Cora

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Object Name: CORA (KOR-uh)

Celestial Classification: Remains of Class C Planet, Formerly Jungle

Planetary Size: ~36951.745248 kmd or 2.9 times the size of LE

Number of Moons: 0; all destroyed in initial implosion blast

Rotational Period: Formerly 28 ESH (28 hours per day)

Orbital Period: Formerly 390 PRY (planetary rotations per year)

Atmospheric Conditions: Category I

Population Size and Diversity: 0 Inhabitants on surface (Quarran)

Technology Level: Formerly Level IV-V (Quarran survivors) 

Once a lush, jungle-filled planet full of beautiful rivers and lakes surrounded by swaths of tall, green trees and other flowery foliage, what remains of Cora is utterly uninhabitable. Its once-nitrogen rich indigo waters are now as dry and barren as the landscapes they once flowed through, for Cora’s atmosphere has been damaged beyond repair. Caused by the ceaseless warfare of its inimical inhabitants, Cora’s fractured terrain is no longer capable of supporting any life. All that remains of the planet’s mass circles around its fiery core. For unexplained reasons, Cora’s core still pulsates with light, radiation and heat, and generates enough gravitational force to keep the majority of the demolished planet’s fragmented chunks in a loose orbit around it.

A medium-sized world once located in the Inner Core of the Galaxy, the destruction of Cora reverberated across the Galaxy. The humid homeworld of the Quarran Empire, Cora’s former environments were among the most inhospitable in the Inner Core. Its nitrogen-rich waters were incredibly hypoxic; lacking any significant amount of oxygen within them, they choked any plants or animals that attempted to survive within the planet’s purply channels. All terrestrial life on the planet was incredibly territorial, which made it extremely difficult to move across the planet’s surface unless traveling in large groups or with an adequate amount of protection. Even Cora’s various plant species contributed to the planet’s incredibly inhospitable surface, as nearly all of them were either poisonous or acidic. Moreover, all non-toxic plant species present on the planet were considered calorically-poor, and not suitable for sustained sustenance. Thus, Cora bred some of the most dangerous and ruthless creatures in the Galaxy, including the warlike Quarran.

Like their host planet, all of Cora’s moons were obliterated upon the planet’s implosion. The blast from Cora’s destruction shattered all the planet’s moons, completely vaporizing all those in closest proximity to the doomed planet. Theorized to have once been Quarran weapon factories, shipyards, and training stations, the remains of these moons are now as uninhabitable as Cora itself. Only a few scattered sections of Quarran infrastructure persist on the largest fragments, leaving only the most enforced facilities still intact. Though the Quarran have attempted to scavenge these lunar remains, none of their efforts appear to have been successful. 

The Quarran (KWAH-renn)

A species as that considers itself as aggressive, territorial, and hostile as its native neighbors, the cycloptic Quarran are driven by their desire to conquer all of the known Galaxy. A technologically advanced species, the Quarran’s menacing motives are only enhanced by the destruction of their home planet. Though the exact cause of their planet’s destruction is unknown, it is theorized that unceasing civil wars led to the inevitable disintegration of Cora. Regardless of the cause, the Quarran have since thrust their outraged mourning of their shattered home world onto the rest of the Galaxy. Conquering any and all planets near the remains of their once-lively world, the Quarran thrive upon the subjugation and enslavement of other species that they deem their “lesser”. 

Quarran Culture

Quarran culture appears relatively universal; dominating all other lifeforms (including other Quarran) is one’s sole purpose in life. Quarran imperials operate under a strict ideology of self-imposed superiority and natural selection—in other words, the Quarran only consider the species living in the harshest environments possessing the strength required to exist. Furthermore, the Quarran consider themselves the perfect example of adaptive evolution. To them, no other sentient species in the Galaxy can hope to compare with a Quarran in any capacity, for a Quarran is inherently better in every conceivable way than every other species that has or will ever exist. As such, any species whose existence contrasts with this code of survival of the fittest must be conquered and forced “to serve their betters.” Therefore, the Quarran have cut a path of conquest, destruction, and genocide across the Galaxy in hopes of “purifying” perceived weaknesses.

Although they have developed technological innovations comparable to some of the more advanced civilizations in the Galaxy, the Quarran hold no qualms with assimilating the various industries, resources, and crafts into their armories. Though they are perfectly capable of building their own ships, weapons, and other armaments, Quarran Imperials prefer to either enslave or recruit some of the Galaxy’s finest shipbuilders, weaponsmiths, and scientists to manufacture their arsenals for them. However, this does not mean that the Quarran are willing to sacrifice their preferred technological designs in favor of efficient advancement. Instead, they force their inducted technicians to adapt any and all technologies available towards the Quarran’s preferences. While the weapon and shield systems on Quarran craft have steadily improved over the past solar cycles, their speed, maneuverability, and versatility have remained fairly static. In essence, one of the Quarran’s key weaknesses is their predictability; Quarran motivations, weapon types, and even battle tactics have remained largely unchanged throughout their Empire’s history, and if carefully analyzed, can be used against them.  Ultimately, this has kept Quarran influence out of many of the planets within the Inner and Outer Cores, for in their predictability, they poor foes for more technologically-advanced species.