Ur-Quan Slave War

The First War, sometimes referred to by more poetic historians as The Great Crucible of Sentience, lasted from 2098 to 2134 AD in our quadrant of the galaxy. It began when the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za first entered the quadrant, and ended with the enslavement of all other major races in the quadrant by the Ur-Quan.

The Chenjesu were the first race to become aware of the impending threat, sensing the Ur-Quan's hostile presence. They observed as the Ur-Quan conquered the Umgah and began moving towards Ilwrath space, and so quickly formed a military alliance with the the Mmrnmhrm. Together the two races were able to temporarily repel the Ur-Quan, who refocused their aggression towards the Spathi and Androsynth. The Umgah, Ilwrath, Spathi, and Androsynth all chose to become Battle Thralls to the growing Ur-Quan Hierarchy.

The Chenjesu forged additional alliances with the Yehat and Shofixti, bolstering their ranks. In 2115 they made formal contact with the Humans, inviting them into the budding Alliance of Free Stars. This prompted the Arilou to join as well, if only to oversee the well-being of the humans and the Syreen, who were already fleeing in the direction of Earth to seek safe harbor from the VUX, who along with Mycon would also join the Hierarchy.

Escalation occurred, and soon both sides were throwing everything they had at each other. The Ur-Quan now commanded a vast armada of Battle Thralls in addition to their deadly Dreadnought ships. The Alliance established a coreward front along the Indi-Mira line. They were able to hold the line until 2134, when the Ur-Quan pushed the Alliance back beyond Raynet. The Chenjesu forces were exhausted from holding their position near Rigel, and the Ur-Quan seized this opportunity to launch a massive assault on their homeworld at Procyon II. The Hierarchy assault eventually prevailed, and the Chenjesu, rather than join the Hierarchy, chose to become fallow slaves and be shielded with the Mmrnmhrm on their devastated homeworld.

Following the defeat at Procyon II, the humans were quickly defeated by a massive, multilateral attack, and Hierarchy set a course for the Gorno system, home of the Shofixiti. As the Hierarchy reached the system, the Yehat withdrew, leaving the Shofixti to fend for themselves. The Shofixti fleet was decimated, but in a final act of defiance, the surviving Shofixti lowered a Precursor Bomb into their sun, causing Delta Gorno to flare and destroy everything in its vicinity. The Shofixti were all but wiped out, along with nearly a third of the Ur-Quan fleet.

This may have given enough of an edge to the Yehat and Syreen in order to achieve victory, but they surrendered. The Yehat chose to become Battle Thralls, while the Humans and Syreen opted to become fallow slaves. The Arilou, seeing that the Humans were now safe, vanished into QuasiSpace.

Campaigns

The Campaigns of the First War are as follows (taken from Star Control for Genesis, in rough chronological order):

• First Encounter - When spheres of influence meet, battle is inevitable.
• The Art Of War - Match your strength against your enemy's weakness.
• Exterminate! - The Hierarchy must curb rampant Shofixti breeding!
• VUX Incursion - A VUX task force attacks an Alliance StarBase.
• Proving Ground - The Spathi fleet meets the Mmrnmhrm in deep space.
• Lost in Space - A solitary Chenjesu must survive a harsh universe.
• Beginner's Luck - A lone syreen must prevent Androsynth deployment.
• Escalation - A war of production.
• Target Earth - Planet Earth comes under surprise attack.
• Syreen's Song - A Syreen recruitment drive begins.
• Mushroom Cloud - A bold Alliance attack on the Mycons.
• The Nebula - The Hierarchy assaults the Yehat homeworlds.
• Onslaught - The Ur-Quan offensive begins!
• Counter Attack- The Alliance strikes back!
• Total War - Two full fleets face off in a battle to the death!