they've set up several mining stations to collect rare elements, and they sell the fruits of their labors to all clients allowed by the current Hiigaran trade regulations. Like all our kiithid, their ships are bound to respond to any call to arms, when Hiigaran space is violated. But beyond the Somtaaw's duty to Hiigara, they live free and bend knee to none but their own kiith'sa...maintaining a centuries-long tradition.
 
THE END of the IMPERIAL ERA


The return of the Exiles to their Homeworld did more than mark a new beginning for life on Hiigara; it also helped to bring about the end of the Taiidani Imperial line, which had ruled continuously for nearly 3,000 standard years.

The Taiidan Empire of Year 0 AL (Year 2924 by the Imperial Calendar) held 275 star systems in its grip, but not easily. Emperor Khaldeesh the Second was rapidly approaching his 4th century of life, and his pogroms and agendas were becoming increasingly bloody and erratic. Relations with other Galactic civilizations were at an all time low, with the Empire receiving regular censure from the Galactic Council during their twice-per-decade assemblies. The Frerrn Aggregate was in a state undeclared war with the Taiidan Empire over a number of border issues on the Far Rim, and even the Bentusi had suspended all trade contact with the Taiidan in the year -7 BL (Year 2917 Imp.)

Internal Taiidani politics was faring even worse in these last years of the Empire. Tax revolts in the outer systems were a common occurrence, as Emperor Khaldeesh's increasing paranoia led to a prohibitively large and expensive military. The Taiidan Assembly of Lords, a token political body whose task was merely to "rubber stamp" edicts from the desk of the Emperor, even began to question some of Khaldeesh's more outrageous demands. The entire political system of the Imperium was corrupt and on the verge of collapse when a Mothership of unknown design breached Taiidani borders, and destroyed 3000 years of political stagnation.

A powerful group of military, political and economic figures had been plotting a coup in secret for years, staying only steps ahead of one purge or another as they looked desperately for the trigger that could sway 560 billion souls against their God-like Emperor. Oddly enough, it wasn't the plight of the Kharakian Exiles as much as the mindless obedience of the Taiidanii navy which created that trigger. When the first propaganda images spread through the Empire showing yet another victory, this time against an ancient and forgotten enemy, it soon became obvious that a serious mistake had been made on the part of the Emperor's political advisors. Instead of reassuring the Taiidani people that their nigh-immortal Emperor was all-seeing and all-powerful, the Taiidan reacted with near-universal horror and disgust. Again and again they were forced to watch one of their fleets commit an act of genocide against 300 million aliens, who had committed no crime greater than entering hyperspace and violating a long-forgotten treaty.

The Emperor reacted quickly and ordered the Home Fleet to hunt down and destroy the Exiles before they could penetrate Taiidan space, but it was too late. The political damage had been done, and the secret conspirators launched their coup against an obviously mad Emperor. While the initial groundswell of support was very strong, the conspirators and the general public seriously underestimated how prepared the Empire was for just such a rebellion, and how far their leaders were willing to go in order to maintain their stranglehold on power. After the first few heady days of rebellion, the Emperor declared full martial-law across the Taiidani worlds. According to his edict, no act performed in the defense of His Throne would be judged in civilian courts.

The death and destruction that followed this announcement throughout the Empire beggars the imagination. For every military unit that defected to the Coup, two others launched an orgy of brutal reprisals. Dukes and Governors that were unwilling to massacre protestors en masse were executed and replaced by ones who would. Entire rebellious asteroid cities were exterminated when navy corvettes destroyed their life support systems, and the slow death throes of millions were recorded, to be shown as an example to the rest of the population. By the end of the first month it was obvious to all but the most optimistic that the Emperor's grip on the Taiidan could not be thrown off. The final blow was nearly struck at the battle of Vorshan's Rift, where the gathered rebel Navy was ambushed and devastated due to a high level defector, who led the rebels into a trap. The ranking surviving military member of the coup fled for his life, directly into the arms of the one force in the galaxy that was successfully resisting Imperial power: the returning Exile Fleet. Luckily for the rebellion, the Exiles aided the Rebel officer, allowing him the chance to escape and regroup the tattered remnants of his fleet.

When news broke that the Exiles were actively aiding the rebellion, it was the final insult to the Emperor. Khaldeesh declared that he would personally command the Taiidani High Guard fleet in their crusade against the interlopers. The final battle took place high above the Exile's ancient Homeworld, Hiigara, and when it was over the Emperor lay dead and his Elite guard fleet was shattered.

In the resulting chaos, the Rebels seized their last chance and destroyed the Imperial Gene Bank. Without a clear line of succession through cloning, the Emperor having long ago executed any living relative who might try to kill him and take power, the Imperial structure collapsed. In its place was erected a new Taiidan Republic.
 
THE TAIIDAN REPUBLIC


Even after the death of the Emperor, the new Taiidan Republic has had anything but a smooth ride from tyranny to democracy. What was supposed to be a quick and relatively painless coup flared into a full blown civil war after the battle of Hiigara. Various factions tried to seize control of the Empire, while entire sectors fought for independence. After five years of skirmishes and all-out battles, the Taiidan Republic finally stabilized and established an uneasy peace within itself...but by the time the shooting stopped, only 160 out of 275 star systems were willing to call themselves Taiidani. Most of these loyal worlds are centered in the Galactic Core, while the spiral regions of the old Empire have splintered into a variety of small kingdoms, duchies and independent democratic states.

The Republic has restored order both internally and externally. In year 6 AL, the Republic signed a formal non-aggression and co-operation pact with the Exiles, which recognized their ancient claim to Hiigara. A five-light-year sphere of influence was also granted the new Hiigarans, in recognition of their aid to the Republic during the dark days of the Coup. Currently, the Republic and Hiigara share excellent relations, which has only been helped by the Republic's willingness to extradite war criminals who took part in the Kharakian Genocide. The Republic has also re-established trade relations with the enigmatic Bentusi, and it is rumored that the Bentusi have been crucial in supplying the new Republic with the technology, infrastructure and information it needs.

Most analysts consider the worst to be over for the Taiidan Republic, and the odds are good for new prosperity to begin, as stability breeds economic confidence and diplomacy replaces open warfare. With a few years of planning time, the Republic has stopped trying to match the Imperialist factions on a gun-to-gun basis, and are now trying to seize the high ground by using advanced technologies. Whereas the Empire had begun to stagnate technologically, the Republic has embraced new thinking in both science and industry, resulting in several breakthroughs that can be applied in both peace and war. Of course, all this progress could be destroyed overnight, should the surviving Imperialists find a way to overthrow the Republic, and return a new Emperor to the ancient Throne of Worlds.
 
THE IMPERIALIST FACTION


With the Empire shattered, it was to be expected that many major Imperial figures would flee the Republic to carve their own domains in the splintered frontier worlds. Many of these Imperialists call themselves "Loyalists," and support any one of hundreds of "lost heirs" that have sprung up over the past 15 years. While the Imperialist fleet is but a battered shadow of its former power, it is still a significant threat on the frontier, where many secret naval bases from the Imperial era are intact and functioning.

Imperialist power remains in the hands of the fleet, and while these once-proud ships have been forced to work as equals with pirates or hire themselves out as mercenaries, they are still a force to be reckoned with, and still a major threat to the stability of the Republic. Twice in the past 15 years the Imperialists have tried to unite the splinter kingdoms by force of arms, only to be defeated their by own factionalism and the military intervention of the Galactic Council.

Apart from the desire to overthrow the new Republic, the only other thing that binds the Imperialist Factions together is their deep, abiding hatred of the new Hiigarans. The Imperialist hold the Exiles and their quest for their Homeworld directly responsible for the Emperor's death and the fall of the Empire. Amongst Imperialist supporters, it is an oft-quoted prophecy that Empire will only rise again when the Imperial Fleet once again orbits Hiigara, and the work begun with the Kharakian Genocide is finished once and for all.

Needless to say, a state of open warfare exists between Hiigara and all Imperialist factions. Three times in the past 15 years, (in 4, 9 and 11 AL) the Imperialist have led major incursions into the Hiigaran sphere of influence. In the latter two invasions, strike fleets reached Hiigara itself, only to be thrown back with heavy losses on both sides. While Hiigaran shipping is constantly being harassed by Imperialist forces, either operating by themselves or in conjunction with the Turanic Raiders, it has been four years since any significant fleet actions took place in the Hiigaran sphere. This had led some analysts to conclude that the Imperialist forces are more interested in consolidating the splinter kingdoms than wasting more strength and technology on a blood feud with a single world. Others merely consider this to be the quiet before another inevitable storm.
 
TURANIC RAIDERS


No other group has profited more from the anarchy caused by the retaking of Hiigara and the resulting Taiidani civil war more than the Turanic Raiders. Nothing is known about the origins of this nomadic race of pirates and mercenaries but theories range from a disposed race of refugees to former slave race run amuck. Attacks by Turanic Raiders were first recorded during the year -475 BL in the Turan Sector and hence the name given to this enigmatic warrior species. Turanic hordes have infested the trade lanes of the galaxy at least twice a century since their arrival and no matter how much effort is put into hunting them down by one government or another, they always survive in some hidden base to emerge years later. While most of this growth-and-retreat cycle is spent raiding lone ships or unprotected convoys in order to slowly build up their power base, when the Raiders are at the height of their power they field full carrier groups and are capable of taking over entire asteroid settlements.

The Turanic Raiders have never been stronger than they were during much of the 1'st century BL when they enjoyed the patronage of the Mad Taiidani Emperor Khaldeesh. While most details were covered up at the time, new documents released by the Taiidan Republic during various war crimes trials have revealed the Turanic Raiders were supported by Imperial funds and supplies and served as a covert mercenary fleet. Many of the targets hit by the raiders during this period were of special military value and Intelligence gathered during these attacks aided the Emperor and stymied the efforts of neighboring galactic powers to limit his ambitions. Reliable estimates place Turanic Fleet strengths at nearly 20 carrier groups spread throughout the Imperial Frontier before the Homeworld War.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, the death of Emperor Khaldeesh and the fall of the Taiidan Empire brought about their fall as well. As if sensing the wake of history that rippled away from the Exile fleet as it approached Hiigara, the Turanic Raiders went into hiding and denied the Emperor their firepower when he faced the Exiles in final battle over Hiigara. The reasons for this may never be exactly known but when the Taiidani Empire fractured from the pressure of civil war, the Raiders were in perfect position to seize power in many outlying provinces of the Empire. These new "Bandit Kingdoms" as they have become known, are centers of power for a new, organized Turanic presence in the Galaxy and, in a final irony, it is now Imperialist factions who come to the Raiders seeking patronage. The current level of Imperialist/Raider co-operation is not truly known at this point but there have been scattered reports in recent years of mixed fleets performing strike and capture operations.

Despite these reports, Raider activity has been relatively low and most experts agree that the Turanic Raiders are in a build-up phase and will be for quite some time. The only dissenting voice in the Turanic analysis comes from several Hiigaran Warrior Kiith who point to a growing number of Hiigaran combat and transport vessels that have been lost in anomalous circumstances in the past two years. The animosity of the Raiders towards the new Hiigarans is well known and these losses may be due to new or exotic technologies being introduced into the Raider's fleet by their Imperialist Allies.
 
HIIGARAN HISTORY


After generations in exile and a perilous journey across known and unknown space, the Hiigarans have reclaimed their home planet. Seeking peace, they have found only chaos. The Galactic Council that had once expelled them from their home lies in ruins, a shadow of its former self. Desperate to maintain their power, their struggles have turned inward, each race determined to protect their own interests, rather than those of the Galaxy.

However, the true test for the Hiigarans may not be merely the threat of the warring Vaygr, but in the prophecy that Sajuuk – He Whose Hand Shapes What Is – will return and herald the coming of the End Time. The Hiigarans, as always, are divided along religious lines: a number of apocalyptic sects see portents of doom everywhere. To these fanatics, the rumor that their enemies the Vaygr are the Sajuuk-Khar is a dire omen and proof of Sajuuk's anger.

Even so work has begun on the second Mothership. The Hyperspace core which is the mark of their heritage has been removed from storage and brought to the Tanis shipyard for final integration. The Fleet has been prepared. The people are ready though nervous. In order to claim the peace and safety she promised her people when she first set foot upon Hiigara, Karan S'Jet must once again prepare for war.

The Hiigarans have claimed their home and their empire. Now they must defend it, and in doing so find their destiny.
 
VAYGR HISTORY


The Vaygr are a warrior clan originally from Vay, an isolated planet in the Eastern Fringes of the galaxy. The discovery of early and inefficient hyperdrives enabled these warriors to travel and raid widely across their sector of space. Always a nomadic race, the strongest warlords brought groups of Vaygr together into crusades. A Vaygr crusade is entirely independent - the build capacity of their Motherships combined with the resource harvesting abilities of their individual craft enable them to live self sufficiently in space. Communication between separate crusades is minimal.

Since that time, the Vaygr have integrated many separate races, civilizations and technologies. The planet Vay is lost in the sands of time, the name they take its only living reminder. Constant infighting between separate crusades and jockeying for position among warlords has kept the Eastern Fringe a warzone for as long as any can remember, and therefore no threat to the larger galactic civilizations.

Until now. Under the guidance of the Warlord Makaan, the various tribes of the Vaygr Reaches have formed into a cohesive force. While still operating independently, the overall strategic aims of the Vaygr have been coordinated and focused by Makaan, a master strategist.

Their recent acquisition of a long jump-capable Hyperspace Core has allowed the Vaygr to stage raids into the hearts of enemy territories, while their nomadic lifestyle and mining technology give them a speed and mobility unmatched by any of their opponents.

More a Messiah than Warlord, Makaan has been hailed as the Sajuuk'Khem, the Manipulator of He Whose Hand Shapes What Is, and his people the Sajuuk Khar, The Chosen of God.

As a people, the Vaygr are unrelenting and persistent in combat. Space holds no fear for them, as much of the civilization has never lived planetside. Massive roaming fleets drift through the Vaygr Reaches, stripping minerals and supplies from asteroids and passing comets. Nomads, they have no concept of home, merely lands open to pillage.

Under Makaans rule, they have spread far and wide. None who have stood against the Vaygr have managed to hold them back. The devices they use to strip planets of their mineral wealth leave bare husks of worlds behind. In order to expand, the Vaygr have no choice but to press ever onwards, crushing worlds anew as they do so. Given time, they will have strip mined every habitable planet in the Galaxy.

Utilizing local Hyperspace Gates and high speed Transport Frigates to reach the front line, the Vaygr constitute a high speed, flexible war force. Individual tribal captains lead the battle from the front lines, organizing and coordinating attacks even as they come under fire. Each Vaygr craft is a highly specialized unit, designed to fulfill a single task with lethal efficiency.
 
WHAT CAME BEFORE...

On Kharak the old Kiith clans believed that Sajuuk, He Whose Hand Shapes What Is, exiled them to the desolate reaches of the galaxy for their crimes. For millennia, the Exiles struggled for survival unaware of their true origins. Then, from deep below the sands of Kharak, a single discovery forever changed their history - an ancient starship, buried in the sand.

Within its ruins lay the Guidestone and the promise of their true home: Hiigara. But this was not the only discovery, for the ruins also yielded the secrets needed to reverse-engineer the Hyperspace Module that would take the Exiles home. Building an exact replica of the containment unit, the exiled Hiigarans placed the original core, the nexus that made hyperspace possible, within. This simple act would seal their fate.

Venturing forth from the sands of Kharak into the depths of space, the Hiigaran began their voyage home aboard the Mothership. Many remember the pain and sacrifices of the Return. What started out as a triumphant return quickly became a desperate struggle for survival. From the Inner Galactic Rim the Taiidan Empire rose to challenge the Exiles. Observing a four thousand year old edict against Hyperspace, the Taiidan destroyed Kharak - dooming all save the 600,000 volunteers in cryo-sleep aboard the Mothership.

Long and bitter was the journey, but the Exiles returned home…never to forget the sacrifices made by the millions who died and the vision of Kharak burning in the void. Many thought their hardships would end when they returned to Hiigara, but fate would not be so kind...
 
KARAN S'JET


One of the greatest sacrifices made during the Return was made by the young neuroscientist Karan S'jet. She was instrumental in designing many of the systems aboard the Mothership and had herself integrated into the massive data shunt of the Mothership, becoming its living core in the process.

Under the watchful guidance of Karan S'jet, the Hiigarans have forged a new empire with colonies stretching across the Inner Rim, from the Great Wastelands to the Sarum system.

Although no longer joined to the Mothership, Karan's exposure to Hyperspace expanded her consciousness and extended her life. It is she who first sensed the coming of the Vaygr and started preparations to build a second Mothership to face this new threat. Construction of this Mothership, called "The Pride of Hiigara," was started deep within the Tanis Wastelands, far away from Hiigaran shipping lanes and the eyes of Vaygr scouts.

Once more, it is Karan who will be the greatest hope for the Hiigarans in their time of deepest despair.
 
A TIME OF WAR


The Hiigaran arrival forever changed the face of the Inner Rim. With the defeat of the Taiidan Empire, the Galactic Counsel fragmented into countless warring factions. Although outnumbered and surrounded, the Hiigarans managed to emerge as a dominant force for they and the enigmatic Bentusi were the only races to possess the ability to Far Jump: to cross vast distances of space and time in the blink of an eye.

With the collapse of the Galactic Counsel came the Dust Wars. What started out as small border clashes soon turned to open warfare as old grievances were finally settled. As if on cue, the Vaygr swept out of the Eastern Fringes, intent on invading the Inner Rim. At first, the Vaygr attacked in small raiding parties composed mainly of Taiidan rebels. It quickly became obvious the raids were only the beginning of a larger crusade. Within months, sightings of new ships were reported throughout the Inner Rim. No longer disrupting shipping, these new attackers were organized and deadly. One by one, star systems fell to the Vaygr and with each one, their path became increasingly clear - the Home system and Hiigara.
 
THE VAYGR


The Eastern Fringe of the Galaxy is an inhospitable area of space dominated by unstable star systems and dangerous gravitational disturbances. This has isolated the indigenous populations from the rest of the galaxy. It's a wild and lawless area explored only by the foolhardy or desperate, controlled by petty warlords and preyed on by raiders and bandits. The greatest and most organized of these groups are the Vaygr, a nomadic, space-borne race.

The Vaygr are expansionists, Traveling from system to system on conventional drives, they enslave any races they encounter, cannibalizing their technology and culture in the process. Over the course of centuries, they have conquered and absorbed an unknown number of civilizations in this fashion. As a result, the Vaygr are less a singular race than a conglomeration of clans and factions, lead by strong brutal warlords in fleets known as Crusades.

A Vaygr Crusade is largely independent, depending on the build capacity of their motherships, deep space resourceingresourcing operations, and finely honed raiding skills. Contact between crusades more often than not leads to conflict, however Crusades have been known to work together for a common goal if the reward is great enough.

Discovery of ancient Progenitor relics over the past three centuries of Vaygr expansion combined with selective interpretation of poorly kept records has led certain warlords to believe they are the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen of Sajuuk. For centuries, these messianic pretenders have searched for the Three Cores, keys to hyperspace and the path to Sajuuk himself. For centuries all they found were ruins and ghosts of the Progenitor Era.

This all changed when a warlord named Makaan discovered a Hyperspace Core deep in the Hethlim Ice-Fields. Already in possession of other Progenitor artifacts, Makaan's scientists and engineers quickly unraveled its secrets and, for the first time in their history, the Vaygr possessed the ability to Far Jump. This would prove a calamity, for it released the Vaygr from the confines of the Eastern Fringe into the densely populated Inner Rim.

Integrated into the data matrix of the Vaygr Flagship, Makaan has sensed the presence of the remaining two cores and the minds that controlled them. Contact with remnants of the Taiidan Imperial Fleet revealed a common purpose. Under the banner of the Vaygr, they have been moving inexorably closer to the Hiigaran system.

Through the cores, the wills of Makaan and Karan strive for dominance. With their blood, the Vaygr and the Hiigarans will stand…or fall.
 
PRELUDE TO THE END TIMES


Hiigaran History from 9525 GSY to 9625 GSY, outlines the period spanning the return of the Exiles to their Homeworld through to those events generally acknowledged as the beginning of the End Times.

The following is a chronicle of the events occurring after the return of the Hiigaran Exiles to their home, under the leadership and command of Karan S'Jet. The years immediately following landfall upon Hiigara were, without doubt, among the hardest the Exiles had faced. Those who had been brought to Hiigara in suspended animation, known as Sleepers, arose to the revelation that the planet upon which they had lived for so many years, Kharak, had been destroyed. The world they had been brought to, Hiigara, was their only chance for the future.

Colonization was a slow and difficult process. The Hiigaran Kiithid had expected to return to paradise, yet they instead found shattered cities left in the wake of the Taiidani evacuation, following the death of their emperor, Riesstiu IV the Second. However, they could ill afford to expend all of their resources upon rebuilding, given the presence of raiders, pirates, and Taiidan still loyal to their fallen emperor--all of them eager to test Hiigara in it's weakened state. Even political factions, including members of the Galactic Council, argued that the Exiles could not possibly defend themselves and therefore required assistance from a larger government. All of these opponents, military and political, had underestimated the Exiles' resolve. Having lost so much and fought so hard, they were not prepared to fail at this stage. Against all who would take Hiigara from them, they stood firm.
 
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