The Altarian Prophecy

When humans came into contact with the Altarians, it was quite a shock. The Altarians and humans looked nearly identical, and DNA tests showed that they were essentially the same species with only a few hundred thousand years of genetic drift. The spiritually inclined Altarian civilization was shaken to its core when their high priest read a 100,000-year-old prophecy: One day, the Altarians would meet their cousins and that would lead them to the knowledge of how the Altarians had come to be. It also hinted that the Altarians were the result of the interference of a powerful being called a Mithrilar – but that the humans evolved naturally. According to the prophecy, this Mithrilar had also created the Precursors in his own image.

Humans and Altarians easily built a trusting and friendly diplomatic relationship on their common traits and values. This friendship served both races well as more and more races began churning out their own fleets of hyperdrive-equipped ships. Over the next few decades, several more spacefaring civilizations began to make contact with one of the original six (Human, Drengin, Arcean, Altarian, Torian and Yor) races.

The long-lived Korx were among the first of this second wave of civilizations to gain access to hyperdrive. They had previously traveled through their part of the galaxy in sleeper pods to conduct trade. The Korx’s longevity motivated them to conduct trade missions that would normally take many lifetimes of other races.

More and more races began churning out their own fleets of hyperdrive-equipped ships

Armed with hyperdrive, the Korx began invading Altarian colony worlds. The Altarians and humans worked together to drive the Korx off these planets, but the Korx actions did not make sense – unless someone was paying the mercenary Korx to further some unknown agenda. Following the trail of intrigue behind the Korx attacks, the humans and Altarians learned that a civilization known as the Drath were responsible. The original inhabitants of Altaria, the Drath were forced to leave their home world by the rise of the humanoid Altarians . The Drath claim that they lacked space travel capabilities at the time, and were instead transported to a distant world by the last of the mythical demigods known as the Mithrilar.

The Drath and their Korx allies were driven back. Realizing that the humans and Altarians together were too powerful when working together, they agreed to an armistice and were added to the covenant that bound the major civilizations together into peaceful coexistence, which now counted eight member factions.