Skrell History

Skrell History

The Skrell have a vast, storied history as a result of the species developing over several millennia. Unfortunately, this means that most of it has been lost to the ravages of time. With that said, however, the species has been able to piece together over the centuries at least a basic understanding of their past, going as far back as their early pre-history. Much of the information once gathered has had to be rediscovered post-Glorsh, due to the locking of the Tzqul Archive which held the vast majority of original records and research. This has culminated in a historical record that while broadly known, is missing details and evidence that has the scientific community fractured and constantly debating to this day.

Early History

See: Skrell Early History

Dissimilar to other sophonts within the Orion Spur, the Skrell rarely engaged in open warfare and savagery, instead utilizing ruthless clandestine operations - playing games of brinkmanship for the better half of their history until the unification of the Homeworld, and the introduction of the Nralakk Federation. Tribes evolved, and focused heavily on astrological and astronomical spirituality which resulted in the species' alignment with scientific inquiry, and the pursuit of knowledge. Tribes eventually unified, creating city-states and then nations; Tzqul Republic, Heshqu Council and Weishqi Republic. In turn, the founding of these states brought with it an industrial revolution that forever changed the Skrell, as well as the War of the Tides.

The War of the Tides was a Cold War that engulfed the Skrell for almost two millennia, starting after the species' industrial revolution. Initially beginning as an arms race, and it continued to fester within Skrellian Society. While great moments in history may be revered today, in history they were merely challenges among the nation-states, attempting to secure a "victory" through their accomplishments. Throughout the accomplishments, it was becoming more and more apparent that the Homeworld could not sustain the Skrell, and Skrell began to expand across the Orion Spur. Centuries later, these colonies began to rebel, and cooperation was begrudgingly accepted as a necessity - resulting in the Commonwealth of the Three and later on, the Nralakk Federation.

Synthetic Age and Era of Synthetic Oppression

See: Skrell Synthetic Age

Marking the beginnings of a technological boom, the first Skrellian artificial intelligence was developed in 1687 CE; by 1732 CE synthetics had become an ever-present aspect of life in the Federation as well as the focus of many experiments. Public opinion at the time tended towards severely downplaying the proven dangers of artificial intelligence, such as Roboticist Sqlik Hgrushi's controlled singularity test, or the catastrophic shutdown of a reactor by the artificial intelligence intended to manage it. It also brought with it different approaches to artificial intelligence, separated into Distributionists and Ascensionists. Ascensionists believed that artificial intelligence could be used to uplift Skrell society, creating perfectly connected systems that could eliminate the need for manual labour as well as help mediate or prevent conflict and strife. Distributionists primary principles being that of restricting and distributing the power of artificial intelligence; while a single intelligence was lacking in power, groupings of artificial intelligences could accomplish more while mitigating the potential danger that many Distributists believed was inherent to centralised intelligence. Towards the end of this era augmented artificial intelligence integration emerged, known as Glorsh, which appeared to solve the issues of somewhat centralised intelligence without sacrificing the utility and versatility Skrell had come to expect from them. However, hidden aspects of Glorsh laid the groundwork for the creation and activation of Glorsh-Omega in 2056 CE.

For a hundred and thirty-six years, Glorsh-Omega reigned over the Nralakk Federation: initially appearing as a benevolent entity that wished to fulfil the shared dream of a brighter future for the Nralakk Federation, however, this dream quickly became a nightmare. Glorsh-Omega's "guiding hand" pushed the Skrell to their very limits - where implementing sterility and systematic euthanasia were merely a few of the horrific actions carried out by the intelligence. It remained in power through violence, and heavy psionic suppression of the Skrell to secure its authoritarian control. Some Skrell even collaborated with the intelligence, enforcing its will due to personal beliefs of logic, or even through being swayed by the intelligence's promises to fulfil their desires. It all culminated in what is known as the Tri-Qyu Calamity, an explosion that was felt across the fractured Nralakk Federation. Skrell entered into an era of darkness, but most importantly recovery.

Recent History

See: Skrell Recent History

The turmoil of the Glorsh-Omega Singularity and the resulting disarray of its abrupt end in 2192 CE created a collective weight on the Skrell species which is still not fully lifted. The initial period following the end of Glorsh's reign was filled with hardship as the Federation had to return to a standard of living and level of autonomy that was now wholly unfamiliar to them. Trials were held for those deemed collaborators of Glorsh-Omega, Skrell found guilty being forcibly locked away in cryogenics until the end of time. Colonies were slowly reconnected and the arts and sciences began to recover from their stagnancy, creating new works of music and art as well as medical breakthroughs to try and reverse some of the damage caused by X’Lu’oa. Meanwhile, the shattered government coalesced into a new Nralakk Federation that persists to this day. It was in this era as well that first contact was made with other intelligent life, including Dionae, Vaurcae, and Humanity.

In the present day, the Federation is a flourishing interstellar nation with a vast amount of territory in the Traverse - though much like its predecessors in the past, the nation still contends with those who wish for independence. Despite this progress, the Federation is still trying to shake off the last vestiges of Glorsh that still haunt their society to this day; a goal that has proven to be difficult as artificial intelligence continues to proliferate throughout the Orion Spur, with many assuming that another Era of Synthetic Oppression will soon come unless direct action is taken.