Difference between revisions of "ZEX"

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Admiral '''ZEX''' was the foremost hero of the [[VUX]] military from the [[Great War]] and, possibly, the greatest military tactician in known space before his death. After being conquered by the [[Hierarchy of Battle Thralls]] and pressed into service against the [[Alliance of Free Stars]] by the [[Ur-Quan Kzer-Za|Ur-Quan]], the VUX found themselves greatly outclassed in combat strength, particularly by their bellicose neighbors, the [[Yehat]]. Their inferior technology, numbers and logistic organization would have caused them to be quickly overrun were it not for the military genius of ZEX, a young officer who quickly rose through the ranks with his brilliant analytical mind.
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Admiral '''ZEX''' was the brilliant commander{{ref|1}} of the [[VUX]] military in the [[Ur-Quan Slave War]]. He is the creator of the tactics of the Fortress Square and the Dynamic Triangle. The Yehat respect him greatly — an honor they make to no other VUX — and claim that, were ZEX not in command of the VUX war fleet, the VUX would have fallen to the [[Alliance of Free Stars]] in mere weeks.
  
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ZEX used the VUX's unlikely strengths in abstract mathematics and astrogation principles to find ways to win seemingly impossible situations. VUX ships under his command became known for their ability to surprise enemies, approaching from unforeseen flight paths and using amazingly accurate HyperSpace navigation to corner enemies and quickly destroy them, more than making up for the relatively weak range and power of their weapons or their smaller numbers. ZEX set up countless tactical situations to make this possible, including the well-known Fortress Square and Dynamic Triangle formation techniques. By the end of the war, he had become the unquestioned leader of the VUX military and one of the VUX race's most honored individuals.
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However, his brilliance seems tempered by an odd form of mental imbalance. ZEX is drawn to the grotesque and bizarre, being attracted to strange, unique animal life with an uninhibited, downright sexual enthusiasm.{{ref|2}} This is seen as a perversion by the rest of ZEX's race, which lead to the VUX High Council and the [[Ur-Quan Kzer-Za]] [[Primat]], after the War, exiling him to a deserted, inhabitable planet in the [[Alpha Cerenkov]] system — [[Alpha Cerenkov I]] (which was euphemistically referred to as sending him on "luxurious retirement"). It is there that, along the time of many years, he and his crew of subordinates established an enormous menagerie of rare beasts (which ZEX affectionately refers to as his "children") from as far away as [[Procyon]] and [[Vega]], a menagerie which came to include even a set of sixteen cryogenically imprisoned [[Shofixti Maidens]].
  
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However, his brilliance seemed tempered by an odd form of mental imbalance. In his personal life ZEX seemed drawn to the grotesque and bizarre, and soon his obsessive fascination with strange, unique animal life became well known. He rebelled against rigid VUX social norms: The more offensive an organism appeared by the standards of puritanical VUX aesthetics the more he wholeheartedly embraced it, with what came to be an uninhibited, almost sexual enthusiasm. ZEX soon became known publicly as a pervert and his public stature became seen as having a corrupting influence on the morals of VUX society.
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When [[The Captain]] meets ZEX, the latter confesses to longing for a most ugly creature to complete his collection of Ugliness. ZEX possesses a clue as to the location of the creature, often called the [[VUX Beast]] — an ancient wildlife handbook, written by an unknown alien author, claims that "It(!) basks in yellow light within the constellation Linch-Nas-Ploh." "Linch-Nas-Ploh" was approximately translated by ZEX's subordinates to "the long, thin creature who has swallowed the huge beast.", and refers to the [[Lyncis]] constellation.
  
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After the war's end when his active service was no longer needed, ZEX became more and more of a problem. Unwilling to strip him of his honors but unable to tolerate the political consequences of keeping him in public view, the VUX High Council compromised by removing ZEX from public life and awarding him a whole deserted, inhabitable planet in the [[Alpha Cerenkov]] system to keep as his personal property, along with all the resources he needed to pursue his peccadilloes outside of media scrutiny, protected by a fleet of the VUX military's best (led, of course, by ZEX himself in his modified [[Intruder]]). There, he and his crew of subordinates established an enormous menagerie of rare beasts from across known space, as well as collecting other valuables, including Precursor artifacts. ZEX even captured sentients, notably a set of cryogenically imprisoned [[Shofixti Maidens]], but his true lust was for the deepest object of his desire and not coincidentally the race whose appearance VUX culture most wholeheartedly loathed, the [[Humans]].
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The Beast is eventually located on [[Delta Lyncis I]]. When The Captain tries to close the deal, ZEX double-crosses him, revealing his intention to take the Beast and kidnap what he truly regards as the most deformed, vicious and therefore appealing creature he had ever encountered, the Human Captain himself. Fortunately for The Captain, ZEX's forces prove unable to control the Beast during the transfer process, and it escapes and ravages his compound, killing ZEX in the process. The Captain is then able to retrieve the Shofixti Maidens.
  
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ZEX got his chance when [[The Captain]] came to negotiate for the Maidens' release in his quest to restore the [[Shofixti]] species. ZEX agreed to comply if The Captain would retrieve for him a particular [[VUX Beast|legendary monster]], which most of the sketchy records surrounding it agreed was the most fearsome and grotesque creature in known space. "ZEX's Beauty", as it was nicknamed, was eventually located in the [[Delta Lyncis]] system. When The Captain tried to close the deal, ZEX double-crossed him, revealing his intention to take the beast and kidnap what he truly regarded as the most deformed, vicious and therefore appealing creature he had ever encountered, the Human Captain himself. Fortunately for The Captain, ZEX's forces proved unable to control the beast during the transfer process, and it escaped and ravaged his compound, destroying most of his facilities and killing him and his personnel before vanishing into the wilderness.
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==Notes and references==
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{{note|1}}''From the [[Role Playing Resource Guide]], p. 53.''
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{{note|2}}{{IRC1998}}
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::<Mephisto_> Fwiffo: Was ZEX gay, or just a little 'confused'?<br>
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::<Fwiffo> ZEX liked humans. He was into beastiality at the very least.
  
 
[[Category:Game Characters]]
 
[[Category:Game Characters]]
 
[[Category:VUX]]
 
[[Category:VUX]]

Latest revision as of 17:12, 16 January 2008

Admiral ZEX was the brilliant commander1 of the VUX military in the Ur-Quan Slave War. He is the creator of the tactics of the Fortress Square and the Dynamic Triangle. The Yehat respect him greatly — an honor they make to no other VUX — and claim that, were ZEX not in command of the VUX war fleet, the VUX would have fallen to the Alliance of Free Stars in mere weeks.

However, his brilliance seems tempered by an odd form of mental imbalance. ZEX is drawn to the grotesque and bizarre, being attracted to strange, unique animal life with an uninhibited, downright sexual enthusiasm.2 This is seen as a perversion by the rest of ZEX's race, which lead to the VUX High Council and the Ur-Quan Kzer-Za Primat, after the War, exiling him to a deserted, inhabitable planet in the Alpha Cerenkov system — Alpha Cerenkov I (which was euphemistically referred to as sending him on "luxurious retirement"). It is there that, along the time of many years, he and his crew of subordinates established an enormous menagerie of rare beasts (which ZEX affectionately refers to as his "children") from as far away as Procyon and Vega, a menagerie which came to include even a set of sixteen cryogenically imprisoned Shofixti Maidens.

When The Captain meets ZEX, the latter confesses to longing for a most ugly creature to complete his collection of Ugliness. ZEX possesses a clue as to the location of the creature, often called the VUX Beast — an ancient wildlife handbook, written by an unknown alien author, claims that "It(!) basks in yellow light within the constellation Linch-Nas-Ploh." "Linch-Nas-Ploh" was approximately translated by ZEX's subordinates to "the long, thin creature who has swallowed the huge beast.", and refers to the Lyncis constellation.

The Beast is eventually located on Delta Lyncis I. When The Captain tries to close the deal, ZEX double-crosses him, revealing his intention to take the Beast and kidnap what he truly regards as the most deformed, vicious and therefore appealing creature he had ever encountered, the Human Captain himself. Fortunately for The Captain, ZEX's forces prove unable to control the Beast during the transfer process, and it escapes and ravages his compound, killing ZEX in the process. The Captain is then able to retrieve the Shofixti Maidens.

Notes and references[edit]

1From the Role Playing Resource Guide, p. 53.
2From the 1998 IRC chat with Toys for Bob (Fwiffo is both Fred Ford and Paul Reiche III here):
<Mephisto_> Fwiffo: Was ZEX gay, or just a little 'confused'?
<Fwiffo> ZEX liked humans. He was into beastiality at the very least.
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