Present Era

**The Present era** of Spectra began nearly 900 years ago. By this time, several different races had been discovered and catalogued, including the Pykes, the Signon, and the Dahmak. Space routes and territories between races had long since been established, and most corners of Spectra had been touched by someone or another.

In an effort to bolster relationships and ease of trade with other races, the Pykes suggested the construction of a massive, communal space station aboard which all species could interact with one another as if it were neutral ground. The Kugraws accepted this idea, and began work on it with the aid of their allied races. Surprisingly, the Irvas offered assistance as well, hoping not to be excluded from the prospective rewards of such an investment . After several decades of work, the Mercantile was completed- a space-station that circled around the mid-rim of the galaxy every two years (a period which is referred to as a ‘cycle’), entering all sectors (excepting the Umbra) at some point during its journey.

in AY 2628, something happened which no one had ever expected- the Cell attacked another race, and a chosen one at that. For reasons unknown, the Cell had become obsessed with the concept of gene-splicing and genetic enhancement. The galaxy had turned a blind eye to their antics for decades before the attack, as all of their modifications had been taken from lower life-forms, nothing more than primitive fauna. But apparently, it wasn’t good enough for the Cell- in a surprise strike against the Delta Plane, the Cell invaded and began to abduct any Nox they could find. By the time, the Sentinels intervened, it was already too late- the Nox population of billions on the Plane had been reduced to no more than a few thousand.

The Sentinels did not allow the Cell to escape unscathed, however- they cut down their ships from the sky as though they were made of paper, decimating the Cell population to no more than a few hundred individuals, the single-largest loss of life the galaxy had ever seen, and in such a short period of time. In the end, though, the Cell had what they wanted; through vivisection, and harvesting the Nox’s genetic material by melting down the individuals they’d captured, the Cell managed to acquire the same longevity the Nox enjoyed, a lifespan that could last for well over 1,000 years. Escaping to distant corners of the galaxy, the Cell are now hated and despised by every sapient race in Spectra.

In 2786, the Exodeists arrived in Spectra from dark space. The other races were hesitant to trust the foreigners, especially the Nox. The Exodeists, however, assured them that they meant no harm and quickly proved their worth. The Red Wave, a horrific disease that was nearly always fatal once contracted, was tearing through the populations of entire worlds and leaving a wake of devastation in its path. In less than a decade after their arrival, the Exodeists developed and released both a cure and a vaccine for the disease, effectively eradicating the Red Wave in fewer than five years after dispersal. As such, they were rapidly welcomed in and given a substantial level of influence as a galactic voice.

This was not an entirely positive outcome, however. Their influence and reputation meant that the other races chose to remain ignorant of some of their more questionable practices, the most controversial of which being the creation of the Vett’iri. Designed as a slave race in 2913, the Vett’iri were tasked with undesirable labor from birth until death. It wasn’t until four decades later that the Sentinels made the decision to finally consider the Exodeists as inhabitants of Spectra, and therefore the Vett’iri by proxy. In accordance with the second Tenet, the Exodeists were forced to free the Vett’iri from their servitude.

Now, it’s a time of relative peace. Much of the galaxy is largely presided over by the Hegemony, a collection of races that all have formed a pact with the Kugraw that includes the Pykes, the Signon, what’s left of the Nox, the Teregrine, and others. A significant region is also reigned over by the Empire, one of enough size and power that the two governments would lose more than they’d gain by entering war with one another.