Drago-Kazov Pride

The **Drago-Kazov Pride** is a group that features in Andromeda.

## History

The Drago-Kazov Pride was one of the largest clan gatherings within the Nietzscheans species. Their origins were traced back to the earliest formations of their kind when the two smaller Drago and Kazov Prides united severa hundred years after splintering from Pride Museveni. Like the rest of their race, they joined the ranks of the Systems Commonwealth where it was known that they often beat the drums of insurrection. Whilst many of their kind opposed this view, their decision changed after the Commonwealth signed the **Treaty of Antares** with the Magog following the massacre at **Brandenburg Tor**. This led to the Nietzschean alliance deciding to turn against the Commonwealth and replace it with their own empire. Thus, in secret, the Drago-Kazov and the other prides worked in secret to bolster their military might for an eventual rebellion against the Commonwealth. (Website: All Systems University The Nietzschean Betrayal) That time came in the year CY 9784 when the combined Nietzschean alliance openly assaulted the High Guard and eliminated much of its fleet. The **Nietzschean Uprising** lasted for many years and brought about the downfall of the Systems Commonwealth though was a costly victory after suffering heavy casualties at the **Battle of Witchhead**. However, the Drago-Kazov were weakened in the war and in CY 9787, they were betrayed by Pride Jaguar who assaulted them. (Website: All Systems University Timeline)

Following this betrayal, the Nietzschean alliance collapsed and any dreams of replacing the Commonwealth with their own empire shattered as well thus heralding the arrival of the **Long Night**. In the aftermath, the Nietzschean homeworld of **Fountainhead** was rendered uninhabitable by orbital bombardments with historical records attributing the act to either Pride Jaguar or remnants of the High Guard. In order to secure the remains of the Progenitor, Drago Museveni, the Drago-Kazov entrusted the body with their allies; **Kodiak Pride** who became charged with the important task of watching over the body. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) At some unknown point, the Dragans were known to had conquered **Earth** where they destroyed the planetary economy as well as enslaved the entire population. (Episode: Bunker Hill) By CY 10065, the powerful Drago-Kazov Pride decided to reclaim the remains of the Progenitor and betrayed their allies in Kodiak Pride. This act led to the extermination of the Kodiak whilst the remains of Drago Museveni were relocated to the Drago-Kazov homeworld of **Enga's Redoubt**. (Website: All Systems University Timeline) In addition, the Drago-Kazov along with a number of other Prides united into an ad hoc alliance in order to eliminate the attacks made by the Knights of Genetic Purity. (Website: All Systems University Knights of Genetic Purity) Amongst the few Prides that were capable of challenging the dominion of the Drago-Kazov were both the **Sabra** and Jaguar Prides. (Episode: The Honey Offering) It was known that there had been an attempt at bringing about a peace between the Jaguar and the Dragans by wedding **Beatrice Bolivar** of the Jaguar Pride to **Cuatemec** of the Drago-Kazov though it was known that this failed to produce the desired result. (Episode: Bunker Hill)

In CY 10087, one of the last survivors of the Kodiak Pride namely Tyr Anasazi along with aid from members of **Mandau Pride** assaulted Enga's Redoubt where Anasazi left with the Progenitors remains whilst leaving his allies being caught by the Drago-Kazov. (Episode: Exit Strategies) This led a members of Drago-Kazov chasing Anasazi to **Midden** in order to recover the remains where they failed due to the intervention of Tyr's ally, Captain Dylan Hunt. (Episode: Music of a Distant Drum) Afterwards, the Pride learnt that the Sabra Pride intended to wed their daughter **Ellsbett Mossadim** to **Charlemange Bolivar** of Jaguar Pride as part of an alliance. This led to them dispatching Fleet Marshal Cuchulain to capture Mossadim in order to prevent such an alliance which brought the Pride into conflict with Captain Dylan Hunt. Despite Cuchulain's strategy, they failed in stopping Mossadim and inadvertently provoked both the Sabra and Jaguar Prides leading to a pre-mature start to hostilities with the now united **Sabra-Jaguar Pride**. (Episode: The Honey Offering) Afterwards, Fleet Marshal Cuchulain constructed an elaborate trap in order to capture Tyr Anasazi and retrieve the Progenitor's remains. This trap involved a relief mission being protected by the *Andromeda Ascendant* for the planet **Rogina** that had to pass the planet **Acheron**. As the Drago-Kazov controlled High Guard Station Acheron which was a vital slipstream route, they threatened the safety of the convoy leading to Hunt and Anasazi conducting a covert ops to eliminate the planetary emplacement. At the same time, the Drago-Kazov had deployed ten capital ships and forty fighters in the system to attack the Glorious Heritage class cruiser along with the convoy. Despite their advantage, Dylan Hunt managed to take control of the orbital weapon batteries and turned them against the Drago-Kazov thus leading to the Dragan's defeat. (Episode: Una Salus Victus)

Afterwards, the Drago-Kazov were engaged in open hostilities with the Sabra-Jaguar and began retrofitting all their decommissioned starships in order to double their fleet for the conflict. This led to Elsbett Mossadim calling upon the mutual defense pact that Sabra-Jaguar signed with the newly restored Systems Commonwealth and gain the help of the *Andromeda Ascendant* to fight their enemies. In order to thwart her, the Drago-Kazov dispatched heavy fighters to destroy Mossadim's transports but they in turn were destroyed when the *Andromeda Ascendant* came to Elsbett's aid. As part of the Drago-Kazov's push to the Jaguar homeworld, they quickly annexed the Hruska and Barbour systems; the former being the key to the entirety of the Diogenes cluster. The Drago-Kazov fleet engaged the enemy in the **Kulich system** where it was revealed that the Dragans warships were simply empty vessels with slipstream drives. As the Sabra-Jaguar and their allies moved in, Cuatemoc commanded the ships launch their slipstream drives into the enemy forces which deposited them all across the Orion Arm. Victory was assured for the Dragans until Dylan Hunt slaved the fleet into the *Andromeda Ascendant* which returned to Kulich with the Drago-Kazov in pursuit who were destroyed in the damaged slipstream route. At the same time, a rebellion sparked on Earth which the Dragans brutally suppressed and killed all those that were involved but the act sparked a revolution amongst other slave worlds in the Drago-Kazov empire. (Episode: Bunker Hill)

Following this time, the Drago-Kazov had made a breakthrough in computer engineering by developing a device known as an **AI Eraser**. This technology which they had attempted to create for the last three centuries was designed to completely delete and erase the core intelligence of a High Guard warship. The Pride intended to use these devices on the fleet of fifty captured High Guard vessels that they had left stranded without slipstream drives in the Tartarus system. Their intention was to remove the artificial intelligences controlling the ships thus allowing the Dragans complete control of the most powerful warships of the destroyed High Guard and use them to conquer all of known space. Knowledge of their plans were discovered by Dylan Hunt who launched a mission to save the ships and rescue them from imprisonment before the Drago-Kazov could accomplish their goals. (Episode: The Knight, Death, and the Devil) During the Pyrians offensive against the Known Worlds, the New Systems Commonwealth sent ambassadors to the Drago-Kazov to get their aid to fight off the invasion forces which fortunately ended during the victory at **Samsarra**. (Episode: Point of the Spear) During this time, Tyr Anasazi secretly contacted the Drago-Kazov about forming an alliance to which they sent a spy by the name of **Gaiton** to give their response which was *"yes"* whilst they were searching for the collected map of the slipstream from Deep Midnight's Voice. During this time, reports were filtered to the Commonwealth that the Dragans had initiated first contact missions on various worlds in order to create bases in preparation for war. (Episode: Deep Midnight's Voice)

Eventually, the time came for the Drago-Kazov to make their move and rumors spread of them making attacks on numerous worlds which were initiately believed by the New Systems Commonwealth. However, the Dragans dispatched a commando strike team to infiltrate the *Andromeda Ascendant* to retrieve Drago Museveni's remains which they did so by hiding in cargo containers where they bypassed security protocols with Tyrs help. After recovering the bones of the Progenitor, they fled in the *Eureka Maru* with Anasazi moving to Enga's Redoubt to return Drago's body to its original tomb that was once held by the Kodiak Pride. He had sabotaged the *Andromeda Ascendant* making it helpless when it entered into the Drago-Kazov home system and provided it as a token of his sincerity to Admiral Ataturk. Unknown to the Dragans, Tyr had allowed the ship to eject its slipstream core which would have destroyed the system and thus the Drago-Kazvov as well as fitting punishment for their betrayal of his clan. However, Hunt refused to allow Tyr to achieve his objective and convinced him to return to the *Andromeda Ascendant*. At that point, the Commonwealth fleet arrived to battle the Dragans who had openly attacked their worlds but for reasons unknown; various hostile powers ranging from the Kalderans, Ogami, Genites and even Bokor arrived where they attacked both the Drago-Kazov as well as the Commonwealth forces which decimated both sides. (Episode: Shadows Cast by a Final Salute)

## Overview

This Pride held the distinction of spearheading and masterminding the Nietzschean Uprising as well as remained as one of the most powerful factions to emerge in the Long Night. Unlike some other Nietzschean Prides that went extinct in the conflict, the Drago-Kazov prospered and even expanded in power which was usually at the cost of someone else. They were known to had maintained a powerful economic base that consisted of hundreds of slave as well as tribute worlds. The Pride was often given the nick name **Dragans** and held the largest war fleet in the Known Worlds as well as showed the will to use it against their enemies or their own subject worlds in order to supress any signs of rebellion. Amongst the Drago-Kazov's enemies included the Than-Thre-Kull with territorial conquests being made against the Than Hegemony. Another foe was their ancient rivals in the Jaguar Pride which later became the Sabra-Jaguar. It was known that after recovering the Progenitors remains, the Drago-Kazov had made a number of attempts at uniting the entire Nietzschean species under their banner but all such attempts had failed. (Website: All Systems University Drago-Kazov)

It was known where most Nietzscheans killed their defective young, the Drago-Kazov were believed not to kill their children with even defective ones allowed to live. Those that were defective were allowed to become combat pilots in order to prove their genetic worth to their Pride and their successes on the battlefield allowed them to reach a similar status as other members of their family. Ultimately, however, such individuals often disgraced their families simply for being born and had to constantly prove their worth without any hope of improvement in their social status. (Episode; Una Salus Victus)

By the Long Night, the Dragan empire possessed around 837 slave planets that were of similar planetary conditions as Earth. (Episode: Bunker Hill)

## Members

* **Cuchulain Nez Pierce** : an infamous male Fleet Marshal within the Drago-Kazov who had doubled the size of the Pride within two years and masterminded the campaigns against the Than in the Orion Arm which led to a great deal of prestige allowing him to have many wives as well as children. (Episode: The Honey Offering) After his repeated failures, he no longer held the position of Fleet Marshal and was executed. (Episode: Bunker Hill)
* **Pavarti Quechua** : a female Squadron Leader who participated in the ambush of a relief convoy to **Rogina**. Her Garuda-class fighter was disabled in a fight with the *Eureka Maru* and both Quechua and Beka Valentine fought frantically to fix their craft. Quechua failed and she was ultimately killed by Beka Valentine. (Episode: Una Salus Victus)
* **Cuatemoc** : male successor to Cuchulain and was promoted to the rank of Fleet Admiral, Cuatemoc was previously part of an arranged marriage with Beatrice Bolivar of Jaguar Pride in an attempt to bring peace between the two rivals but this failed. He later was involved in leading the Dragans war campaign against the Sabra-Jaguar and newly assembled Commonwealth fleet. His fate was unknown following the battle. (Episode: Bunker Hill)
* **Arjun Maya** : a male of the Ruen line who was married and was dispatched to track down Tyr Anasazi and recover Drago Museveni's bones after the Kodiak crashed on Midden. Was later killed in a cave whilst attempting to retrieve the Progenitor's remains. (Episode: Music of a Distant Drum)
* **William Severin** : male Nietzschean in the Long Night who had surgery which removed his bone blades so he could pass as a Human and was sent as a saboteur to the *Andromeda Ascendant* in order to sabotage the ratification of the restored Commonwealth charter. Was killed by an interdimensional alien that was stalking the ship. (Episode: Tunnel at the End of the Light)
* **William Ataturk** : male Fleet Marshal of the Drago-Kazov in CY 10089 who met with Tyr after he claimed to be the genetic reincarnation of Drago Museveni and agreed to pledge himself to Anasazi. (Episode: Day of Judgement, Day of Wrath)

## Planets

* **Acheron** : site of the former planetary emplacement known as **High Guard Station Acheron** that was captured during the Uprising. (Episode: Una Salus Victus) Its location makes it useful to blockade the nexus of slipstream routes in the Andromeda galaxy. (Website: All Systems University Acheron)
* **Earth** : the Drago-Kazov was known to had some point captured Earth after the collapse of the Commonwealth where they proved to be brutal dictators over its inhabitants. (Episode: Una Salus Victus)
* **Enga's Redoubt** : a former minor colony that was later transformed into the homeworld of the Drago-Kazov Pride. (Website: All Systems University Enga's Redoubt) The mausoleum of Drago Museveni was located her with the Progenitors body interned after their removal from Kodiak Pride. (Episode: Una Salus Victus)
* **Midden** : a slave and tribute world used by the Drago-Kazov, the inhabitants at one point rebelled against their rulers leading to their Nietzschean lords detonating atomic warheads as well as executing a large portion of the male populace in order to ensure compliance. (Episode: Music of a Distant Drum)

## External Links

* Andromeda Wiki Entry
* AndroWiki Entry