The Rat'ak

Rat’ak

“ We are dying. It is no one’s fault but our own. We believed thoroughly we could fight with an entire galaxy and come out victorious. We were wrong, so very wrong”- Alakan Nosera, Rat’ak nomad

Overview_______________________________________________________________

The Rat’ak are a race of hardy mammals from Rat’awl, a large terrestrial world in the Scurian Sector. Physically imposing, this race was responsible for instigating a lengthy war against the Galactic Mutual Alliance in Standard Year 890 ( 1692 AD Earth Calendar).

The Rat’ak are now nearly extinct, with a population of two million spread out across several  planets with the largest concentration on Rat’awl.

  Description______________________________________________________________

At ten feet in height and possessing a distinctive facial profile, the Rat’ak are considered a large sized race. Nearly fourteen percent of their total body weight occurs in a small hump on their back that stores fat derived from their primarily carnivorous diet.
The species originated in the Tyralkyr Desert of Rat’awl, an arid expanse of windswept hills and valleys once covered by lush vegetation. Here, they became effectively lethal hunters, killing prey brutally and eventually began forming large tribes to help increase their numbers. As the species grew, Rat’ak tribes began spreading to more inhabitable areas of Rat’awl such as the more temperate Gr’eha Valley where food and water were more readily available.
The Rat’ak’s primary sense is their sense of smell, which has been shown to be over ninety times more sensitive than a canine’s. This gives them several advantages in almost any situation. For example, a Rat’ak can actually smell aromas that are several days old, allowing them to tell where a person was going, whether or not they were distressed, and if and what they were eating.  
Almost as powerful is their sense of hearing. Rat’ak ears are a complex and delicate masterpiece of the evolutionary process. They are able to pick up low pitched subsonic noises through the air and detect incredibly high pitched noises that normally only special equipment could pick up under specialized circumstances.
A small pair of eyes allows them to distinguish their environment, however, they all suffer from nearsightedness.   
Physically capable of lifting close to a ton, the Rat‘ak‘s immense strength comes from series of powerful muscles and tendons along with a stout pair of legs.
Rat’ak give live birth in liters of three children.


Culture__________________________________________________________________

Because of their unique sensory aspects, most features of Rat’ak culture center around scent and music. One’s personal aroma is a sort of gauge on their place in society. A sweet or pleasant smell such as perfume would mean that a Rat’ak is well to do and is in possession of great fortune. A more neutral smell such as dirt would mean that a Rat’ak is a laborer or craftsman. A sharp or bitter smell such as decay or body odor denotes an unkempt individual.




Intergalactic Role_________________________________________________________

Main Article: The Rat’ak War
By the time that the Rat’ak had began populating other planets, they had reached an advanced technological level seldom seen in a young species as well as becoming full fledged members of the Galactic Mutual Alliance. They had begun manufacturing cybernetic implants to augment their poor sight, allowing them to develop more ranged vision. Nearly six standard years after the Rat’ak completed their twentieth known planetary colony, they began facing economic sanctions from the Galactic Mutual Alliance for invading and enslaving native species such as the Cauos and Lothan. The goal of these sanctions was originally to financially starve the Rat’ak off of worlds already inhabited by sentient beings. Initially, these restrictions seem to work out well for the Galactic Mutual Alliance, the Rat’ak left Cournal ( The Cauos homeworld) in full force mere days after  the sanctions were levied. A week after this forced exodus however, the Rat’ak returned to Cournal with a massive interstellar warship, the Dren’s Sacrifice. Using the immeasurably powerful main gun of the Dren’s Sacrifice, the Rat’ak began immolating vast sectors of Cournal,  turning entire cities into molten glass. Responding almost immediately, the United Galactic Security Force rushed to Cournal’s aid, destroying the Dren’s Sacrifice in with a combined fleet of seven thousand vessels. ( Side Note: The Dren’s Sacrifice was an astounding two hundred miles in length). Unfortunately, the UGSF had stumbled into a carefully executed trap. As the Dren’s Sacrifice began exploding, it was found that the eighty gigaton reactor that powered the massive ship had been jettisoned and was on a collision course straight for Cournal. The makeshift explosive was made in such a way that it would cause an initial impact like a large asteroid and then explode, creating an irreversible nuclear contaminated climate on the planet. Realizing this quickly, the United Security Force  fleet was able to curb the impact by sacrificing its own flagship, the Redemption. The Redemption ran headlong into the reactor, causing a catastrophic meltdown and destroying the Kaisa’han crew in the process. That day saw the passing of the only Class 91 initiative ever enacted on a sentient species by the Galactic Mutual Alliance. The Class 91 initiative gave the United Security Force emergency power to contain a threat against Alliance security by forcibly confining a race to its homeworld under military enforcement and occupation. Unfortunately, the Rat’ak had developed and colonized nearly fourteen other worlds well before their initiation in to the Galactic Mutual Alliance and had quietly amassed a fleet only equaled by the Taundrahaul in number in order to assault entire planetary systems. The fleet was repurposed, and every able bodied Rat’ak civilian man was enlisted to drive the Alliance off of Rat’awl. Exiting fold space* into Rat’awl’s orbit, the Rat’ak main fleet completely obliterated the United Security Force’s orbital blockade and began pouring its ground forces on world for a bloody and merciless conflict against the occupation forces. Standing victorious over the UGSF’s military presence, the admiral of the Rat’ak fleet assumed the role of the Rat’ak’s leader, citing that the victory won on Rat’awl proved the Alliance’s weakness and that such a corrupt system should be replaced with a fair and balanced government. Further reinforcing their numbers and creating another massive flagship, the Atlo’s Revenge, the Rat’ak began invading Alliance controlled territory and wiping out all who stood before them. This was the beginning of the Rat’ak War.
The conflict raged on for decades, eventually coming to a head near the Qura System in a vast uncharted area of space littered with planetary rubble and ancient debris from a long forgotten civilization. The Alliance was in control of less than twenty percent of its former sphere of influence, and in desperate need of reinforcements. The Rat’ak, meanwhile had picked up several allies, namely the vicious Ripvor and were mere day’s away from claiming victory.  However, their fortunes changed when they invaded the planet Soltire, a colony world belonging to the dreaded Sogran. The Sogran were aware of the incursions made by the Rat’ak, but paid it no mind, assured that the brutal mammal’s interest concerned inner-galactic worlds. When the Rat’ak blitzed Soltire, they invoked the full wrath of the avian conquerors. The Sogran quickly joined the Alliance’s cause and helped push back the Rat’ak until finally, after only a year of fighting, they captured the last Rat’ak vessel, the Atlo’s Revenge. Breathing a collective sigh of relief, the Galactic Mutual Alliance extended an invitation to the Sogran to join their ranks. Sadly, the Sogran refused, stating that the fight was not yet over. Nearly a month after the conflict ended, the Sogran had wiped out the Rat’ak almost completely. There was no punishment for the Sogran, however, as the lengthy conflict had drained the Alliance of personnel, resources and monetary means.
In modern times, the Rat’ak are slowly ebbing away, becoming less and less numerous across the Galaxy. With an estimated population of only two million, spread across nearly five worlds, the Rat’ak are believed to be down to less than two thousand in a standard year, due to disease and a real, painful sense of remorse for what they had done in the past.


Planetary Government______________________________________________________

N/A








Military_________________________________________________________________

In their heyday, the Rat’ak once possessed an estimated star fleet of one million vessels. Now, the derelict Rat’ak warships serve as a reminder of the heavy cost of war against the Galactic Mutual Alliance. With no military and very few who actually know any form of combat, the Rat’ak are content to live as nomadic individuals.

Relationship with the Human Race____________________________________________

The Rat’ak were first introduced to humanity when they came to Rat’awl in search of a new colony world to settle on. Initially skeptical of the Alliance’s claims that the planet was uninhabited, they soon learned the truth about what the Sogran had done to them.
Humans see the Rat’ak as prime examples of Sogran genocide and identify with their struggles to cope with such a debilitating reality. The Rat’ak see humans as simply settlers who mean them no harm.