Golek

The Golek are a species of sentient alien predominantly found in the Northern Rim. They are a very religious species, and do everything for a God that they call "Weraa". Their Homeworld is the jungle planet of Varash, a Homeworld they share with the Reevin. They were one of the two main races opposing the Northern Federation during the Xeno-Federation War.
==Biology==
The Golek appear very similar in biology to Humans in many ways, including being bipedal and similar body proportions. However, they differ from humans in many ways. For example, the Golek are on average much taller than humans. Their skin colour also differs greatly from humans, ranging from green to blue. Their skin also has a very different structure to humans, being much smoother than that of humans. They are also known for their tentacle-like protrusions coming from their face, a feature that greatly differentiates them from humans.
Internally, Golek differ greatly from humans. Golek have four lungs, allowing them to breathe much better than humans in harsher climates. They also have two hearts to pump the blood through their system more quickly. Their brain is generally bigger than humans, making them more intelligent. They even have slight psychic abilities because of this, allowing the Golek to communicate with each other and other species without saying a word. This can make Golek very unpredictable in combat, as there is no indication what they are planning or even when they are planning, while they are still able to very effectively communicate.
==Philosophy and Psychology==
Golek are a very athletic species, and can run long distances without getting tired. Like humans, the Golek enjoy participating in competitive sports, and have their own sports that are much different than human sports. Like humans, they usually marry in love, as opposed to purely reproduce. Emotions run very deep in the Golek, and they mourn death of loved ones much more than humans do, having huge burial ceremonies for any Golek that dies, where the entire Golek population show up to pay their respects, regardless of whether they know the individual or not. The Golek are very emotionally attached to each other, and value each other's lives dearly.
The entire Golek race follows one God which is called the Weraa. The Golek believe that the Weraa created all life in the Universe, and has the ability to take it away as well. They believe that when a soul dies, it is forever placed under the care of the Weraa, to live on forever in the 'perfect world' of which Weraa lives.
However, the Golek believe that the Weraa favour them more than any other race in the Universe, and so use that belief to act as the will of the Weraa. Whenever the Golek enter war against another species, they believe that it is the will of the Weraa that they are no longer part of the Universe. This had led them to lead many conflicts with other species, including the Reevin and the Humans alike.
The Golek are quite technologically advanced, achieving the space age, and being the first race to in the Northern Rim. This has allowed them to dominate other species in the Northern Rim with the will of the Weraa, exterminating many alien species there before humanity even knew they existed.
After the Golek-Reevin War, which the Golek won decisively, the Reevin have acted as slaves to the Golek. However, the Golek deeply respect culture, and so the Reevin are allowed to keep theirs, so long as they remain loyal to the Golek.
==History==
It is unknown how old the Golek as a species are, but humanity estimates that they have been there at least 100,000 years. They have had several conflicts before, both with each other and with a large variety of other species, including their brother-race, the Reevin.
Traditionally, the Golek were divided into several clans, who warred with each other constantly. Each clan thought of themselves as superior to the other clans, which led to a large amount of conflict and a very divided Golek species. This tension eventually led to the Clan Wars, which lasted for a hundred years without stopping, killing much of the Golek population. When the Clan Wars came to an end, it left much of the population starving and even more divided than before. This led to a select number of very religious Golek to step up and try to unite the species.
===Creation of the Weraa===
After the Clan Wars came to a close, a very religious group of Golek began to emerge which called themselves the Archons. The Archons began to speak with Golek of all of the clans, speaking of a divine ruler that would protect them and watch over them. They called this being the Weraa. This was the first time religion was introduced to the Golek species.
===Golek-Reevin War===
Approximately 100 years after the Golek united as a species, they make their first contact to their brother race also native to Varash, the Reevin. What the Golek saw of the Reevin disgusted them. A savage, tribal race that grossly contrasted with the Golek's civilized culture.
Their first instinct was to teach them about The Weraa, their God, in the hopes of civilizing the savage race. It would, however, prove to have no effect, as the Reevin had their own Gods in culture, savages like them.
So, the Golek took what was in their mind the next logical step: the eradication of the Reevin. The Golek armies stormed across the jungles of their Homeworld to the tribes that the Reevin had established and burn the villages one by one, killing every man, woman, and child along the way. It was, for lack of a better word, genocide against the Reevin.
However, the Reevin proved to be far smarter and far more resourceful than they looked, and rather than a mass genocide, a planet-wide war erupted between the two races. The clash was almost comical. The Golek, the more technologically advanced and 'civilized' race, against the Reevin, the savages. The two sides could not be more different, and yet, for a long time, were even. What the Golek never expected from the Reevin was their sheer ferocity and ruthlessness, and the Reevin Cleanse, as it was originally named, turned into a war.
The war would rage for 50 years, with the Golek's superior black powder technology against the Reevin's guerilla war tactics. Where the GOlek eventaually managed to find victory, however, was killing the Reevin's Great Clansmen, the so-called leader of the Reevin as a people and the one responsible for uniting the Reevin against the Golek. He was executed publicly in front of the Reevin. This would end the war, and the Reevin would become a race of slaves to the Golek for millenia.
===Technological Leap and the Thinking Age===
With the Reevin defeated and the Golek the sole rulers of Varash, the most important time in Golek history would begin since the creation of the Weraa. Golek scientists and great Golek thinkers would emerge among their people and lead them into the golden age of the Golek. This became known as the Thinking Age among Golek-kind.
Scholars, scientists, researchers and mathematicians would emerge and the Golek technology would leap astronomical levels in a very small amount of time. In the period of only 150 years, the Golek would evolve from the black powder technology they had during the Golek-Reevin War into energy technology and space travel, and with the help of their Reevin slaves, mass production of this technology was easily manageable. From there, the Golek only strived farther, and soon, took to the stars.
===Celestial Cleanse===
Following the Thinking Age came the next major phase of Golek history: the Celestial Age. Golek ships took to the stars to find new worlds to inhabit and expand themselves into other worlds and carve out a bigger chunk of the galaxy for themselves.
However, it was soon learned by the Golek as a people that they were not alone in the galaxy. Several other species were discovered by the Golek, most of them savage like the Reevin. Turning to the Weraa for guidance, the Golek came to a rather common conclusion: the eradication of these species. This became known as the Celestial Cleanse, and within the matter of a few years, countless species had been wiped out from existence before humanity even knew they existed or were in the galaxy in the first place. No matter what level of technology these species has (one species had reportedly developed space travel), the Golek technology was far superior and very little resistance was actually mustered to fight them. When the Celestial Cleanse came to a close, the Golek would stay living peacefully for thousands of years, until a new form of life entered the galaxy: Humanity.
===Humanity Cleanse===
When humanity first arrived in the galaxy, the Golek were unaware of their presence. Humanity peacefully established colonies on worlds and soon these colonies became thriving cities and worlds. The Golek first learned about humanity in 48 AF, in the midst of humanity's Great Northern War as a Northstar Alliance vessel accidentally made it's way to Golek space in an attempt to circle around and catch the Union off-guard and deploy ground forces on their worlds. The Golek destroyed the ship and captured any survivors they could, researching this new species in the galaxy and quickly learning about them. It was also deemed that like the others, the humans were inferior to the Golek and so, another cleanse was ordered.
On April 4th, 73 AF, the Golek made the first official contact with humanity. A Federate fleet charged with exploring the as of yet undiscovered space, and stumbled upon the Golek. The Federate fleet was completely obliterated. With the Federate fleet gone, the Golek fleets started making their way into human territory. The Humanity Cleanse had officially begun.
 Attacking the grass world of Alatyr, the Golek made immediate ground contact with humans, and slaughtered every man, woman, and child they came across. With their superior technology, the Golek steamrolled its way through humanity's worlds, before stopping their advance and committing mass genocide on the planets they had already taken. Just like every other cleanse before them, humanity was on track to be completely wiped out of the Northern Rim. Slowly, the Golek continued their genocide, and began taking ground again, albeit slowly. Humanity had quickly proven to the Golek to be the most widespread race to be cleansed they had ever encountered. But the more they slaughtered and the more ground they took, the harder humanity fought, and the higher casualties they took. Eventually, the Golek learned that the hardest thing they would ever have to face was human will. What was once a slaughter had become a full-scale war, a war that would wage for the next sixteen years.
On January 10th, 89 AF, the largest fleet ever assembled by the Northern Federation would move on Varash, surprising even the Archons of the Golek. After fierce fighting, in a rare and stunning display of combat, the Northern Federation had won a decisive naval battle over the superior Golek fleet, and a large number of human forces were deployed to the surface of Varash. This operation would be the largest offensive in both Golek and Northern Federation history prior to the Reclaimation War. After three months of guerrilla warfare and harsh fighting in the jungles of Varash, the Golek capital of Cal'Drimmar would be taken on March 13th, 89 AF, simultaneously ending the Humanity Cleanse and Xeno-Federation War in the process.
Although the Golek didn't know it at the time, the Humanity Cleanse became the most important era of Golek history since the Creation of the Weraa, and a new age of thinking would begin.
===Peace with Humanity and the Re-thinking Age===
Following the taking of Cal'Drimmar and the end of the Xeno-Federation War, humanity's government had a few tough decisions to make ahead of them: what to do about the Golek. Many in government wanted them eradicated, just like they had done to untold thousands in a brutal genocide. However, a few believed this to be the wrong choice, making the point that they would be no better than them if they committed a genocide on the Golek. Most of these, however, suggested they pay for their genocide in the factories of Vorkuta. Only one suggested that they try to make allies with the Golek: Oleg Gonchar.
The Golek themselves, however, were no more willing to unite. Their culture simply made it so the could not co-exist. The Archons followed this culture to the T, and resisted humanity constantly. Several Golek generals with splinter forces made several rebellious strikes against Federate forces across Varash. None of them succeeded in anything more than showing they would not bend their will to that of the Federation. The vast majority of the Archons planned to gear up and regroup, and start a new cleanse against humanity.
The Golek civilians, however, began to re-think the way their life was. Since the end of the Clan Wars, the Archons had told them the Golek were superior to every other species in the galaxy. Humanity had proved them wrong. Many Golek started to believe that their way of life was wrong, and they began protesting the Archons. At the head of these protests was a Golek named Traz'yn Kiilok, a former general with a lot of say in the government. While the rest of the Golek slaughtered humanity to the man, Traz'yn accepted surrender, and spared lives. Both Traz'yn and Oleg would begin talking with each other to achieve their goal: uniting the Northern Federation and the Golek under a single banner.
Thus, the Re-Thinking Age would begin. Slowly but surely, Traz'yn would rally more to his cause, and slowly but surely, the Archons would hear his message. Finally, with the majority of the Golek wanting peace with humanity, the Golek began to re-think their culture. It was a process that would take months, but eventually, the Golek saw a reformation. This would be the biggest reformation of their culture since the Clan Wars came to an end countless millenia ago. 
Eventually, the Golek would see Humanity, as well as the Reevin and most other species, as equal, and a shaky alliance was struck with the Northern Federation. The Golek were people were happy to be at peace, but the civilians of the Federation would be uneasy about this alliance with their former enemies two years, before war was brought to them again, a war that would consume the entirety of the Galaxy.
===Reclaimation War===
The Reclaimation War came just two years after the end of the Xeno-Federation War, with an extragalactic collective of aliens invading the entirety of the galaxy simultaneously. This would be the first test of the Golek and Humanity working together as allies. 
At first, the communication was bad, which, combined with the strength of Reclaimer Forces, allowed them to gain ground all the way to Moscow. However, on Moscow, the Golek and Federate forces learned to communicate, and managed to grind The Reclaimers to a halt. Slowly, but surely, the Golek managed to evacuate civilians and push the Reclaimer lines. Throughout the war, they gained humanity's trust and respect as the fought valiantly by their side to defend them. When the war finally came to an end in 92 AF, humanity accepted the Golek as strong allies and regarded them as equals among Federate life. 
===Post-War and the NEDA===
After the war, the Golek had proven themselves worthy as members of the Northern Federation, and they were living among them peacefully. Golek technology was shared, and they worked with humanity to improve the technology of both. Research teams that were made up of both Humans and Golek proved to be effective, seeing things from two different perspectives allowing them to make massive leaps. The Golek also played a part in the creation of the North Eastern Defense Act and established a NEDA military base on Varash to be used for both defense and as a training grounds for the militaries across the alliance for training troops in jungle warfare. They are regarded as equals across the entirety of the NEDA, and are considered valuable allies. 
==Technology==
The Golek are very advanced in terms of technology. They use exclusively energy weaponry, primarily pulse energy, and have stopped using ballistics entirely. Their vehicles are sleek and use highly complicated controls only the Golek themselves understand, making them useless to any human or other sentient lifeform. This is so their technology cannot be used against them. Their vehicles are exclusively skimmers and use anti-grav engines for added speed and allowing it to go across all kinds of terrain. Plasma is used extensively as both an incendiary weapon and armour shredder. Energy blades are made out of formed pulse energy as well.
Since becoming allies with the humans, they have combined their engineering skills to create new kinds of technology, furthering both species' understanding and learning together. The most notable of these discoveries is cryo energy.
==Trivia==
*The Golek take influences from The Covenant (Halo series), the Tau Empire (Warhammer 40,000), and the Protoss (StarCraft series), combining key elements of each to create their own unique species.
*In addition, they are physically quite similar to Halo's Sangheili
*Just as the Golek take some influence from the Tau Empire, the Reevin take some influence from the Kroot. This further reinforces the focus on the Golek in their society.
Category:Races