The four races detailed below are the only intelligent life known to mankind. All four races live within 32 light-years of Earth, and are continually contesting the resources found in the over 130 star systems in this region of interstellar space.
The theories on alien life promoted by astronomers such as Carl Sagan were proved to be utterly incorrect by the races mankind has encountered so far. Sagan argued that evolved, intelligent life would have reached a state of peaceful interaction with its neighbors. However, all life encountered by astronauts has proven to be much like life on Earth - greedy, opportunistic, and expansionistic. There seems to be a food chain of sorts, even in space.
Terrans
The Terrans are, of course, humans. Their star system is known as "Sol", an ancient name for the Sun. The name "Terran" was adopted shortly after the first Interstellar War began and the old nations of Earth formed under one unified government: The Federal States of Terra.
The Terrans were already colonizing their own system when contact was made with the Kortani (see below). The Kortani shared some advanced technologies with the Terrans, allowing them to make the jump into interstellar space. The excitement of this event was dampened when the Kortani attacked the outer colonies of the solar system, plunging Terra into its first Interstellar War.
Since this event, mankind has discovered several other forms of life, all utterly alien. Most of these have been very simple, and some evolved enough to communicate. Only three have been found that are capable of space travel, and all are hostile. The names of the races below are human terms. None of the three races use sound as a form of communication, and all their messages to man have been mathematical codes.
Kortani
The Kortani were named for Shazira Barzani al-Kortani, an Iranian radio astronomer. She oversaw the SETI project that first discovered their communications in the late 21st century. At that time, the Kortani were already seasoned interstellar travelers, but desired to meet the people of Earth as they not yet met another form of intelligent life. They sent several messages detailing the technologies necessary for interstellar travel to Earth to enable mankind to meet them in the Sirius system. However, as soon as the Kortani had traded for all the human technologies they desired, they began raiding the Sol system. Mankind�s defenses actually proved to be formidable, and the Kortani were driven off.
The Kortani are master resource industrialists. They study and exploit whatever they encounter in their travels, usually leaving star systems devoid of planetary bodies. Biologically, they form what is known as a composite being. Individual Kortani are microscopic, but they combine to form ever larger beings capable of extraordinary intelligence. This makes them a dangerous enemy - millions of them can combine to form brains capable of amazing acuity.
Ulin
If any race can claim ownership of the systems in dispute, it is the Ulin. They are the nomads of space, having no planetary system to call home. They have evolved entirely in space, and were probably born in cometary clouds such as those lying just outside the Sol system. They migrate from system to system, carefully harvesting the resources but never exhausting them.
The Ulin are a highly evolved species. Their "ships" are actually not vessels at all, but the immature offspring of the adult Ulin. There are four stages of evolution of the Ulin: pupa, soldier, drone, and queen. Only a queen is large enough to travel between systems and found a new hive. Between each stage, the Ulin undergoes chrysalis in the hive stations which act as bases in each system which the Ulin operate.
Altoren
The Altoren evolved in the Altair system where they swam in the gravitational eddies generated by the fields of the planetary bodies and their sun. As these eddies and zephyrs became increasingly complex, matrixes developed. These matrixes took on the ability to separate gravitational energies from themselves, thereby creating offspring. They also learned to bind energy to their being, creating larger matrixes. These matrixes eventually gained the ability to bind matter to themselves as well. Over the millennia, the Altoren were able use this matter to increase their ability to sail in the winds of the Altair system. Eventually, they were able to sail at ever greater speeds, enabling them to travel beyond their own system.
While their own system has abundant heavy metals, the Altoren seek new systems for matter that enable them to bind new materials to their matrix. This has brought them in continuous conflict with other races.
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