Korath (Species)

"Ah, the unwise Korath," the Quarg says. "Once a mighty empire, now sadly splintered and diminished. Their own thinking war machines, now breeding with abandon and inimical to all, hunt the survivors. And some of them, too, were exiled for their great crimes."
- Anonymous Quarg, First Contact: Kuwaru Efreti
The Korath are a dying race of aliens who have driven themselves to the brink of extinction through their lust for war. Most Korath technologies create a great amount of heat, though their primary weapons are noticeably more energy-efficient than those of other tier 2 species like the Wanderers.
== History ==
Much of what we know of the Korath's history is either muddled or not in chronological order. The Korath discovered spaceflight in about 37,000 B.C.E., but didn't start colonizing their space until four millennia later. In the 26th century, the Anatruskor-Sestor faction of Korath invaded Hai space with their Jump Drives, although the warriors which would later become the Unfettered drove them back and the raids stopped at about 2820. In the 26th century, all of Korath space erupted into civil war, a war which involved the Kor Mereti, the Kor Sestor and the Kor Efreti's ancestors. At the start of the war, the Mereti and Sestor were regular Korath, but eventually both sides developed robotic, self replicating ships which could fight each other forever. Those robotic ships are the Kor Sestor and Mereti that we know today. That war ended around 2790, when the Drak intervened. The Korath had developed weapons of mass destruction able to eradicate planets and blow up stars, which left much of their home space devastated and irradiated, including their original homeworld of Kasichara Fet. 
The remaining Korath were given a choice- either give up their Jump Drives and advanced technology or be exiled. Those who refused to give up their drives were banished to the core and became the Korath Exiles. Those who gave in to the demands of the Drak became known as the Kor Efreti and remain under the protection of the Quarg. The Kor Mereti and Kor Sestor ships were left alone because the Quarg were not able to defeat them. There are about 1 billion Korath remaining, most of which are the Kor Efreti. The Korath are considered a dying species by the Drak and the Quarg, but they might have a chance to recover. 
== Attributes ==
Korath are short, stocky, and somewhat reptilian in appearance, and have a crest of feathers running along the top of their heads and hanging down their backs. 
As the Korath are separated into several different factions, their ship designs tend to vary.
== Factions ==
* Korath Exiles
* Kor Efreti
* Kor Mereti
* Kor Sestor
=== Historical Factions ===
* Korsmanath Empire/Republic - Homeworld faction. Reformed into a republic due to Efreti influence. One half of the Efret-Korsmanath Alliance. Nearly wiped out by the Supernova Bombs. Remnants live on as part of the Efreti and the Exiles.
* Kashikt Empire - First major Korath colony. Fought a war with the Korsmanath Empire c. 2100 that ended 20 years later, in a cultural revolution that led to the birth of the Kor Efreti.
** Efret-Korsmanath Alliance - Defensive alliance between the Efreti and the Korsmanathi that served as one of the main factions of the Korath Civil War. Victims of the Anatruskor-Sestor alliance's WMDs. Survive in modern times as the Kor Efreti.
* Anatruskor Empire - Second major Korath colony. Developed their own Jump Drives and were the first Korath to explore outside their home space. Encountered the Hai as friendlies, but became enemies later on. Split in two after the Exodus, with remnants surviving in Korath space until their destruction c. 2960. Most of the Exiles are of Anatruskor descent, but a few joined the Efreti.
* Similisti Empire - Third major Korath colony. Allies to the Anatruskor. Efreti and Korsmanathi influence led to its downfall to a revolution c. 2560 at the hands of the Mereti. Remnants survived and live on as part of the Exiles.
* Sestor Federation - Fourth major Korath colony. Allies to the Anatruskor. Developed deadly weapons of mass destruction and automated ships. Nearly wiped out by the Mereti automata. Remnants survive as part of the Exiles and the Efreti, with a few independent survivors living in underground bunkers.
* Mereti Collective - Successor state to the Similisti that rose after overthrowing them in a revolution. Enemies of the Sestor. Made extensive use of robotics, nanobots and automated ships. Nearly wiped out by the Sestor automata. Remnants survive as part of the Exiles.
== Trivia ==
* The Korath are the only known species, other than the Drak and Pug, to have been able to develop a Jump Drive.
* The Species seems to be named after the Klingon scientist Korath from the series finale of Star Trek: Voyager
Category:Species
Category:Korath