This
is the Homeworld 2
backstory from the Appendix C of the Strategy Guide, as
transcripted by Keiichi, with corrections by Arioch.
Hiigaran History from 9525 GSY to 9625 GSY, outlines the
period spanning the return of the Exiles to their Homeworld
through to those events generally acknowledged as the
beginning of the End Times.
The following is a chronicle of the events occurring after
the return of the Hiigaran Exiles to their home, under the
leadership and command of Karan S'Jet. The years immediately
following landfall upon Hiigara were, without doubt, among
the hardest the Exiles had faced. Those who had been brought
to Hiigara in suspended animation, known as Sleepers, arose
to the revelation that the planet upon which they had lived
for so many years, Kharak, had been destroyed. The world
they had been brought to, Hiigara, was their only chance for
the future.
Colonization was a slow and difficult process. The Hiigaran
Kiithid had expected to return to paradise, yet they instead
found shattered cities left in the wake of the Taiidani
evacuation, following the death of their emperor, Riesstiu
IV the Second. However, they could ill afford to expend all
of their resources upon rebuilding, given the presence of
raiders, pirates, and Taiidan still loyal to their fallen
emperor--all of them eager to test Hiigara in it's weakened
state. Even political factions, including members of the
Galactic Council, argued that the Exiles could not possibly
defend themselves and therefore required assistance from a
larger government. All of these opponents, military and
political, had underestimated the Exiles' resolve. Having
lost so much and fought so hard, they were not prepared to
fail at this stage. Against all who would take Hiigara from
them, they stood firm.
Rebuilding
Slowly but surely, the shining cities of Hiigara were
rebuilt. Libraries were unearthed, filled with documents
detailing the ancient histories of the Hiigarans, their
origins and ancestry. While often arcane and frequently
contradictory or couched in the language of myth and legend,
they were nonetheless a revelation for the Kushan people.
Having lived so long without a true history, they now had
access to archives detailing events of up to 6,000 years
past. As a people so long without a history to call their
own, the discovery of records outlining their past came as a
welcome core on which to build their new future.
More importantly, this history gave the Exiles hope. They
were a proud people with an even prouder past, and no longer
mere Exiles, but Hiigarans. They had faced endless trials
and bitter enemies, and yet in the face of every challenge
they had built a republic spanning nearly 40 worlds at it's
height. This growth had begun with the introduction of
hyperspace technology, approximately 4,000 years prior, and
continued until the time of Exile.
The Gift of Hyperspace
Among the facts detailed within the manuscripts was the role
of the Bentusi in spreading the secrets of hyperspace across
the vast expanses of space. It began with the Outer Rim
Trade Routes, traversing hundreds of occupied worlds and
bringing 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 fledgling races 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.
Short and Far Jumps
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 Again Besets the Galaxy
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.
An Uprising
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 Rise of the Galactic 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.
The Second Core Is Found
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.
Power Unleashed
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.
Impossible Decisions
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 fait accompli 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 Over All
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 Diamid 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.
Bentusi Counterattack
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.
A Desperate Escape
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.
Consequences
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."
No Lasting Peace
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.
A Terrible Revenge
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.
Taiidan Demands
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.
Life On Kharak
For 3,000 years, the Exiles survived on Kharak. Hiigara
became a legend, and in time even the legend was forgotten.
This all changed when a satellite discovered an ancient
starship buried in the sand. Inside lay the Guidestone and
the word "Hiigara", home, etched on it's surface.
But this was not the only discovery, for deep within the
ruin lay the ancient Hyperspace Core. When once it had
resulted in their Exile, this core would now return the
Exiles home.
The blueprints of the core were integrated and expanded
upon, or so the Hiigarans presumed. In fact, the core itself
remained at the heart of the Mothership's drive. It was
merely the containment unit that had been expanded to
account for the stresses of sending a Mothership class
vessel through hyperspace. The containment units, which had
proven perfectly sufficient onboard Sajuuk's Wrath,
were unusable due to the substantially lower energy output
of post-Exile technology.
Despite having brought the 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.
Blessing or Curse
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.
Mother of the New Hiigaran Age
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
S'Jet. 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 import. 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.
The Core at Rest
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.
Enemies Old and New
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.
Makaan and the Sajuuk-Khar
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.
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.
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