Skrell Early History

Early History

Prehistoric Era

Although considered by many to be lost to the ravages of time, pieces of Skrellian pre-history can still be found across Qerrbalak, allowing the species to piece together a fragmented account of their ancestors. Modern archaeological excavations of ancient cities have revealed glimpses of ancient Skrell life, culture, society, and technological advancement, yet a consensus is rarely reached in the Skrell academic community; the actual significance of findings as evidence for certain theories is often debated, and the period has had an almost mythological quality attributed to it that is explored often in Skrell media.

The Arqo-Wohai Creation Myth

Oral history passed down through the generations speaks of a mythical homeland for the Skrell, named "Arqo-Wohai", or "Birthplace of Life" in Nral'Malic. Stories surrounding Arqo-Wohai revolve around the stars "breathing life into existence" here, including the Skrell. It was supposedly an atoll with magical waters, abundant life, and no struggles. This paradisal existence was abruptly destroyed following a calamity that "set fire to the island and boiled the waters", causing a mass exodus from the Skrell's original home into the deeper waters of Qerrbalak.

These oral accounts, while difficult to interpret and separate fact from fiction, are supported by evidence that points to the Weilshi Sea's atoll. Modern technology allowed for simulations that point to an asteroid collision millions of years ago being the best explanation for the Arqo-Wohai myth. While no archaeological evidence of civilisation exists on the atoll, models of the area pre-collision do support the idea that the region would have allowed a species to proliferate without struggling to survive. The finer details of the myth are debated, such as stars "breathing life" into the atoll, or whether or not early Skrell were able to establish civilisation at this point in history, but most scholars agree that the region is a likely candidate for being the origin point for the Skrell.

The Ranaera Skrellis

It is believed that the progenitor for the modern Skrell species, the Ranaera Skrellis or "First Skrell", evolved from a deep sea-dwelling creature, which at some point developed the ability to use psionics. While there are multiple theories, the most accepted is that the ability came from a specific need for group coordination in low-visibility conditions for the species' survival. Whether or not the First Skrell were the same as the ancestors that supposedly lived in Arqo-Wohai is up for debate; the majority of anthropologists and historians accept that the ancestor of the modern Skrell evolved much later than when the asteroid collided with Arqo-Wohai.

Ranaera Skrellis solely lived close to the sea floor and only began to expand onto the surface of Qerrbalak after a series of extinction events had caused much of the life in Qerrbalak's seas to die out. At some point, some Ranaera Skrellis began to walk on land, causing the species to split into "Axioris Ranaera" and "Xiialtus Ranaera". Whilst viewed today collectively as the Skrell, these two subspecies spent most of their history separated from one another - and according to archaeological evidence, even fought one another. While Axioris stuck to the waters, Xiialtus expanded into the shallows, coasts and even further inland to the drier regions of the homeworld.

Rise of the Skrell

Hundreds of thousands - according to some, perhaps millions - of years passed since the Ranaera Skrellis split, when the development and use of tools by the Xiialtus Skrell became common in their communities. These tools were crude and rudimentary, mostly amounting to sharpened sticks and rocks. This period also saw the various shoals of Skrell organising into tribes, with many rising and subsequently falling over the millennia. The period is remarked as being the "Great Waves", in reference to the period being a time of massive expansion of the Skrell across the homeworld with several tribal groups spreading out in all locations.

There is evidence of this mass migration being influenced at least in part by warring between the Xiialt and Axiori Skrell; remains of both subspecies have been uncovered with signs of injury that matches marks that could be left by weapons made by the other subspecies. The reasons for this tribalism are unknown, but competition over living space and food are the most probable causes for the fighting. It is also theorised that Axiori saw the Xiialt as being weaker and easier to dominate due to their weaker psionic potential and weaker swimming ability. Archaeological evidence conflicts with oral history, however; it is said that fighting was frowned upon by the tribes and that it was a careless method of solving disputes. With that said, it could easily be referring to internal fighting, or to later views on war and simply misattributed.

With the discovery of metallurgy, believed to be somewhere around 12000 BCE, there was a major milestone in Skrell societal advancement. As survival became easier, larger groups of Skrell began to form, and large confederations emerged. These confederations were loose groupings of Skrell who decided to work together, which by this time included both Axiori and Xiiori where the two species lived in proximity to one another; the actual date for when the two groups stopped seeing each other as enemies is unknown, but evidence suggests that by this time they were living together. The largest confederations were the Heshyu, Tzqul, and Weashqi tribes. After several millennia, they were able to dominate their respective regions, incorporating their smaller neighbours through diplomacy - or rarely, through war.

While diplomacy was definitely the most popular option, fighting was not uncommon during the period; fighting between the tribes was low-intensity, with minor skirmishes and raids being common, but with casualties always being low. The style of war waged during this period was not as destructive compared to the early Axiori-Xiialt fighting that led to the "Great Waves", or as intense as early warfare in the history of other species. Warfare between the tribes was more of a ritual, with chanting, single combat, and charges being the common pattern for a battle between tribes.

During the growth of the Skrell across their homeworld, many began to question the world around them and what role they had in it. This prompted the development of written language, which then led to written records and the first instances of recorded history. Written records describe the use of executive dominance amongst the tribes, where a single Skrell was selected to guide them until their death. Scholars have dwelled on these records since their discovery, with several key pieces suggesting that many of the tribal leaders were, in fact, powerful psionic listeners. This has resulted in speculation that Skrell from the period believed that those who were both a listener and psionically powerful were inherently meant to lead. Modern scientists have been quick to rebuke these claims, however, labelling the practice as just an archaic belief of ancient Skrell.

Era of Enlightenment and the Skrellian Industrial Revolution

Around 9900s BCE, the establishment of proto-civilizations largely considered to be the roots of modern Skrellian society commenced. Often referred to as the "Era of Enlightenment" due to the advances in science, medicine, and religion, whilst other species may have undergone a period in their history called the "dark ages", the Skrell had seemingly done the opposite -- instead experiencing a millennia-long renaissance. It is believed that this occurred thanks in part to the intense rivalrous relationship between the three tribes, which instead of bubbling into wars, developed into a technological and societal competition.

The flags, and names, of the three nations that governed Qerrbalak.

By the 5500s BCE Skrellian astronomers had managed to discover every celestial body within their solar system, with many coming to the realization that the stars which they worshipped since they have first crawled from the waters of the Homeworld could be understood with math and science. This discovery prompted what is now known as the "Great Schism". The Great Schism is marked by a period in the species' history in which there was a legitimacy crisis with regard to the religion which they followed, Qe'qlak. A number of heresies and sects began to form at this time, as different groups had their own idea on how the religion should be followed. Through political manoeuvring and intrigue, some of the more scientifically-inclined Skrell managed to promote their own religious beliefs to the powerful leaders in each tribe, resulting in the formation of Qeblak as the Skrell recognise it today. It would take centuries for the religion to be formally adopted as the primary faith of the species, however, with it mostly being considered just another heretical sect of Qe'qlak. With its adoption by the educated and powerful in Skrell society, as well as influences through the Nlom, attitudes towards Qeblak would relax before the species eventually adopted the religion.

In the 2890's BCE the tribes began to formalise their unions, transitioning from loose confederations into early states; the three largest confederations formed into the Tzqul Republic, the Heishyu Council, and the Weishqi Republic. This was considered a ceremonial affair since the tribal confederations had been slowly centralising themselves over centuries by that point. After this formal unification, the Skrell made several revolutionary advances; Skrell society transitioned from an agrarian lifestyle to one that was dominated by industrialisation and machines, a process that spanned six centuries. The first automobile was invented in 2644 BCE, with the first submersible vehicle being built shortly after. Hybrid vehicles would only become commonplace a few decades later in 2586 BCE.

The War of the Tides and Skrell Space Age

While the three nation-states had an intense rivalry since their days as tribal confederations, a true conflict would only begin in the 2450s BCE. Contemporary scholars at the time refer to the conflict as the "War of the Tides", a cold war that lasted almost two millennia between the three nations.

Seen as an extension of the pre-existing technological and societal competition the three nations had between each other, the War of the Tides saw the beginnings of an arms race that focused on overhauling the military and espionage capabilities of each nation; advances were made in conventional weapons, nuclear arms, and subterfuge. At several points during the conflict, intelligence officers regularly crossed the borders of "brinkmanship", and were it not for mutually-assured-destruction and the diplomatic capabilities of each nation's Government, life on Qerrbalak would have ended at multiple points. The Heshyu Council is recognised by modern historians as being the "victor" of the arms race during this conflict due to their adoption of surveillance drones that could sustain low-orbit, roughly three hundred years into the conflict.

This era of the War of the Tides influenced enterprising Skrell to create their own "Consultant Agencies", groups that were invested in the long-term success of their clients and fulfilling their agenda. These Consultant Agencies would use similar methods used by the three nation's own intelligence agencies to improve their client's image and achieve their goals. Their clients could range from politicians, artists, scientists, celebrities, and other wealthy individuals. While at the time considered legal enterprises, evidence of blackmail, corporate sabotage, and psionic subversion by these Agencies was discovered during the post-Glorsh reconstruction era, which led to their formal banning by the Nralakk Federation.

With the development of low-orbit satellites another race began, one which focused on exploring the stars. The introduction of technologies that could survive entering Qerrbalak's orbit saw the Skrell beginning to broaden their horizons. The conflict was no longer about the Homeworld, but instead includes interstellar ambitions for each nation. Government science teams were formed with the sole purpose of putting Skrell into space, while intelligence officers focused on stealing technology and hindering the efforts of the other nations in becoming capable of space flight. Despite the initial victory of the Heshyu Council and their low-orbit surveillance satellites, by 2093 BCE each nation was able to develop their own space programmes and were at the very least capable of sending equipment into low-orbit. By 1980 BCE, the Tzqul Republic was successful in launching a spacecraft that was able to land on Qerr'Malic, a feat that was hindered at every step by the intelligence operations of the Republic's rivals. The other nations subsequently developed - or stole - the technology and completed the same feat, yet the Tzqul Republic is largely considered the victor of this era of the War of the Tides.

Centuries of technological development culminated in the creation of ships that could sustain a relatively small population of Skrell for long periods of time. This prompted the nations to attempt to colonise the rest of their system, which led to the colonisation of Aliose, a planet known to be habitable by the species since 1203 BCE. Despite several failures and setbacks, a colony on Aliose would be officially established in 1100 BCE by Skrell from the Weashqi Republic, followed by Heshyu and Tzqul roughly around the same time as colonies were established on Qerr'Malic. While Aliose would see colonies directly managed by their respective home nations, Qerr'Malic's proximity to Qerrbalak would influence the nations to entrust their colonial assets on the moon to the Consortium of Consultant Agencies to prevent the war from disrupting their colonial assets. An interesting phenomenon developed on Aliose as well; despite the rivalry between the nations back home, there are no recorded instances of fighting between the colonists. Whether this was a consequence of the harshness of the planet's frigid wastelands preventing contact between the colonies or just a result of mutual irreverence for the War of the Tides is unknown.

The rapid industrialisation and focus on technological supremacy had resulted in Qerrbalak showing signs of ecological collapse. The intense resource extraction by the Skrell had drained the planet, further influencing the species' to look at their solar system and beyond to solve their growing resource crisis; whilst resource harvesting operations were active on Qerr'Malic and Aliose, the growth of the Skrell was becoming unsustainable. Until this point, the War of the Tides was definitively a cold war, with open conflict being unheard of. With the shortage crisis, however, the conflict would soon become a hot war, with open war becoming the norm on Qerrbalak. Skrell warfare at this time was still influenced by the ritualised nature of early tribal warfare, with skirmishes being held away from population centres and regions of tactical importance being the main objectives. Despite it being labelled as a war, the casualties of War of the Tides were surprisingly low, even during this period. Open hostilities would cease shortly after they began, with an agreement being brokered in 984 BCE that pushed for limited scientific cooperation to solve the main issues of the species; namely, the resource shortage and ecological collapse of their homeworld. This scientific cooperation would culminate in the invention of the warp drive roughly a decade later in 971 BCE.

The invention of the warp drive unlocked limitless opportunities for the species. The ability to venture outside of their solar system would alleviate the crippling mineral crisis on Qerrbalak. While the warp drive was a joint effort by all three nations, this cooperation was brief; each nation sought to expand across the stars in opposition to one another, with the prospect of finding more resources spurring the nations to begin hostilities once more.

For eight centuries the Skrell colonised foreign star systems and saw a massive proliferation of the species; travelling twenty light-years in any direction would eventually lead to star systems claimed by the now interstellar nations, bringing forth a long period of prosperity. Qerrbalak and the inner colonies were for the most part peaceful during this period, with hostilities between the nations and their colonies reverting back to the War of the Tides' hallmark espionage and scientific competition. The outer colonies, in comparison, were less peaceful; distance from the Homeworld and the fact that administrating these colonies was seen as "less-prestigious" by their Governors saw the rise of conventional warfare being commonplace between the three nation's colonies on the frontier of Skrell space. Some of the local Governors on the frontier believed that conquering would bring them the renown they deserved, while in actuality they were undoing the centuries of prosperity and relative peace of the era. Others sought to become independent of the Homworld, believing that it was their right to become their own interstellar nations. The prospect of this "Golden Age" ending forced yet another collaboration between the three nation-states; to prevent the colonial conflict from causing another breakout of open hostility - this time on an interstellar level - the three nations formed the "Commonwealth of the Three", a union that attempted to maintain the status quo.

Colonial expansion was put on hold, and resources were redirected to focus on addressing the surging independence movements of the outer colonies, as well as bringing warlords back in line with the home Government's agenda. While the species had nearly perfected the arts of diplomacy and espionage on Qerrbalak, the distances involved meant that applying their tactics on an interstellar level resulted mostly in failure, and only further emboldened separatist movements as they proved that the Homeworld could not effectively control their colonies. The colonial conflict would end for the most part around 878 CE when the Commonwealth of the Three formalised their union as the First Nralakk Federation.

Unity of Skrell

The creation of the Nralakk Federation was meant to address several key issues brought up by the separatist movement. Namely, it provided a singular central Government in which all colonies would be subservient, removing the need for animosity between neighbouring colonies. Those who were solely invested in independence from the Homeworld backed down, either through intimidation at the now truly unified Qerrbalak or through diplomacy with the new state, which promised reforms that ensured the needs of the colonies would be heard.

Several concepts meant to revolutionise Skrell society were put forward after the Federation's formation; these monolithic ideas aimed to bring the species together through closely devised unity and cooperation with one another, and included the formation of State-Owned Enterprises and the establishment of a supreme political force, the Grand Council. The Grand Council would consist of the main body, headed by the Grand Councillor, and a series of advisors from across the Federation orbiting it. Many of these advisors would be members of the clergy, economists, captains of industry, and some of the more powerful colonial governors at the time. The State-Owned Enterprises were established gradually, with the aim of forming the foundation for the Grand Council's vision for an efficient planned economy. Both institutions would piggyback off of the other, cooperating in the drafting and enforcement of policies that brought about standardised labour laws, the provision of state-allocated jobs, and the virtual elimination of unemployment. Concepts that would be later incorporated into the Social Compatability Index can be seen here, with legal discrimination against those who chose to remain unemployed or otherwise went against Federation ideas being common.

Modern Nral'Malic was introduced at the same time, and was proposed as an interstellar standard that would dismantle language barriers between planets. The adoption of the language was enforced through draconian laws that saw other languages being suppressed, and restrictions put in place for anyone who refused to adopt it as their primary language.