The Silent Ones

The Silent Ones are an unknown, hostile race from beyond the rim of the Galaxy, somewhere in the empty void.A few theories on their origins exist, one stating that they are extragalactic in origin, possibly coming from as far away as the Andromeda Galaxy or perhaps one of the nearer orbitals (such as the Large Magellanic Cloud). Other theories propose that they could be remnants or leftovers of an elder species, such as the Old Race or the Primarchs, and that they inhabit either a planet or a system which orbits the Galactic center at a great distance (200,000 light years or more). They occasionally loop in closer, flitting along the edges of the Verges, but contact with them is rare.

## Physical Description

No one has ever seen a member of The Silent Ones before, which is what leads to their name. Their appearance, technology and goals are all a mystery. They never answer radio hails, using them instead to locate targets and destroy them. Salvage teams are never able to recover any debris after an attack, hinting that this species may be scavengers or pirates. No survivors from a raid have ever been found either.

## Weaponry and Technology

The Silent Ones use ships which do not match any known profiles. They have a very dense gravity well around them, and are toroid shaped, which is highly unusual. They have no known propulsion system, but do exude high volumes of anti-energy radiation when moving. Their ships are also massive, stretching between 50 and 100 kilometers in diameter if not more. One radio description of a vessel indicated that the toroid appeared to be spinning in two directions at once; rotating like a wheel and rolling inward on itself indefinitely. As for weapons, they seem to use a similar type of phased extra-dimensional halo array once thought exclusive to the Gatekeepers. One theory is that this is a race which, like the Alinteans, conquered the Gatekeepers on their own. But instead of simply destroying them, this race may have reverse-engineered their technology and used it. This makes sense, as anti-energy radiation and gravity wells were also observed with the Gatekeepers.

## Culture and Beliefs

As no formal contact has ever been made with The Silent Ones, their cultural aspect remains shrouded in mystery. It is theorized that they are likely either a barbaric race who believes in force, or an extremely secretive and defensive scavenger race.

## Military

The Silent Ones use a very brute-force tactic in ship-to-ship combat, but it works due to the fact that it cannot be avoided. They fly their ship towards a target, aiming the center of the torus at the enemy ship. If they pass the enemy ship through the center of the loop, the anti-energy and gravity wells will tear it apart. If multiple ships are in the vicinity, they utilize their phased extra-dimensional halo arrays to disable (not destroy) enemy ships before ripping them apart with their gravity wells. Panicked radio communications hint that the ships may also include a tractor beam which holds the rubble in the center of the torus, using the loop as a type of exterior cargo bay.

## Personality

The personality of The Silent Ones is unknown. No viable contact has ever been made.