This is a
PRELIMINARY REPORT. All data and analyses are based on unprocessed
primary sources. Conclusions and recommendations should be regarded as
HIGHLY TENTATIVE.
This information current as of 0730 hours 2681.021 PRECIS
At 2025 hours 2681.018, in the Kilrah asteroid belt near Kilrah Prime, unknown forces initiated an apparent military strike on the Copernicus-Class planetological
research vessel TCS Devereaux, destroying it. Between that time and 0345 hours
2681.019, two colonies, four intelligence outposts and a research station have also apparently been destroyed within the Kilrah system. All efforts at relief have resulted in the destruction of the vessels involved, and of seven attempts to infiltrate the area with intelligence-gathering resources between .019 and .020, only one has reestablished contact.
Early and unofficial reports estimate that all military and civilian personnel in the
stricken areas are either killed or missing. On that basis the estimated casualty count stands at:
23,763 Kilrathi
2,988 Human (446 Confed military, 311 Confed admin/diplo, 2,231 civilian)
41 Firekkan
TIMELINE
2681.018
1441
Confed Astronomical Station K-105 picks up unidentified energy surge near Kilrah Prime. Surge is identified as an equipment malfunction or the reflection of a solar flare.
2022 TOBYdrones from the Devereaux destroyed while exploring Kilrah
Prime.
2025
Devereaux destroyed.
2215 (est)
Sivarist monastic outpost on asteroid K-14G destroyed.
2351
Astronomical Station K-105 destroyed. Fighters scrambled from Surveillance Outposts Bravo and Delta to recon and respond.
2681.019
0022
Recon group from Outposts Bravo and Delta jump to site of K-105. They have not reestablished contact.
0144
Kilrathi colony on Kilrah 6 attacked.
0158
Last known signal from Kilrah 6.
0215 (est.)
Previously unknown Kilrathi smuggler / insurgent base on Kilrah 7.4
destroyed.
0330-0338
Surveillance Outposts Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, Delta attacked.
0415 (est.)
All Surveillance Outposts presumed destroyed. Kilrah system
presumed fully in enemy control.
1700
First of seven recon missions dispatched into Kilrah systems from Tal’q Naval Station. It does not return as scheduled, all contact lost.
1900
Tal’q sends FLASH message to Terra, goes to full alert status.
2132
Major Leeward Washington discovers remains of smuggler ’s base on Kilrah 7.4 during the 7th recon attempt from Tal’q.
2310
Major Washington completes recon of Kilrah 7.4, returns to Tal’q with photos and possible enemy artifact. His is the only recon mission of seven to return as scheduled, others presumed lost. Recon missions terminated pending analysis of known data.
2345 Strike group, lead by Corvette TCS Brack, dispatched from Tal’q to Kilrah 6.
2681.020
0337
Last transmission from TCS Brack.
0730
Initial TCIAreport on incident compiled and dispatched.
INTELLIGENCE SOURCES
Information above compiled from the following sources:
Telemetry logs of Confed Bases and ships as recorded by central processing, Tal’q Naval Station.
Routine civilian and military subspace traffic.
Fragmentary SOS message sent during Kilrah 6 attack.
Report of Major Leeward Washington, TCSF, and recordings taken by him of secret installation at Kilrah 7.4.
ANALYSIS OFTELEMETRY AND AUTOMATED SUBSPACE TRAFFIC
With the exception of the previously unknown Kilrathi insurgent base, all of the ships, stations and settlements destroyed in the enemy attack were hooked into the Confed Subspace Data Network. These facilities all sent regular data packets to the nearest subspace hub, in this case located at the Tal’q Naval Station. Automated subspace data was sent at regular intervals ranging from twice a day (in the case of the Sivarist enclave in the Kilrah belt) to every five minutes (from the Brack while on Alert status). The cessation of these transmissions allows analysts to
bracket the time of attack for the lost facilities.
Telemetric transmissions always include a “ping” recognition signal identifying the source and time of the transmission. In addition, telemetric packets regularly include personal mail, news and announcements and official logs and reports. In military and scientific ships and outposts, the bulk of a typical telemetric packet’s bandwidth usually consists of the automated logs of sensor and system data. The most remarkable thing about the telemetry of the facilities in question, right up to the time of their destruction, is that there is no sign that an attack — or anything unusual — is going on at all. Of course, the later data includes a good deal of speculation about the fate of those facilities already destroyed, and a record of security procedures being activated and followed, but little first-hand evidence of enemy incursion right up to cessation of transmission.
It must be emphasized that a full analysis of the millions of zettabytes of automated telemetric data received from the action area during the event window is a major endeavor that will take several days, at a minimum, to complete. However, the broad and superficial analysis of the available data that has been currently conducted reveals only one potentially anomalous event. About six hours before the first known enemy attack (on the Devereaux) the K-105 observatory recorded a puzzling energy surge within the Kilrah belt. The surge was a tightly focused pulse of energy .165 of a second in duration. It measured at 47,000 dG in intensity, and crossed the subspace spectrum from mk 1772 down to mk 3500 (the lower limit of the K105 detection equipment).The surge fit the profile of no known subspace energy source. The event occurred at 018.1441.26, and at 1502 was manually flagged as a probable false reading by technicians at the observatory, according to the K105 sensor logs. It is important at this juncture to emphasize that there is absolutely no hard evidence whatsoever linking the 1441 event with the subsequent attacks.
However, the possibility does suggest itself that this surge marked the entry of the presumed enemy into the Kilrah system, perhaps via some previously unknown ultra-low-band jumpgate technology.
TRANSCRIPT OF KILRAH 6 MESSAGE
… monitor buoys (not?) responding, extensive damage to the … ground forces not … (bunker?) … (can’t) receive so just listen. Confed forces cut out completely … (civilian?) losses at 100 percent, property destruction total … building gone, just a big hole in the (ceiling?) … will attempt visual … (Delay of approximately 40 seconds, speaker presumably away from console). Saw it … huge. Nothing else alive out there. (Colony?) flattened. Nothing moving (outside?) … just … overhead. Never seen anything … (not?) Kilrathi. Don’t know … (report?) but will keep talking. What else … {Message ends.]
ANALYSIS OF KILRAH 6 MESSAGE
The voice in the message is apparently that of a female human in her 20s or 30s. Although it is unconfirmable, it seems likely the speaker is Coretta Tokagawa, 25, a technician at the Kilrah 6 Colony Communications Center, based on colony personnel records and evidence within the message itself. It seems certain that the physical point of origin for the message was the K6CCC, as that is the only facility on the planet’s surface with facilities for a subspace voice transmission. The transmission faded in and out of clarity, and was punctuated frequently by static bursts of three to fifteen seconds in duration. The message was a direct broadcast signal, not part of a scheduled telemetric packet.
The fluctuations and interruptions in the transmission are consistent with a scenario where orbital relays are destroyed and only the ground-based transmitter remains, possibly with superficial damage. Static may indicate a high level of surface radiation, perhaps as the aftermath of an orbital bombardment. SigInt is presently looking into how this single transmission could have gotten through to Tal’q when no other attack produced any emergency traffic whatsoever. No conclusions have been reached based on technical analysis, however the message itself seems to have been sent between the actual battle for Kilrah 6, when the defense forces and most of the colony were destroyed, and a final clean up sweep of the area. Perhaps the hypothetical enemy jamming or blocking ability was disrupted immediately after the battle, either through combat damage to enemy systems, or through sentient error.
The most probable events surrounding the message’s transmission seem to be as follows (note: the following two paragraphs contain deductive and speculative analysis, which cannot be independently confirmed): Immediately after the battle, the speaker (presumably Ms. Tokagawa) was in the K6CCC central processing room, where she had either been on duty or taken shelter during the attack. Taking stock of the situation, she determined that all planetary and intra-system communications were down, but that the primary subspace transmitter was still operable unsurprising, since the transmitter, its power source and georesonant antenna were all located immediately beneath the central processing room). She took it upon herself to report the situation to the best of her ability. The source and accuracy of her estimates of casualties and property damage is not known. Perhaps it is based on communications traffic during the battle, or perhaps she simply extrapolated from the destruction in her immediate area. Like most of the Kilrah 6 colony, the K6CCC is constructed mostly underground, and the ceiling of the central processing room was approximately 11 meters below street level. The message seems to indicate that this ceiling had been laid open to the sky by the force of the attack. The speaker seems to have used this gap to visually survey the immediate area, observing total destruction and a large object, apparently airborne and presumably of enemy origin. The speaker seems to be of the opinion that the object does not appear to be of Kilrathi origin (however, due to signal quality, there is also room for the exact opposite conclusion, that the message states that the object is Kilrathi in origin). The speaker appears to be attempting to order her thoughts as the message ends. It is unknown whether the end of the message was due to renewed enemy assault, the restoration of enemy jamming measures, or simple cumulative equipment failure.
REPORT OF MAJOR WASHINGTON
My squadron (Second Long-Range Patrol Squadron, “Hugyn,” 71st air-defense battalion, Tal’q) scrambled when the base got the alert at 1900, and in the briefing we were told that First Squadron had already lost five recon pilots and we were taking over the duty. Lt. (Katrina) Shea volunteered for the first pass, and left just before 2000. When she didn’t report back, I pulled rank on a couple of other volunteer pilots to get the 2100 attempt. I left at 2058 in an Excalibur refitted for trans-system surveillance. I wasn’t carrying any armament except lasers — if I spotted trouble my orders were to bug out and report, not fight.
The plan was to make a series of jumps towards Kilrah. On my first jump, into the inner Oort Cloud of the system, I was too far out to see anything. My first in-system jump took me about 5 million kilometers outside the orbit of the 7th and outer planet of the system, a small gas giant with a minimal ring and 6 significant satellites. I was still too far away from the Kilrah belt to pick up anything, and since 7 was on my side of the sun (about 9.3 million kilometers from my position) I decided to give it a scan. I picked up enough complex alloys for a small fleet on the spectrograph, and high and localized hard radiation. Accuracy was rated at 35% for the spectrograph and 60% for the radiation count, so I decided to move in at 2120.
I found another in-system jump point to within about 200,000 kilometers of the planet, and began an elliptical trans-polar orbit. By 2132 I pinpointed the source of my reading as 7.4, a dead rock moon about 21 kilometers in diameter. I went allstop except for sensors. There were no active signals anywhere in the spectrum, and background radiation was starting to fade, so I started to move in cloaked. I had visual with .4 by 2140. When I reached 200 kilometers out from 7.4 (optimum sensor range for my package) I went all-stop again. At that point I determined that my spectrographics weren’t from a fleet, but from an enclosed base on the moon. Previously, the base had been concealed by about five meters of rock, but the rock had been scoured off, exposing the upper bays and corridors to my spectrograph. Still with nothing on the bio-sensors and no active EM, I came in low and slow for my first pass. I estimate about 250,000 square meters of working and living space in the levels of the base exposed to view. The main area was a hangar space about 100 x 60 x 25 meters, that had been laid open to space. I could see the remains of at least two cargo shuttles, and enough miscellaneous wreckage to account for several more. I couldn’t see how the hangar had accessed the surface before the attack, since the top of the space was completely gone. Structural analysis indicated a base capable of supporting a couple of hundred Kilrathi without crowding. If this was a smuggling base, it was a major hub, probably keeping the whole former inner sphere of Kilrah supplied with black market goods. I did a full-spectrum scan, and took a few dozen pictures. I didn’t see any bodies.
I pulled up about 1000 kilometers and did a close orbit sweep, which came up with four objects that hadn’t hit the ground yet. Three of the fragments turned out to be the remains of two old Dralthi, one in two pieces. I saw plenty of shot-up Dralthi during the war, and the damage on these two looked like any other energy weapon attack. I did notice one thing. The more-or-less intact Dralthi had a cockpit that was ruptured, but not destroyed. However the pilot was not in the ship. I got within three meters of the seat with my camera, and took some pictures. Through the viewfinder, I could clearly see that the restraints had been unfastened, not damaged. Although it’s possible that the pilot may have loosened the straps and left the cockpit himself, for some reason, my personal opinion, based on the intact Dralthi and the general lack of remains after the attack, is that the dead Kilrathi — and maybe living ones too — were gathered up by the enemy after the attack.
The fourth object was smaller than the others, and I probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all except the computer was reading it as anomalous — the analysis routines wouldn’t even guess what is was or even what it was made of. It was about 2 meters, by 1 meter, by about 25 centimeters. It definitely looked manufactured — the undamaged portions of the surface were smooth, and had a definite odd sheen, sort of like a fish’s scales or the inside of a seashell. Color was dark, almost black, with a bit of purple. While I couldn’t make a positive ID, I was very sure that it wasn’t Confed or Kilrathi, and it wasn’t natural, so under the circumstances it seemed pretty likely to be a chunk of an alien ship. I took a few pictures and did a full passive scan, then I tractored it and secured it with a waldo.
My orders were to bug out as soon as I collected any useful intelligence, and I figured this qualified, so I took one more medium-range sweep and left the same way I’d come in. I left the area at 2207, and arrived back at the base by 2310. (Note: Preliminary analysis of the images and data collected by Maj. Washington confirm his account. At this time, analysis has nothing significant to add. A full report is pending.)
REPORT ON ARTIFACT FOUND AT KILRAH 7.4
Object is an irregular slab of hard substance, 1.88 meters long at its longest point, 1.33 meters wide at its widest point, and 28 cm thick. Object describes a slight convex curve of approximately 3 degrees. Composition appears to be primarilysilicon with other trace elements in a crystalline matrix. Color is dark, with a red or purple tint, surface is glossy and displays a moire or “shimmer” effect under direct light. Two contiguous sides of the object are jagged and slightly twisted, suggesting that the object is part of a larger structure, and was blown or ripped off in combat or some sort of accident. Slight smudges and scores on the object are consistent with
the effects of Kilrathi lasers.
The crystalline structure is quite unusual, and will take some time to analyze fully. However, the object appears to be composed of a complex polymer chain. Overall, the substance is about 1.8 times as hard as Confed fighter hull metal, but slightly more brittle. The concave side of the object displays one large and three small depressions. The large depression consists of a central cavity about half a centimeter in depth, and about 22 x 19 centimeters across. From the central cavity, three radial channels branch off within an arc of about 60 degrees. These channels are equal in depth to the central cavity, and vary in width from 3.1 to 1.2 centimeters, ranging from 27 to 34 centimeters in length. The three smaller depressions are arranged in a shallow curved line about 35 centimeters from the large cavity. They are slightly shallower than the central cavity, circular, about 3 centimeters in diameter. On viewing these depressions the observer is forcefully struck with the impression that they represent a “hand-print” (or “claw print”) with one of the appendages representing an opposable “thumb.” Likewise, the smaller depressions suggest three “finger-tip” sized “buttons.” Exerting pressure on these cavities has no discernible mechanical effect, and indeed the entire object seems completely solid. It is possible, however (though still unconfirmed) that the depressions do represent controls or switches of some kind. The crystalline structure of the object bears microscopic irregularities which seem to represent some sort of “channel” through the object, and it is possible that these “channels” may represent circuits for the conduction of electricity or some other form of energy. If so, bringing the appropriate appendage into contact with the depressions may initiate actions or transmit information throughout the structure from which the object was detached. If this hypo-thesis proves correct, in effect the artifact’s creators have managed to incorporate the circuitry of complex machinery into the superstructure of the machine itself, greatly reducing the number of parts, and allowing for extensive redundancy of systems.
In conclusion, the artifact appears to be a fragment of a larger structure or device, possibly a ship. It’s composition and construction conform to the standards of no known race, either past or present, however it appears to be the work of an advanced tool-using culture with a knowledge of physics, chemistry and engineering which, in most cases, seems to rival or exceed our own.
bTHE ENEMY: PRELIMINARY DATA
Current data about the nature of the enemy is as follows.
1. They entered our space at Kilrah, presumably through a gate or singularity ofunknown nature.
2. They have systematically destroyed all structures and vessels found in the Kilrah system.
3. Their tactics are efficient, thorough and brutal. Evidence suggests all sentients under their attack are either killed or taken prisoner.
4. The degree and speed of destruction suggests a force equivalent to a major Confed strike force consisting of multiple battleships and fighters.
5. They have been able to jam subspace communications during their attacks, completely cutting their targets out of communication.
6. They appear to be establishing a sphere of control with Kilrah at the center. There are two possible scenarios to explain the enemy’s identity at this point.Either:
A. The enemy is an extremely well-armed and organized fleet of Kilrathi insurgents. Or,
B. The enemy is a fleet from a previously unknown starfaring race.
The first hypothesis carries the weight of Occam’s Razor behind it. It is almost axiomatic that several of the most significant groups of outlaw Kilrathi would wish to retake their home system. The apparent destruction of several Kilrathi communities (including the secret armed base at 7.4), while puzzling, is not greatly inconsistent with the Kilrathi character, particularly in light of the recent resurgence in ancient clan rivalries. What is both puzzling and troubling is the question of where the Kilrathi (assuming they are Kilrathi) may have got the previously unknown jamming technologies and formidable destructive potential inherent in the presumed and confirmed attacks, as well as a the possibility of a previously unknown jump technology. The anomalous artifact from Kilrah 7.4 is also disconcerting. We are led inexorably towards a third scenario.
C. The enemy represents an alliance between the Kilrathi and some previously unknown alien race. If an unknown race is, in fact, involved in the attacks, that raises further questions. As to their biology, the only data available is the “hand print” on the artifact recovered at Kilrah 7.4. If this is indeed what the shape represents, and not some sort of writing or art, the impression is of a remarkably flexible tool-using appendage, larger than a human hand and possibly even stronger than a Kilrathi claw. The hypothetical appendage, while possessing the approximate functionality of a human hand, conforms to the morphology of no known alien species. Nothing can be stated about their psychology, except that the thoroughness and efficiency of the attacks suggests a remarkable degree of organization and cooperation. Machine intelligence, or some sort of hive-mind, would not be inconsistent with current data.
STRATEGIC ANALYSIS
The military situation suggested by the current crisis is indisputably grim for Confed, but there is absolutely no evidence at this time which could be reasonably construed to suggest that the situation is hopeless. While the enemy attacks thus far have been overwhelming and daunting in their efficiency and completeness, their targets have been largely unarmed and isolated. The only actual military victory that can be claimed by the enemy at this time is the destruction of the Brack and its escorts, a group consisting of one small capital ship and less than a dozen tactical fighters. The ominous elements of the enemy’s success so far cannot be ignored, however. They consist of:
• The enemy’s apparent ability to emerge from an access point of unknown origin without warning and (at least at the time) undetected.
• The enemy’s ability to completely seal off their targets from all communications prior to and for the duration of the attacks.
• The speed and destructive thoroughness of the attacks themselves. Of these three points, the third is actually the least alarming. A confed carrier group attacking from a convenient jump point could have destroyed any of the targets so far attacked with equal dispatch using conventional naval weaponry. In destructive potential, the enemy has shown itself to be Confed’s equal, but has not yet demonstrated that it is our master.
The enemy’s communications-blocking technology does seem to represent a significant strategic advantage (although it’s effectiveness has been blunted now that the initial element of surprise is lost). However, the advantage thereby is no greater than, for example, the Kilrathi’s development of cloaking technology during that conflict. Strategically, the significant questions are as follows:
1. Will closing off the access point at Kilrah effectively halt enemy operations, or can a similar access be established elsewhere? Or perhaps the attack originated from an undiscovered staging point already within the Confed sphere?
2. Does the force so far encountered represent a large, state-of-the-art strike force, or does the enemy have even more devastating forces staged in reserve?
If the enemy’s entry point to our space can be sealed, and if the current force represents the apex of their military science, then Confed probably faces a brutal but winnable conflict should the enemy persist in an aggressive posture. Of course, if the enemy force consists primarily or entirely of Kilrathi insurgents, it is highly likely that they have already extended their conventional warfare assets to the maximum, and our primary fear then becomes pirate strikes and guerrilla actions staged from the retaken Kilrah system. However, if the enemy can access our space from multiple and unpredictable points, or if they have significantly more destructive forces and weapons in reserve, it is possible that we face a conflict that is unwinnable through conventional military action.
Although it’s far from certain, logic dictates that the more optimistic scenario is the more likely — that access points into our space are not easy nor economical to establish, and that the current force, while probably not the entirely of the enemy naval capacity, is not a trivial or non-representative sample of their military
c a p a b i l i t i e s .
Our assets, even in the most extreme scenario against a completely-unknown enemy, are our extensive knowledge of Kilrathi and Confed space, our numbers, and our unrestricted lines of supply. If we combine these with creative but prudent strategy, we may well be able to contain and defeat the enemy. Strategic Recommendations. Intel recommends that naval operations pursue a near-term strategy of maximum defensive readiness combined with limited offensive feints and probes to test the enemy capabilities. Since the enemy’s effectiveness against smaller forces was demonstrated against the Brack, it is recommended that initial sorties include at least one carrier or megacarrier, and a proportional escort of cap-ships. Since the enemy’s effectiveness against static targets is established, it is recommended that all spaceworthy battleships be kept in space and dispersed, returning to base only for the minimum times required.
In the absence of further data, our initial long-term goal should be to capture and seal the hypothetical enemy access point at Kilrah.
NONHUMAN HISTORICALANALYSIS
The purpose of this report is to consider the possibility that the enemy is some race other than the Kilrathi, and to examine the history of the Kilrathi and other nonhuman races for clues as to the identity of this hypothetical mystery race. The alien threat conforms to nothing previously encountered by humanity, except perhaps the most hysterical manifestations of the 20th century “UFO” hysteria, or ancient myths of vengeful gods or monsters descending from heaven and raining destruction.
Likewise a superficial examination of Firekkan history shows contact with nothing similar, nor does the Double-Helix civilization (unsurprising, since the Double-Helix has very little concept of history in the human sense). Pre-space cultures like the Mopokes also offer no useful perspective, at least on initial analysis.
Investigation of any possible link between the current enemy and such putativelyextinct civilizations as the ancient Steltek or the comparatively recent Hari will be an ongoing process. So far there is no evidence to link the current threat with any such civilization known.
Given the enemy’s emergence at the former site of planet Kilrah, in the current Kilrah asteroid belt, it seems obvious that Kilrathi history must bear the first and most intense scrutiny for any pertinent hints. Two possibilities immediately suggest themselves.
The first is the Mantu, an alien race that came into conflict with the Kilrathi approximately two Terran centuries before the Kilrathi first encountered humanity. The Mantu conflict ended in a standoff, and as far as can be discerned no Mantu ship has tried to cross or enter Kilrathi space since that time. In the 250-odd years since the Mantu conflict, the Kilrathi have aggrandized, vilified and generally mythologized their former foe (a similar process is now occurring towards Confed — it seems to be an intrinsic Kilrathi trait to deify/demonize those enemies which cannot be defeated). However, the Mantu war is a historical conflict which left contemporary records, and these have been examined by Terran historians since the surrender.
Once the propaganda and legend are stripped away, the Mantu seem to have been an insular, somewhat paranoid race of explorers and prospectors who reacted with extreme prejudice to Kilrathi aggression. Significantly, there is no suggestion in the historical record that the initial aggressor in the conflict was the Mantu. Probably the Kilrathi assaulted non-military Mantu vessels in much the same way that they did at the beginning of the Terran conflict.
The Kilrathi fear of the Mantu’s return is well documented, but may well be merely a paranoid, atavistic response to an enemy left alive and at large (another welldocumented trait of Kilrathi psychology). There is nothing substantial in the historical record to suggest any explicit promises of vengeance from the Mantu civilization against the Kilrathi.
Futhermore, there is nothing in the current enemy’s tactics or technology that corresponds to anything specific in the historical record of the Mantu. If the enemy is the Mantu they have completely changed their modus operandi in the last 250 years.
That being said, it must be admitted that the enemy’s known level of technology could well have been achieved by the Mantu in the last two centuries, and they remain a suspect, or at least a primary line of inquiry. The possibility of an alliance between some Kilrathi faction and their ancient Mantu enemies seems preposterous on the face of it, but given the massive recent upheavals in Kilrathi society, it cannot be ignored.
The second possibility from Kilrathi history is far more ancient and more nebulous, dating back approximately four millennia, to the dawn of Kilrathi civilization and the Cult of Sivar.
Kilrathi myth holds that in ancient times, warrior-gods descended from the stars and challenged the warriors of Kilrah to battle. But when the Kilrathi army assembled, the gods scorned the force, pronouncing the Kilrathi unworthy of their attention. The gods left, promising to return and battle the Kilrathi when they became worthy. This myth is the source of the famous “Prophecy of Sivar” (which many xenohistorians believe predates its reported authoress, the prophetess Kt’lan, and even the historical prophet Sivar himself, by several centuries), which formed a philosophic cornerstone of Kilrathi culture.
The Prophecy and its surrounding myth have been explicitly used by religious propagandists throughout Kilrathi history to justify the race’s militaristic and expansionist tendencies. All battles, including the Mantu, Hari and Terran conflicts, have been seen by the Cult of Sivar as preparation for the final challenge of the star gods. Specifically, the prophecy states that if the Kilrathi ever faltered in their path
of conquest, the gods would return and destroy both the Kilrathi remnant and their conquerors (a horrific prediction to the Kilrathi, who view the death of a blood-foe by another’s hand as among the gravest of dishonors). The Cult of Sivar viewed
Kilrathi history as heading towards one of only two possible outcomes. The first, Tr’thrak, is a sort of Ragnarok — a glorious final battle against the star gods where the Kilrathi would find either final victory or eternal honor in death. The second, Kn’thrack, or “void,” would occur if the Kilrathi were defeated by unworthy opponents and the star gods returned to annihilate the race without honor.
In human history the pattern of pre-historic military conflict being recorded as mythology for posterity is well established. Examples include the Mayan Quetzlcoatl myth, the Egyption tales of Horus, Osiris and Set, and the Hebrew legends of the Nephilim, or “giants in the earth.” Kilrathi Sivarist doctrine has always been explicit regarding the possibility that the star-gods of the ancient myth are physical beings come to wage war with great magic (advanced technology?), but who could be faced and perhaps conquered by a sufficiently prepared and resolute warrior-race.
If the current enemy is indeed the ancient race of “star gods” who (accidentally or on purpose) set the pattern of Kilrathi civilization in motion thousands of years ago, then we can only hope that their progress in the intervening millennia has been far slower than ours.
ADDENDA: As of 2681.020 0715, as this document was being prepared for distribution, Confed Intelligence Central Processing assigned the code name “Nephilim” to the current threat, until such time as a more precise appellation is possible.
(
hope this helps you squish all the bugs 
*See Prophecy Gold Manual*)
