Rhulaner
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Contents |
Historical Introduction
Rumours have abounded for generations of a deep simmering evil that has pervaded the galaxy from one corner to another. Names have been given to this invisible terror before now, but none of them have come close to the truth. In the most recent times, Gráinne N Mháille of the Kreel, declared herself Emperor of the Rhulan, and broke the aeons of silence in bringing the Rhulan to the notice of the Galaxy.
But the actions of Gráinne N Mháille, were not the end, they were only the beginning, and just like an iceberg, they showed only the tip of the true story. For the Rhulan Empire was never truely an empire, nor was it made up of a single race, nor of a diverse group of rag tags pulled together by a love of danger and the need to live as Pirates.
In actual fact the truth was far stranger - for the Rhulani had exsisted for centuries as a loose conglomerate of different civilisations. These civilisations worked in harmony to bring their own peculiar brand of order to all those who flew under their wings, and yet each element remained true to their own convictions and their own view of the world surrounding them. A race of the Alpha Quadrant, originating in the area once called the Delphic Expanse, were called the Xindi - five sub-species of a single race tied together by their genetic ties. However this harmony had no such genetic ties, instead there was only an uneasy alliance, aeons of internal peace, the result of bitter warring when the Vadwaar were still incapable of space flight.... even if occasionally one faction might get more or less upperity. Ignoring the internal need for "Emperors", they are instead ruled by a council of 5 Speakers, one for each faction. Living on the isolated settlement called The Remnant of Damocles, these Speakers will occasionally declaim their intentions to the galaxy at large, at which time one of them will present themselves to the Universe as The Rhulan Emperor of The Rhulan Empire - presenting the impression of ever-changing leaders and a flightly, warmongering alliance. But more often that not, they are silent, for their main task is to prevent wars or other major conflicts between these organisations which are partially at enmity with each other. Indeed each is a hostage to the retinues of the others, each a gaurentee that the uneasy harmony will continue for another day.
Following the destruction of Romulus by the The United Federation of Planets; the Speakers sent out "Commandment 7" - this long held order, required the immeadiate cessation of all activites, and the members of the Empire withdrew into the depths of space, fading into the background, and allowing history to ignore them - even the restless Kreel ceased their incessant raiding of other civilisations, and brought their great city ships into secure dry docks to be retrofitted and improved. But now that time of peace is at an end...a new song is rising....a new tune will set the galaxy to rights...a new order is springing forth - and none shall stand in its path!
The Factions of the Empire
There are five principal factions that make up the harmony that is The Rhulan Empire, although each is convinced that they could "go it alone", something keeps them tied together... they are the Roamers, the Hazari, the Renalu, the Kreel, & the Androssi - coming together as The Rhulan Empire.
The Roamers
In the deepest depths of time, when first the Founders oozed and the primoridal soups on many worlds had yet to give rise to life of any sort, a race began to make their first trembling advances into Outer Space. Never discovering warp technology initially, they were driven by the need to flee their homeworld from a massive disaster - the cause of which is lost in time. Spending centuries "roaming" at sub-light speeds, they eventually were forced to settle on an isolated asteroid field. And from here their civilisation grew and spread. Now, the people who call themselves the "Roamers" are the Farmers, the Maintainers, and the Builders of the Rhulani. They establish independent colonies in individual family groups - coming together only at fleetyard conglomerates to build new ships for The Rhulan Empire as a whole. By nature evasive, secretive and furtive, they try hard to avoid the public eye - indeed you are far more likely to catch smoke, or to count the grains of sand on a beach than you are to get a Roamer to admit to something! Even their appearance is a mystery....
The Hazari
For the Federation, these were first encountered by the USS Voyager in the same series of incidents that led to their confrontation with the Think Tank. Little was known then of their civilisation, and certainly their ties as one of the founding factions of the The Rhulan Empire was never discovered. A race of bounty hunters, originating from the single world of Hazarin Prime, they pride themselves on keeping their contracts more than the actual bounty itself. They are known as Species 4228 to the Borg, for whom they made excellent tactical drones. When Hazari starships attack in pairs, one ship usually stays behind to reinforce the shields of the other. This causes an exploitable weakness in Hazari tactics. As mentioned they have a rigid code of conduct - for the Hazari, achieving the end is more important than the reward... therefore if you contract them from one of their representatives to take out a person, that is exactly what they will do - track down and isolate the single vessel on which that settler is currently travelling, and then take out that one vessel, regardless of the type. One Bounty, One Ship, One Debris Field. End of Story.
The Androssi
Androssi are roughly humanoid and skin tone ranges from yellow to brown or sepia, and their hair colorization is similar. Males typically wear their hair long and tied back, and more often than not also sport a trimmed beard. Originating from the border between the Gamma & Alpha Quadrants these clever individuals are the technological scavengers of The Rhulan Empire. They are able to turn any technology to suit their purpose and allow them to use it and as such, these are the individuals who make the diverse fleet of The Rhulan Empire work. For while the Roamers may build the "Rhulaner Ships" from scratch, it is the Androssi who scavenge for the Duranium from the wrecks of destroyed ships, who design the new vessels, who take ships of different civilisations and adapt them to serve The Rhulan Empire as a whole. Androssi are able to communicate with each other over long distances thanks to communication devices implanted in their ears; as such they never use visual communications. Beware the Androssi, for they scour the galaxy for wrecks, for technology to steal and in particular they seek for technology left by The Syndicat & curiosities from the other 'Great Powers' - but not for other goods. Innately curiously, if they 'discover' a helpless vessel they will take it back to an 'Issection Centre for Analysis, and only the blueprints for that vessel, on the appropriate number of Isolinear Chips, sent via Ferengi Courier will allow the release of the vessel.
The Kreel
A race of humanoids that originated in the border region between the Beta and Alpha Quadrants, the Kreel have three fingers, no neck, and a triangular torso. Mortal enemies of the Klingons, they pride themselves on their bodies and are often considered parasites or scavengers. Operating entirly from Space, they have no base, instead they travel the galaxy in packs and seek for resources of any and all types. Sadly it is the Kreel who have given The Rhulan Empire such a bad name, and cause people to expect The Rhulan Empire to renege on its deals and treaties - certainly the last public Emperor of the Rhulan Empire, was a Kreel by the name of Gráinne N Mháille. While unoffically they have no code of conduct, nor restraint, they do recognise one thing - if they do not leave enough for tomorrow, they can not come back and attack people again! The Kreel therefore travel from world to world, and take only what they need at that time, and never any more than 50% of any individual good type that is available. This is because as far as they are concerned, the rest of the galaxy are sheep, or cattle, that must be milked regularly and farmed for resources - entirely for their own good of course!
The Renalu
These then are the remainder of the Rhulani, the fifth faction - and the most diverse. Made up of all the 'rag-tags' and the 'dregs' of other societies, these are the true symbol of the harmony that is The Rhulan Empire - many working together as one - although with no shared conciousness! Regardless of their genetic heritage, every member of the Renalu considers themselves to be Renalu - thus you can find Humans working alongside Kazon; Devore alongside Mari; Talaxian alongside Karemma. For while the Roamers build, the Hazari Hunt, the Androssi Adapt and the Kreel Raid - the Renalu maintain the Rhulani - they manage free ports where ANYONE can visit - all beautiful pastoral worlds, they sometimes make you wonder - why should I be a Pirate.... I could be a dirtgrubber! The Free Ports of the Renalu are freely known, and are rarely defended - for they are trading locations, and not worlds filled to overflowing with ill gotten gains!
Ship Identification Chart
For some time, there has been confusion over which ships belong to which faction - so here is a brief visual-scan only identification of the principal vessels of The Rhulan Empire
Roamer Generation Vessel Androssi Salvage Vessel Androssi Multi-vector Assualt Vessel Kreel Clan City-Ship Kreel Raider Renalu In-System Defence Fighter Hazaran Hunter Hazaran Communications Buoy
A Closing Thought
The technology of The Rhulan Empire is composed of stolen or loaned technology of other species. Amongst their fleet there are vessels of the Federation; the Ferengi and even the Romulans - all adapted by the ingenuity of the Androssi, although there are some of their own productions. One thing is certain though - nothing is quite as it seems, and nothing works quite as you might expect!
It is unwise to try to contact The Rhulan Empire, directly - especially if you don't know exactly what you want or whom you have to contact. For as de facto leaders the Speakers of The Rhulan Empire (and indeed the Emperor of the moment) must be respected and honoured in every situation or you will have to live with the consequences. It is instead, a far better situation, to send a communicae to a known individual. For trade, bounty hunting or indeed simply diplomacy, the more approachable speakers are Y'Sek of the Hazari and Foreen Dhal of the Renalu. At the other end of the spectrum, Elite Karoe of the Androssi and Imperator Háinnan E Pháillon of the Kreel, are not the most hospitable of individuals, and are not recommended as points of contact. As for the Roamer Speaker.... well she is best left untroubled....
