Askorrans

Overview
The Askorrans were the first alien race the humans came across when they entered the Einstein-Rosen bridge at the edge of the Sol System. Askorrans are an avian race that resemble the birds of Earth. They have an average height of 5 feet and average weight of 140 pounds. Male Askorrans’ plumage is typically bright colored, and can be reddish, blue, green, brown, black, and very rarely mustard in color. Female Askorrans have duller plumage, and are typically brown, black, or reddish in color. Askorrans are great hunters. When they turn twelve, Askorrans go through a right of passage in which they build their own rifle, called an orone. Askorrans are raised from a young age to bond with their orone and use them for hunting and warfare. Because of this, Askorrans are well-known for being excellent marksmen.

Askorran name generator.

Discovery and the Raccan Massacre
Askorra was the first planet the humans came across after they entered the mouth of the wormhole at the edge of the Sol System. When the Thylacine, a Solar Confederacy research ship sent to explore what lay beyond the star system, exited the wormhole into the Shivan System, the crew had no way of knowing what would happen. The ship’s systems went dark, and the ship entered emergency protocols. When the emergency blast doors covering the cruiser’s bridge viewport opened back up, the Thylacine had already entered Askorra’s atmosphere and was minutes from crashing into the surface of the Earth-like planet. The navigation crew of the ship was able to crash land the ship nearly entirely intact, just outside a rural community.

At their first encounter, there was a seemingly insurmountable language barrier to bypass. The farming community outside which the Thylacine landed and the apparent lack of advanced technology led the humans to believe that the Askorrans were relatively under-developed compared to the advanced technology level of the Sol System. On top of the language barrier, the Askorrans who lived in the rural farming district where the ship crashed were strictly against outsiders entering their community. They were known as the Racca Gheit, an old Askorran religious community that wanted nothing to do with outsiders or the advancing technology of their world. The Racca Gheit held the crew of the Thylacine hostage, and would not let them leave the ship.

It wasn’t until the Shivan Alliance sent in an entire Askorran military division to contain and investigate the Earth ship that the humans knew the Askorrans had technology just as advanced as that of the Sol System. The peace that had existed for centuries between the Askorran government and the Racca Gheit was shattered as the military forced their way into the Racca Gheit’s territory. The Racca Gheit refused to willingly let the military personnel into their community, and a battle broke out between the two parties. The vast majority of the Racca Gheit were killed off in what became known as the Raccan Massacre. The crew of the Thylacine viewed the Askorran military division as a helpful force that “freed” them from the Racca Gheit. The Askorrans did not take long to take the Racca Gheit’s place, however. They put the Thylacine on lockdown and treated the humans onboard as an invasive force.

As the Askorrans were investigating the Thylacine, many officials of the Shivan Alliance came to study and inspect the Earth ship. After discovering the research materials onboard the Thylacine and the surprising lack of firepower, the Shivan Alliance determined the humans were not a threat. The Dalthians took the lead on cooperating with the humans in order to adapt the Shivan Alliance’s translating technology to the English language. After many decades, this technology was replaced by the development and teaching of a new, common language throughout the Milky Way known simply as Basic. The remainder of the Racca Gheit, along with human sympathizers from the Thylacine, formed a religious group that would later become known as the Nocarian Brotherhood.