Avikan/Relations

Avikan generally distrust aliens. The Theleans were the first alien race the Avikan encountered - other than finding the ruins of the Centens, and their interactions with Rhadeis (who they didn't really see as aliens at the time) - so the Avikan don't exactly have positive views on alien societies.

But even if the Avikan found a race they'd trust enough to ally themselves with, they'd likely see it as a risk, since the Theleans could use those allies to get to the Nomada. Setting up trade routes would also be difficult, since the Avikan don't want anyone to know where the Nomada is.

There are individual cases of weapons being sold to aliens, but such occurrences are very rare and it never happens on a large scale. The Avikan are very xenophobic, so they tend to avoid aliens whenever possible. Selling weapons to a potential threat isn't something they'd be likely to do.

The Avikan's hate of AI stems from both the Droden War, and the common misconception that the Theleans were AI. It has caused the Avikan to automatically associate AI lifeforms with war and death, which is why they are extremely cautious of any AI species they come across.

An alien could be accepted into the Vanguard. It'll be a difficult thing for that alien to achieve - first contact will be especially difficult since the Avikan are so distrusting of aliens - but if they manage to display their worth the Avikan will accept them. Just like how a Droden can achieve higher ranks, an alien could be accepted as well. It's happened a few times already in the canon.

The Avikan value merit above all, and that can overwhelm even their xenophobic feelings.

It'd be extremely difficult for a Thelean, but not impossible. It's very unlikely that they survive first contact, however, so they just never get the chance to show their merit. But if they did manage to survive and slowly show their worth to the Avikan, even a Thelean could eventually be accepted. They'd always be met with angry looks and harassment by other Avikan though - that likely won't ever change.

## Alliance

The Avikan stumbled upon the Alliance as well, although they did have connections to the Centens before. The first time an Avikan made contact with the Alliance was when one of the Avikan scouting vessels, the Kavara, entered the Gar-Aeroix to make sure it was safe for the Nomada to enter the space.

The Avikan may end up joining the Alliance at some point, but they are incredibly apprehensive around alien species due to their experience with the Theleans.

There'd definitely have to be some changes in the Nomada for them to become members of the Alliance, which might include letting go of some Centensian artefacts. The details of their membership would have to be discussed in detail: the two groups would have to balance the Nomada's cultural values with the risk of antagonizing the Theleans. And while accepting the Nomada into the Alliance may worsen the Alliance's relationship with the Theleans, the Avikan would also bolster the Alliance's numbers and technological knowledge, which increase the Alliance's power and which discourages the Theleans from seeking out war. It's very much a balancing game.

## Akkimari

[What-if scenario: Who would win in Akkimari vs Avikan fight] "Akkimari will likely win. The Avikan are great at ground warfare, but most of their ships aren't built for combat and the warships that they do have are nowhere near as advanced as those of the Aegi, Akkimari or the Thell. On the ground, they can hold their ground against the Akkimari, but in space they're very likely to lose."

The Akkimari and the Avikan haven't run into each other very often: the Avikan are always on the move and the Akkimari prefer taking over abandoned outposts and raiding predictable supply chains. The few times that they have met were not especially peaceful, though. The Avikan and Akkimari share a common enemy, but they haven't had a chance to properly communicate yet and both are generally distrustful of strangers.

They might be able to improve relations sometime in the future - that shared common enemy could definitely bring them closer together, as could their shared history with the Centens - but it'll be a long and difficult road for the both of them.

The Avikan and Akkimari definitely have a lot in common, and could one day end up as allies. However, both are xenophobic and are unlikely to try attempt any sort of diplomatic action on their own. The Avikan are distrustful of all aliens they meet, and prefer to stay hidden to protect what's left of their fragile society. The Akkimari roaming the galaxy are mostly bounty hunters and scavengers, pirates and other unpleasant folk: they'd sooner attack an Avikan (or any other alien) than try to talk to them

If the two ever realize their similarities, and Akkimari leadership manages to unite the Akkimari again (or if Kel'chis is returned to them), the Avikan and Akkimari may end up in some sort of (likely uneasy) alliance. For now though, any first contact will likely be bloody.

The Avikan and Akkimari haven't yet met very often, but on the few occasions that they have met it usually ended in violence. Those don't tend to mix very well... To the Avikan, the Akkimari are just one of the many species of aliens that the Nomada has to watch out for. To the Akkimari, the Avikan are just one of many species in the galaxy that they could take advantage of.

If in the future the governments of these two species could meet peacefully, the two might actually cooperate to some degree. Both have some similarities, and both share a common enemy in the Theleans. They could learn a lot from one another and could help each other greatly, but so far there just hasn't been much of an opportunity for a relationship to form.

## Centens

Centens are highly deified by the Avikan, especially one by the name of Rhadeis. Who saved their race form a natural disaster that threatened their species, gifted them with Centensian relics and unlocked Vas Vha'leih. This allowed them to develop as much and as quickly as they did.

[How would the Avikan react to seeing a centens?] "The Avikan would would likely drop to their knees (figuratively speaking, since they don't actually drop to their knees as a sign of reverence) and ask the Centens to lead them to Rhadeis (or they might mistake them for Rhadeis - the Avikan won't be able to easily tell individual Centens apart)"

## Droden

Avikan opinions on the Droden are split: some still hold on to the hatred of the Droden Wars, while others have forgotten and forgiven many things and see the sentient Droden as valuable individuals. Some believe Droden to be equal, while others believe them to be inferior to the Avikan: opinions are very varied. Avikan who are careful about expressing their acceptance of the Droden fear that their friends, family etc. might not share the same sentiment, but there's no global repression happening in Avikan culture.

It should be noted, though, that the vast majority of Droden in Avikan society are mindless droids, only performing basic tasks they were programmed to perform. Since the Droden War, the number of sentient Droden has been very small.

The Avikan have been more lenient towards AIs, there are plenty of Avikan who have no hatred of AIs, but it's still ingrained very deeply in their culture.

In general, the sentient Droden are shunned even more than the mindless Droden - after all, they are more unpredictable and more likely to rise up, so they are more feared - but the few Droden who are highly regarded are true AIs. Only the true AIs are ever capable of proving their merit, but it's a long and difficult road to get to that point.

## Theleans

The Avikan and Theleans are at war, but the Avikan are fleeing more than they are fighting.

There were a total of nine individual invasions of Kadavan, and while the first eight regularly laid waste to Avikan cities and nearly broke their society, they turned out to be just small raids by Thelean scouting parties. The final invasion - the Great Invasion - that led the Avikan to their exodus laster for only a couple of days before the entire nation took to the stars and left behind their homeworld,

While they were better prepared, they failed to realize that the first eight invasions were mere scouting parties. When the Theleans finally sent a real army, the Avikan were horribly outnumbered and outmatched.

Their technological prowess was quite a thing, but they weren't equal to the Akkimari at the time of the Thelean invasion of Akris. They had a well-organized nation and proper military forces, prepared for an assault at any moment, but they simply didn't stand a chance against a full Thelean fleet

The Avikan fled Kadavan rather than try and face the full force of the Theleans, though their armies did fight the invaders as long as was needed for the rest of the planet to evacuate.

That final invasion occurred in 1 BF (Before Flight), while the first invasion was in 241 BF - so taking into account every last invasion (and disregarding the long periods of relative peace in between invasions) that's a war of about 240 years.

There is a Thelean presence on Kadavan, but it isn't very large compared to actual Thelean colonies. Powerful enough to ward an invasion from the Nomada, but then the Nomada is primary a civilian fleet.

The Avikan are still hoarding Centensian relics, and they also sealed the Centensian Vaults on Kadavan to keep the Theleans out. The Theleans also see the Avikan as a potential threat due to their knowledge of Centensian technology, but not enough for them to completely annihilate the Avikan.

The Avikan definitely wish to retake Kadavan one day, but they are biding their time. They know that an all-in assault would be reckless, and they'd rather wait a few decades to build up their forces than assault the Theleans now and risk losing everything.

Though, they aren't sure what to hope for at this point. Some are hoping for a miracle from Rhadeis, others believe that with time and study of Centensian relics, the Avikan themselves can put up a fight. Others still have given up hope on fighting completely, and only look for survival at this point.

### Thellhunter

The Thellhunter was a single Avikan who managed to fight off hordes of Thelean soldiers during their final invasion of Kadavan. He took it upon himself to distract the Theleans and allow the civilians of nearby Terves to flee Kadavan safely, saving the lives of thousands of Avikan civilians. According to the legends, he took down over a thousand Thell before they finally overwhelmed and killed him, and his custom-built weapon and armour are the things of legend for the Avikan.

He led a large group of invaders into a canyon, funneling them into a kill box where he was said to have killed a thousand Thelean footsoldiers before finally being overwhelmed. His actions saved the lives of countless citizens who were able to flee the planet thanks to his sacrifice.

Great strategy, skill with weapons and engineering, and careful preparation for an inevitable invasion allowed him to trick the Theleans into falling into his trap. That canyon had been rigged with traps and stocked with ammunition, though he always knew he'd not be able to withstand the hordes of Thelean indefinitely. The Avikan still would have survived and formed the Nomada, but several large ships carrying thousands of Avikan each managed to flee thanks to his distraction.

Understandably, he's become a legend amongst the Avikan, and is remembered as one of the greatest heroes in Avikan history.

## Trink

The Avikan being extremely distrustful of sentient machines - the Avikan and Trink have little history with each other.

## Remnant

The Avikan have only a handful of observed cases where Remnant technology was found: they first encountered it some time after fleeing Kadavan, and were extremely cautious of alien artefacts. There were a few minor cases of impact on mental states, but the Avikan wisely backed out and never had anyone go truly insane (or at least, no cases were ever observed - it's possible some stray Avikan who left the Nomada had other encounters).