"Book One - "Beginnings"
One
In The Beginning...in the time of the Ancients...
It was long ago in the mists of time that the planet Ch'aaron was settled and colonized by the Ancients. Ch'aaron was a beautiful planet, and in that time, Ch'aaron was known as the most beautiful planet in the Quadrant - much like Arus was to be in a future time.
The Ancients (no one could remember the alien name they were known by) were an advanced culture. They embraced the arts of the mind and the body. Although they produced the weapons of war, they did not use them. Their offspring were genetically perfect. The warlike qualities of their ancestors had been culled away from their genetic DNA, but they were a spirited race and would fight and fight well. Their culture was a controlled one.
The Ancients were humanoid, much like the Terrans which would inhabit the Galaxy in later times. Legends said that they were tall and fair with exceptional beauty. Although there were no holos left of their appearance, the ancient writings of the Drule General, V'aa'ldral left a detailed record of their physical descriptions. He, like many of the ancient Drules, seemed to have an attraction towards the women of the Ancients This attraction and the fact that the culture was a rich one, seemed to have captured the attention of the Drule Overlords, who had recently banded together to form a consortium.
However, on Ch'aaron, the culture thrived for centuries, until like Ancient Rome of Earth, they crumbled from within. Other cultures bombarded their own purity, and muddied their efforts to stay that way. Attacks from the barbarian Drules came more frequently. Their planet was constantly being raided for slaves and riches. Although they were able to defend their planet, the raids continued. Many people fled Ch'aaron, including members of the Royal House, who had fled to planets that were furthest from the fighting, namely the primitive but peaceful planet of Arus.Raid after raid came, until finally in a desperate measure, the Ancients launched biological warfare. The choking mists beat back the invading Drules, but it also signaled the end of the Ancients and their planet. Everything broke down - the evironment became unstable, hostile.In the aftermath of the Great War, a nuclear warhead was detonated on the far side of the planet, causing castastophe - Nuclear winter...
Coldness blanketed the planet, the sun could not shine through the ashes and the heavy cloud cover. The hardy plants that survived the chemical warfare died then, and the Ancients - or what was left of them, became like animals. The entire civilization broke down. They died horrible deaths one by one as what was known as the Sickness swept through them. No one would come near their planet now, for it was a planet of death. The Drules nicknamed the planet D'ule'chaa, which roughly translated, meant Doomworld.....
For centuries, it stood - dark, barren, no life upon it at all, except for some mutant species of smaller animals and birds hardy enough to withstand the harsh enviroment. Ch'aaron was empty until a young warlord came and staked his claim upon it...