Vaurca History

One of the oldest civilizations to ever exist, Vaurcae today are very different from their ancestors. The following is a break-down of the Vaurca history in each era, from their beginnings to their integration to the Orion Spur.

The Dawn of Vaurca

Little is known about the Vaurca before their Agricultural Revolution, and without the possibility to engage in archeological excavations, and the stigma of Vaurca society to learn about their past, pre-Agricultural life is what makes it hard for researchers to investigate the earliest lives of Vaurcae. However, reconstructions have been proposed based on their mythological stories and what we know about their biology.

Due to their eusocial nature, the Hive structure predates the Vaurca civilization, however it might have been quite different, with little cooperation between the colonies and no lineage set by the Queens. The fierce, competitive nature of Sedantis suggests that while sapient, Vaurcae were unable to remain on top of the food chain or even acquire proper means to survive. Famine was common in this era, and may have led to the rise of Warrior morphs, in distinction and specialization apart from the Worker castes.

The Warrior Nomadism

Around 737 000 years ago, these hyper-specialized Warriors became predominant in Vaurca society. The successful Hives of the epoch lived a militarized nomadic lifestyle inside the vast underground cave networks of Sedantis, seeking access to the edible fungus.

Although the bacteria inside their guts which allows them to eat k’ois and transform them into all the required nutrients might have existed in Vaurcae long before this period, the significance of k’ois is likely to have been emphasized in this era. The earliest record of Vaurca tool crafting, regarded as the origin point of their civilization, was found by the Leto brood before their departure. It is a mandible garment, likely to enhance the lethality of the bite, decorated with a pattern that resembles the spores of k’ois.

Almost all conflict originated around control of food. Warfare was a matter of survival after a Hive exhausted its food supply, and nearly all Hives were in constant conflict with one another. Due to the innate deadliness of Vaurca mandibles and claws, warfare was fought in melee. Prisoners of war tended to be decapitated by the mandibles of the victor, while the surviving Hive was either enslaved or left to perish.

As Queens were rarely spared, the growth of these Warrior Hives was mostly limited. Population controls may have also been enforced to ensure food would last for everybody. The Vaurcae social stomachs served a greater purpose during this era, as keeping the k’ois inside their bodies was a better option for their nomadic lifestyle.

The Agricultural Revolution

Approximately 567 000 years ago, agricultural methods to allow the domestication of k’ois proliferated with the Hives, even between former enemies. It is poorly understood how difficult it was for the k’ois to grow before this, but it commonly believed that the fungus required a specific type of spore dissemination that could not easily be replicated with intervention.

No longer a resource that could be easily exhausted, population numbers within Hives exploded, and permanent settlements were established. One of the first observable changes that agriculture brought was the lineage of a Queen. Hive Queens began to produce Breeders to aid them, forming the different broods, often having jurisdiction in a city.

While Vaurcae before have traveled all around the available underground of Sedantis in search of available resources, their nomadism and wars also greatly limited their opportunities to geographically expand as a species. Their increased venues in mining and exploitation of natural resources created various settlements in otherwise inaccessible areas.

Queens developed a cult of personality highly linked to their religion. Although particular doctrines varied from each brood, most of these beliefs remain as the fundament of the Classical Pantheon.

The Age of Death

What is understood as the Age of Death is the period in Vaurca History up until the rise of Zo’ra and the Era of Augments. It is characterized by its relative peace and a lifestyle that contrasts greatly with how Vaurcae currently live. It is also often referred to as the pre-Zo’rane Age. Some scholars disagree where to cut the Age of Death, or if a new classification that further fragments this epoch is required. The discussion is also motivated by the fact that what is known as the Era of Augments should not have begun much sooner, as the first great break-through in universal augmentation was with the establishment of the Hivenet. As to keep things simple, this article will use the classical division between the periods.

After the establishment of various societies across Sedantis, alliances between Hives became commonplace. In other cases, some minor wars ensured conquest of similarly minor Hives. Interests were not so much for expansion, but rather what the cooperation (or enslavement) of these Vaurcae could provide. Though current Vaurca societies can still be referred to as tribalistic, this shift unified many different cultural aspects until that moment. For instance, while what can be understood as ancient Vaurcese is a mixture of pheromones and vibrations, different subtleties created unique dialects that were little intelligible between each other. Similarly, some Hives may have developed a written form of their Vaurcese variants that was lost in time.

Most of the infrastructure in ancient Sedantis was developed during this period. As arts became more important, so did masonry. The Vaurca eventually developed elaborate and massive feats of subterranean engineering, with aqueducts, sewage, and entire cities being carved out of the rock. The walls and floors of the cave were smoothed out and covered in engravings, creating a form of art that would not be blasted away by radiation.

The K’lax Bonanza and Technological Revolution

Eventually, technological advancements became more important for all Hives to develop. Processes such as industry and uses of their Workers were revolutionized, which led to eventual advancements in computer science and, most importantly, communications. While most of the developments have been revised by Zo’ra to claim as their own, it is inarguable that the invention belongs to the K’lax Hive.

The first records of K’lax stem from about 60 000 years ago, as a small Hive in the Mya’kt Fault. The legend surrounding Mother K’lax says that she raised her brood on her own, perhaps initiated due to her insignificance in Sedantis politics for centuries. However, since its conception, the K’lax Hive specialized in engineering. The Mya’kt Fault was uncolonized territory, as it was deemed too unsafe for millennia. K’lax managed to make it habitable in a short span, constructing a vertical city.

What gained them reputation and eventually marked their rise in Vaurca History was the invention of the first Hivenet tower 54 000 years ago, alongside a primitive implant that required a lengthy connection from the brain to the chest. Despite how rudimentary it was, it created a revolution in language, as the biological limitations of Vaurcese were no longer a burden. Their design was rapidly adopted by other Hives. As Vaurca economy was largely motivated by barter prior to contact with other sapients, K’lax accumulated goods and even territory through their invention.

Another K’lax invention is the Cephalon, which was quite different from the modern Cephalons. This early version retained sentience and could not store as much information as they currently can, however it was a major step towards Vaurca augmentations and engineered bioforms.

Their influence caused the Mya’kt Fault to become the de facto capital of Sedantis. This boon would inspire different Hives to continue perfecting and experimenting on augmentation.

The Rise of Zo’ra

Though exact dates are unknown, and Zo’rane records are unreliable due their revisionism, Zo’ra emerged somewhere around 45 000 years ago, amidst the Xtykt’lotec Rift, a highly contested area by Warrior Hives that retained much of the Warrior structures of the old. The legend states that Queen Zo’ra had her entire brood raided while they were still larvae and was left to die. Once she recovered and produced a new batch of Warriors, she overtook every single Hive of the region. While this is unlikely true, the tension in the Xtykt’lotec may have shaped Zo’ra’s war spirit. What is known, however, is that Zo’ra left the Xtykt’lotec Rift to relocate to the Veii’kt Plate, her capital.

Zo’ra would rapidly build an Empire like never seen before in Vaurca history. While there were large Hives that held power in large regions and enforced a martial lifestyle, no Hive before was as ruthless as Zo’ra in her quest for expansion. Her system of vassalage rarely allowed the subjected Hives to produce Warriors on their own, while also assimilating (or exterminating) the native cultures by enforcing the Zo’rane lifestyle. While Hivenet would have ideally ended the regional differences of Vaurca language, the different protocols used to transmit it served as barriers. Zo’ra enforced the Hivenet protocol that is still used to this day. It was also at this stage when the Modern Pantheon was enforced as a state religion for subjugated Hives, while the Zo’ra Hive was free to have their own personal beliefs.

One of the biggest changes under Zo’rane rule was the introduction of Bound populations. While since ancient times some Vaurcae were deemed less as people and more like objects due to the nature of their jobs, these drones were not augmented or even modified to enforce their control. Zo’ra began to lobotomize her drones to remove their free will, in what is regarded as the creation of the Bound, though this term would not arise until the Era of Augments. Problematic subjects, or those composed mostly of Warrior populations, would often be lobotomized as a whole to ensure their loyalty to the Zo’ra Hive.

Though the Mya’kt Fault was far from the Zo’ra menace, K’lax was not safe. The eldest of K’lax daughters, Queen Neiim, was the Warrior brood of the Hive and prepared for an eventual war. However, nothing she could do was enough for when Zo’ra attacked, despite the diplomacy between the two Hives. In a short span of time, the K’lax became vassals of Zo’ra.

Despite the fact that modern values regarding the war etiquette already existed at this period, and were enforced both by Zo’ra and K’lax, Queen Neiim mysteriously died shortly after the conquest. To this day, the Zo’ra Hive claims to have no involvement in her death, and is still a debated topic.

The Uplifting of C’thur

Though a minor Hive in this era, C’thur first gained notoriety when they were spared in the Xtykt’lotec Rift conquest. While the exact details are unknown, as it would go against the legendary tale of Zo’ra, it is likely the C’thur brood aided Queen Zo’ra in her early days,after a surprise attack against the early Hive.

C’thur herself might be older than Mother K’lax, serving for the T’yat Hive before her vassaldom to Zo’ra. Though it is unsure where exactly the C’thur Hive was originally from, most sources cite her in the Xtykt’lotec region, as a tiny Hive that was never conquered. Instead, she would aid all of those injured by war that survived.

The Zo’ra domain in C’thuric territory was never as ruthless as elsewhere. The C’thur Hive is noteworthy in Zo’rane sources because of her aid in lobotomizing proto-Bound. The pupae lobotomization technique, which is still in use today, was a C’thur innovation.

The Era of Augments

Around 37 650 years ago, the constant improvements in augmentation technology allowed for Vaurcae to be able to cybernetically engineer any aspect of their drones. The Hivenet implants had also been greatly reduced in their size, and the current understanding Vaurcae have of augmentations as repair and maintenance arose. It was the constant refinement of the lobotomized drones that caused the modern distinction of Bound and Unbound.

The augments and genetic alterations made the caste specialization much more rigid than ever before. Although clear social roles were already marked since the dawn of Vaurca, a Vaurca of old had a chance to enter and learn about different fields. The modern Vaurca society saw a caste system where Vaurca were literally defined from birth and built into that role.

The Lii’dra Innovations

The origins of the Lii’dra Hive are uncertain. Settled inside the Illuau’tia Grotto, the status of the Hive as a whole has changed as they became synonymous with evil. Many sources claim that High Queen Lii’dra is not even Vaurca, but rather of other species that sought to cause mayhem. Others say she was a meek Queen that wished for total dominion. What is likely true, however, was that the Lii’dra Hive was a small faction of tinkerers. Despite the popular belief, ‘Lii’dra’ originally did not mean Scourge, as it has become synonymous with. It may have had good relationships with nearby Hives of the Kol’axta Plate, and perhaps even required trading of larvae and Workforce due to fertility problems. They would have been regarded as irrelevant, even to the Zo’ra, until the invention of the modern Virtual Reality 36 670 years ago.

Its adoption would have been gradual at first, however it piqued the interest of Vaurca society when K’lax learned about it. As they were still regarded as the leaders of technological innovation and communications, K’lax marketed the Virtual Reality as an invention of their own. It is unsure if they reverse-engineered the Virtual Reality or gained access to the secrets behind it, effectively stealing it. However the case may be, the K’lax Hive began to produce the first version of the neural socket, an augment that joined both the Hivenet and Virtual Reality in a single piece. This first prototype was rather sturdy and essentially required a brain case installed below the exoskeleton.

Eventually, the Virtual Reality technology pervaded every aspect of the Vaurcesian lifestyle. Seen as a means to reinforce religious dogma, and as a way to combat the already popularizing Preimminence, the religious and ritualistic significance of Virtual Reality was achieved by the Queens.

These changes marked the birth of the Vaurca society as we know it today. While plenty of documentation of their previous ways exists, Vaurcae believe that their pre-Augmentation days were primitive and incompatible with their current lifestyle.

The Commonwealth of Zo’ra

Despite her dominion over Sedantis as a whole, Zo’ra became increasingly wary of an upcoming uprising. Rebellions, while uncommon, were almost always crushed immediately. However, her fear was so much that she decided to reform some of her old ways. As a token of change, Zo’ra awarded the C’thur Hive their independence. She also reduced the military presence in many of her colonies, enforcing a more complex form of control through diplomacy and augmentations.

Zo’ra rule radically changed when, alongside the C’thur Hive, both Hives founded the Court of Queens in their native Xtykt’lotec. The nature of this organism was to promote inter-Hive dialogue and resolve any possible quarrels between their members. Vassals such as K’lax were allowed seats in the Court, while smaller Hives were occasionally allowed to voice their concerns in special reunions.

Many subsequent innovations in augmentation, especially the neural socket design still in-use, are credited to have been developed by the Zo’ra Hive. However, speculation has arisen if this itself was not instead a K’lax invention, which in turn would be likely Lii’dra technology. However the case may be, Lii’dra would not have a presence in the Court of Queens for the next hundreds of years.

Detractors of the Zo’ra Hive have also called this period The Easy Yoke, as it is characterized by an ease of Zo’rane rule.

The Great Hive War

Lii’dra finally made an appearance at the Court of Queens 30 000 years ago, as part of a technological summit which involved all Hives. By then, the main goal Zo’ra had in mind was to take the Vaurca into what she considered the next generation of augmentation. Many strange bioforms, as well as advanced gadgets that still live in Vaurca imagination today, were speculated by then. This session, however, took a dark turn as the Lii’dra revealed their plan to unify the species.

What Lii’dra scientists had in mind was to put apart all Vaurca differences in a Hivemind that would be much more effective, all in one collective consciousness that would bring progress at an unprecedented speed. Though universally rejected by the assistants, Lii’dra representatives were not expelled from the Court until they implied they had already begun to put their breakthrough into practice, and that some smaller Hives were already assimilated.

Shortly after, Lii’dra seized Xtykt’lotec, effectively dissolving the Court of Queens. This event is marked as the beginning of the Great Hive War. While wars were fought before and after this, none have ever been of this magnitude again. The Great Hive War involved every Hive, both major and minor. Though most of the efforts were to stop the Lii’dra menace, plenty of other fronts emerged as minor Hives fell back into their old conflicts.

Because of the scope of the war, the demands of Warrior populations were higher than ever before. It is at this time that many of the current Lesser Queens were born, with some individual Vaurcae emerging from this conflict as heroes in their own right.

The turning point of the war began with the first Lii’dra defeats. At the hands of K’lax, Lii’dra were unable to breach their plate’s defensive network, a complex set of machines that prevented any lifeform from approaching within miles of their territory. This resulted in forcing the Lii’dra to attack the Zo’rane plate through the Ryitu’kya Abyss. This battle is considered the single most important in Vaurca history. Such was its importance that there are legendary claims about the Queens themselves participating in the conflict.

The Lii’dra defeat here signaled the beginning of the end of the war. From here, increasingly bloody battles would blanket nearly all of Sedantis. Forced to attack the K’laxian positions after their defeat within the Ryitu’kya Abyss, the Lii’dra broke the K’laxian defensive line despite its cost in lives. By some accounts, in the aftermath of the Siege of the Kol’axta Plate, entire underground caverns were filled to the brim with corpses from both sides. The Great Hive War officially ended 29 930 years ago after the sinking of the Lii’dra capital Illuau’tia.

With over the half of Vaurca population slain in the conflict, a mass depression blanketed the survivors in their Pyrrhic victory over the Lii’dra, that not even the surviving Queens themselves could mend. It was from this bleakness and death that the Vaurcesian idea of the Afterlife spawned. Envisioned and proclaimed by High Queen Zo’ra, the Afterlife technology was gifted freely to all surviving Hives, as she declared nevermore would such death haunt their species. For truly, based upon their newest technology, the Queens relieved their Hives of death and despair by making real the idea of life after death, that the death witnessed here would never again be an issue for the generations after.

More information can be found here.

The Decline of Zo’ra

The aftermath of the Great Hive War went beyond just the Afterlife technology. Zo’ra herself had lost daughters in battle, and her domain over most of her colonies was lost. While K’lax independence was an idea that began to develop during this period, challenging Zo’rane authority, even at its low, would likely have caused another war.

Some regions that lacked authority became breeding grounds for Warladies that retained some of their Warrior populations, or even went as far as to employ Workers to increase their numbers, despite the poor success. The Zo’ra Hive avoided the conflict, as well as other major Hives that could intervene, since many had lost their most eccentric and specialized Warforms in the Great Hive War. The Vaurca goal to continue modifying their bioforms, as well as to create new technologies stagnated for thousands of years. The religion of Preimminence, which was already unpopular with the Hives before the war, was blamed as inspiring the corrupted ways of the Lii’dra. This, combined with the scorched Cephalons during the war, has caused many of the ancient Vaurca technology to have been deemed lost.

Zo’ra decided to divide her territory, allowing her daughter L’kaal to independize and manage most of her remaining vassals, while she retained K’lax only. The L’kaal Hive, however, was largely unsuccessful, and was constantly raided by the opportunistic scavengers of different flavors that emerged.

While Zo’ra’s situation eventually improved, it was never to the same levels of glory of the past. The population of Sedantis eventually increased again over time, and although the status quo seemed to have returned, it was never the same as before.

The C’thur Hive, and mostly, Queen Vytel, attempted to re-establish the Court of Queens multiple times, with little success. The historical location in the Xtykt’lotec Rift was razed by the Lii’dra, and Hive differences continued to increase, as well as an anti-Zo’ra sentiment by many smaller Hives that refused now to subjugate. It was also transparent now by many of Sedantis that the political maneuvers of C’thur were two-faced and mostly for her Hive’s gain. A smaller Court of Queens eventually settled in Veii’kt, however this time it was an attempt for the Zo’ra daughters to remain unified, with little success.

The Hives Renaissance

As stability was somehow regained, many social stigmas that prevented the Vaurca society to continue its quest for expansion eventually dissipated. However, it was perhaps too late. Vaurcae before had shown little interest to explore the surface of Sedantis, due to its hostile environment, as radiation and intense heat blasted the planet’s surface. With the revitalization of the arts and sciences, the observation of the stars and planets brought a bleak discovery.

More information can be found here.

The Great Evacuation

The consciousness of Sedantis I orbiting their sun, Sc’theth’stak, was common knowledge since the early Age of Death. However, its relationship with the gas giant Sedantis, the planet it was a satellite of, was vastly understudied. Scientists of different Hives discovered that each cycle Sedantis I deranged from the gas giant, pulling towards Sc’theth’stak instead. The reasons behind this change were largely debated, but it is possible that the large quantities of phoron had something to do with this gravitational shift. By 150 CE, the scientific consensus was that this change of orbit would mean their home planet crashing into the Sun in the next three-hundred years, with possible fatal consequences for the rest of their home system as a consequence of the solar flares’ aftermath.

This information was at first hidden from the public, though the efforts were futile. Mass hysteria developed due to the impending apocalypse, and the Zo’rane rule was questioned more than ever, with Queen Vetju publicly supporting K’laxian independence for the first time. Fighting for Sedantis, however, was pointless. The only means of survival, it seemed, forced Vaurcae to consider colonizing the stars.

Zo’ra developed a plan to construct massive Hiveships, which would be able to transport their entire Hive to other star systems. The design, however, was a subject of controversy, as Cimm’s proposal was deemed impossible to develop in a short timespan and with their current technology. Although at first the Zo’ra Hive’s idea of Exodus did not include any Hive but the Zo’rane broods, Zo’ra was forced to cooperate with a reinvigorated K’lax.

C’thur managed to construct their Hiveship by reverse-engineering the K’lax design to the best of their understanding, rushing to prepare it for the day of embarking. Only some minor Hives were spared by their workforce, assimilating them to the Zo’ra and K’lax populations, losing their identity in a few Worker generations.

The rest of the Hives, however, were left for dead without any possibility to construct their own ships. The anti-Zo’ra sentiment reached a new height when a failed attack to Veii’kt was launched by minor Hives. To ensure some stability in the doomed planet, Queen L’kaal volunteered to remain on Sedantis and ensure no attempts of Zo’ra trailing were made. For this, she is remembered as The Sacrifice Queen by the Zo’ra Hive.

Vaurcae had no need to travel faster-than-light, as they would not know how long their journey would last. Due to their available phoron, as well as fusion reactors, the Hiveships were prepared to travel for long periods of time. The speed of light was thought to be the barrier of how fast an object could move, but such velocity was almost reached. The K’lax design ensured almost 95% of what a standard human ship traveling a single light-year can do.

The ultimate fate of Sedantis I is unknown, as no certainty exists as to whether it crashed or simply changed orbits. The second possibility might have been too damning for the planet, however, as the already thin ozone layer would have disappeared, exposing Sedantis to new levels of radiation and scorching it completely, making even subterranean life difficult to continue. Contact with the Vaurca home planet remains impossible.

The Two-Thousand Year Gap

The journey to the Orion Spur was full of mayhem, with uncertainty and terror reigning over Vaurcae. The following is an outline of what occurred before their discovery by other sapients. The Zo’ra Hive left with three Hiveships, K’lax with two and C’thur with only one available.

The Zo’ra Trail

Shortly after the evacuation, the Hiveships coordinated to resettle and rebuild their society. The small planet, called Gii’moss, was nothing like Sedantis, with much more biodiversity and a more jungle-like appearance. However, it had traces of phoron in its atmosphere. The Hives would quickly spread massive k’ois plantations, systematically eliminate the native flora and fauna and increase the phoron composition to match that of Sedantis. Proving to be fatal to the ecosystem and fearing an incident which would render the place completely inhospitable, it was rapidly evacuated after a few years of colonization.

Other similar attempts occurred in different ecosystems, such as the legendary Vutx’ic, which was said to have lakes of liquid phoron. However, k’ois and the disregard of local life made it so that catastrophes were inevitable. Even after the introduction of some more careful layouts of k’ois farms, many of the first waves of colonies would wither because of the ecological devastation.

The first signs of a major dispute between the Hives occurred with the blames placed towards Zo’ra by the C’thur in regards to their aggressive methods to colonize. The inferior C’thuric Hiveship would begin to fail at the end of this first phase, perhaps due to its overwork to match the other ships’ velocity.

The Celis Conflict

The original C’thur Hiveship had to make an emergency landing on the planet of Celis, which is notable for its similarities to Sol III in terms of size and atmospheric composition. Completely useless now, C’thur hailed for help and both the Zo’rane and K’laxian Hiveships landed for aid. Because of the inhospitable conditions for them at first, it was at this stage when the first prototypes of the phoron tanks were built and quickly perfected to the design still in use today. Celis was less than ideal to colonize, but a large barren desert proved the perfect place to cultivate k’ois, and the complex natural cave tunnels served as the basis for the city foundations.

While inter-hive cooperation was encouraged the first years, territorial disputes began soon after. A major issue was with the k’ois supplies and how they were being divided, with K’lax ceasing to provide tribute to Zo’ra in a clear move of independence. C’thur sided with the K’lax in a strange alliance, which put high pressure on the Zo’ra Hive despite outnumbering them both with Warriors. For the first time in history, Zo’rane rule was openly questioned by its closest allies.

War also became impractical due to a famine that cut most of the k’ois supply in a short time. The exact reasons behind this “k’ois dry” are unknown, but perhaps the fungi was still unprepared to thrive in environments of high oxygen. It was during this period that C’thur took control of the Kloxa’xia. While the C’thur Hive claims it was gifted by K’lax because of their damaged ship and their alliance, K’lax instead argues that it was stolen while their guard was down. Whatever the case may be, for K’lax and C’thur trying to remain on Celis was seen as futile, both Hives parting shortly after.

Though the Zo’ra Hive managed to salvage the k’ois and grow a steady colony, they were ready to search for a more suitable environment, with conditions more familiar to them. Two of the three Hiveships of Zo’ra parted, leaving High Queen Zo’ra and her brood on the Celis colony, with promises to regain contact once more resources were found.

It is uncertain as to why High Queen Zo’ra decided to stay behind. The Celis conflict, while diplomatic in nature, proved that Zo’ra was not the same mighty giant she once was, which may have affected her decision to settle there. It is also known that the idea of returning to a nomadic lifestyle terrified her, as their species had evolved long from that. Another reason might have been the mere shock of the dynamic change with K’lax. Knowing Mother K’lax had died, she might have felt as if she did not recognize this new Hive, with the Lesser Queens having a completely different stance on the Zo’ra. Whatever the case might have been, High Queen Zo’ra seemed to be content with her decision to settle in Celis, and while both sides might have expected to be reunited again, no contact with the Celis colony has been possible ever since.

The Nomadic Approach

Following the conflict, the communication between the Hives fractured, though they remained tailing each other. Settling in any of these planets would have required great infrastructure, as their composition was too extreme for Vaurcae to survive. The disponibility of k'ois greatly diminished as a result, with few available places to let k’ois grow. The first attempts of an asteroid farm were started by the K’lax Hive, which the Leto brood would later perfect in Pid.

Lost in space, the desperation was growing fast, taking a toll in many of the Vaurcae, even the Queens themselves. The Hiveships, while prepared for emergencies such as this, were beginning to deteriorate too. The available phoron fuel became a luxury, however they had to continue.

The second Hiveship of the Zo’ra was used as a means to store resources, with only one Queen, Biibak, on board alongside her brood. Both K’lax and C’thur, which were becoming uneasy too, hoped that the Zo’ra Hive would eventually share their surplus kept here, was the situation to become even more drastic. However, Biibak lost contact with the rest of the Hive. The ship is speculated to have been destroyed, perhaps due to natural phenomena. Losing their emergency stock, a new plan had to arise.

The Last Ordeal

To save on resources, most Unbound underwent stasis. With an uncertainty and a fear that the life support systems would make it hard for their survival, the life inside Virtual Reality was, at times, uncertain. Many of the Xakat’kl’atan were reunited in the sentiment of soothing the others, while those few Unbound that remained active developed means to scan for phoron. The sensor readings for this were, at best, broad and unreliable, and at worst, outright a lie.

The sudden sense of direction the Zo’rane Hiveship had alerted the other Hives, which prompted them to follow closer again. Without an official word from the Zo’ra, however, they often wondered if it was worth pursuing.

It is uncertain when Vaurcae finally entered the Orion Spur. Some small settlements and outposts in the Sparring Sea suggest the Vaurca were there before its colonization. As following Zo’ra was uncoordinated, both K’lax and C’thur may have lost all means to locate the ship long before the Hive continued its journey to Tau Ceti. Though K’lax and C’thur were not on good terms, attempts to communicate and team up were made, with relaying distances too far to properly do so. Their relationship only worsened from these broken messages. C’thur claimed to have traced the Zo’ra path, with coordinates to be exchanged in what is known today as the Xi’miix rendez-vous, an asteroid somewhere in the Sparring Sea. While C’thur did arrive at the encounter, a surprise attack separated the Hives, making the Klo’zxera change course, unknowingly, to Uueoa-Esa.

It is not clear when the Lii’dra left Sedantis. High Queen Lii’dra remained hidden deep in the Sedantian abyss after the Great Hive War, and emerged again only after the Exodus. It is suggested that this time around most Hives that joined forces with them surrendered, either out of hatred of Zo’ra or as a desperate means of survival. However it happened, the Lii’dra attacked and boarded the Kloxa’xia, believing that Mother K’lax remained alive and on board the Hiveship. The attack almost took C’thur’s life, leaving her weak and crippled. After the attack, the Kloxa’xia unknowingly wandered into the Skrellian Traverse, eventually emerging in Glorashi.

The Zo’ra Hive remained determined to find this phoron they may have located. Perhaps because the engines of the Titan Prime were superior to those of the two other Hiveships, they managed to travel a greater distance. Vaurca would emerge in human space in 2456, located first near the Romanovich Cloud.

The First Contacts

All Hiveships that arrived at the Orion Spur were in poor shape. The conditions were a result of an increasingly dangerous journey, with no opportunities to permanently settle or repair most of its millennial systems. The discoveries of Vaurca were in three different civilizations, almost parallel to each other despite the distinct routes and lack of communication.

The First Contact With Skrell

Though it is uncertain when the Kloxa’xia entered Federation space, consensus exists that it must have occurred shortly after the culmination of Glorsh-Omega. The reconstruction of the Jargon Federation, as well as the fact that it mostly crossed through the Traverse might have been the two main factors that would have had them go undetected for so long. The C’thur Hiveship had no idea as to where they were travelling, nor were expecting anything other than to hide from the Lii’dra and find a place to properly treat High Queen C’thur. Her injuries had been stabilized, but she was not recuperating and remained in such a state for generations.

First contact with Skrell was around 2448-2450 and a subject of secrecy. It is uncertain as to why the Jargon Federation decided to take such precautions with the C’thur Hive, but the first decade after their arrival kept them confined inside their Hiveship. It is commonly believed that what alerted the Jargon Federation was the Kloxa’xia stepping inside Glorashi, the system the Queens would remain inside as of today.

Following the principles of the Xuq Translator, a team managed to engineer what is known as the Xuq-Pon Translator, dubbed after the leader of the project, Pon Qerrbali. This not only decoded Hivenet signals in three days, but was also the cornerstone to the future Nral’malic language implants, as well as the recent adaptations of the Nlom relays.

Skrellian medical science allowed to save High Queen C’thur, with a series of intensive medical treatments that continue to this day. The decision to relocate C’thur from the Hiveship to Diulszi, specifically in the city of Xevrax, is the main reason why Glorashi IV remains with a high C’thuric population. It was not so much that the planet was ever awarded to them, but rather a means of convenience to not scandalize the greater Skrellian population.

Around the discovery of the Zo’ra, Weashbi Jrugl lifted the limitations of the C’thur, allowing them to travel around the Federation and to become Federation citizens.

The First Contact With Humanity

In November 2456, the heat signature of a massive alien ship was detected near the Romanovich Cloud in Tau Ceti. A small scout vessel was dispatched to scan the massive ship, which was dubbed ‘Titan Prime’ by the media. Though not feared to be hostile due to its obvious damaged state, the Hiveship surprisingly ceased its engines once in contact with this first probe. Instead of any movement, the Titan Prime sent a radio signal that, while mathematically complex once decoded, the message could not be understood. For the following groups a large group of scientists, including those from the nearby NSS Aurora, participated in the interpretation of this message, as well as means to send a signal in return that they would be able to understand. Once cracked, it became obvious it was a request for phoron supplies.

When communication was established, President Joseph Dorn addressed the Hiveship directly. From their conversation, humanity learned about the grim situation which they were facing, and the urgent need of assistance to survive. A decision was made to tow the ship and make physical contact with its inhabitants, who proved to be the Zo’ra Hive.

Many of the Klo’xryek systems were already failing and damaged, meaning that if contact were made shortly afterwards, the survivorship of many of those inside would have probably been reduced. The Republic of Biesel provided humanitarian aid and soon after citizenship to the Vaurcae in exchange for their cheap workforce in Tau Ceti. A mass evacuation of the Titan Prime was carried over, dividing the different Queens onboard it in distinct locations of the Republic. The Hiveship itself was towed and parked in the orbit of Valkyrie, until its relocation to Caprice in late 2463.

The First Contact With Unathi

In early 2459, another Hiveship entered the Uuoea-Esa system. Now with knowledge of how Vaurcesian spaceships looked, the Izweski Hegemony prepared for a first contact situation. Despite the public fear of perhaps being a Lii’dra Hiveship, the Hiveship looked rather unarmed and much smaller when compared to the Zo’rane ship. Using the same methods Biesellite scientists employed to contact the Titan Prime, Unathi authorities hailed the Hiveship, asking to know its affiliation. Although its response was delayed, it was discovered that it was the missing K’lax Hiveship.

It appears that the K’lax Hive established some temporary bases, and headed towards Moghes drawn by the increasing space activity in the area. The Zo’ra Hive was contacted, and they vouched for the K’lax as good vassals. While the exact conversation is unknown, it is implied that the idea of the K’lax being subjugated to Zo’ra somehow translated into thinking the Hive was subservient and ready to find new masters. The thought of integrating and utilizing the K’laxian workforce was appealing to the Hegemony, and would eventually become a reality once official meetings were held. Queen Zkaii was made Overlord of Tret, a mining colony in an otherwise hostile planet, in exchange for their vassalage to the Izweski Nation. While some may question just how much the agreement benefits Vaurcae, the K’lax Hive has thrived under their new agreement.

The powers of the Orion Spur have opposed providing Vaurcae with faster-than-light engines and have their Hivenet communications constantly monitored. Especially in human space, Vaurcae suffer from racism and are still considered a pest. Though dynamics have greatly shifted, the Vaurca have taken the opportunity of this second chance to start anew, now integrated to the history of the Orion Spur as a whole.