Tsu-Khan
The Tsu-Khan are an alien race in the Osirion universe. They are the primary enemy in the story. Currently, they are in a cold war with the Colonies. No one has seen them in space outside their territories for over 300 years. Only short radio transmissions have been exchanged.
There is no known official name for their race, and they are referred to by the current ruling faction.
The Tsu-Khan are war-like beings. Their governance is through the strength of the leading clan. Though their system of government is primitive, they have shown great scientific prowess, a deep artistic heritage, and compelling philosophical theory. It is not known exactly when they achieved space flight, but it is theorized that 3rd-party intervention was involved. The Tsu-Khan do not have anywhere near as modern a culture as the Humans do, and should not have been able to break through their home world's thick atmosphere until much later.
As it is, the Tsu-Khan pose a major threat to the survival of the human race, and possibly every other undiscovered civilization in the galaxy. Their technological capabilities far exceed that of the Humans, and it can only be assumed that they are preparing their forces for a second assault.
Most of the information on this page was recovered from the wreckage of the first war. Few prisoners were kept and even fewer lived to be interrogated.
History
In their first recorded history, the Tsu-Khan consisted of just a handful of nomadic tribes who roamed their planet's surface, hunting and gathering food and supplies. Eventually, one tribe, the Jai-Rii, took up arms and began their conquest of the world. Eventually, all the other tribes banded together to defeat the Jai-Rii. After many years of bloody warfare, their conquest was put to an end. The victorious alliance became one tribe, called the Kuu-Saar. They built a massive city-state surrounded by farmland, and their culture began to grow. Science was greatly encouraged and many technologies were conceived in a very short period of time. Soon, this city-state grew in size, and the Kuu-Saar began to spread and build more cities. The first Kuu-Saar nation was established.
The Kuu-Saar scientists had never been able to successfully exit their planet's atmosphere. Their homeworld's atmosphere was several times thicker than what would be considered normal for human life, and Kuu-Saar science did not have a way to break through it. Undeterred, they sent rocket after rocket, each with different configurations, but none of them could break orbit. Seeing a race eager to explore the stars, the Kuu-Saar were greeted by the Bringers of Great Knowledge, an alien race written about in Kuu-Saar history, but never encountered by the Human race. The Bringers taught the Kuu-Saar how to break through their planet's atmosphere, and revealed to them the secrets of the jump drive.
Spurred by their new-found knowledge, the Kuu-Saar could not sate their desire for more technology and information. The Bringers knew much more but were reluctant to share, for they believed that the Kuu-Saar would have to learn for themselves after being given the gift of space exploration. Unable to get the information they demanded, the Kuu-Saar declared war on the Bringers, and attacked. Their force, however, paled in comparison with that of the Bringers. The Kuu-Saar weapons were useless against the mighty ships of the Bringers and only served to upset the Bringers. The Bringers, angry with the Kuu-Saar for their selfishness and greed, disappeared, leaving the Kuu-Saar in space to fend for themselves against the unknown.
The Kuu-Saar, feeling confused and betrayed, immediately began to distrust each other. The bounties of space drove them mad with greed, and it wasn't long until civil war began. The war raged for hundreds of years, and spanned several star systems. Various planets capable of sustaining life were reduced to desolate rocks. Kiana was the last battleground, with three remaining factions caught in a titanic struggle for supremacy. Eventually, one faction was victorious: the evil empire, the Tsu-Khan.
The Tsu-Khan wiped out the remaining opposition, and began to force the Kuu-Saar into slave labor. The Emperor proclaimed himself supreme being, and threatened divine punishment on anyone who opposed him. Soon, his army of slaves had constructed an entire fleet of ships, with one massive flagship, the Throne Ship. Nearly all of Kiana's resources were consumed in this task, leaving industrial facilities littering its surface. Massive amounts of pollution rendered the atmosphere incredibly toxic, and so Kiana became an uninhabitable wasteland. Countless died from the endless work, the poisonous atmosphere, and unspeakable cruelty inflicted by the Tsu-Khan.
The Emperor was killed during the Battle of Anara, 300 years ago. His heir, Soh-Gii, ordered an immediate retreat upon his death. When he finally returned home, Forward Maal-Tol assumed power over the empire, and Soh-Gii was denied the status of Empress due of her cowardice. In order to prevent an uprising, Maal-Tol ordered Soh-Gii's execution as an example.
