Ketr'Zai

The Ketr'Zai Collective of Alliances - colloquially referred to as The Ketr'Zai - is a faction whose territory is located in the Delta Quadrant.

It is a coalition of various different species joined together by a whole host of internal partnerships, nearly all of which are linked to the namesake species - the Ketr themselves, who, due to their prominence, tend to be the most recognized of them all. Because of this, their home planet of Sharouh is also the de facto "headquarters" for all affiliated parties, though it should be noted that each subfaction still has its own homeworld, all of which function as regional capitals for the addressment of internal affairs.

Furthermore, despite the frontline role of the Ketr in the coalition, all member nations nonetheless retain their own rights and autonomy, with internal councils among their peers serving as localized governments. The Ketr oftentimes simply function as delegates amongst them, helping to better spread information and discussion throughout.

The most predominant members of the Ketr'Zai include, but are not limited to:

• The Ketr, a race of insectoid "warrior scholars" and the namesake of the Collective of Alliances. The most notable features of their race are their three arms, their diplomatic nature (which is often put at odds with their exceptional prowess as soldiers), and their spiritualistic outlook on life, in all its forms. Pairing with this demeanor is their general lack of governmental structure - a feature of their society that does not hinder its ability to thrive as a galactic presence.

• The Vonum, a race of gaseous beings contained in floating crystals who reside upon a similarly crystalline world named Vonumi'Rah. Unlike every other species within Ketr'Zai, the Vonum reside strictly on their native planet. All aspects of Vonum culture center around their near-complete control over light, and its supposed power to contain an "evil without form or rest."

• The Quist, who experienced an apocalyptic event thousands of years ago which devastated their former empire. Their society - while based in secrecy and the trading of information - makes great strides to aid their allies.

• The Soulidadi, a people who reside within a small gathering of systems under the jurisdiction of their formerly expansionist regime, which was once referred to as the Nation of Eternal Eclipse. An ancient war ensured their reform and resulted in a lasting alliance where they constructed a new and peaceful, yet ruthless government.

These groups are the most commonly met by foreign entities to the Ketr'Zai, but by no means the sum of the members within.

History:

The truest beginnings of the union that would become the Ketr'Zai began in ~ 13,545 BCE, when the Ketr people obtained space-faring capabilities. Shortly after this, the Vonum people were encountered upon Vonumi'Rah. Following a brief war - dubbed the Prism Battles - the Ketr managed to bridge interspecies communication issues and enter a fresh alliance with them. They would then immediately come to assist in an event known now as the "Shade Breach," in which the Quist were pushed from several systems to one small continent on a rimworld. This would be marked as the First Age, and it would end with both the Vonum and Quist forming a unified front with the Ketr.

In the Second Age, the Nation of Eternal Eclipse began its empire, and swiftly conquered systems nearby to their home, only being halted in their march by the Ketr and their recently-created special forces - the Sevethain. Brutal was their conflict, spanning hundreds of years, though Sharouh would be the force to ultimately prevail thanks to their newly-formed network of alliances. After establishing yet another one with their former adversaries, the very foundations of the Ketr'Zai were constructed.

The Third Age, known well as the Expansion Millenia, was a time of great discovery after the establishment of the "Union of the Unbroken" (Ketr, Vonum, Quist, and Soulidadi). This was also a time of many miniature wars, some swift (such as the Verses of Ruin, against the Voiceless Choirs), and others long and grueling (the first contact of the Haspivor, known as the Battle of the Red Void).

However, a threat most dire loomed at its head, as the Hordeless mass, thought to be contrived by the Originator Empire, was set loose upon the galaxy. Their path of complete annihilation eventually found its way to the realm, and in turn, through means lost to time, faced complete annihilation in a war of catastrophic proportions that all survivors regard with lament.

Within the Fourth Age (also known as the Discovery Millennia), the gaze of the Ketr'Zai as a whole glanced outward. Long had their internal matters kept the members of this collective largely self-focused (at least overall), and yet all the same, the realm's inhabitants had grown most curious of their wider surroundings. The Ketr were naturally the first to act on this ambitious mindset, and as such made burgeoning attempts to converse with other races they interacted with.

The first and most amicable contact would be the Palladian Republic - a group that contrasted with the ways of the Ketr rather starkly through their general aversion to military matters as a whole, even in mere cultural contexts. Still, relations would quickly become cordial between the two civilizations despite their differences, and even today, the Ketr'Zai considers Kishar Prime as a dependable friend and international partner that ensures the safety of their eastern border through a stable alliance.

Be that as it may however, other interactions following this one would prove far more rocky, as large-scale galactic powers with very imposing and uncompromising demeanors would be found to the west and south.

To the west, the Holy Union of Sarnakus found itself viewed as a major point of intrigue, as the large, theocratic nation was observed as both enigmatic and paranoid in its dealings with other entities. Nevertheless, an accord would eventually be reached via a conference held in the Hordeless Ruins, and to this day, Sharouh maintains a tense but relatively diplomatic relationship with the Sarnakan government, even if the Ketr'Zai as a whole is less than pleased with the intrusion of church exiles into the Delta Quadrant.

Much worse tidings came from the south in the form of the Starkonian Empire around the end of the Fourth Age, as first contact quickly resulted in several armed conflicts over territory, culminating with the campaign of Imperator Malsom IV into Ketr'Zai space - a move made easy due to weak borders at the time. This vile crusade ended brutally, and nearly began its own retaliatory war, but thankfully, calmer heads prevailed, resulting in clear lines being drawn for the Collective of Alliances; both to guard their own people, and to keep watch on the stars around.

The Fifth Age, referred to as the Mythical Millenia, is the most current age of the Ketr'Zai, and arguably the most internally enlightening. The majority of this era is filled with relative peace, as the natives of Sharouh and their direct partners would finally achieve a relative state of security over their domain and the surrounding areas. However, as new discoveries often do, a people recently met - referred to as the Kumubuln - would eventually prove to complicate things once again by possessing phenomenal power over the natural laws of the universe. One of their own, dubbed as "The Wizard" by the Ketr people, would aid the realm's understanding of the material world through a new lens - the "Caster Rings" - thus enabling a whole new form of warfare.

Yet even so, this came with a cost; the individual who brought about this enlightenment quickly went mad from paranoia over the looming threat presented by the Starkonian military, and in turn used said paranoia to justify starting a campaign of "absorption" directed towards its kin. This ended in the formation of a near-godlike being dubbed the "Wizard King," with unfolding events resulting in a long war to bring the new "sentient apocalypse" down before it escaped the Ketr'Zai's reach. With the diligence of all interior species, and the brief ascension of the Ketr called Ma'El Xib'Oraks (by means of the Ketr artifact titled the Mantle of Lords), the Wizard King was put to rest as of the exact year of 2000 CE.

29th Century Status:

The Ketr'Zai spent 200 years repairing worlds that could be salvaged and reusing what could be obtained from worlds too far gone after the rampage of the Wizard King. During this time, the coalition became highly isolationist, keeping the realm's borders as tightly knit as possible. Raiders and bands of scouts from other nations would interlope on occasion while this era was in full swing, but few would ever return from their voyages.

Thankfully, once repairs were mostly complete, relations with the outside galaxy would soon normalize again, with the Palladians remaining a sound border ally, the Holy Union remaining a more distant - yet still relevant - concern, and the Starkonian Empire remaining a very direct and potent point of worry.

Additionally, in recent centuries (around 2600 CE), the Ketr'Zai took notice of a new entity hailing all the way from Alpha Quadrant; the Galactic Abyssal Federation. Their society vividly reminds them of their own established interspecies harmony, and talks have begun as recently as 2800 CE in regards to a potential alliance, albeit in grave secrecy, as any open moves would incur the wrath of either the Holy Union's clergy or the Starkonian monarch due to the volatile geopolitical climate that currently exists.

Additional Facts:

• Given the nature of the Ketr'Zai, various types of government exist within its member races. When interacting with each other (as well as external nations) however, a form of "anarcho-commune" is used - a model of government inspired by the Ketr. This is achieved by inter-species councils, most of which have Ketr members, though this is not a required element.

• Among all the nations within the Ketr'Zai, the Jh'Zook are potentially the most vital to its current survival. Bringing advanced forms of terraforming to their member nations, the Ketr'Zai has used their methods of revitalization to restore lost areas of a world in times that several centuries of effort might otherwise not have seen.

• Despite their more warrior-heavy culture (to the point of nearly every citizen being raised as highly capable combatants in their own right), the Ketr are a remarkably friendly species, given their many diplomatic ties. They initiated the majority of their current alliances, and talks with the G.A.F. and other galactic nations are currently spearheaded by their efforts.

Main Story Importance:

• After dueling one of the S.G.A. Washington's crew members and losing in what is considered to be an upset of historical proportions, Ma'El Xib'Oraks would honor his defeat by joining Eric Crossman and his crew on their journey to stop the Originators and their time travel plans, becoming a key asset who later proved crucial to the young officer's success.