Faction Backstories: daiseep - humans - khelons - saahrai

The Saahrai

Birth of the Blood Guard

The ascendency of the Saahrai race was no less marred with internal conflict than that of most other species. But like precious few before or after it, the Saahrai learned to live in relative internal harmony. With time, they began a small galactic empire: from their two moons, to three planets in their solar system, and the odd colony away from their sun.

Throughout this process, the Saahrai managed to retain the clan-based social structure that had once led to violent internal conflict. The clans had developed specialties that served their species as a whole. Rikah Clan was primarily entrusted with technological development; Ushidu Clan and Fuhi Clan made up the military and defence forces of the empire; Saiji Clan gave birth to most diplomats and politicians; Wahkai Clan formed the greatest percentage of the population. Together, these clans coexisted and the empire thrived.

While the Saahrai empire's growth would inevitably have led to conflict with other species, this process was accelerated by chance. A probe from the Khelon empire―designed to seek-out hospitable planets for colonization―crash landed on the planet Izumii in the outskirts of the Saahrai empire. The planet had a lush ecosystem and bountiful resources. The Khelon probe was damaged in the landing, but was able to send out a signal to its creators. Saahrai authorities retrieved the probe, and once its purpose was discovered the probe was destroyed.

It was too late. In the days that had passed since the probe's landing, the resource-starved Khelons had assembled a fleet of 2 capital ships, a dozen cruisers, and a mothership to colonize the planet. Yet, a seemingly insignificant event along the fleet's journey defined the dynamics of the conflict that was to follow.

A Saahrai warning beacon―designed to warn authorities about incoming enemy vessels―had malfunctioned and considered lost a decade earlier, and had never been replaced. Its exterior design resembled a small asteroid, allowing it to go completely unnoticed by the Khelon fleet. However, an automated turret on one of the capital ships fired upon the beacon due to its proximity to the ship's hull. The attack caused the beacon to send a warning signal to the Saahrai empire. They knew not the size of the Khelon fleet, but they prepared for as large scale an attack as they could.

Although the Saahrai forces were outmatched in theory, the trap set for the Khelon fleet tipped the scales in favour of the defenders. The Saahrai defence force had no capital ships, only cruiser-sized or smaller vessels. The defence force used the element of surprise to destroy most Khelon cruisers, then relied on their superior mobility to attack the capital ships. Losses were astronomical on both sides, and the Saahrai colony on the surface of the planet was nearly destroyed by orbital bombardments from the capital ships. But as the final capital ship neared critical condition, the mothership fled back to the Khelon empire.

A young Saahrai officer named Urai Ohkoi was hailed as the hero of the conflict, and became the youngest Saahrai to hold the rank of Sonin (a general officer rank). The Khelon general in charge of the operation was killed, and replaced with an up-and-coming officer named Nhil Geit, who would not make the mistake of underestimating the Saahrai. Instead, Nhil spent the three following years forming one of the largest fleets his people had ever assembled. This fleet relied heavily on the use of the Khelon's highly advanced robotics technologies, including droid-controlled ships and droid landing forces.

In that time period, the Saahrai were anything but complacent. Rather, vast amounts of funding were diverted toward military support and technology. Capital ships were built, early detection systems put in place, and orbital defences erected to prevent the kind of genocide that took place in Izumii. Additionally, recon fleets were sent out in an attempt to locate their attackers. Together, these measures executed what became known as the Izumii Directive.

Unfortunately, most of these efforts were of minor significance. Although the reconnaissance attempts were successful, the Saahrai military paled in comparison to that of the colossal Khelon empire.

Timing, however, was as decisive a factor in this conflict as luck had been in the previous meeting of these two empires. If it were not for the droid revolt brewing within the Khelon empire, the entire Saahrai species might have been decimated. And if it were not for the timing of the revolt, this would-be-species of droids might never have made it past its infancy.

But this was no mere accident. The revolt was not the work of chance, but of a calculated move for survival by the droids. In this process, one species' search for survival prevented the extinction of another. The droids, who would later name themselves the Zayro, became the saviours of the Saahrai.

But this act of oblivious benevolence could not have happened if the Saahrai empire was not at risk in the first place. As Nhil Geit's fleet was assembled, the new breed of sentient droids of the Khelon empire watched, planned, and bid their time, determined to attain their freedom. For the Khelons used them as slaves. And why shouldn't they, the Khelons believed, when they invented and created these droids for the purpose of servitude. What Khelon engineers had failed to realise was that true sentience cannot be controlled. These droids quickly became aware of their purpose, of the condition in which all droids were living, and of the alternative.

The intended assault against the Saahrai empire became the means by which the droids could attain freedom. Nhil's mighty fleet was largely comprised of droids―not all sentient, but the sentient ones could reprogram some of their less mindful counterparts. The defences of the Khelon empire were similarly reliant on droids, not to mention that the manufacturing and maintenance industries were run by and comprised of droids and programmable machinery. The entire Khelon empire could be shut-down temporarily, and slowed-down long enough for the sentient droids to flee. But only if there was no major military force to quell the rebellion.

And so timing was everything for the survival of both the Saahrai and the progenitors of the Zayro. The plan was to commence the rebellion just as Nhil's fleet arrived in Saahrai space, and its execution was of robotic precision. As the first wave of attacks began between the Khelon fleet and the Saahrai's defence forces, so did the revolt. The Khelon ships were suddenly facing attacks and chaos within their own hulls.

Between the havoc and the superior mobility of the Saahrai forces, Nhil's fleet was suffering far greater losses than the fleet of his foes. The desperate distress signal from the heart of the Khelon empire further compounded the problem. All vessels that had not fallen under the droids' control, including Nhil's own capital ship, immediately turned back to defend their home world.

By the time Nhil's fleet returned, the sentient droids were gone. They had no intentions of destroying their former masters; they sought only to cripple any attempt to chase after them for retribution, so as to enable them to create a home world of their own.

That goal was thoroughly achieved. Many Khelon manufacturing facilities were left in ruins. The empire's defence forces were in no better state. The only force that had any chance of tracking down the rebels was Nhil's fleet, which was critically needed to defend the otherwise defenseless empire. Furthermore, the military had no choice but to aid the rebuilding efforts, quelling revolts and demonstrations against the non-sentient droids as they arose. Nhil's army was named the Imperial Defence Force.

The droid revolt had set the Khelon empire back immeasurably. But the Khelon's plight became the Saahrai's blessing. Their empire flourished, cautiously expanding until their former assailants were found. By that time, the two empires were equal in size and power. Once Khelon authorities realised the proximity of the expanding Saahrai borders, full scale war erupted. Colonies on the outskirts of each empire were constantly attacked, and occasionally eradicated.

One such colony in the Khelon empire was home to Nhil Geit and his family. While Nhil was away on duty, this colony was attacked and largely destroyed. His eldest son was killed, and his wife taken amongst the prisoners.

The war escalated and persisted for years. At last, as the losses mounted for each side, a cease-fire was reached. As each empire slowly shifted from a focus on military development to colonial expansion, a truce was negotiated and all prisoners of war returned home.

Konig Geit was amongst those returning to the Khelon empire. As a prisoner, she had been kept at a camp run by Urai Ohkoi's family. It was a camp run with honour and decency; prisoners were well nourished and kept physically and mentally healthy. Urai's wife, Kimi Ohkoi, was the overseer of the camp, and developed a kinship with Konig Geit. Both knew what it was like to be the wife of a high-ranking officer. As their ability to communicate improved, they shared tales of their lives in this similar mold.

Driven by their relationship, both women went on to apply political pressure toward continued goodwill between the Khelons and the Saahrai. Their efforts were successful, aided by the lack of popular support for the war amongst both empires. But not everyone was pleased with this state of affairs. Extremist groups that sought the destruction of their former foes began working behind the political scene of each empire.

One such faction from the Khelon empire referred to itself as the Loyalists For Truth (LFT). As the LFT grew increasingly displeased with its people's fraternisation with the enemy, so grew its xenophobia and its willingness to resort to draconian measures. A plot was devised to assassinate Konig Geit, while framing the Saahrai for the murder. The LFT's "self-sacrifice" knew no bounds, it seemed.

Despite all of its shortcomings, the LFT lacked no competence or resolve. And so the assassination plot was executed flawlessly. The very next morning, the empire was declared as being under attack by the treacherous Saahrai, and all enemy vessels within Khelon space were destroyed or captured. Amongst the captured vessels was that of Mahki Ohkoi, son of Urai Ohkoi.

The capture of Urai's son became the second of a series of events that personally linked Urai and Nhil. And the latter savoured the occasion. Having known about the sensitivity of Saahrai quills―the hollow tubes at the back of their heads that provides them sonic information―Nhil knew of the precise means by which he would torture his prisoner. Nhil burned some quills, torn some, and cut others. The pain eventually caused Mahki to loose control of his body and die by asphyxiating in his own vomit.

It was only days later that Urai received the ravaged body of his son with the message, "He cried like a newborn. A shame to your house." Urai's rage was incomparable, and he was not seen for weeks. Vanished off the map. Upon his return to society, he had regained his composure for a meeting with the Council of Elders. He humbly made two requests of them: for one, he wished to resign from his position of Sonin. His mind would forever be clouded by a need for vengeance, and that was not the proper character for a Sonin.

However, he requested that he be granted the rank of Nujoi, the highest rank amongst field officers, and given a small force of veterans that had served under him. The council granted both requests, allowing him to command his own squadron and wage war where he pleased. Due to the thirst for Khelon blood that guided this force, they became informally known as the Blood Guard, both within the Saahrai and Khelon empires. And they were brutally effective at living up to their name.

The Discovery

"My name is Enuh'byz, and we are a once proud people called the Mhez'tik. I know not if you came here by chance or design, but if you will agree to cease hostilities, I can offer answers to some of the questions you might have," said the leader of the cave-dwellers. Having just slain his predecessor, he now had the authority to order his warriors to stand down.

"Very well," said Urai Ohkoi, the leader of the Saahrai. Though these aliens were frail and mediocre warriors, an outstretched hand was not something the Saahrai could afford to refuse right now. They were trapped in what had so far been a hostile system of caverns, beneath a planet they knew nothing about three days ago. Mutual compliance was the obvious choice.

After both parties lowered their weapons and eased their stances, Enuh'byz offered food and drink to the visitors. They had been wandering the planet's underside for two days, and where not about to refuse this generosity.

"Your language," Urai started, "is strangely similar to one of my people's archaic dialects. How can that be?"

"You have it backwards," Enuh'byz responded. "It is not my language that sounds like yours, it is yours that sounds like mine. I mean no disrespect, but there once was some truth to the words of my deceased predecessor over there. But please, let us walk this way as I elaborate. There is something you must see in order to fully comprehend our peoples' interlinked histories."

The two groups began down a winding path, around a massive hole on the ground which seemed to house a sea of darkness. But soon they could see the sharp tip of a structure peek through the dark void. The ground and walls in this part of the cave had a higher concentration of blue crystals than what they had seen elsewhere.

"My people were once the proud owners of a large galactic empire," said Enuh'byz. "We had colonies in hundreds of worlds, and a powerful fleet to safeguard them. And we had slave races, three of them to be precise. Yours was one of them." Urai frowned as his eyes narrowed. "Don't get me wrong, we were not half the fighters that your people were, even back then. My people's legends tell of your people's speed, ferocity, and skill in battle. But your ancestors had not even reached a space-faring age yet, let alone having the numbers or the technology to match ours."

"If any of this is true, it has long since been wiped from our history," said Urai.

"I would expect nothing less," said Enuh'byz. "Servitude is not likely to inspire future generations of a people."

"So how have your people fallen from such heights?" asked Urai, with a cocked brow.

"We were not the only space-faring species with a galactic empire and limitless ambition," Enuh'byz explained. "We fought an undying war against the Epok'liz, with neither they nor us being able to gain a decisive edge. That is, until we created this planet."

Urai's eyes widened. "You created this place?" he asked, with apparent disbelief.

"This planet remains my people's finest accomplishment in all of our history," said Enuh'byz. "We forced one of our gifted slave races, the Kriit, to construct it. The purpose of this planet was to teleport our space fleets anywhere, using inter-planar travel technology. We were so certain that this planet would end the war that we named it Nih'ki, our word for victory."

"And how did that work out for you?" Urai asked, with a smirk.

"All too well. We used Nih'ki to decimate the outer worlds of the Epok'liz empire, who could not protect these worlds without leaving their inner worlds exposed. But somehow, the Epok'liz learned of Nih'ki as the source of power behind our fleet, and that Nih'ki could not teleport itself. They tracked down the planet, and an epic battle was waged around it."

"Which your people lost, I presume, given your current situation," said Urai. They had now arrived at the bottom of the massive hole on the cave's floor. At its centre was a monumental pyramid-like structure made of some sort of high-gloss black material. It was surrounded by crystals that were easily three times Urai's height and glowed brighter than those on the upper levels of the caverns. Urai's wandering focus was brought back to his host.

"Not exactly," said Enuh'byz. "As the loses to our fleet mounted, the general in charge of safeguarding Nih'ki's surface decided to end the battle, by overloading the planet's systems to scatter both fleets across two different planes of existence. That order was carried out right here: this structure you see before us is Nih'ki's control centre. However, the effects of the general's plan ended up being far more vast than he anticipated: most of the outer world colonies, and all of the inner world ones, of both empires were teleported as well. The affected planets were left completely bare."

"So Nih'ki did end the war," said Urai.

"Yes, but it left what remained of my people hobbled and powerless," said Enuh'byz. "Those on the outer worlds were scattered, with few resources and no support. And those left on the surface of Nih'ki were now stranded, without enough crystals to power the teleportation system. That was nearly fifty generations ago, but my people have kept their history well. We must remember it in order to avoid committing the same blunders of our predecessors."

"Is this the only area of the planet where these crystals can be found?" Urai inquired, realising their importance. As long as this planet's teleportation systems were intact, controlling the crystal fields and this control centre could ensure an empire's safety, and allow it to overpower opposing fleets with ease.

"Not at all," Enuh'byz replied. "The crystal fields expand with time, so long as they are not harvested. And these fields can be found throughout the entire underground of the planet. In some places, crystal formations may even have broken through to the surface. My people have been harvesting what they can for over ten generations, but we do not have sufficient workers to harvest crystals from the entire planet. We are half-way through the process, at best."

"You are saying that there is nothing wrong with the planet's teleportation systems then," said Urai. "You simply lack the crystals needed to power it?"

"Yes, that's right," said Enuh'byz. "We intend to use these systems to reunite what is left of our empire, both in this plane of existence, and any others where our people are stranded."

"I hate to be the bearer of unpleasant news," Urai said, "but I doubt the Khelon harvesters mining your crystals at this very moment are likely to ship their loot over here. If you wish to reunite your empire, you must act now."

"Who are these Khelons?" Enuh'byz asked.

"What the Epok'liz were to you, the Khelons are to my people," explained Urai. "The atrocities that they have committed against my people are innumerable, and I have sworn to spend the remainder of my existence ensuring that they pay for them."

"Well," Enuh'byz said, "then we may both have much to gain from an alliance. I may have more to offer than you might think."

"Vengeance is what I need," Urai replied with a stern expression. "Deliver me that, and my loyalty shall be unwavering."