Zenian League
The Zenian League
Technically the bad guys, but only because they tend to be more self-serving than the Kurak races. Most of their races are motivated by revenge for wrongs committed against them in the past at the hands of the races now comprising the Kurak Alliance.
- Major Races
- The Dindrenzi Federation - Tough, don't tread on me type frontier colonists who rebelled against the Terrans after being politically marginalized and taxed into oblivion. The initial rebellion ended with their homeworld obliterated in Terran nuclear fire, but this only pissed them off more. Distrustful of aliens and most other humans, for good reason, they are an alliance of various frontier systems. Most of their ships are built around gigantic railguns, but they pay for it by being relatively slow and unmaneuverable. They basically play like Tau, preferring to sit back and snipe with their superior forward guns.
- The Directorate - The true villains of the setting. Basically a bunch of greedy, amoral corporations who broke away and created their own empire. Fond of playing both sides off against each other in order to keep the wars going as long as possible so they can profit from weapons sales. Their homeworld is an Ayn Rand paradise where the wealthy live in excess, but if their net worth drops too low they are forced to leave their homes and move off world. Their ships are mostly giant flying saucer types with omni-directional turrets in the center. They make heavy use of nuclear, biological, and chemical warheads on their torpedoes, as well as cyberwarfare weaponry.
- The Relthoza Empire - Giant spider people with a raging hard-on for nanotech. Surprisingly they are not a monolithic hive mind, and are actually a caste-based society of fully sentient individuals. Currently undergoing a swarming urge in which they attempt to conquer more territory. Generally they rely on stealth technology to get into optimal firing range, and back it up with nasty boarding parties made up of giant power armored spider marines. In the Wars of First Contact they were humiliated at the hands of the Terran Alliance, losing territory and suffering their first major defeat at the hands of an alien race.
- Minor Races
- Ba'Kash - Bootstrapper space pirates who love war and plunder. Joined the Zenian League after being promised the chance to have both of those things in large amounts. They prefer simple, direct weapons and technology, as well as boarding actions. They seem to be roughly analogous to the Klingon of Star Trek.
- Illosian Protectorates - Crab people created by the Aquans to be able to live on land. Turned out hyper-aggressive and warlike and quickly rebelled against the Aquans. The Aquans responded by attempting genocide upon their entire race. After being defeated, they lurked out in deep space and annoyed the colonists who later became the Dindrenzi. Recently they came back to wreak revenge on the Aquans, having been brought into the Zenian League by the Kedorians.
- Kedorians - Highly intelligent aliens with many client races who supported the Dindrenzi rebellion, thus earning political favors from the new Dindrenzi state. Make use of giant circular floating fortress-ships that double as space-based cities with tons of omnidirectional weaponry. Disdain getting their hands dirty and thus use their more aggressive servitor races as assault troops. Most races think they're a race composed of several sub species, but in reality they are parasites who implant themselves in other sentient races and seize control of their bodies like the Gou'ald of Stargate. Strangely in contrast to their generally cowardly attitude of using their client races to do their dirty work, they believe fighter to fighter combat to be honourable and only pure/noble members of their race may use their interceptor craft.
- Rense Systems Navy - The Dindrenzi state security and intelligence force based out of their most powerful star system; basically the KGB to their Soviet Union. Created to police the various Dindrenzi worlds and keep their allies of convenience in line. Use very well designed, advanced ships with elite crews. They have the trademark Dindrenzi railguns, but with none of the trademark Dindrenzi weakness to close-range combat. Are shown to be fanatical in their devotion to the Dindrenzi race and the Church of Dramos, a cult that has sprung up following the nuclear seeing to given to Dramos by the Terrans. The RSN are employed in a number of different scouting and deep reconnaissance missions, while also acting as the enforcers for the leagues best interest (read as killing/punishing lesser members of the league who act out of line)
- Saurian Conclave - The first sentient race encountered by humanity in space. Rogue Sorylians who were exiled for enhancing their bodies with cybernetics and reckless genetic engineering, confusion about their exact relation to humanity led to the initial stages of the Wars of First Contact between the Terran Alliance and Sorylian Collective. With Terra now formally aligned with their more cautious cousins, the Saurians have found common cause with the Dindrenzi against their common foes. NOTE: No one has heard about these guys in a good while so they may have been squatted.
- Works Raptor - Basically what you would get if the Dark Eldar were businessmen. Expelled from the Terran Alliance, they have become the most infamous member corporation of the Directorate, they use monstrous bio-engineered assault troops, nuclear, biological, and chemical weaponry, and stealth technology. Don't let them take you alive or you'll end your days as a test subject for some new horrific weapon.