Kushan

The Kushan are a race that lived on Kharak in the Vuyt'tuik Universe It is revealed that the Kushan are not native to the desert planet, having actually arrived there from Hiigara after being sent into an exile by the Taiidan Empire. In 1585 N.E., the Kushan made first contact with the Alliance of Nations when their home Galaxy was discovered and became a supporting member to defend their worlds from the Axis of Empires and the Coalition of Independent States.

History

The Kushan were the exiled Hiigarans who found their world on Kharak. The Kushan were a powerful empire divided into extended families called Kiithid, centred on the planet of Hiigara before they fell from grace in a war with the Taiidan and were exiled from their world on pain of death. Some of them hid in the Great Nebula while others fled to the planet of Kharak where they forgot their origins and became similar to the Bedouin in terms of culture and religion. For 3,000 years, the Exiles survived on Kharak. Hiigara became a legend, and in time even the legend was forgotten. This all changed when a satellite discovered an ancient starship buried in the sand. Inside lay the Guidestone and the word "Hiigara" - home - etched on its surface. But this was not the only discovery, for deep within the ruin lay the ancient Hyperspace Core. When once it had resulted in their Exile, this core would now return the Exiles home.

The blueprints of the core were integrated and expanded upon, or so the Hiigarans presumed. In fact, the core itself remained at the heart of the Mothership's drive. It was merely the containment unit that had been expanded to account for the stresses of sending a Mothership Class vessel through hyperspace. The containment units, which had proven perfectly sufficient onboard Sajuuk's Wrath, were unusable due to the substantially lower energy output of post-Exile technology.

Despite having brought the core with them, the Hiigarans had no understanding of its power or its true origins until 40 years after their arrival on Hiigara, when the first documents explaining its history were unearthed. Accompanying these documents were a collection of blueprints and schematics remarkably similar to those produced thousands of years later by the engineers who built the Mothership.

However, further delving into the archives revealed that these cores were more than merely the instruments of the Hiigaran's Exile and return. In many of the archives, it was recorded that the cores possessed by the Hiigarans and the Bentusi represented two of three powerful artifacts dating far beyond the reach of history.

Blessing or Curse

Reports differed depending on the source. Some stated that these cores were a gift from Sajuuk, the Great Maker, to his favored children. Others suggested they may have been forged at the same time as the universe itself, within the same forge in which Sajuuk had hammered the sky from raw thought. Still more implied the cores survived from a time before time, when gods traveled the stars in search of races to endow with sentience for their amusement. More mundane, but mentioned in several key writings, was the possibility that they were merely leftovers from an empire that had fallen many hundreds of thousands of years prior.

Yet all the documents, while differing in many areas, agreed upon one fact. When the third of the great cores is unearthed, it will mark the beginnings of the End Time. Judgment will come upon the children of Sajuuk, and only the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen people, will stand unchanged by His Hand.

Mother of the New Hiigaran Age

Debate raged throughout the Daiamid for many years after the Hiigarans returned home regarding what should be done with this ancient core. The Kiith Naabal and Manaan both argued in favor of restoring the core to active service, while Kiith Soban and Somtaaw thought the past was better left buried. However, in reality, all awaited the verdict of one Kiith upon the matter.

Ultimately, the decision lay not with Kiith S'jet, but in the hands of its most honored and respected member, Karan S'jet. As the pioneer of the neural interface that made the Mothership's journey possible, and the mind behind its pilgrimage, hers was without doubt the most respected opinion on Hiigara. All the more so because it was so rarely given, and even then only on matters of grave import. There was no doubt that in a matter tied so closely to the history of their people and the technology of the Hyperspace Cores, Karan's opinion, if given, would be the deciding factor for the Daiamid.

Her connection to the Mothership had permanently changed Karan. The years since the return to Hiigara did not show upon her features, nor had she lost any of the sharpness and incisive intelligence that had allowed her to both develop the first neural link and guide the Mothership through the trials it had undergone traveling to Hiigara.

Yet Karan had withdrawn from any involvement in governance almost immediately after reaching Hiigara. While never detailing her reasons, she had made it clear that being connected to the core had changed the way in which she saw both the world and the stars. Already regarded as a savior, her distance from the public eye actually enhanced her status as an enigmatic messiah, and the cult of personality that had already begun to form around her was growing daily. Already various groups were offering insights into her every word, and icons depicting her embedded within the bridge of the Mothership were sold in every corner of Hiigara.

The Core at Rest

On the matter of the ancient core she offered a rare public opinion, outlining the matter in the simplest terms. The core, regardless of the power it offered, was best left as a publicly accessible monument to the trials and triumphs of the Hiigaran people and the mysteries that still remain to be resolved, rather than being pressed into active service. After all, while it would offer near limitless travel to the fleets of Hiigara, it was a freedom that would merely distract from the duties at hand. With the process of rebuilding still ongoing, the population of Hiigara was still only barely sufficient to protect the nearby sectors of space, let alone to travel across the galaxy in safety.

Following her wishes, a museum was founded at Assaam Kiith'sid, also the home of the planetary government. Here the core and the history of its origins and meaning to the people of Hiigara were made available to any and all who cared to visit. For many, it was the first chance to see the instrument of their salvation, and also to reflect upon its role in their Exile. Also including the few artifacts brought with the Hiigarans from Kharak and many new discoveries unearthed upon Hiigara, the museum reflected the past, present, and future of the Hiigaran people