History

OOC Note: This is the Homeworld backstory from the Appendix C of the HW2 Strategy Guide, as transcripted by Keiichi, with corrections by Arioch, and the Wikia Homeworld entry. It ranges from the emergence of the Hiigaran Empire to the rise of the Republic in an over 3,000 year period.

The Gift

In ancient times, a trader race known as the Bentusi found a great Core, allowing for it's holder to jump to the farthest locations in the galaxy instantely. They immediatly spread the use of this technology. It began with the Outer Rim Trade Routes, traversing hundreds of occupied worlds andbringing the Bentusi to each. With knowledge far exceeding that of any race they encountered, they were able to profit while spreading their wisdom. With each passing decade, more of the fledglingraces purchased the knowledge of hyperspace and charts of the Outer Rim Trade Routes, each thereby joining the Bentusi as unbound races among the stars. What had once been a collection of isolated peoples, each believing itself to be the only life in the galaxy, was now becoming a galactic community released from the shackles of sublight travel that once bound them. Trade, discussion and war followed in the wake of the Bentusi. Yet the Bentusi withheld a key advantage from the races with which they had traded. Ever canny, it seemed they had not given up all of their secrets. While many races now had access to hyperspace, the range and potential of their drives was limited. Despite being able to travel farther and faster than had even been conceived of in the days of sublight travel, there were still limits to the power of the drives derived from the Bentusi blueprints. These limits did not seem to apply to the Bentusi themselves, however. They were able to effortlessly travel the vast expanses of the galaxy in a mere blink of an eye--to Far Jump. Many races managed to reverse engineer the Short Jump technology provided by the Bentusi, and some even developed improvements and refinements upon the original designs. Yet even the finest of scientists granted that Far Jumping would require a level of power exponentially greater than that currently available. Thus, despite the many minds applied to the question, Far Jumping remained the exclusive privilege of the Bentusi.

Conflict

When the specter of war first raised it's head, the Bentusi moved quickly into action. Many would-be conquerors were left impotent by the arrival of the Bentusi Flagship and it's accompanying fleet. Never the first to fire, they were nonetheless capable of incapacitating entire armadas while taking almost no losses. Such extreme measures were rarely required, however, as few fleets would stand and fight when confronted with the power of the Bentusi Fleet. And any bold enough to do so did not fight for long. The Bentusi offered their trading partners a guarantee of peace, provided they remained peaceful in turn. Regardless, there were always some who would wage war upon their neighbors. After facing the overwhelming might of the Bentusi Fleet, however, none were foolish enough to make a second attempt. Nearly 500 years passed with the Bentusi keeping the peace amongst the thousands of races with which they dealt. However, with communication and the exchange of diplomats amongst the planets came a growing murmur of dissent. The Bentusi, many said, had no right to dictate their wishes to an entire galaxy. Slowly this dissent grew, and in time it gained it's focus. Who the leader of this revolution was and how precisely he managed to coordinate such a bold uprising has been lost to the sands of time. Yet it would seem that over the course of several hours, thousands of wars began at once, scattered across the entire spread of the Outer Rim Trade Routes. While the Bentusi Fleet was effectively invincible and seemed able to cross the galaxy in mere moments, it could not be everywhere at once. It's greatest strength was it's greatest weakness. Some assumed the Bentusi possessed many fleets, each headed by one of their Harbor Ships. In truth, only one Harbor Ship existed, and when confronted by galaxy-wide wars, the Bentusi faltered. With outright war breaking out across the galaxy in hundreds of locations, there was little the Bentusi could do but deal with as many cases as they could and await the inevitable end of hostilities. When the chaos at last died down, many worlds had been conquered, and where there had once been hundreds of tiny individual governments now stood powerful empires spanning multiple worlds. Amongst the conquering empires was that of the Hiigarans, whose war fleets easily shattered their neighbors' defenses and brought them under the auspice of the Diamid, Hiigara's ruling council.

The Council

These new empires were able to make demands upon the Bentusi that would have been impossible as individual worlds. With the ability to disrupt the Bentusi trade routes ably demonstrated, they coerced the Bentusi into allowing them self-government, although there are some who contend this was always the Bentusi intent, and they were merely awaiting evidence the worlds were ready for independence. Regardless, the worlds maintained that a collective of rulers (many of them, ironically, dictators in fact if not in name) would be a fairer way for the fates of the worlds to be decided, rather than the dictatorship that had been imposed by the Bentusi. Thus, through the trials of revolution, anarchy, and outright war, the Galactic Council was born, and the Hiigarans were amongst it's founding members. Also joining them amongst the 16 founding empires of the Galactic Council were the Taiidani, who had already been involved in a number of disputes with the Hiigaran people. Both located in the same area of space, they had built their respective empires by assimilating those worlds that surrounded them. However, those worlds on the borders between them had been bitterly fought over during the preceding battles, and their respective troops were still locked in combat above the skies and upon the ground of many. The ownership of these disputed planets was one of the first matters brought before the Council, and the resolution clearly favored the Taiidani. It appeared the Taiidan representative had bribed, blackmailed, and in some cases even arranged the assassination of members of the Council in order to have the planets awarded to the Taiidani. Worse, a 30-light-year exclusion zone was instituted, into which the Hiigaran fleet could not approach without the threat of serious reprisals from the Council.

Ascension

Had circumstances differed, the Hiigarans would have been impotent in the face of the Council’s edicts. Yet it was at this point that exploration within several previously uncharted sectors of the Great Wastelands unearthed an artifact that would prove the most important discovery in the history of Hiigara. A Hyperspace Core was found enclosed within a crystalline lattice, supported within the heart of a shattered starship of awe-inspiring scale. This Hyperspace Core would provide the Hiigarans with the means to take their vengeance upon the Taiidan and recover those planets they considered rightfully theirs, yet this would ultimately also seal their fate as Exiles. With time, they unlocked the mysteries of the Hyperspace Core, clearly as powerful and capable as the Far Jumper utilized by the Bentusi. After extensive re-engineering of the core's containment unit, it was mounted into a newly constructed Flagship christened Sajuuk's Wrath. This single vessel harnessed more firepower than any other vessel in the Hiigaran Navy. And this, combined with it's ability to Far Jump, represented the advantage required to both crush the Taiidan and allow the Hiigarans complete freedom unmatched by any other than the Bentusi. Heeding the Bentusi example, every operational ship of the Hiigaran Navy was recalled and reformed into a single, massive fleet. Knowing that the bulk of the Taiidan Navy was currently poised at the Hiigaran border, the Hiigarans utilized the advantage of their Far Jump capabilities and struck deep behind the Taiidan lines. Able to strike the Taiidan patrols and garrisons they encountered with the full force of their entire fleet and then quickly move on, the Hiigarans demolished each Taiidan force they encountered. Before the first report of this destruction could reach Taiidan, the seat of the empire's power and home to the Imperial Palace , the Hiigaran fleet stood poised in orbit. The Taiidan Elite Guard, realizing they could not hold against such overwhelming force, nevertheless threw themselves into the fray, hoping vainly to hold the line long enough for reinforcements to arrive. With the last barrier between Sajuuk's Wrath and the Imperial Palace of Taiidan removed, the Hiigarans maneuvered into high orbital position in order to begin planetary bombardment. A surgical strike was planned to cripple the Taiidan and therefore ensure they would be unable to mount a retaliatory strike. The orbital missiles fell for a full day upon the Imperial Palace and every military facility upon Taiidan's surface. Satisfied that the Taiidan threat had been permanently neutralized, the Hiigaran Navy departed. Sixty-seven hours had passed between the departure of the fleet from Hiigara to it's return.

Response

The outcome of this action and the potential reprisals from the Galactic Council had been exhaustively discussed in the Diamid before the attack was launched. After long debate, it had been decided that defiance of the Council’s orders was the only option remaining to the Hiigaran people. Had the Taiidan been allowed to keep the worlds they had taken, they would soon encroach upon worlds deeper within the Hiigaran territories--if not by force, then by economic influence. It would then be but a matter of time before Hiigara was merely another subservient world under the banner of the Taiidan Empire. Slow assimilation was considered unacceptable, especially given the harsh limitations placed upon the development of the Hiigaran military by the Council. It was clear that action needed to be taken immediately, or the glorious history of Hiigara would end here, a mere footnote for the future. The ancient core had evidently been handed to them by the will of Sajuuk, and it was his wish that Hiigara use the advantage it had been granted in order to snatch victory from the Taiidan while they least expected to be opposed. The strike complete, and the core having proven more successful than even the most optimistic general had hoped, the Hiigarans awaited the inevitable reaction from the Galactic Council. The Council was notoriously slow in it's decision-making processes, a failing the Diamid had banked upon in the calculations for the war against the Taiidan. Given the usual timeframes of the Council, Hiigara would have time to dispatch the fleets upon their borders and reclaim the worlds that were rightfully theirs, presenting the Council with a fate impossible to reverse. Surprisingly, the Council moved faster than anyone expected, and within days of the return of Sajuuk's Wrath, the Council had delivered it's initial edict. The Hiigarans were to turn over their core to the Council’s safekeeping, retreat from the disputed worlds immediately, and abandon all military vessels of the Hiigaran Navy within the 30-light-year exclusion zone. Precisely what decision would be made thereafter , as well as the eventual fate of the core and the navy, would be resolved at the Council’s usual pace. Hiigara was given 24 hours to comply or face the severest possible consequences. Debate raged throughout the emergency meeting of the Diamid, yet one fact remained clear throughout. The glory of the Hiigaran Fleet, combined with the power of the Far Jumper, gave them an unstoppable advantage against any opponent foolish enough to challenge them. No foe could possibly challenge Hiigara, except one.

Honor

On the matter of the Bentusi, the words of Malketh LiirHra -- Kiith-Sa of his people and their representative at the Diamid -- have been preserved to this day. "We are a people forge in the struggles of battle, conflict, and death. Where others see pride, we see only duty. Where invaders see weakness, we see honor. As individuals we go to war, yet we return as family, Hiigarans, Kiith. The choice before the Diamaid is that between war and submission. Our foe possesses every material advantage that we possess and hundreds of years more experience wielding the power of their core. They have the support of the Galactic Council while we stand alone. You cannot consider your spirits yet tested if you accept only those battles where victory is certain. Many men would turn back now at the thought of the hardships before us should we challenge the Bentusi. We stand at the edge of our future with only one question to be answered. Are we to be remembered as Hiigarans, or do we bow to the sands of time?" The eventual decision for the Diamid was clear. As the deadline for compliance reached it's final minutes, word was sent to the Council that the Hiigarans agreed to the conditions outlined. Their Navy would be abandoned within the exclusion zone and the core would be handed into the safekeeping of the Council, with one caveat. The Hiigarans trusted none of the Council to guard the core responsibly, except the Bentusi. The core would be delivered to the Bentusi Harbor Ship and none other. Relief within the Council was palpable. It seemed the Hiigarans had submitted at the eleventh hour, and the prospect of war had been put to rest. Yet the Hiigarans had no intention of honoring the agreement they had proposed. When the Bentusi Harbor Ship arrived within the exclusion zone, it found the entire Hiigaran Navy awaiting, and seemingly abandoned. Sajuuk's Wrath stood at their center, core exposed and ready for Bentusi removal. However, upon observing the entry of the Bentusi and their lack of escorts, the Hiigaran Navy sprang into action. Power-up sequences firing under emergency procedures, the fleet moved against the Bentusi from every vector before they could begin to react. The Hiigaran Fleet gave no quarter, the initial salvo slamming into the housing for the Bentusi Hyperspace Core. This bold and decisive move, had it succeeded in disabling the core of the Bentusi, could have changed the future of the Hiigaran people in the blink of an eye. Yet they had not counted upon the capabilities, experience, and raw speed of the Bentusi.

Defeat

Leaping immediately into action, the docking bays of the Harbor Ship began to launch powerful and compact combat-ready vessels, while the power of their core wrenched the rest of their fleet from nearby staging grounds directly into the heart of the war zone before them. Shields and defensive fields were raised as the gravity around Bentus began to increase in magnitude by the second. The Hiigaran admiral watched in shock and dismay as his fleet began to fall on all fronts before the overwhelming experience and technology of the Bentusi. What had a moment earlier seemed to be a textbook victory was quickly dissolving into defeat. As in every battle the Bentusi had fought, they offered their opponent every opportunity to surrender. Yet even against impossible odds, the Hiigarans fought on. Sajuuk's Wrath leapt from flank to flank, blinking in and out of hyperspace and bolstering the Hiigaran forces wherever it was needed, yet the Bentusi Harbor Ship outmaneuvered it each time. After many hours of solid, bloody combat, there was nothing left of the Hiigaran Navy beyond debris and their Flagship. Once again, the Bentusi offered the option of surrender, and once again they were refused. Wishing the ensure the core was preserved, they ruined the engines of Sajuuk's Wrath and began to maneuver into position to dock. However, the commander had a contingency plan prepared. Manually disengaging the mass overrides, he plotted a course for the surface of the Hiigaran moon. It was almost certainly suicide to hyperspace so close to a Gravity Well, yet he knew that any sane course he could plot the Bentusi would follow. Having watched the fleet he had so proudly commanded annihilated in battle, he could not survive them and retain his honor. Even if the maneuver ended in the ship's destruction, the Diamid had been told of his plan and knew where to look for the core. Perhaps the future could be salvaged from the wreckage of the present.

Realization

In the aftermath of the overwhelming Hiigaran defeat, the Galactic Council granted the remaining Hiigarans their freedom under the condition that they would never again prepare for war or bring arms against others. With the fleet wiped out and the Hyperspace Core lost (or so it was assumed) they presented no threat, in any case. Further sanctions were agreed to be unnecessary, as Hiigara had been all but crippled by it's own foolish actions and stubborn pride. The remorse of the Bentusi was second only to that of the Hiigarans. They had existed for so long alone among the space-faring races, truly unbound and possessed of power beyond the grasp of any other. After so many hundreds of years they had finally found a potential equal, or so it had seemed. Now they were responsible for stripping that power from the Hiigarans for crimes that, while certainly of immense seriousness, essentially amounted to immaturity. They had made errors of their own, and their histories told of early incidences of abuse of the power they had been granted. If there had been an older, Far Jump-capable race present at the dawn of the Bentusi expansion, they may well have found themselves in precisely the position the Hiigarans were now trapped in. A time of formalized mourning began among the Bentusi, and when they were done, each Bentusi vessel was disarmed and demilitarized. Their announcement to the Council was one of the final entries in the Galactic Council records preserved among the documents found upon Hiigara. Events beyond this time have largely been assembled from other sources, many of them less formal than the records of the Council. "We retract our martial support from the Council we once founded. Never again will the Bentusi wage war for the cause of peace. We bind our hands before the collected worlds. We will remain, if permitted, members of the Council, no more nor less than any other. May a new age of peace prosper free of our influence."

Revenge

The age of peace hoped for by the Bentusi was not to be, however. Lacking the guiding hand of an emperor, the Taiidan worlds were in chaos. The only remnants of their once-fearsome navy was the fleet staged upon the Hiigaran border, under the command of Admiral Riesstiu. With no emperor to guide his actions, Riesstiu declared himself sole commander of the Taiidan Navy. Already viewed as a hero due to his bravery and strategic acumen in battles past, his declaration was nearly unanimously supported. It was, however, a mere formality, as he had already been appointed commander of the border forces, which were very nearly the entirety of the Taiidan Navy after the Hiigaran's brutal invasion. It was generally believed that what was needed now was decisive and unbending leadership, and under such circumstances the admiral was seen as the perfect man to lead. Uncompromising in the face of hard decisions and untouched by any streak of mercy, in more gentle times he may have been viewed with an edge of suspicion. Yet the destruction of the Imperial Palace had struck the Taiidan hard, and the call for revenge was heard at every turn. With the Bentusi withdrawal from military enforcement and the Hiigaran Navy in ruins, Riesstiu knew his opportunity had arrived. The Taiidan offensive against the Hiigaran Empire moved quickly, smashing what small defenses it encountered upon the way to it's final destination. Each planet it passed was offered the chance to join the Taiidan Empire, and all those who refused were annihilated. The Taiidan had developed weapons that would cleanse the entire surface of a planet of any sign of life, and they were both prepared and horribly eager to use them upon those who had slain their emperor.

Oppression

The first planet to refuse served as an unforgettable demonstration. Hundreds of millions of lives were ended without warning as revenge for a crime of which they were ultimately innocent. After that, few other worlds refused the offer of Taiidan alliance. Regardless of their submission, many planets were razed regardless. Some, the admiral claimed, had converted too easily and therefore would make untrustworthy allies. Others were overly reluctant and therefore most likely still loyal to Hiigara. More lives were lost in the space of Riesstiu's Revenge, as the slaughter became known, than had been lost in all recorded battles since the Outer Rim Trade Routes were first established. The Council threatened sanctions, yet Riesstiu carried on without care. Taiidan was an Empire without an emperor, and there was little effect any sanction could have upon them given their complete lack of structure or hierarchy. As news spread of the utter carnage being waged against a defenseless foe, protest began to build. Many races, both those of the Council and independent worlds, called for the Bentusi to intervene with force, yet they would not. Their vow had been in earnest and though they wept for the Hiigaran's fate, they would not return to the ways of conflict they had abandoned. They did volunteer to adjudicate discussion between Riesstiu and the Diamid, in pursuit of an acceptable resolution. The admiral's demands were simple. All Hiigaran worlds would now belong to the Taiidan Empire. Hiigara itself would stand as the site for the new Imperial Palace , given that it had the resources and infrastructure in place that had been destroyed upon Taiidan. Every native Hiigaran would be executed or pressed into slavery, dependant upon the level of their involvement in the destructions wreaked upon the Taiidan Homeworld. Despite attempts to find a middle ground by the Diamid, the admiral would not move on any point. The Hiigaran spirit had been broken by the loss of the fleet and the core such that they could nearly accept the loss of their empire, even the occupation of their planet, but slavery was too bitter a pill for even the most broken Hiigaran spirit to swallow. Resigning themselves to destruction, they prepared for the end.

Exile

Yet the Bentusi, shamed by their part in the Hiigaran's downfall, continued to negotiate and finally managed to find a solution acceptable to the Council, Taiidan, Riesstiu, and the Hiigarans. The Hiigarans would have a single month to board a sublight transport departing toward the galactic outskirts. Any left behind would be enslaved or executed, but those willing to accept the compromise arranged by the Bentusi would be dispatched to an occupied desert planet far beyond established trade routes. There they could attempt to build a new life, provided they never again developed Far Jump hyperspace technology. If they were to venture beyond their planet with the now-missing core or another like it, their destruction would be sealed. The Diamid decided quickly. Given the choice of death or exile, the Kiith-Sa voted overwhelmingly in favor of granting their people the option of life, regardless of how difficult that life may prove to be. Thus, all of the able-bodied population of Hiigara were exiled to the desert world of Kharak, only the smallest of victories held within their grasp. The Hyperspace Core, the single most powerful artifact possessed by the Hiigaran people and the match of that possessed by the Bentusi, had been retrieved from Hiigara's moon and smuggled aboard the ship that carried them to their Exile. Thus, they hoped, their ancestors may one day have the chance to regain their home and their empire. Even in the most futile of situations, the Hiigarans retained their dignity and dared hope for the future, despite the dangers that possession of the core brought with it. And so, onboard sublight transports the Hiigarans saw Hiigara vanish forever behind them.

Wasteland

Three thousands years later, the remnants of the once great Hiigaran civilization, having long forgotten their former home and history, struggled to survive on the harsh world of Kharak. The Kushan (as the Exiles were called) seperated into Kiithid, religious, clan-based nationstates, which warred over the only habitable land on Kharak, it's northern and south poles, for centuries. One of the greatest religions on Kharak was that which followed Sajuuk, Kushan for "He Whose Hand Shapes What Is". It was this religion which would come to dominate Kharakian history. Around the sixth century of their Exile, conflicts between the two most powerful kiithid, Siidim and Gaalsien came to a boiling point. This errupted into a huge religiously toned conflict later called the Heresy Wars, a series of unending battles and wars that would nearly cause the extinction of all life of Kharak, if it was not for the intervetion of Kiith Nabaal. Nabaal, who had stayed out of the massive wars and developed advanced technology such as flight and steam power, joined the fray, subduing the Siidim and Gaalsien and ending the nightmare. For the first time in Kushan history, they united the Kiithid under a single banner, the Daiamid. With this peaceful resolution, the Kushan people entered the Age of Reason, in which great strides in technology were made, allowing for the populations and knowledge of the Kushan to grow exponentially while maintaining relative peace. Not all accepted this unity, however, and the defeated Gaalsien, who had rejected the new technological advances of the Age of Reason declared this other Kiithid heretics. They began their campaign of terror by destorying the dikes holding the great sand seas back from the city of Saju-ka, flooding the city and taking thousands of innocent lives. After this atrocity, they retreated into the deserts, reappearing to terrorize the more-civilized Kiithis from time to time. The Age of Reason finally came to its glorious end around the 11th century of their Exile, starting with the development of space flight and advanced genetic theory. By this time there was now significant evidence of life outside Kharak, compounded by the discovery that the Kushan had indeed not orginated on Kharak. It was the discovery of space derelicts across the huge sand seas covering their planet, and the search for these artifacts of the past that in turn lead to great bounds in aerospace technologies. A RADAR satellite, intended to map out the Kharak system, was accidently turned on to Kharak, and in an amazing stroke of luck, discovered the crash site and wreckage of the Khar-Toba, the prison ship used to take them to their wasteland home a millenia ago. It was this discovery that prompted an exploratory team to travel to the Khar-Toba's crash site six years later. What they found would alter the Kushan's history forever. A monument, called the Guidestone by the Kushan, was found, engraved with the sacred Angel Moon symbol, and the only word that all the Kiithid used.

Hiigara.

Home.

Ark

The discovery of the Guidestone, on which a galactic map was etched, revealing the location of the mythical paradise Hiigara, a word that means "home" in the Kushan language. With the Guidestone in hand the Kushan settle their remaining differences and build an enormous vessel which they call "the Mothership". The hyperdrive salvaged from the wreckage of the Mothership is reverse engineered so that an identical copy may be built into the Mothership's reactor core. The construction of the Mothership takes 60 years, but to the Kushan their efforts are worth the chance of rediscovering Hiigara. Every ounce of resources available to the ruling council of the Kushan, the Daiamid is devoted completely to completing and launching the Mothership. Sacrifices are made, personal needs put aside for the whole. Though there are some who see the effort to return to the mythic paradise a sin against the heavens, they are overwhelmed by the massive drive of the Kushan to know the secrets of their past. The last of the Mothership's systems to be placed is that of the mainframe CPU known as Fleet Command. Efforts to design the computer are futile as each AI program designed proves to be unable to comply with the overwhelming amount of information passing through the systems of the Mothership every instant. Unable to design a sufficient program, a young and brilliant neuroscientist, Karan S'Jet, from the nobility of the scientifically inclined Kiith S'jet suggests a new method. Rather than design an AI that can manage the ship, Fleet Command's processes will be based on the complexity of the brain. In the greatest sacrifice of all, Karan S'jet offers herself for this experimental technology. The Mothership almost complete, a few preliminary trials are made to test its capabilities as well as those of its escort fleet. Overseen by Fleet Intelligence, a collection of Kharak's brightest minds designed to advise Karan and devise plans of action, the new Mothership Fleet tests its combat, research, and resource gathering capabilities among others. When the tests in orbit of Kharak are complete Fleet Intelligence, satisfied with the results, begins testing the last major function of the mothership, the hyperspace core. The exodus had almost begun.

Sistership

The hyperdrive test was designed to bring the Mothership into contact with a supply and research station, the Khar-Selim, which had been journeying the outer reaches of the Kharak System for some ten years. However, the Mothership misjumps, S'jet still unfamiliar with the navigation of the vessel. The Mothership still arrives incredibely close to its destination, within several kilometers of the rendezvous point. As Fleet Intelligence tries to work out their location Fleet Command sends out a signal to the Khar-Selim, hoping to locate its signal. Unable to get any response other than a beacon near the rendezvous point, the Mothership dispatches a probe to discover what happened to the vessel. Unfortunately, fate was not to be kind to the wayward Kushan. The probe discovers the Khar-Selim in shambles, destroyed by some unknown enemy. Shortly thereafter the enemy arrives in arms, detecting the probe. The strange, alien fleet attacks the Mothership almost immediately and the colony ship is suddenly turned into the flaship of an armada as the Kushan leap to defend themselves against this unexpected onslaught. Kushan fighters are deployed at once as well as newly constructed corvettes. Though the attackers make headway against the Kushan, they are soon destroyed. Eager to discover the identity of their attackers and recover whatever information the Khar-Selim had on them before it was destroyed, Fleet Intelligence advises a salvage team be deployed to recover the onboard records of the Khar-Selim, which should have survived the destruction of the station. The salvage team is deployed, heavily escorted in case the enemy is not yet completely destroyed. Their fears are realized when, while gathering the records, the attackers once again dive upon the Kushan, held off barely by the corvette's escorts. Fleet Intelligence then discovers the location of an enemy carrier nearby and deploys a group of strikecraft to destroy it, keeping another group to defend the Mothership as it analyzes the recovered records. After some time the records are unlocked but little else is discovered about their enemy other than that it is now without doubt the attacker of the Khar-Selim, audio recording the same chatter between the pilots noticed by the Mothership. Determined to both defend themselves and avenge the Khar-Selim Fleet Intelligence orders the Fleet to destroy the attackers at all costs. Driven off by the ferocity of the Kushan the enemy carrier retreats, along with several of its fighter escorts, deciding this fight is not worth the effort. Realizing that their enemy is not likely finished Fleet Intelligence advises S'jet to bring the Mothership back to Kharak to finish adding its weapon modules and to warn the Daiamid of the new threat.

Alone

When the Kushan arrive however they find a world ruined, destroyed by another enemy. Kharak's atmosphere burns and its deserts turn to glass. The scaffold is wrecked, strewn into debris that slowly orbits around the dead world. Overhead, in orbit, the Fleet watches the world burn and comes to term with their place as the last of their species. But the Kushan do not have long to come to terms with their grief. Within a minute of their arrival Fleet Intelligence realizes that the alien attackers have not left yet and that they are still present, a few frigate class warships staying behind to finish the job by destroying the cryo trays left in orbit over Kharak, inside of which lie the last remnants of the Kushan, frozen for transport on the Mothership. Realizing their predicament and that they need those trays for their species to survive, Fleet Intelligence orders the fleet into action, to neutralize the enemy vessels attacking the cryo trays while a group of salvagers retrieve the trays for storage in the Mothership's hold. Armed only with fighters and corvettes the Kushan assault the enemy frigates, harassing them while a small group of Kiith Somthaaw salvagers manage to rescue all six of the cryo trays, saving 600,000 lives in the process. While recovering the trays, wanting to learn more about the enemy they face, Fleet Intelligence orders the salvagers to interrupt their recovery of the trays so that they may capture one of the enemy frigates and interrogate its crew. Successful in their venture the Kushan find a recording of the attack on Kharak, showing an enormous battlefleet led by a carrier of some sort. After destroying the scaffold and its defense fleet the aliens then destroy Kharak in a barrage of atomspheric deprevation weapons. With no homeworld left but the one they seek to find and with all they knew dead and gone the Kushan fall into a frenzy of grief and rage. Destroying the last of the frigates and recovering anything useful they can from the wreckage the Kushan sadly depart their surrogate home, intent on revenge.

Counterattack

While in hyperspace the Kushan manage to recover some useful information from their prisoners, particularly from the alien captain. He indicates that his people are the Taiidan, whose control spans a galactic empire and whom were ordered to destroy the Kushan based on a three thousand year old treaty forbidding the redevelopment of the hyperdrive. The Kushan are unaware of their past and know nothing of their defeat by the Taiidan millennia ago and see only in their enemies evil. Caring little for the welfare of their prisoners the Kushan interrogation leads to the Taiidan captain's death. The information gathered from the captain also indicates that the Taiidan are located in a desolate but resource rich area of space known as the Great Wastelands, near the Great Nebula. Motivated by a desire for vengeance the Kushan jump to the Great Wastelands, near their quarry, and prepare to destroy the Taiidan fleet. However, while they are preparing for battle and collecting nearby resources the Kushan are joined by a mysterious mothership sized vessel. The vessel turns out to be a Bentusi Tradeship. The Bentusi, interstellar merchants who tranverse the galaxy in search of trade, offer the Kushan a new weapon technology, the ion cannon which will give the Kushan a new edge in battle. In exchange for a considerable sum of funds the Bentusi give the blueprints for the weapon to the Kushan and depart, warning the Kushan that danger approaches. In concordance with their warning the Turanic Raiders, the ones who destroyed the Khar-Selim, arrive and assault the Kushan fleet. Dozens of strikecraft swarm the Mothership and the Turanics also bring stronger ships to bear. Several ion array frigates jump in around the Mothership and immediately begin to pummel its hulls with high power ion beams. Shortly thereafter the Turanic carrier Rancor arrives, escorted by more frigates. However, the new Kushan weapons are more than enough to dispose of the Turanics and they are destroyed before they can even so much as warn the Taiidan of the Kushan's survival and power. Finishing their collection of resources and preparing for battle the Kushan jump to the location of the Taiidan carrier fleet. Hidden by the dust clouds surrounding the area the Taiidan fleet is completely unaware of the Kushan presence in the area. After assembling their fleet the Kushan send out scouts to locate the Taiidan position. Discovering the Taiidan position and the Taiidan now aware of the Kushan presence the two fleets collide. Though the Taiidan have the advantage of numbers and firepower the Kushan hold their position against the constant Taiidan assault, finally neutralizing every last ship. Their vengeance complete the Kushan consider their position. When they attacked the Taiidan carrier fleet the Kushan made known their survival, sending the Empire into chaos. Imperial garrisons across the galaxy are mobilized as an interstellar broadcast is made, alerting the Imperial Fleet to the Kushan's location. Realizing the span of the Empire's defenses the Kushan consider, there must be another way to get past the Taiidan defenses than simply blasting their way through. Needing more information they set up a rendezvous with the Bentusi who helped them earlier. Hiding within the tail of a comet the Kushan meet in secret with the Bentusi, not only gaining drone technology in exchange for more resources, but also discussing the possibility of using the Great Nebula to secretly bypass the Taiidan garrisons. The Bentusi give little in reply to the Kushan's curiosity, merely warning that "no one returns." With little else to go on however the Kushan ignore the Bentusi's warning and enter the nebula.

Lineage

Upon entering the Nebula the Kushan soon discover the truth of the Bentusi's warnings. Needing resources to replenish their fleet after their battles with the Turanics and Taiidan Fleet Intelligence authorizes collecting the numerous resources stored in the Nebula's dust clouds. Shortly after beginning resource collection however the Kushan are met by a race more fearsome than either the Imperial Fleet or the Turanic Raiders. A mysterious needle-shaped mothership-class vessel moves into position nearby the Fleet, launching from it a single fighter. In response the Kushan launch their ambassador. The fighter, whose pilot calls its people the Protectors of the Garden informs the Kushan that the Nebula is considered sacred and that they call it the Garden of Kadesh. By resourcing the Kushan have defiled the Nebula and must be punished. Either the Kushan will join with the Kadeshi or they will be destroyed. While the Kushan try to salvage the situation the alien breaks off negotiations and is recalled. From the needleship emerge swarms of swarming fighters, all of whom descend upon the Kushan in a frenzy of attack. Faster and stronger than most Kushan strikecraft they pummel the Fleet. Forced to defend themselves the Kushan contend against the dangerous aliens, whom they dubb the Kadeshi after the alien name for the Great Nebula. The Kadeshi use not only powerful fighters but also deadly multibeam frigates. Still, by using their heads and exploiting the Kadeshi weaknesses the Kushan are able to repel their attackers and attempt a jump to hyperspace. Unfortunately for the Kushan a jump is not possible as the Kadeshi mothership is able to project an inhibition field, preventing the Mothership from forming and maintaining a quantum wavefront. Now realizing it is necessary to attack the Kadeshi mothership itself Fleet Command directs the fleet to action. Though the Kadeshi weaponry and numbers are impressive they finally retreat. The threat now gone the Mothership jumps immediately into hyperspace. While in hyperspace Fleet Intelligence examines what they discovered about the Kadeshi. One of the more intriguing things they learn is that the Kadeshi mothership's hyperdrive signature is identical to that of the Mothership's, a discovery that raises many questions about the Kadeshi's origins. Perhaps, Fleet Intelligence hypothesizes, the Kadeshi are somehow connected to Hiigara. The Mothership's journey out of the Nebula is not long however. Once again the Kushan are pulled from hyperspace. Again the Kadeshi ambassador offers the option of joining them, impressed by the Kushan's ability to fight them off. S'jet offers a similar proposal, revealing that the Kadeshi may be the same race as that of the Kushan. The ambassador refuses, claiming the Kushan will fail and lead the "great evil" back to the Nebula. To prevent the Kushan from revealing their existence to the Taiidan the Kadeshi again attack the Hiigara, this time overwhelming the Kushan with stronger fighters as well as three motherships. Forced to defend themselves the Kushan regretfully prepare for the annihilation of whom they are now certain are their brethren. In a painfully slow process the Mothership Fleet destroys the three enemy motherships, breaking down the inhibition field around the Mothership. In the process they discover a Kadeshi wreckage whose design is identical to the Khar-Toba. Now the Kushan know for sure that Kadeshi are indeed of Hiigaran origin as well. All the same, they must destroy the last of the enemy motherships if they are to survive. After the Kadeshi are defeated and gone the Kushan leave the Nebula once and for all.

Phantoms

Despite this tragic incident the Kushan push on, now not only past the dangerous Nebula but also the brunt of the Imperial Taiidan defenses. Shortly after clearing the mid rim dust bank the Mothership Fleet takes time to recuperate its losses in an empty region of space. In the area however Fleet Intelligence detects a mysterious gravitational field centered nearby. Curious they order an investigation of the field. To the surprise of the Kushan they discover an ancient, dead ship around which are floating several ships of Taiidan, Turanic, or even Kadeshi design. All of which open fire as soon as they detect the presence of the Kushan. Fleet Intelligence orders the neutralization of the derelict. Only fighters are able to do damage however as capital ships in short range of the ghost ship are immediately taken over. After neutralizing the vessel the Kushan are visited again by their Bentusi allies. In return for the neutralization of the vessel, which apparently has plagued the galaxy for some time, the Kushan are granted with more technology. The Kushan then request of the Bentusi further assistance against the Taiidan. The Bentusi politely refuse and the Kushan push on, disappointed by the Bentusi's solid neutrality. Their next target is a supernova research station located nearby. It is the weakest point in the Imperial defense grid and the Kushan are well aware that the Taiidan have not yet learned that the Kushan have breached their defenses. Fleet Intelligence orders the annihilation of the station. Using dust clouds in the area to both hide their fleet and protect them from the radiation of the supernova the Kushan easily surprise the Imperial garrison, annihilating the fleet and granting them passage to the Core. Once again their journey is delayed for the Taiidan discover that the Bentusi have been aiding the Kushan and ambush them, nearly destroying a tradeship. The Kushan, fortunately for their allies, arrive in time to save them from destruction. As thanks the Bentusi relinquish their original vow of neutrality and give the Kushan information regarding the origin of their exile and promise to seek the assistance of the Galactic Council, who may be able to force the Empire into negotiation. With this promise the Bentusi depart and the Kushan head further down the path to Hiigara.

Alliance

And yet, before they can reach their destination they themselves are ambushed by a cleverly set trap. Using a large number of gravwell generators the Taiidan pull the Mothership Fleet out of hyperspace. Then, with its fighters defenseless and unable to make the jump to hyperspace the Fleet is mercilessly attacked by Imperial capital ships hidden by cloak generators. However, the Kushan are better prepared than the Imperials seem to think. Using their own impressive capital fleet the Kushan annihilate the Taiidan gravwells and disable the cloaking fields. Intent on destroying the now scattered Imperial carrier fleets the Kushan plow through a considerable portion of the Imperial Fleet, badly damaging the Empire's future capacities in war. Their success is partially due to the fact that the Taiidan were not prepared for a fleet such as theirs. The trap had really been lain for another, for the Taiidan rebel leader Captain Elson who arrives just in time along with his vessel the Kapella to be rescued by a powerful Kushan fleet. Despite the Kushan distrust of the Taiidan Fleet Intelligence realizes that the possibility of a defector is an opportunity they cannot afford to miss. Ordering all strike groups to escort Elson's ship his pursuers are repelled. As soon as Elson's ship is safe the Kushan jump out of the area, ready to get whatever information they possibly can out of Elson. The defector reveals that he is a member of a widespread rebellion against the tyrannical Empire. Elson offers the Kushan an alliance with the rebellion but first requires access to a transmitter capable of broadcasting a coded transmission through hyperspace towards the other rebel leaders, allowing him to coordinate with them. Elson says he knows where one such device lies, if the Kushan will let him show them. Fleet Intelligence agrees and he directs the Kushan to the Karos Graveyard, an ancient nest of derelicts. The Kushan arrive at Elson's coordinates and discover that he tells the truth. Throughout the Graveyard are many derelicts, including a transmitter such as the one Elson speaks of. Eager to dock with the transmitter and send the message the Kushan prepare an expedition. Yet the Graveyard is not safe for within it dwells an ancient and AI-controlled vessel known as the Junkyard Dog, which lurks the Graveyard searching for trespassing capital ships to add to the field's gruesome collection. In addition the transmitter itself is guarded by automated turrets, capable of targeting and destroying vessels not protected by a cloaking field. For this the new Spectre-class Cloaked Fighter comes in handy, though its firepower is low. Despite the Graveyard's ancient guardians the Kushan are able to activate and use the derelict transmitter, successfully locating the Rebellion and beginning a new alliance that will unite the enemies of the Empire. Elson leaves the Fleet, telling the Kushan that he will begin coordination for the final attack on Hiigara. The future looking bright S'jet moves the Mothership closer towards the Kushan homeworld.

Homecoming

Before advancing on Hiigara the Kushan must first arrayed around the edge of its system for Hiigara is not only the Kushan homeworld, but also the capital of the Taiidan Empire. Outside Hiigara is a defense system of hyperspace inhibitors known as the Bridge of Sighs. If the Kushan are to reach their homeworld they must somehow disable these weapons. To do so they jump to the central point in this defense system. Protected by a large fleet of ion cannon frigates the inhibitors are nigh unreachable but through cunning the Kushan once again prevail. Destroying the entire inhibitor system as well and destroying hyperspace gates that allow reinforcements to arrive at a whim the Kushan manage to escape the venengeance of the Taiidan again, now heading at full speed for their home. Now... with Hiigara in reach they prepare for the final battle, halted only shortly by a last Taiidan attempt at destroying them before they reach Hiigara using a large asteroid and hyperspace inhibitors to ground the fleet. But when the Kushan destroy the asteroid and jump towards Hiigara for the last time the Empire realizes at last the danger posed to it. When the Kushan arrive in orbit of Hiigara they find that Karan S'jet, their Fleet Command, has been put out of order and is dire danger. Without a coordinated fleet the Kushan find themselves on the brink of defeat as strike group after strike group descends upon the Kushan without mercy. Fleet Intelligence is sure that the fleet is in grave danger when a fleet jumps in directly above them, until they discover it is Elson who arrives with the promised reinforcements, decimating the Imperial Fleet and clearing the path of the Kushan to attack the vile Emperor Riesstiu IV the Second, ending the war once and for all. In the final seconds S'jet comes back online at last and witnesses the death of the Emperor. With the war over and the Kushan victorious the Galactic Council arrives and allows the Kushan access to Hiigara. Their exile at an end the Kushans begin landfall and the celebration below. S'jet, miraculously removed from the hyperspace core safely, is the last to set foot on her new and old home.

Mysteries

It is over 100 years after the reunion between the Kushan and Hiigara.

Despite having brought the hyperspace core with them, the Hiigarans had no understanding of it's power or it's true origins until 40 years after their arrival on Hiigara, when the first documents explaining it's history were unearthed. Accompanying these documents were a collection of blueprints and schematics remarkably similar to those produced thousands of years later by the engineers who built the Mothership. However, further delving into the archives revealed that these cores were more than merely the instruments of the Hiigaran's Exile and return. In many of the archives, it was recorded that the cores possessed by the Hiigarans and the Bentusi represented two of three powerful artifacts dating far beyond the reach of history. Reports differed depending on the source. Some stated that these cores were a gift from Sajuuk, the Great Maker, to his favored children. Others suggested they may have been forged at the same time as the universe itself, within the same forge in which Sajuuk had hammered the sky from raw thought. Still more implied the cores survived from a time before time, when gods traveled the stars in search of races to endow with sentience for their amusement. More mundane, but mentioned in several key writings, was the possibility that they were merely leftovers from an empire that had fallen many hundreds of thousands of years prior. Yet all the documents, while differing in many areas, agreed upon one fact. When the third of the great cores in unearthed, it will mark the beginnings of the End Time. Judgment will come upon the children of Sajuuk, and only the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen people, will stand unchanged by His Hand. Debate raged throughout the Diamid for many years after the Hiigarans returned home regarding what should be done with this ancient core. The Kiith Nabaal and Maanan both argued in favor of restoring the core to active service, while Kiith Soban and Somtaaw thought the past was better left buried. However, in reality, all awaited the verdict of one Kiith upon the matter. Ultimately, the decision lay not with Kiith S'Jet, but in the hands of it's most honored and respected member, Karan. As the pioneer of the neural interface that made the Mothership's journey possible, and the mind behind it's pilgrimage, hers was without doubt the most respected opinion on Hiigara. All the more so because it was so rarely given, and even then only on matters of grave importamce. There was no doubt that in a matter tied so closely to the history of their people and the technology of the Hyperspace Cores, Karan's opinion, if given, would be the deciding factor for the Diamid. Her connection to the Mothership had permanently changed Karan. The years since the return to Hiigara did not show upon her features, nor had she lost any of the sharpness and incisive intelligence that had allowed her to both develop the first neural link and guide the Mothership through the trials it had undergone traveling to Hiigara. Yet Karan had withdrawn from any involvement in governance almost immediately after reaching Hiigara. While never detailing her reasons, she had made it clear that being connected to the core had changed the way in which she saw both the world and the stars. Already regarded as a saviour, her distance from the public eye actually enhanced her status as an enigmatic messiah, and the cult of personality that had already begun to form around her was growing daily. Already various groups were offering insights into her every word, and icons depicting her embedded within the bridge of the Mothership were sold in every corner of Hiigara. On the matter of the ancient core she offered a rare public opinion, outlining the matter in the simplest terms. The core, regardless of the power it offered, was best left as a publicly accessible monument to the trials and triumphs of the Hiigaran people and the mysteries that still remain to be resolved, rather than being pressed into active service. After all, while it would offer near limitless travel to the fleets of Hiigara, it was a freedom that would merely distract from the duties at hand. With the process of rebuilding still ongoing, the population of Hiigara was still only barely sufficient to protect the nearby sectors of space, let alone to travel across the galaxy in safety. Following her wishes, a museum was founded at Assaam Kiith'sid, also the home of the planetary government. Here the core and the history of it's origins and meaning to the people of Hiigara were made available to any and all who cared to visit. For many, it was the first chance to see the instrument of their salvation, and also to reflect upon it's role in their Exile. Also including the few artifacts brought with the Hiigarans from Kharak and many new discoveries unearthed upon Hiigara, the museum reflected the past, present, and future of the Hiigaran people.

Impendance

So the reconstruction of Hiigara continued for a time. Yet the matter of the core was not settled. Rumors seen began to reach Hiigara of rising conflict in the Eastern Fringes, long a war-torn zone constantly harassed by forces from the Vaygr Reaches. However, the nature of the conflict had recently undergone dramatic change. Where previously small, disorganized raiding parties had launched guerilla raids upon the fringes, now they came with overwhelming force, pressing relentlessly onwards. It would appear that a new warlord had taken control of the splintered Vaygr tribes and Taiidan remnants and united them beneath a single banner. Known only as Makaan, his advance could no longer be dismissed or ignored. What had been only a nuisance for hundreds of years had become something substantially different, a holy crusade with Hiigara as it's destination. Analysis of Makaan's movements allowed but one conclusion. He was headed in the direction of Hiigara and along the way was gathering a fleet larger than any since the time of Exile. Furthermore, the manner and the speed with which his fleet was traveling had a chilling implication. The Third Core, spoken of in prophecy and myth, had been found and was in his hands. The arrival of the Vaygr also frayed the Galactic Council, and the Vaygr incursions started a series of border clashes that quickly spread like wildfire. Within a few short years, the entire Inner Rim was at war. Many pleaded with the Bentusi to intervene, but they remained enigmatically distant. The fate of the Inner Rim was not theirs to decide. With war spreading and tension high, the Galactic Council fractured, and an institution that had survived for millennia collapsed. His people worshipped him as the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen one foretold by prophecy to lead his people to conquest and salvation. He had not only united the Vaygr, he had given them a cause, a dream, and a reason to fight. It quickly became clear that the Eastern Fringes, long a safe buffer against Vaygr incursions, would not hold for more than a few months, at most, against this newly organized horde. Under Makaan, the Vaygr were moving with unheard of strength, speed, and numbers. Planets fell before his forces and were stripped of every available resource and left barren. These resources simply acted to bolster the growing war fleet and carry Makaan to yet more triumphant victories. Like a wave of locusts, the forces of Makaan swept unstoppably forward, seemingly without any goal but the destruction of all that lay before them. It was only by piecing together the reports of various individuals who had escaped their attacks that the matter finally became clear.

Standoff

Again the Diamid looked toward Karan for guidance, and this time her advice was to attempt the reactivation of the ancient core. However, if this was to take place she had a request. Again, she would be the one to join with the Core via her neural links. In her words, "I did not lead my people to their home in order to allow their destruction now. If the call has come to defend Hiigara then I must do so. It is neither duty nor obligation that drives me; it is simply what must be." The Diamid attempted to persuade Karan to reconsider, explaining that there were many other people more capable, better trained, and possessed of the same neural link that had once made Karan unique. Hundreds of hyperspace-capable ships had been built since Karan led the first Mothership to Hiigara, and advances had been made in both technology and technique. More importantly, Karan was of great importance to the people of Hiigara as both a focus of faith and as a figurehead. Yet Karan would not be swayed from her decision. If the core was to be reactivated and the fleet of Makaan held at bay, it would be her mind at the helm. Thus when the construction of the new mothership, the Pride of Hiigara, was begun at Tanis, Karan was there to oversee the final elements and tests, along with the ancient core that was to be installed within it. Her mind was to guide it in the coming times, for she understood what the appearance of Makaan and his possession of the Third Core implied.

The End Times had begun.

Opening

As the new mothership, the Pride of Hiigara, is constructed secretly at the Tanis Base in the Great Wastelands, a search is made for a new Fleet Command. Karan quickly makes it clear that once again she will allow no one to lead the fleet but herself. Objecting but facing little choice but to comply with her demands, Karan is once again joined to the Core and becomes Fleet Command. Unfortunately, before preliminary testing for the Pride of Hiigara is complete the Vaygr discover the Hiigarans' plans and attack Tanis, destroying the shipyards there and nearly destroying the Mothership as well, but are staved off by the brave defenders of Tanis. Envigorated by their success they launch a full strike against the Hiigarans, taking countless systems and reaching for the Core. Meanwhile the Pride of Hiigara and her escorts flee the ruins of Tanis to Hiigara, hoping to prepare the homeworld's defenses. When they arrive they find Hiigara already under attack and have only enough time to gather the remainder of the crew needed to bring the Mothership up to its full capacities before they escape, the heroic Captain Soban covering them to ensure their escape. Shortly after their departure Makaan's full might comes into orbit of Hiigara, beginning a long seige. It is revealed that Makaan possesses a Far Jumper Core desires the surrender of the Pride of Hiigara's hyperspace core and he claims to be willing to allow Hiigara it's independence should they surrender the core. Fleet Intelligence realizes that the Pride of Hiigara is not prepared for a direct confrontation with Makaan and seeks the aid of the remaining portions of the Hiigaran fleet. They head for the Shipyard Nabaal, headed by Captain Elohim to resupply. On the way they enlarge their fleet, just in time to defend the shipyard which they find under attack when they arrive. Shortly after their successful battle against their Vaygr attackers their allies the Bentusi arive in their sole remaining ship, the Bentus, the rest of their ships having been destroyed by the Vaygr. They reveal to the Hiigarans that the Core they possess (the Second Core) is identical to the one that Makaan possesses (the Third Core). They also tell the Hiigarans that their core (the First Core) is also identical, revealing why the Vaygr have been hunting the Bentusi. They then reveal that the three cores are needed to unlock the secret of Sajuuk, He Whose Hand Shapes What Is. Only when all three cores are brought together will Sajuuk reveal himself and bring about the End Times, to be led by the Sajuuk-khar, the Chosen One of Sajuuk. They instruct the Hiigarans to seek out the Oracle, which will lead them on the path to Sajuuk. Then the Bentusi depart, leaving the Hiigarans with this mysterious and cryptic knowledge.

Search

With this knowledge in hand Fleet Intelligence deducts the Oracle may be near Ghenna, where the Vaygr are conducting massive excavations. Heading for Ghenna the new Mothership Fleet stops at the outskirts of the system to disable the hyperspace inhibitors and defenses there. The hyperspace inhibitors are guarded however by three carrier fleets, all well armed. During the attack against the Vaygr there the Hiigarans must fight not only fighters and corvettes but an armada of frigates and two destroyers. As well there is a Vaygr command center that could, if left alive, notify the Gehenna excavators that the Hiigarans are coming. Through the element of surprise, a hard defensive stance, and a set of well coordinate attacks the Vaygr fleet positioned on the outskirts of Gehenna is destroyed, along with the hyperspace inhibitors there. The Vaygr defenses punctured, S'jet guides the Mothership to the excavation sites. There they use the dust clouds spread throughout the region to hide their ships from Vaygr sensors, silently taking out three Vaygr patrols. In a final, surgical strike, the Hiigaran fleet assaults the main excavation site, distracting the defense fleet sufficiently to allow an assault force aboard a marine frigate to capture the Oracle and bring it aboard the Pride of Hiigara, connecting it to the Second Core. The Oracle, to the surprise of the Hiigarans, takes control of the Core and forces the Pride of Hiigara to make a jump to the Karos Graveyards. Karan tries desparately to regain control of the Mothership's navigation and forces the Mothership to stop near the Oracle's destination. While Karan fights against the Oracle for control a group of AI constructs attack the Mothership Fleet. Forced to fight against the constructs Fleet Intelligence discovers they are partially resistant to most Hiigaran weapons. In attempts to discover more about the constructs, which Fleet Intelligence labels as "movers", the Hiigarans salvage a derelict mover and conduct research on its technology. With the research they discover that the movers are susceptible to anti-corvette weaponry and are able to adapt their tactics to better protect the fleet against the mysterious attackers. Shortly thereafter the Hiigarans are also able to replicate the mover technology and construct their own movers. As the fleet battles the movers, the Oracle continues to hijack the Core, forcing the Pride of Hiigara to move short jumps forward through hyperspace. At a large piece of wreckage the Oracle stops its attempted control of the Mothership and broadcasts a signal to the movers, ordering them to halt attacks on the Pride of Hiigara. After some examination Fleet Command determines that the large derelict is in fact a piece of a larger ship which broke into several pieces countless millennia before the dawn of Hiigaran civilization. The part the Mothership stopped by was the Lighthouse, what was once the forefront of the ship. In the rear, what was once the engineering portion of the ship, is the Foundry, where the Progenitor Dreadnaught, Gatekeeper of Sajuuk, necessary for unlocking Sajuuk, is located.

Gate

On their to the Dreadnaught the Hiigarans stop due to radiation interference with their ability to navigate hyperspace. After a quick sensors check Fleet Intelligence concludes that the radiation is coming from a half-circle of debris surrounding the Pride of Hiigara's current position. Before the Hiigarans can make the jump to hyperspace again they have to clear the debris. Only Progenitor hulls seem capable of taking the radiation without shielding and so Fleet Intelligence deploys a series of movers to deal with the debris. In the meantime, as the Fleet gathers resources, a Vaygr probe emerges from the radiation. Realizing a Vaygr fleet must be nearby the Hiigarans quickly dispose of the probe. More probes continue to arrive however and it is only a short while before the Vaygr know the existence of the Hiigarans in the area. The movers continue to destroy debris and the enemy movers which protect them. As they are doing so they discover that the Vaygr carriers are actually hiding within the radiation and have employed shielding to protect their vessels, making them immune to the radiation's deadly effects on the hull. Soon after the Vaygr launch a large fleet to destroy the Pride of Hiigara, which was, according to their last known information about it and its escorts, rather defenseless. However, since the discovery of the Oracle the Mothership Fleet has expanded and become more powerful. Though repelling the Vaygr is not easy they are able to do so with reasonable casaulties and subsequently launch an attack on the Var carriers, as soon as the radiation is cleared. The carriers overwhelmed by the counterattack they are unable to escape and are obliterated. The radiation cleared, Karan recharges the Core and makes a jump towards the location of the Core. Information from the Oracle, now under the control of Karan, guides the Pride of Hiigara to the location of the Foundry. To avoid unexpected encounters a scout is sent to investigate the Foundry. The scout's sensors, while confirming the position of the Dreadnaught also awakens the presence of a mysterious vessel, similar to the movers in design but much larger. The vessel, about a destroyer-class vessel in size, begins to broadcast on all lines of communication. Using the Oracle Fleet Intelligence is able to translate the message, which is in the ancient Progenitor language. Discovering that the intentions of the vessel, which calls itself the Keeper, appear to be hostile, the Hiigarans move quickly to recover the Dreadnaught with the movers they constructed from stolen Progenitor technology. In the meantime the main fleet is needed to distract the Keeper, which possesses not only two powerful rapid fire ion cannons, but also several small drones. In addition the Keeper can move rapidly to keep up with even the fastest ships, being able to conduct incredibely accurate short jumps through space. Though the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk is successfully salvaged and brought to the Mothership the Keeper continues its savage assault on the Mothership Fleet. Fleet Intelligence orders several probes to be deployed so that any possible weapons against the Keepers can be discovered. It is discovered that there are three massive power conductors, which appear to be missing their charges. If they can be activated, Fleet Intelligence theorizes, than the Keeper can be trapped. The Hiigarans dispatch the movers again, this time to recover the missing charges. The Keeper immediately takes chase, requiring the Fleet to again escort the movers. When the movers recover the charges and insert them into the power generators the Keeper is forced to jump into the center of the power generators, which activate, trapping the Keeper in a gravity well. Within a short span of time the gravity well begins to grow unstable in the Fleet is forced to leave the area while they still can and before the Keeper explodes along with the generators that caught it. After escaping Fleet Intelligence begins to examine the Progenitor Dreadnaught, quickly coming to the conclusion that it is compatible with Hiigaran technology, despite its obvious age and complexity. Karan also comes quickly to the conclusion that there is another dreadnaught which can unlock Sajuuk, and it is one that Makaan has already found. As always the Vaygr warlord seems to be a step ahead of the Hiigarans.

Retribution

In the opening of the battle the two sides clash. Though the Vaygr have, until now, proven for the most part victorious in their clashes with the Hiigarans due to Makaan's cunning plans, the Vaygr are for once unprepared for the threat they face. The Dreadnaught makes quick work of the early attacks by Vaygr assault craft and bombers with its turrets and then takes out the capital ships in the first wave with one charge of its powerful phased cannon array. Unfortunately, due to the Hiigarans' lack of understanding of the technology the cannon backfires, burning out the Dreadnaught's circuitry as well as destroying the enemy ships. Dangerously exposed, its hull exposed and its engines disabled, the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk lays defenseless as the Vaygr regroup and prepare a second attempt at breaking the Hiigaran defenses. Karan makes a quick move to repair the Dreadnaught but the Fleet's repairing capacities can do only so much and the Dreadnaught is unable to join the fight as the Vaygr make their assault. The rest of the Fleet barely holds of the Vaygr horde, as wave upon wave of strike craft and capital ships besiege the Mothership. Needing an advantage Fleet Intelligence locates four hyperspace gates near the Mothership, which are hastening the Vaygr attack. Intelligence orders the destruction or otherwise neutralization of the hyperspace gates, resulting in a slow of Vaygr deployments. Shortly thereafter the Shipyard Nabaal jumps into the area as part of the coordinated attack on the Vaygr fleet. Immediately Captain Elohim offers up the shipyard's services to the Dreadnaught, having more advanced repair facilities. The Vaygr target the shipyard but Intelligence locates the carriers launching the attacks and sends Hiigaran vessels to intercept and destroy them. In the process the Hiigarans neutralize much of the Vaygr threat, and with the Dreadnaught repaired so that its secondary weapons are online, they are able to drive back the enemy fleet, the first major victory of the war. The victory does not come with a cost however and Captain Soban is captured, the rest of his strike group destroyed. Though the Hiigarans attempt to rescue Soban the enemy fleet jumps out of range before they are able to reach him.

Sacrifice

Knowing that Soban will be tortured for whatever information he has about Hiigaran strategies or the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk the Mothership Fleet heads to intercept the Vaygr fleet that has captured him. A tracking beacon Soban brought with him has allowed Karan to guess the route of the Vaygr and the Pride of Hiigara takes pursuit. However, unexpectingly the Motheship Fleet is pulled out of hyperspace suddenly. While trying to gauge their position the Pride of Hiigara is attacked once again by the Progenitors. But this time they face not one, but two Keeper vessels, all of which are attempting to destroy the Gatekeeper if they cannot recover it. Though the Hiigaran fleet's added firepower from the Gatekeeper and their new battlecruisers are able to hold off the Keepers partially they seem to simply jump out of range if ever they are damaged significantly. Eventually the Hiigarans do enough damage to the Keepers to drive them away. Shortly thereafter, as the Mothership Fleet begins repairs the Bentusi harbor ship jumps into the area. Realizing that the Hiigarans have found the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk but are unable to use it to its full potential due to their lack of knowledge in the area of its technology the Bentusi offer to repair the Gatekeeper as well as give schematics of how to properly repair and use the phased cannon array in the future. As the Bentus begins its repairs on the Dreadnaught however, the Keepers return, this time in fours, and this time begin to attack the Bentus. Forced to defend the defenseless Bentusi Karan dispatches the fleet again, once again sacrificing lives against the seemingly invincible Keepers. Once the Gatekeeper is repaired it is able to use to the phased cannon array against the Keepers but once again the Progenitor destroyers simply leave the battlefield if they are unable to survive the present firepower. Realizing there seems to be no escape for the Hiigarans the Bentusi overload the power to their Core and warn the Hiigarans to leave. The Keepers, obsessed with destroying the Bentus do not jump away as the Hiigarans leave with the Dreadnaught and the Bentus explode, the last Bentusi sacrificing themselves so that the Hiigarans can escape with the Dreadnaught. The explosion of the Bentus breaks the First Core into three pieces, scattering them across the area. The Hiigarans know now that to fulfill the prophecy of Sajuuk they must recover the First Core and bring it aboard the Mothership. They wait for the shockwave to dissipate and than head for the wreckage. They must find the Core and fast, for they know the explosion will have caught the eye of the Vaygr as well. When they arrive they find the Bentus broken into several pieces, debris scattering a large area and radiation concentrated at the center of the wreckage. With newly constructed defense field frigates the Hiigarans begin collection of the Core. Shortly thereafter the Vagyr arygrive and begin their own collection of the Core, an entire carrier fleet escorted by several destroyers. It becomes a race for the Core fragments. Both fleets intend to gather all three fragments and if necessary, destroy the enemy fleet to recover any fragments the other fleet has taken. The Vagyr quickly deploy their own resource collectors to recover the fragments. Karan sends ships to intercept them. The Vaygr similarly intercept the Hiigaran collectors. However, the Vaygr are not counting on a fully capable Dreadnaught and the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk displays its power when it vanquishes much of the Vaygr fleet. It is not long before the Hiigarans recover all three fragments and destroy the Vaygr presence in the area. The fragments recovered repair crews reconstruct the First Core and bring it aboard the Mothership. Their job here finished Karan brings the Mothership Fleet to intercept Soban's captors at last. From Soban's beacon they have determined he has been taken to the heart of Vaygr territory, at the command base in Thaddis Sabbah.

Clash

For the first time since Hiigara's capture the majority of both the Hiigaran and Vaygr fleets clash as Makaan himself commands the field, sending his fleet to intercept and destroy the Pride of Hiigara. Unfortunately for him he does not realize that the Hiigarans have recovered full power of the Gatekeeper's phased cannon array and they are able to hold the line against the Vaygr assault, if only just barely. Debris clutters in front of the Mothership's defenses and the Vaygr assault gradually slows as both sides inflict heavy casaulties on the other. Eventually the Vaygr stop assaulting in large numbers and Fleet Intelligence, realizing the time has come, orders the Mothership Fleet to engage the enemy shipyards some distance away and destroy the fleet's supplying capabilities. The shipyards and carriers in the area are easily overwhelmed, not possessing the firepower to resist the Hiigarans. It is not long after that Fleet Intelligence realizes that Makaan is in the area and orders the fleet to destroy him next. Makaan merely taunts the Hiigarans and leaves, indicating that the final battle is yet to come. The rest of the Vaygr either destroyed or routed the Hiigarans assault the command base and dispatches Marines to evacuate Captain Soban. He is given a new ship and joins the Mothership Fleet, now having new information from his time in Thaddis Sabbah about Makaan's destination.

Sajuuk

Makaan it seems is headed for Balcora Gate, a massive hyperspace gate that is located nearby the gravitational field of Balcora, the black hole at the center of the galaxy. Sajuuk, Soban says, is located within Balcora's gravitational field and only an extremely powerful hyperdrive such as that powering Balcora Gate can successfully transport a ship across such a heavy gravwell, which would normally pull a ship right out of hyperspace. A Progenitor Dreadnaught it seems is needed to unlock Balcora Gate, and Balcora Gate is the only way to reach Sajuuk. The puzzle at last begins to come together. Realizing that Makaan must not be allowed to recover Sajuuk Karan leads the Pride of Hiigara in sharp pursuit and only just miss Makaan as he departs through the Gate, leaving the Hiigarans behind as well as some of his fleet. Ordered to close Balcora so that the Hiigarans cannot follow the remaining Vaygr begin to destroy the Gate. The Hiigarans quickly leap to action, defending the gate against the Vaygr assault. Possessing more firepower than the Vaygr can hope to withstand the Hiigarans are able to successfully take the Gate and using the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk unlock its power, using it to jump towards Balcora for the final showdown between the Fleet and Makaan. When the Hiigarans arrive they find that Makaan seems to have already found Sajuuk which turns out to be a ship, rather than a god or supernatural being. His ships have already begun to recover it and he has set a trap for the Hiigarans, awaiting their arrival so that he can finally collect all three Far Jumper Cores and unlock Sajuuk's power, making him the most powerful being in the galaxy. Worst yet, without the power of all three neither fleet can escape the grasp of Balcora's gravwell. It will be the final confrontation between Makaan and Karan, one way or another. Makaan's attempts to destroy the Pride of Hiigara turn out to be fairly unsuccessful however, as the Hiigarans hold off attack after attack. After defending against the Vagyr Karan assembles the fleet and moves it towards Makaan's flagship. To hold off the Hiigarans Makaan sends a fleet of battleships and his own dreadnaught. However, the Hiigarans are more than ready for the attack and plows through Makaan's defenses, assaulting the flagship itself. In one final battle Makaan is finally defeated, his flagship's hull rupturing, his life support failing. In his final breaths he taunts the Hiigarans, telling them that while they may have won Sajuuk, they will not win the war. Darkness gathers over Hiigara while the Mothership Fleet battles Makaan. Then, his flagship explodes and Makaan's reign of terror over the Vaygr ends. Their enemy defeated and the Third Core in their grasp the Hiigarans reactivate the Sajuuk, ejecting the hyperspace cores from the Mothership and docking them with the Sajuuk. Karan S'jet connects herself to the ancient ship, still Fleet Command, but no longer over the Pride of Hiigara, now no more than a ghost ship, abandoned as it cannot leave the graveyard of Balcora.

Finale

Charging the hyperdrive, now powered by three Far Jumpers, Karan leaps the fleet all the way from Balcora to the besieged world of Hiigara. Fleet Intelligence formulates a plan for liberating the homeworld from its attackers, hoping that the Sajuuk and the Gatekeeper's combined power can destroy the Vaygr. When they arrive at Hiigara they discover the Vaygr fleet still in control of the homeworld, and the defense fleet all but destroyed. Leaping to the defense of their world the Hiigarans plow through Vaygr forces and the battle seems near won. Just as the advantage turns in favor of the Hiigarans however a fleet of three mysterious ships, each enormous and shaped like a starfish, jumps into the area. Almost immediately they begin bombarding the surface of Hiigara with weapons of mass destruction, causing the deaths of millions. Fleet Intelligence immediately orders Hiigaran forces to attack the planetkillers. Efforts to destroy them appear futile however. Standard weaponry doesn't seem to work at all against them and even the Gatekeeper of Sajuuk's phased cannon array seems useless. Thinking quickly Fleet Intelligence guesses that the Sajuuk's weaponry may be able to breach the armor of the mysterious vessels. The gamble pays off and the Sajuuk plows the planetkillers with ease, only briefly held back by the attacks of Vaygr escorts. Using its incredibely accurate hyperspace navigation systems it short jumps from each ship to the next, giving it the speed to knock out both planetkillers fast enough to prevent a genocide similar to the Kharakian Genocide witnessed more than a century earlier. When the last of the planetkillers are destroyed the Vaygr retreat and Hiigara is saved. The Vaygr fleeing and Makaan gone, the threat to peace is over. It's purpose no longer directed towards war the Sajuuk unlocks an ancient network of hyperspace gates, each as powerful as a Far Jumper Core. The new network, called the Eye of Arran revolutionizes hyperspace navigation and trade within the galaxy, ushering in a new era of peace and scientific enlightenment. Karan S'jet, now seen as much as a goddess as she is a leader is proclaimed the Sajuuk-khar, the Chosen One of Sajuuk.

The End Times are over, the Age of S'jet has begun.

Basic Information

Demographics

The 2.7 billion inhabitants of the Hiigaran Republic are mostly Hiigaran, however, remnants of other civilizations are present in the Republic as well. The species make-up is as follows:

• 71% Hiigaran
• 14% Taidaani
• 6% Bentusi
• 2% Vaygr Remnant
• 7% Other

The male-female ratio is fairly balanced, with a M/F ratio of 1/1.008.

Planetery Holdings

The Hiigaran Republic territory extends from the Hiigaran System itself to most of the former worlds of the Hiigaran Empire, retaken after the fall of the Taidaani Empire. The Hiigarans rules 13 seperate systems, and maintains numerous astroid bases throught it's territorial space.

Government

The Hiigaran Republic is currently ruled by the Diamud, a council of the various Kiiths. Representatives to the Diamid are elected by the various Hiigara-based Kiithid. Currently, the major Kiiths have the following delegates:

• Kiith S'jet: Mara S'Jet (daughter of Karan and Zekal Sobani, Captain Sobani)

• Kiith LiirHra: Eryx Liirhra

• Kiith Somtaaw: Scrin'ik Somtaaw

• Kiith Manaan: Xeres Manaan

• Kiith Paktu: Christina Paktu

• Kiith Soban: Kazil Soban (Nephew of Captain Soban)

Economy

The powerful Hiigaran economy is based mainly around the heavy trade conducted between it and it's neighbors, including the Bentusi Remnant, the Taiidani Republic, semi-independant Kiiths such as the Naabal, and other minor galactic species. Also, mining of astroid belts and the salvage of large ship graveyards does not only fill the coffers of the Republic with billions of credits, but also provides the Hiigaran Navy with many Progenitor technologies.

Military

Currently, the Hiigaran military is the largest known military entity in the M51 Galaxy, with over 30 million personnal (about half active duty), and 5,000 warships from frigate size and up. Support for the military has never been higher, especially since the Republic's entry into the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances, a collection of civilizations outside of the M51 Galaxy, allowing for not only an influx of trade (thanks in part to newly reverse engineered hyperspace gates now dispersed through several galaxies) but a trade of new military technologies. The two main branches are the Hiigaran Navy and the Hiigaran Planetary Defense Force, with the latter responsible for the defense of Hiigaran worlds against enemy planetary threats (such as invading armies), and also for operating planetary defense systems such as ground-to-orbit railguns and missiles, while the former is responsible for protecting Hiigaran territory in the void.

Database of HGN Warships (outdated)

JESUS!

Image Database