Path of Now and Forever

The Path of Now and Forever is the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za Doctrine forbidding the freedom of other sentient races. They must either be contained under a slave shield or willingly join the Ur-Quan Hierarchy of Battle Thralls.

The first race to fall to the Path of Now and Forever was the Faz, another member — alongside the Ur-Quan — of the former Sentient Milieu. Countless others have followed in the passing millennia. The reasons for this extreme measure are quite simple. The Ur-Quan know the pain of enslavement and they know it well. They can never allow another race to control them as the Dnyarri once did. Any sentient race could become a threat, and so they all must be controlled.

When slave shielded, a race is cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Only the most powerful communication systems can penetrate the shield, even then only to short distances, and nothing physical can pass the barrier. All signs of that race outside of the shield are annihilated. Also, if the enslavement of Earth and the Humans is to be taken as an example, the ancient signs of the race's culture are also destroyed. Whether this is to simply punish the race in question, break their will to resist, or some other purpose is unknown. It is also possible that Earth is an isolated incident.

As a Battle Thrall the race is given limited freedom. They can travel space and persue technology, but they are carefully watched by the Kzer-Za. Battle Thralls are substantially less powerful than even a fraction of the Kzer-Za fleet and are expected to fight alongside the Kzer-Za to subjugate yet more races.

The Path of Now and Forever is in opposition to the Ur-Quan Kohr-Ah Eternal Doctrine. Proving the superiority of one doctrine over the other is the purpose of the Ur-Quan Doctrinal War.