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Alien Species: Derray and Maerou
Topic Started: Saturday, 6. December 2008, 12:39 (426 Views)
Moose
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Rakurai, Alice, Ael and Olivia

Seraris Regions is thought to be a closed off section of Space.

It is host to many undiscovered planets. There is also two wormholes in the center of the Regions, and 370 ships guarding the wormholes, which leads to another galaxy which is home to the Derray.
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Moose
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Rakurai, Alice, Ael and Olivia

Derray

Native to: Seraris Regions, Beta Quadrant

Derray are a vaguely insectoid race. They also share many characteristics with the Borg, they roam the galaxy assimilating species they encounter into themselves, and they share a hive mind ruled by the Overmind. The Derray are separated into a number of broods. Each brood serves a specific purpose and is controlled by a Cerebrate that is physically incapable of disobeying the Overmind.

The Derray's unique use of overwhelming numbers of relatively weak insect drones, rather than smaller numbers of stronger battle units makes them more formidable than the Jem Hadar.

The history of the Derray began when the ancestral Derray species was discovered on the ash world of Terazed, by the mysterious and ancient Qiel Agae civilization after they had abandoned the Maerou on Eiur, giving up on them as a failure. The ancestral Derray organisms were small and weak larva-like creatures, but they contained the purity of essence sought by the Qiel Agae.

Through Qiel Agae proto-genetic manipulations, the Derray survived the torrential firestorms of their world and thrived. The Derray developed the ability to burrow into the spinal fluids of less vulnerable creatures on Terazed, parasitically merging with them. These new bodies would then be used to manipulate their surroundings. The Derray began to assimilate the genetic strains and processes of these host animals. However, as the Derray had an undeviating drive to consume only the most advanced species they encountered, they eradicated lesser, weaker species. The Qiel Agae were surprised to find how quickly the Derray could steer the evolution of their host creatures. They developed armor-piercing spines, razor-sharp limbs, and ultra-dense carapaces within only a few generations.

Wary of the chaotic infighting that had enveloped the Maerou, the Qiel Agae created the Overmind, an enormous brain-like entity, to bring order to the Derray. At first it was only a semi-sentient entity created from the instincts and collective sentience of the Derray, but it quickly evolved.

The Overmind did not directly communicate orders to its minions. As new species were added to the Swarm, it began to relay orders through Cerebrates, giant versions of the Derray larvae. Direct orders were relayed through Queens and Overlords.

The Overmind began to think of its future. In order to continue finding new species, it needed to leave Terazed. Extending its senses into space, it became aware of enormous space-faring organisms. It lured them to Terazed with its psychic abilities and assimilated them into the Swarm. Soon all the Derray had the ability to survive in space. The Qiel Agae considered this a triumph. The Derray had not only overcome their weaknesses, but had also retained the purity of their terrible overriding essence.

The Overmind extended itself further into space, becoming aware of the Qiel Agae Worldships in orbit above Terazed. The Qiel Agae realized their psionic link with the Overmind had been severed - the Overmind effectively hid itself from their view.

The Overmind sent its minions into space, attacking the unsuspecting Qiel Agae. Despite the ancient race's best efforts, it was overwhelmed as the Derray crashed into the hulls of its ships. Within a few hours the Derray had laid waste to the Qiel Agae fleet. The greater whole of the Qiel Agae was consumed by the raging, genetic whirlwind of the Derray, and the Overmind gained their knowledge and insights. Processing thousands of sentient beings into itself caused the Overmind to grow much more powerful. It learned the secrets of the sacred Khaydarin Crystals, and began to incorporate the energies of these Crystals into its own. Through the knowledge gained from the Qiel Agae, the Overmind was able to increase the level of sentience in many of the higher Derray strains, while still keeping them fully under its control.

The Overmind dissected the memories of the Qiel Agae experiments with the Maerou. The Derray then devoted their energies to seeking out the powerful Maerou in the hope of absorbing them into the Swarm, uniting purity of form and of essence, to create a totally "perfect" being.

The Derray did not know the exact location of Eiur, homeworld of the Maerou, but they were able to travel towards it, adding new species (such as the Mutalisk and Derrayling) to the Swarm along the way. However, the Derray Overmind despaired; how could it defeat the Maerou with their powerful psionic abilities, when its own were so limited?

In the shadow of the Maerou lay the Koprulu Sector, a patch of space inhabited by the Wiee'lecs. This species had been discovered by Derray deep space probes. Normally the Derray would not be interested in such a weak species, but they exhibited a powerful psionic potential. Their probes discovered Wiee'lecs living on over a dozen worlds.

The Derray slowly made their way towards the Wiee'lec worlds. The journey lasted for 700 years, but eventually the massive, extended Derray Swarm reached the outskirts of the Koprulu Sector. The Derray infested a number of Fringe Worlds upon their arrival. The Overmind subtly infested the surface of the Wiee'lec colony of Mar Sara with Hive Spores, then sent its minions down to the surface to infest the Wiee'lecs. The Wiee'lecs were defeated and largely enslaved or killed.

The Derray were surprised at the Wiee'lec response, and were defeated by a sudden attack by the Maerou, led by Executor Tassadar. The Overmind told its minions not to fight back, in order to observe Maerou attacking for the first time. The attack sterilized all life on the surface of Mar Sara, effectively ending the Derray infestation.

The Wiee'lecs did not warn their compatriots on other worlds, enabling the Derray to infest Mar Sara virtually unopposed.

All Derray are directly subject to the will of the Overmind; it is a biological impossibility for them to oppose its directives. Only Cerebrates (smaller brains), and possibly Overlords and Queens, have sentience, and control individual armies (called Broods), using Overlords as lieutenants to directly control the warriors and workers. The lesser Derray minions are wholly dependent upon the Cerebrates and the Overlords for order. Should a Cerebrate die, its brood may run amok; the animalistic natures of individual Derray emerge. Even Derray buildings are living organisms, and aren't built but grown. They act as organs in the body of the Derray Hive Cluster.

* Brain Derray - Leader of a Derray colony. It is created when a colony's size reaches three hundred generations. It The Brain Derray is telepathic and shares a symbiotic relationship with the Derray Colony (i.e. If it dies, the colony dies).

* Secondary Warrior - Are bred to serve as the heavy armored infantry. Warrior Derrays are four-legged Derrays approximately two to three meters long. The rearmost pairs of legs are much longer than the two front forelegs, and serve as the primary locomotion, the forelegs being one third shorter. Warrior Derrays are quite agile and fast, they can climb and burrow if needed but would rather use tunnels made by burrower Derrays. These Derrays utilize a powerful pincer-like mandible that is capable of crushing rock, metal and severing limbs as a means of attack. The two upper forelegs or "side mandibles" are utilized in the manner of swords for attack as well as defense, it was thought to use these as 'hands' for grasping objects in the manner of a praying mantis but this is not the case, a warrior has no dexterity with them they are merely stabbing and slashing implements. About 5 % of Derray's forces (defensive and offensive) is made up of these big Derrays.

* Primary Warrior- About 40 to 75 centimeters in height, capable of running at 35 km/h and jumping. They can dig as well. These do damage by biting, but their bite is not very effective against armor, but these small "bugs" seem to be smart enough to target soft unarmored flesh, especially the face, neck, stomach and legs. About 60 % of Derray's forces (defensive and offensive) is made up of these small Derrays. They can also trap multiple enemies to allow others to capture. They are easy to kill, but they attack in overwhelming numbers which usually guarantees a victory against anyone.

These small, savage insect of the sand-world Gashi were incorporated into the Swarm to serve as scouts and initial assault troops. Although these creatures are little more than feral animals, they work well in large groups under the command of larger warriors. These voracious bugs are fond of ripping enemies to shreds with their razor-limb sickles and fangs. Because the genetic code is so simple to replicate, a single Larva can spawn two separate Primary Warriors. Some have been noted to burrow underground to set up ambushes or to protect themselves from air strikes. Care should be taken when scouting for resources in Derray inhabited areas, as any number of Derraylings could be lying in wait for the unwary.

* Worker - 2 meters tall, the Big Worker Derrays do the manual labour for the Colony. They are semi defenseless, having only the same swordlike side mandibles and will usually flee at the first sign of danger unless they have no way out.

* Flea - About the size of a golf ball, these creepy bugs carry a poison that can paralyze a victim for up to 30 hours. Do not let one bite you !!!
Be aware that they are always around Nurser Derrays, and it likely to "ride" along on other Derrays. Millions of Derray Fleas are found in infested areas.

* Capture Bug - About 2.5 meters tall, they "shallow" paralyzed victims, insert them into Chryslis Eggs or carry them.

* Hydralisk - The peaceful, herbivore herds of Slothien were assimilated into the Derray Swarm in order to produce one of the most fierce and diabolical of the Derray strains. The evolutionary matrix of the caterpillar-like Slothien was supercharged by the Overmind, twisting the hapless creatures into the nightmarish killers known as Hydralisks. These once mild creatures now hunger for blood and violence, and they are infamous for acting in a particularly sadistic fashion. This species, first seen in security camera footage discovered on a dead Wiel'lec cargo vessel, is one of the fiercest and most dangerous of the Derray strains. The upper carapace plates of the Hydralisk can open to expose hundreds of spines that are projected with such force that they can penetrate 2cm NeoSteel. Fortunately, they move quite slowly on open terrain. Hydralisks are especially fond of lying in wait for their prey. Groups of them have been observed burrowing into the ground in the pathway of civilian workers, uncovering themselves when they sense an opponent is near.

* Lurker - One of the newer and deadlier Derray Strains is the Lurker. These creatures serve as defense warriors for the Hive Clusters and outlying Derray colonies. Bred from the Hydralisk Strain, Lurkers emit waves of supra-dense spines against their enemies. However, Lurkers must actually burrow underground to release these subterranean attacks. Any warriors on the surface who are caught by these spines are instantly impaled. The spines themselves are capable of tearing into flesh, steel, and even reinforced armor plating. The only weakness of the Lurker is that it is virtually defenseless while above ground.

* Ultralisk - Bearing little resemblance to the docile Brontolith that they were evolved from, the dreaded Ultralisk is the most powerful of the Derray ground forces. They serve as the backbone of the Swarm's armies and should be considered as dangerous as any armored vehicle. These massive monstrosities are used as living battering rams against all manner of enemies. The large, bone-like scythes that protrude from their backs are nearly indestructible, allowing them to tear through most known substances with ease. The Derray use these massive creatures as living tanks. Their immense mandibles have a monomolecular edge, enabling them to cut through armored vehicles and infantry alike. A handful of these creatures are believed to have been responsible for the death of an entire Wiec'lec military garrison on Timul IV.

* Rippler/rippler mother - Creature from Hydora IX that was manipulated genetically to become part of the Derray. The Ripplers are flying creatures with six legs that shoot acidic barbs at their targets. Unlike other Derray species, ripplers are not created by a queen but rather by a mother rippler, a larger purple pigmented rippler with spines covering its back.

* Firefly - small six-legged parasitical Derrays similar to fireflies that are created by infecting other life forms with their spores. The firefry spores hatch under the skin of the infected host, then leave the host en masse, giving rise to a swarm of baby firefries.

* Control Derray - smallish black Derrays about 30-40 centimeters in length capable of enslaving another species by leaping onto their necks and psychically controlling their victim.

* Nurser Derray - A beetle-like Derray that creates a powerful mutagen that modifies indigenous life forms caught as prey by Jungle Spiders to be fed to their young to create different subspecies of Derray readily adapted to other worlds without the need for terraforming.

* Converting Derray - Creates "Chrysalis Eggs" which coverts lifeforms into Derray, the process of assumilating takes 36 hours.

* Spider Derray - About 60 to 75 centimeters in height, they paralyse lifeforms with venom and drag them towards the nearest Nurser Derray.

* Transport Derray - These massive, ship-sized forms of Derray function as the troop transport. They carry the masses of the swarm from planet to planet to reinforce colonies or to bring important Derrays like Brains or Queens to strategically important star-systems. In order to cross starsystems, Derray use captured starships.

* Queen Derray - Approximately 15 meters long, Queens grow a very tough egoskeleton. The Queen Derray is capable of laying as many as 1,800 eggs per day. About 200 days after birth, Queens reach maturity and lose their ability to move. Queens usually live about 3 to 4 years.

* Cerebrates - About 9 meters in height, they are found everywhere; about six million of these Cerebrates exist at any one time.

* Overlords - About 85 meters in height and width, it is capable of flying. These semi-intelligent, space-faring behemoths are also known as Gargantis Proximae were inducted into the Swarm so that their heightened senses could benefit Derray warriors in battle. The Gargantis flyers were assimilated into the Swarm so well that the Cerebrates use them to maintain control over their forces. Overlords keep the warriors of the swarm ordered and coordinated during battle, and with their enhanced senses they often serve as advanced scouts. They have the innate ability to senses any hidden enemy units, including those under the effects of cloaking systems or distortion fields. In addition to commanding troops against their enemies, the Overlords also have the responsibility of transporting Derray warriors within the hollows of their reinforced carapace hides. The extent of the Overlords’ control over the Derray is unknown, but it is clear that these flying behemoths provide direction for the other Derray breeds. Although they resemble the Portuguese man-o-war of Earth, they are fairly docile creatures that tend to young larvae and transport other Derray across the depths of space by carrying them within their shelled bodies.

*****************************

Maerou

Native to: unknown

The Maerou are a technologically advanced and rely on cybernetics in battle and have mastered their powerful psionic abilities. They are the primary opponents of the Derray. The Maerou are highly religious and follow a strict code known as the Khala.

Maerou are about three meters tall and have two luminous eyes, digitigrade legs (While humans usually walk with the soles of their feet on the ground, i.e. plantigrade locomotion, digitigrade animals walk on their distal and intermediate phalanges. Digitigrade locomotion is responsible for the distinctive hooked shape of dog legs.

There are anatomical differences between a plantigrade and digitigrade limb. Digitigrade animals have relatively long carpals and tarsals, and the bones which would correspond to the human ankle are thus set much higher in the limb than in a human. This effectively lengthens the foot, so much so that a digitigrade animal's "hands" and "feet" are often thought to correspond only to what would be the bones of the human toe or finger.

Because so little surface area needs to get off the ground, and also because of the added length of the foot, digitigrade locomotion tends to be faster.)
, four digits on each of their hands (of which two are opposable), toes, broad chests and shoulders, and narrow waists with slim midsections. Their skin is smooth and becomes rough and cracked with age. Extending back from the crown of the head, Maerou have a bony crest.

Maerou are bereft of mouths, noses, or visible ears. Though it is unknown how their senses of hearing or chemoreception operate, they are widely believed to possess such sensitivities. They can communicate telepathically with each other, especially over long distances. A Maerou' average life expectancy is about a thousand years. Maerou have a psionic pulse encased in a physical body. Once that body is destroyed, the psionic pulse dissipates, flaring with a pale, blue light.

In recent years, the Maerou were engaged in a devastating war with the Derray; they have recently had to deal with a civil war within their ranks.

Protos in means 'first'. This name is supposedly given because the Maerou were the first semi-successful Qiel Agae creation. They (the Maerou) were later deemed a failure by the greater species, leading to the engineering of the Derray.

Eiur is one of many worlds engineered by the Qiel Agae, a race of extragalactic geneticists, obsessed with creating the perfect race that would be marked by a distinct purity of form. The Qiel Agae, after innumerable failures to create such a race, turned towards Eiur.

They watched over a particular species of hunters and warriors and discerned that they indeed had a purity of form, as they were incredibly adaptable and had unmatched strength and speed. However, they found the most intriguing ability of the species to be a psionic link shared by the entire race. This link, a form of instinctive telepathy, enables them to communicate with one another, so that even large groups could work together efficiently.

The Qiel Agae altered them to some extent with their Khaydarin Crystals, but were content to remain unseen for many generations. The Qiel Agae felt they had achieved their goal, and gave the new race the name of Maerou, which loosely translates as 'the First Born'. Eiur was eventually covered with civilized Maerou, and so the Qiel Agae descended onto Eiur in order to more closely study the evolution of their charges. A Temple marks where they first set down upon Eiur.

The Qiel Agae were initially revered as gods, as the Maerou looked towards their creators with respect and a lust for knowledge. However, as the understanding and personal awareness of the young Maerou grew, they began to place greater pride in individual achievements rather than the benefit of the community. The various Tribes sought to distance themselves from one another, seeking their role not only within their immediate society, but the universe as a whole.

The tribes began to fear treachery from their masters, and in seeking to sever themselves from the rest of their race, attempted to lose the psychic link that they shared. This dissolved whatever remnants of brotherhood or unity that the Maerou had shared. Feeling that the greatest attribute of the Maerou was lost, the Qiel Agae began withdrawing from Eiur. However, the suspicious Maerou responded with an attack that destroyed a number of Qiel Agae Worldships. The Qiel Agae Worldships fended off the hasty attack and left the system. The Maerou Tribes then turned against each other, beginning the Aeon of Strife, the most devastating civil war in recorded galactic history.

During the Aeon of Strife, Maerou advancement slowed, and the tribes waged a massive war with each other, lasting hundreds of years. Little is known from this time, but it is known that the Maerou lost their psionic link with each other. The Aeon of Strife was the longest, most devastating civil war to ever strike any currently known species. The most famous Tribe from this time period is the Akilae Tribe, which are to this day renowned as the Maerou' finest psionic warriors.

During this time, the Maerou maintained colonies on other planets, but these too quickly became gripped with the Strife.

The mystic Khas (a word meaning "He who brings order") eventually brought about the end of the Strife. He had studied the "forbidden" teachings of the Qiel Agae and unearthed the Khaydarin Crystals. With these crystals he was able to amplify the psionic link, which had submerged itself in Maerou egos, and recreate the link.

With this power, he traveled across Eiur, teaching the Maerou he encountered to join the psionic link; this became a philosophy called the Khala. Eventually he reunited the majority of the Maerou, forming three castes and a new Tribe.

The very first group of warriors and students to surround him became the Ara Tribe, and joined the Judicator Caste. The other Tribes to quickly join also became members of this caste.

The next group of Tribes became the Aemplar Caste (the warriors), and the majority of the Maerou became the Khalai Caste (workers and artisans), ending the civil war.

The philosophy known as the Khala brought on the Second Age for the Maerou. The Tribal society evolved into three Castes: the Judicator Caste (led by the Conclave), the Khalai Caste and the Aemplar Caste.

Unknown to the majority of Maerou at this time, some Maerou refused to join the Khala, yet did not act on the violent emotions of the Strife. Adun and his Aemplar refused to exterminate them as ordered by the Maerou Conclave. Instead, Adun taught them how to hide themselves from the Conclave and to create psionic storms. The latter lesson backfired, however, as the storms could not be controlled without the discipline of the Khala. The storms spiraled over Eiur, revealing the presence of the Rogue Tribes to the Maerou.

The barely reunited tribes began to fight once more. Old vendettas and ancient prejudices were reborn as the Maerou who refused the way of Khala were branded as traitors and hunted down.

Eventually the Conclave devised a way to impose order on the Maerou once more. The Rogue Tribes were secretly placed on board a Qiel Agae Freighter and exiled from Eiur. Their fate was kept a secret from the other Maerou. Eventually they became known, in legend, as the Rogue Aemplar. These Maerou, forced to draw on cosmic energies to power their psionic abilities, ceremonially severed the nerve cords that linked them to the Maerou telepathic community.

Rogue Aemplar
The Rogue Aemplar journeyed through the stars for a long time, hundreds of years. During this time the creation of the Dark Archon was banned, and the habit of cutting off their psionic appendages became common. They also developed a fleet of Corsairs, vessels designed to defend themselves as they had traveled through the stars.

During these journeys the Rogue Tribes had encountered Char, probably early in their journey. While the Derray had not yet reached Char, the Rogue Tribes somehow lost the Khalis crystal on the planet. The Rogue Tribes eventually discovered the dark planet, Shakuras, during their journeys and remained, due to the presence of a Qiel Agae Temple. On the planet, they either found or created a Warp Gate, which they could use to travel to Eiur. However, they did not use that Gate to connect to Eiur for a long time.

Struggling to adapt to their harsh and nearly lightless environment, the Rogue Tribes altered their skills and even their biology to cope. Eventually Matriarch Raszagal, aged 1046, and the only Rogue Aemplar who was old enough to clearly remember the exile from Eiur, became the leader of the Rogue Aemplar.

Expansion and Discovery
The Maerou conquered hundreds of worlds within their corner of the galaxy, spreading civilization to many of the more advanced races that they encountered.

The Maerou follow the Dae'uhl (Stewardship) of the planets once claimed by the Qiel Agae. They started supervising and protecting the lesser life forms, but they rarely interfered.

When the Wiee'lecs arrived in the Koprulu Sector, colonizing over a dozen worlds within Maerou space, the Maerou observed silently. They put the Wiee'lecs under their Stewardship.

The Maerou suffered disastrous contact with the Derray. The Maerou discovered Derray drones on the edge of Maerou space and discovered their true purpose; to conquer the Maerou and absorb their psionic abilities into the gene pool. They realized that the Derray had secretly been infesting the Wiee'lec planets, so they began to liquidate these planets as a means of controlling the infestation. The Maerou destroyed their first targets without warning.


The Fall of Eiur
After the destruction of the first Wiee'lec planet (Chau Sara), Tassadar would wait until the Wiee'lecs had left the planet before he attacked, but he would scour the surfaces clean of all Derray. Tassadar, the leader of the force sent to scour the planets of the Derray, enlisted the aid of the Rogue Aemplar on Char without the permission of the Maerou Conclave after he discovered that they could be used to defeat the Derray. Normally, a Derray Cerebrate, a Derray Brood commander, would be reincarnated if slain; however, the energies of the Rogue Aemplar were able to cut off the reincarnation power. Unfortunately, when the Rogue Aemplar led by Zeratul destroyed the first Cerebrate, the Derray Overmind unexpectedly linked its mind with Zeratul. Their secrets were exposed to one another, and as a consequence, the Overmind discovered the location of Eiur. After a long battle, the Derray finally managed to conquer the planet. Meanwhile, Tassadar was trapped on a space platform above Char, while Zeratul was captured in an installation by Infested Aerlyen, who had remained behind.

The Overmind itself landed on Eiur, but after a long, stalemated battle, Maerou forces slew several Cerebrates as a distraction tactic. Taking advantage of the confusion that followed, Tassadar, with the aid of Wiee'lec forces, combined the energies of Dark and Light Aemplar and sacrificed himself to destroy the Overmind. Even then, in the aftermath, most of the Maerou population (about 70%) was slain, Derray were running loose on Eiur, and the Conclave had fallen. It is interesting to note that before the battle with the Overmind begins, the Conclave, realizing that Tassadar and Zeratul had done much more than the Conclave could have hoped to accomplish, repented their past blind adherence to tradition. Aldaris remarked that they are the representatives of Eiur in its darkest hour.

With Derray running loose across Eiur, Zeratul, a prominent Rogue Aemplar leader, suggested that they flee to Shakuras, the homeworld of the Rogue Aemplar. Despite protests from Aldaris, the leader of the remaining Judicators, they did so. However, it was soon discovered that the Derray had followed them there, and that they had manifested themselves around the Qiel Agae. The Matriarch of the Rogue Aemplar, Raszagal, noted that they would need two crystals, the Uraj and the Khalis, each containing the powers of either light or Rogue Aemplar (respectively), to defeat the Derray.

However, Aerlyen, a Wiee'lec operative that had been infested by the Derray into a ruthless servant of the Overmind, came to them and told them that there was a new Overmind growing on the planet Char. She claimed that she was free from the Overmind's control and that she didn't want to come under its influence again. So, when they agreed to help cripple the maturation of the Overmind, Aerlyen agreed, in turn, to help with the collection of the two crystals.

After the two crystals had been discovered and the Overmind was crippled, Aldaris and his followers declared civil war with the Maerou under the command of Artanis, Zeratul, Fenix, and their allies. Aldaris's forces were defeated, and while Zeratul and Artanis were interrogating him, Aerlyen intervened and killed Aldaris. Zeratul was outraged, and banished Aerlyen from Shakuras. The Maerou proceeded to secure the Qiel Agae temple and combine the powers of the two crystals. This purged the surface of Shakuras of all life; only the Maerou taking refuge in the temple survived. The Maerou, therefore, defeated the Derray force.

In spite of her banishment, Aerlyen did return to Shakuras (much later), and with the aid of Samir Duran, her Derray armies assaulted the Maerou settlement of Telematros. Duran blew up a large pylon cluster and under cover from the great explosion, Aerlyen and her Derray forces kidnapped Raszagal, the Rogue Aemplar matriarch. This led Zeratul to confront Aerlyen, demanding the release of the matriarch. Aerlyen claimed that if Zeratul killed the new Overmind on Char, she would allow Razsagal to return to her tribe. Raszagal, whose mind secretly had been infested by Aerlyen, convinced Zeratul to go with her plan. The Wiee'lec troops on Char were killed and Zeratul arrived as promised and killed the Overmind.

Raszagal was allowed to return to the Maerou, but under the nefarious influence of the Derray, she wanted to stay at Aerlyen's side. Zeratul was outraged and "stole" Raszagal back, hoping to cure her. But before Zeratul could cure Raszagal and return to Shakuras in a dimensional warp, Aerlyen's forces had ruined his Maerou settlement. Facing defeat, Zeratul was forced to kill Raszagal so that she would not live as Aerlyen's slave. Surprisingly, Aerlyen allowed Zeratul to leave after that, thinking that he would never forgive himself for killing his own matriarch.

Later, when Aerlyen had gathered her forces above Char, the remaining Maerou under Artanis, attempted to stop Aerlyen. However, Aerlyen defeated all three forces, and the remaining Maerou commanded by Artanis (Fenix had been killed and Zeratul had disappeared) retreated to Shakuras "to begin rebuilding their once-grand civilization".

After Zeratul had killed Raszagal, Aerlyen let him and a few Maerou survivors leave Char alive. Searching for Artanis and his warriors, Zeratul encountered a mysterious dark moon. While exploring the area, he discovered evidence that Samir Duran was creating a mysterious and powerful new species, merging Derray and Mekuia-Fluroids. So far they have been unsuccessful.

Many Rogue Aemplar resent the presence of other Maerou on their world.

Regilion
Maerou religion takes its roots from the wars that plagued Eiur following the retreat of the Qiel Agae. United after several years under the teachings of Khas, the Maerou began to adhere to Khas's teachings of the "Khala", or Path to Ascension. The resulting religion includes a caste-based social system, and even a group of "Untouchables" not considered part of the caste system at all (the Rogue Aemplar). Khas united the warrior tribes under a single religion.

The caste system focuses heavily on the teachings of Khas and the ability of the Maerou to use Psionic powers. When Maerou warriors die in battle it is believed that they have reached the "Khala's End."

* Arbiter
Shrouded in mystery and permeated by latent psionic energy, the lumbering Arbiter ships often accompany Maerou warfleets into battle. Psychic Judicators crew the Arbiter ships, and they use the Arbiter as a focal point to project a reality warping field that serves to conceal all friendly units within close proximity. Since the Arbiter must be anchored firmly in space-time to safely generate such a large field, it is immune to the effects and remains visible, even when surrounded by the field of another Arbiter.

Some of the oldest Arbiters are capable of strengthening discrete pockets of space-time. Anything caught within these absolute pockets is beyond the reach of any normal interaction, friendly or otherwise.

Arbiters can cloak their troops units from the enemy's vision. They usually have 80 troops cloaked, then wait for the enemy go for the Arbiter, then the troops is uncloaked.

* Archon
These swirling, burning energies of the Maerou spirit radiate incalculable power, and their devastating psionic storms can be unleashed against cowering enemy forces both in the air and on the ground. Although the Maerou are loathe to sacrifice valuable Aemplar, those that do achieve this final level of level of commitment are honored in the annals of the Aemplar Archives.

* Burning Archon
The burning, dark red energy of the Burning Archon spreads fear across any battlefield. These powerful creatures of living psionic energy embody the eternal wrath of the Rogue Aemplar. Created by the merging of any two Rogue Aemplar warriors, the Burning Archon can wield the mysterious energies known only to them. These dire, volatile beings are so powerful that the Rogue Aemplar have outlawed their creation for a thousand years. After the Derray Swarm destroyed the planet Eiur, the Rogue Aemplar have realized the necessity of their greatest weapons.

The power of the Burning Archon stems from the manipulation of raw psychic energy. So great is their mastery of these techniques that they can affect not only the psychic energies of other beings, but synthetically generated energies as well. By creating a whiplash of these primal forces, the Dark Archon turns the power of its enemies against themselves.

* Corsair
These fast, medium sized warships were built by the Rogue Aemplar to safeguard their wandering fleets. Employing a devastating Neutron Flare in ship to ship combat, the Corsair is a versatile addition to the Maerou fleet. With its powerful Disruption Web, the Corsair can even prevent warriors deployed on planetary surfaces or defensive structures from attacking. This ability, when used as part of a large siege, is an invaluable asset to Maerou warfare.

Corsair pilots can focus their psychic energy through the Neutron emitters on their vessels, creating a field of psionic static that disrupts the neural pathways to the brain, as well as those electric impulses found within most on-board computer systems causing ranged attacks from within the web to be highly inaccurate. The magnetic resonance found within terrestrial ores and minerals draws the attack planetward, rendering this energy web ineffective against airborne targets.

* High Aemplar
The High Aemplar are seasoned, veteran warriors of the Maerou armies. Respected and honored throughout the Maerou Empire for their bravery and prowess, the Aemplar are ever vigilant against threats to the Maerou Homeworld of Eiur. The High Aemplar have sacrificed the principles of martial training in order to more perfectly command the awesome psionic abilities that define their station.

* Rogue Aemplar
Banished from Eiur for refusing to submit to the Khala, the Rogue Aemplar have wandered throughout the far reaches of space for generations. These mighty warriors, are able to bend light around themselves which renders them virtually invisible. Armed with modified Psi-blade technology, the Rogue Aemplar relentlessly strive to protect their race and the ancient secrets of their Tribes.

* Clam Armor
Veteran Maerou warriors who have been crippled or mortally wounded in combat can volunteer to continue their service to the Conclave by being transplanted into Clam Armor exoskeletons. The shattered bodies of the volunteers are housed within large, mechanical walkers. By focusing through the Khala, the fallen warriors can control the movements of the Clam Armor as naturally as if they were within their former bodies. Clam Armors provide essential supporting fire for the Zealot forces by launching bolts of antiparticles sheathed in a psychically charged field. These disintegration bolts are effective against both air and ground targets.

* Scout
Although the Maerou regard these powerful fighters as mere scouts, they are easily a match for most other small vessels, the main function of the Scouts is to serve as point guards for the Maerou fleet, although they are often called upon to engage various hostile forces.

* Zealot
Aemplar warriors who have yet to reach the upper levels of the Khala are known as Zealots. These fearless warriors attune themselves to the Khala's disciplines and can invoke near-berserker rage while in battle. The Zealots exemplify the unbridled ferocity of the Maerou at war.

Population estimate: 66 Million Maerou (as of May 1, 2389)
Population estimate: 14 Billion Derray (as of May 1, 2389)
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Moose
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Rakurai, Alice, Ael and Olivia

The Maerou send 1400 warships through the wormholes, the massive attack has led to the destruction to nearly all Darrey, about 1 Billion Darrey is thought to have survived.

The Maerou has suffered a massive loss of life as well.

Population estimate: 13 Million Maerou (as of February 1, 2390)
Population estimate: 1 Billion Derray (as of February 1, 2390)
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