Compiled by Andrew “Neo” Modeen
W/material excerpted from Dan “Sojourner” Hung, Ben “LOAF” Lesnick, & Brandon “Avatarr” Alspaugh
Primary sources. . .
“Victory Streak” [WC3]
Kilrathi Saga manual
Wing Commander : Terran Confederation Handbook
All 7 Baen novels & both Harper novels
Various Aces PBMsI. Kilrathi Terminology
II. A Brief Kilrathi Timeline
III. Kilrathi Armed Forces Ranks
IV. Word of the Codices
V. Known Emperors
VI. The Great Clans
VII. Psycho-Anthropological Profile of the Kilrathi
VIII. Kilrathi Tactics
IX. Kilrathi Ships( * = Aces-derived )
* Ak’rah - A leafy bush native to Kilrah. The leaves of the ak’rah bushes are edible to most herbivorous and omnivorous mammals. The Kilrathi plants the ak’rah to feed their livestock. Planting ak’rah bushes has the subtle meaning of "planting the flag" and "conquest" to the Kilrathi.
Arakh leaves - A popular intoxicant, often used to make tea.
Bak - A predator to the Kilrathi who is a threat. Also mentioned as having "something to do with old diapers."
Birha - Type of tree featuring large, red, sweet-scented flowers; native to the planet Ghorah Khar.
Boryangee - Frail, hairy creature that often raided the garbage heaps on Kilrah.
Brajakh Kar - "The Fortress of the Dark."
* Brakha - "Attack."
Cadre - Any group of hand-picked specialists loyal to the hrai of the Clan’s baron.
Chakta - Those rare warriors of equal rank who deserve honorable execution upon capture rather than slavery.
Chee’dyachee - Senior vassal and retainer, usually of the Crown Prince, who wields much power and commands much influence. Considered to be the perfect place to watch the Imperial family in the interests of the chee’dyachee’s own Clan.
Churnah - "Grandmother," typically used in the context of insult.
Codices, Kilrathi - At least ten codices that give the basic fundamentals of Kilrathi warrior society.
Creed of Service, Kilrathi - "My heart does not know fear. For I am a servant to Sivar. My claws do not know shame. For I am a warrior of Kilrah. My Clan shall not be disgraced. For I service my hrai and lord. With my tongue I offer fealty. With my claws I unsheathe victory. With my mane bowed I lie down. And offer up my life for honor."
Dai - "Honorific between given name and surname that marked a noble’s rank." A word that can go between a Kilrathi’s "first" and "last" name, though not all Kilrathi use this and not all Kilrathi have surnames. (example name: Ukar dai Ragark lak Haka)
Dakhath - "Deathstroke."
Dolosians - A strong, intelligent alien race of the Dolos System, though one not yet spaceborne. They were enslaved in the early twenty-seventh century by the Kilrathi Empire. Their world, Dolos, became the site of the 2653 Sivar-Eshrad ceremony the TCS Tiger’s Claw thwarted.
Dor-Chak - "Striking Bird." A bladed laser rifle for which the Confederation based its M-47 Semi-Auto Laser Assault Rifle.
Dowager Empress - The given title of the Kilrathi Emperor’s mother.
Drakhai - Elite Imperial guard units. Elite Kilrathi units receives the Drakhai title after proving their abilities on the battlefied. To become a Drakhai, a pilot must have killed at least 8 enemies in combat. This is perhaps one of the weakest links in the Kilrathi military, the tendency of their rulers to keep their best pilots off the front lines. Elite Kilrathi Marines, also referred to as the Imperial Guard, are referred to as Drakhai as well.
Ek’rah skabak erg Thrak’Kilrah maks Ragnith - "For the Glory of Kilrah, the Emperor, and the Empire."
* Ekrashk - A Kilrathi laser assault rifle. The Ekrashk-28 was seen in service in 2668, while the Ekrashk-34 was seen in 2680.
Eyoka - An alien race of unknown appearance and nature conquered by the Kilrathi Empire, an ill-fated conflict that preceded the Kilrathi conquering of the Wu. It is not known if any Eyoka survivors are involved with the Confederation.
Fa’orc’al, Banner of - Banner given by the Emperor himself to the most courageous Imperial pilots.
Gatagak’vu - "Total eradication," used in the context of "a war of."
Gorth - An alien race of unknown appearance and nature conquered by the Kilrathi Empire. It is not known if any Gorth survivors are involved with the Confederation.
Haggans - Aggressive aliens of unknown appearance that find the Jarma "to be a particular delicacy." It is not known if the Haggans are involved with the Confederation.
Hagarin - Aliens of unknown appearance and nature, possibly related to the Haggans. Some of them are known to have joined the Confederation.
Haggin - An old Kilrathi hunting trick of sending a lone warrior out and letting him feign injury to draw the prey in. The prey would then be so focused on the Haggin that they would not notice that they in turn were being encircled.
Harakh - "Not food for a warrior!" of which roots and berries are considered an insult. Could be translated roughly as "shit."
Hari - A rapid-reproducing alien race that goes world to world, sapping each one of its resources until they are gone, and then move on, leaving the rest behind. They are known to have made great ships for this purpose that could journey between worlds "in trips that took lifetimes." The Hari’s means of selecting who would rule involve assassination, a "chaotic and degrading system that left them ripe for conquest." Not knowing of Jump Drive and possessing a Slower Than Light drive, they were easy prey for the Kilrathi Empire, who crushed them and took over their space. The survivors took their own lives.
Hraijhak - A Kilrathi that is "the closest equivalent" to being the heir to the Imperial throne.
Hrai, Kilrathi Clan - Includes all blood relatives as well as anyone oathsworn to the Clan leaders and his descendents.
Huckster - Deceitful one.
Huma ta humas - Quid pro quo.
Hyilghar - A word translated very approximately as a lieutenant in the Imperial Navy, though with a modifier that implies staff rather than combat duties and a sort of special aristocratic social status. Typically a first officer.
Ikgara Kutgaga - A sacred history of the Clans, the Story of the Eight, tracing the lineage to the mists of creation.
Jak-ta Ga! - A triumphal cry.
Jak-tu - To spring from concealment upon a larger but unsuspecting prey, killing them with one blow.
Ja’lra rash’nakh h’rai? - "Why are you consorting with humans?"
Jarma - An alien race that is lizard-like in appearance. At least a few of them are involved in trading, particularly along the Landreich. It is not known if the Jarma are involved with the Confederation.
Jaq - A variable that can go between a Kilrathi’s "first" and "last" name, though not all Kilrathi use this and not all Kilrathi have surnames. (example: Nerraq jaq Rhang). Evidently less-honorific variance of "dai."
Jirak - Ceremonial herbal brew.
Ka - An alien race of unknown appearance and nature unconquered by the Kilrathi. It is not known if any Ka survivors are involved with the Confederation.
Kabaka - Heroic death.
Kalkrath - Interrogation by torture, not used on high-ranking Kilrathi except by order of the Emperor.
Kaschee - A ceremonial scarf.
* Kahlrahrr Armor - Heavy armor worn by Kilrathi Marines. Kahlrahrr II armor was seen in service in 2680.
Kal Thak’hra - Clan Lord/Baron of a Clan.
Ka-tagu - An honorific title given to a cub who was sired by a female impregnated by a Kilrathi that commits tagugar.
Kil - An abbreviation for "Kilrathi" the Kilrathi often refer to each other as.
Kili - An abbreviation for "Kilrathi" the Kilrathi often refer to groups of each other as.
Kilrah Tugaga Jak-Ta Haganaska duka McAuliffe - A monumental work of authorship by Vakka nar Jukaga lak Ki’ra that provided an opposing side to the Battle of McAuliffe in 2634, as well as a remarkable case study of the intrigues within the Imperial Court and the planning for the Kilrathi’s opening campaign and the first five years of the war.
Kilra’hra - A common, lowborn Kilrathi. In appearance, he or she is characterized by coarse fur of mingled colors, a blunt muzzle, a flat head, and blunted teeth.
Knives, Pledging of - The ritual throwing the knives of the Barons of the Eight Great Clans into a ceremonial circle in approval of a declaration of war against an alien race.
Kn’thrak - Void, what will occur to the Kilrathi according to the Prophecy of Sivar if they are defeated by unworthy opponents. This defeat was said to be the destruction of Kilrah by the Terran Confederation on 2669.267/Sept 24.
Ko - A variable that can go between a Kilrathi’s "first" and "last" name, though not all Kilrathi use this and not all Kilrathi have surnames (example : Nhagrah ko Lannis).
Ko-Bar Yagar - "To preserve the dignity of the Kilrathi people." This became associated with the Treaty of Torgo signed after the conclusion of the Terran Confederation-Kilrathi War in 2669, becoming the Treaty of Ko-Bar Yagar, giving the Kilrathi definite time to pull back from systems they occupied from the Confederation.
Koractu sword - A curved Kilrathi blade.
Krahnakh Ghayeer - "Unseen Death."
Krajksh nai varkish h’hassrai? - "What have you to report?"
Krakh drish’kai rai h’ra - "Stay where you are."
Lak - Variant on "nar"; a part of some Kilrathi’s names, preceding the name of the Clan in which the Kilrathi’s hrai (Clan) originated (Ukar dai Ragark lak Haka, for example, in Clan Haka, was from Haka).
Lan - A variable that can go between a Kilrathi’s "first" and "last" name, though not all Kilrathi use this and not all Kilrathi have surnames. (example : Nrallos lan Vharr).
Lerkrath - Interrogation by drugs, not used on high-ranking Kilrathi except by order of the Emperor.
Mantu - Also referred to as "the darkness" by the Kilrathi, this fierce alien race of an unknown appearance became involved in a savage war with the Kilrathi off-and-on for some 169 years, beginning with an initial assault by the Mantu Empire on approximately the year 2431. Then, on approximately the year 2598, the conflict between the Kilrathi and the Mantu was declared "a draw," and both sides returned to their respective territories, each turning their attentions to easier races to conquer. The Kilrathi recall that "their onslaught had come suddenly and with near overwhelming power, and then they had simply disappeared back into the void, apparently threatened by another unknown race." In the passing decades since the the stalemate, the Kilrathi "aggrandized, vilified, and generally mythologized their former foe," as it seems to be an intrinsic Kilrathi trait to "deify/demonize those enemies which cannot be defeated." Well into 2668 and beyond, after the Mantu completed a war against an unknown neighbor, the Kilrathi feared that "the Mantu might in fact be far superior in their weapons technology" and "that there would come a day when the Mantu might turn their full attention on the Empire," fears that become a reason for concern when it was reported just prior to the destruction of Kilrah by Colonel Christopher Blair that the Mantu were stirring along their borders. When Kilrah was destroyed and the Kilrathi Empire surrendered to the Confederation in 2669, the Kilrathi warned that "now the Empire will fall... and the enemies who harassed our outer marches will now have nothing to stand between them and your Confederation." A 2681.020 analysis of alien races states that "once the propaganda and legend are stripped away, the Mantu seem to have been an insular, somewhat paranoid race of explorers and prospectors who reacted with extreme prejudice to Kilrathi aggression" and that "the Kilrathi fear of the Mantu’s return is well documented, but may well be merely a paranoid, atavistic response to an enemy left alive and at large (another well-documented trait of Kilrathi psychology). There is nothing substantial in the historical record to suggest any explicit promises of vengeance from the Mantu civilization against the Kilrathi."
Merga Leaves - Leaves of a bitter scent.
Merha - A tiny creature easily hunted.
Mopokes - A pre-space alien culture of unknown appearance and nature native to Rostov III in the Rostov System of the Vega Sector attempted to be enslaved by the Kilrathi in 2654. As of 2681, the comparatively primitive Mopokes are merely under careful observation by the Confederation.
Nagga - Creature whose tooth is often made into daggers.
Nak’tara - The planet Earth.
Nalga - Creature that Kilrathi often take the tooth of as a trophy.
Nar - Part of most Kilrathis’ names. It precedes the name of the planet on which the Kilrathi’s hrai (Clan) originated. (Ralgha nar Hhallas’ hrai, for example, in Clan Hhallas, was from Hhallas.) A variance of "nar" is "lak."
Nargrast - A hell of Kilrathi mythology, this is a barren, frozen wasteland in which there is nothing to hunt.
Nephilim (CODENAME) - A crustacean/insectoid alien race which began a brutal invasion of Kilrathi and Confederation space beginning on 2681.018. The TCS Midway led the assault against the Nephilim, whose invasion was halted upon the destruction of their wormhole entrance into Kilrathi space in the Kilrah System on 2681.051. The Nephilim’s true identity is speculated by Confed in a 2681.020 analysis of alien races to be either the Mantu or "Star Gods" of Kilrathi lore, though only the "Star Gods" are left as suspects with the Kilrathi’s obliviousness to the appearance of the Nephilim.
Oasians - A peaceful race of aliens that worship their environment. They have a non-aggression treaty with both the Confederation and the Kilrathi Empire. The TCS Tiger’s Claw once escorted a group of Oasian transports in 2654 before taking leave on the planet Oasis.
Octomak - Unit of measuring apparently, twelve of which equivalent to a kilometer/klick.
Paki - A pawn for power.
* Pchela - A poisonous biting insect native to Kilrah, also the name of a medium Kilrathi fighter.
Pukcal - "Atonement" or "atoner." Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair, who destroyed Kilrah with the deployment of the Temblor Bomb on 2669.267, was surprisingly considered the pukcal of the Kilrathi people for his act, an act not taken as aggressive in the eyes of most Kilrathi, but as an act of cleansing the Kilrathi for their recent use of dishonorable assassination efforts and other such behaviors they picked up from prey-species.
Pukcal, Ritual of - The yearly Kilrathi "day of atonement," formerly carried out on Largkza, the second moon of Kilrah (.341/Dec 7) where an ancient and famed temple to Sivar is located. The Emperor and his heir attend this, as do representatives from any clans that can attend. This ceremony is comparable to confession in some kinds of human churches. The Kilrathi confess any private dishonor to Sivar, and Sivar shall forgive their transgression. This ceremony is not as large as the famed Sivar-Eshrad, but it does prevent mass suicide among Kilrathi who feel they have dishonored their Clans.
Qith’rak - "Blade." Also the name of a medium/stealth Kilrathi fighter.
Rugalga - The equivalent of the herbs of semi-intelligent beats which had once wandered Kilrah, unable to defend themselves, the hunting of which considered an exercise merely to fill the stomach, since there was no glory or challenge.
Running Death, God of - A Kilrathi god associated with a warrior’s inauguration into battle and lifelong struggle.
Sa’guk - One who is already dead to his hrai, even though he lives. It refers to disgracing one’s family name, usually when one appears weak or is captured.
Sckviska - Warm celebratory drink.
* ShadowClaw - The translated Kilrathi word for "tornado." Elite Imperial Marine stealth units wearing cloakable Heavy Cybernetic Assault Systems/CAS suits of the same name are named after this word.
Sharvath! - A Kilrathi curse.
Shata - Alien race that gave the Kilrathi spaceflight but were butchered for their generosity.
Skabak - Will to die for the glory of Kilrah.
Sivar-Eshrad - Yearly Kilrathi religious ceremony, in honor of Sivar, the Kilrathi God (actually, goddess) of War and real-life prophet. In the Sivar-Eshrad, every year a planet is selected and a certain number of sacrifices are made (.293/Oct 20). The Sivar-Eshrad ceremony is the most important ceremony the Kilrathi have. Used as a civilizing tool, this insures that the Kilrathi base instinct to kill is directed outward to enemies, rather than inward, where it may spark a civil war. In this ritual, as many Kilrathi that can attend do so. Any who cannot attend are to insure that a representative of their hrai is there. A planet of the enemies is selected, and such a large force is hurled at it that to date their has never been a successful deterring of the Kilrathi taking a Sivar-Eshrad ceremonial planet. The entire population of the planet is destroyed, their throats ripped out, each death a tribute to Sivar. The hunt cannot be conducted with ships, it must be face to face, and the Kilrathi can only use artificial weapons if their enemies do. The Sivar-Eshrad of the year 2655 was disrupted by an attachment of Confederation Marines, and thus those that attended were unable to dedicate their lives to Sivar. The Kilrathi believe that the planet of Firekka was rejected by Sivar, and that the humans were the tools of Sivar, of atonement. The chooser of this site, young Crown Prince Thrakhath, earned a life-long enemy in the Sivar priestesses of Sivar, and those that participated in the failed ceremony would not fight, as they felt that if they died, they would not be honored by Sivar, and their souls lost to the Great Dark. Had the Prince ordered them to fight, they would have revolted. The Ki’ra clan, those that are intellectually inclined, see the Sivar-Eshrad as the civilizing tool that it is, not any kind of religious ceremony. Aside from the more well known Firekka incident, the ceremony was first witnessed on Ghorah Khar on 2621.293, and first disrupted on Dolos in 2653.
Sivar, Prophecy of - "There shall come a time when one who has the Heart of a Kilrathi, but is not Kilrathi born, shall rain cleansing fire down upon us. And then the Kn’thrak, a time of great darkness, shall embrace us. Death itself shall pour forth, obscuring the stars in a veil of darkness. Their is the claw that tears flesh from bone. Their is the poisoned fang. Their number shall render the universe barren and crush the breath from our Clans. We shall be bathed in our own blood and rotted flesh shall be our fare. With a deafening thunder shall the dark age begin!"
Sivar, Tomes of - Authored by a Kilrathi named Backrka, the Tomes of Sivar chronicle a group of pilgrims traveling to a holy shrine.
Sivistian Candles - Candles placed in honor of Sivar, usually around a statue.
Sorn - An alien race of unknown appearance and nature conquered by the Kilrathi. It is not known if any Sorn survivors are involved with the Confederation.
"Star Gods" - At approximately 1320 B.C., at the dawn of their civilization and Cult of Sivar, the Kilrathi held a myth that in these ancient times, warrior-gods descended from the stars and challenged the warriors of their homeworld of Kilrah to battle. But when the Kilrathi army assembled, the gods scorned the force, pronouncing the Kilrathi unworthy of their attention. The gods left, promising to return and battle the Kilrathi when they became worthy. This myth is the source of the famous "Prophecy of Sivar" (which many later Terran xenohistorians believe predates its reported authoress, the prophetess Kt’lan, and even the historical prophet Sivar himself, by several centuries), which formed a philosophic cornerstone of Kilrathi culture. The Prophecy and its surrounding myth became explicitly used by religious propagandists throughout Kilrathi history to justify the race’s militaristic and expansionist tendencies. All future battles, including the Eyoka, Hari, Gorth, Ka, Mantu, Shata, Sorn, Utara, Varni, Wu, and Terran conflicts, became seen by the Cult of Sivar as preparation for the final challenge of the "star gods," who (accidentally or on purpose) set the pattern of Kilrathi civilization in motion. The "Star Gods" remain the prime suspect for the true identity of the "Nephilim."
Sun Year - The standard Kilrathi year, 1.2 times as long as the Terran Standard. They are divided into 545 "orbits." The Kilrathi began measuring history almost four thousand years before mankind. Kilrathi dates can be written as either "Orbit X, Sun Year XXXX" or "XXXX.XXX."
Szcaltal Flies - Flies that swarmed the skies during summer nights on Kilrah.
Takhar - Brother of equal rank.
Tagugar - Honorable suicide (similar to a kamikaze action).
* Tarkhan - "Hero." Also the name of a heavy Kilrathi fighter.
* Tho’reari - Counselor.
Thrak’hra - Noble lord, head of a hrai. Highborn Kilrathi are characterized by sleek, brightly-colored pelts marked with the distinctive patterns of their Clan.
Traggil - An animal of Kilrah typically associated with being caught in a trap.
Trathkhar - Kilrathi officer in charge of Communications on a Kilrathi vessel.
Trav’hra’nigath - To grant the prize without struggle; surrender.
Tr’thrak - A glorious final battle against the "Star Gods" where the Kilrathi will either find final victory or eternal honor in death.
Tuhaga - A Kilrathi holiday, said to be the date in which supposedly the two great furies gave birth to Sivar, preserver of the eternal conflict.
Tuka - Person who displays hesitation or weakness.
Ukta - Prey-food.
Ulanna tree - A tree originating from Kilrah. Traditionally, it is in this tree’s shadow that a successful hunter rests under after a long hunt.
Utak - Kilrathi word used to describe the lowest caste member of Kilrah society, the cleaners of privy pits for fertilizer, one considered so untouchable that it was a defilement if his shadow even touched the shadow of anyone of a higher class.
Utara - Alien race that gave the Kilrathi jump drive technology but, like the Shata, were butchered for their generosity.
Va ka garga ka naru ha garga - "Those not of the blood must have their blood spilt."
Vak’qu - Kilrathi drink, made from processed mammal blood. Vak’qu has similar effect on the Kilrathi as alcoholic beverage has on humans.
Varni - Reptilian beings with poisonous fangs. The Kilrathi Empire assaulted the Varni Republic on approximately the year 2594, following their conquest of the Wu. Though the Varni had superior technology to them at the time, the Kilrathi conquered them in a surprise strike. The few Varni that survived fled to the Confederation, where a large number of them joined.
Vikyah - The Planet McAuliffe.
Vorshaki knife - Dueling blade with a sharp notch representing each of the noble Clans of Kilrah.
Vorshooka blade - Ritual instrument for cub bearing and murder.
Vrag’chath Missile - What is nicknamed by the Terran Confederation the "Skipper" Missile, an "Ultra-Long-Range Phased Photon-Cloak Torpedo."
Vraxar! - A Kilrathi curse.
Warrior’s Oath - "Permit me to pledge you my service. I offer you my claws and teeth, to rend your foes. And I offer you my eyes and ears, to seek out your foes. And I offer you my throat, to slash, should ever I be found unworthy."
Wu - An alien race with members of "a half-ton bulk" that was conquered by the Kilrathi Empire in a conflict that followed the Kilrathi conquering of the Eyoka. Some of them are known to have joined the Confederation, while others became merchants and traders.
Xark - Fresh blood drawn from what had once been the main species the Kilrathi hunted "eons ago."
* Yar’ral’mek - Instead of choosing to live old, becoming more and more useless with each pass year and die in bed most Kilrathi in the Great Clans choose the Yar’ral’mek, the ceremony of honorable suicide. In this ceremony, the aged Kilrathi is surrounded by his hrai, attended by ranking representatives of the Great Clan he has served, and a priestess of Sivar. After feasting and glorying in the deeds of his youth, the Kilrahi drank full of a cup of poisoned Vak’qu and slips quietly into unconsciousness, returning to the arms of Sivar. The entire ceremony is paid for by the Great Clan the Kilrathi has served for, a final tribute to a Kilrathi who has did his duty and lived honorably.
Zaga - "The warrior spirit," also called "Kaga."
Zu’kara - Ritual suicide in atonement for an act of shame to one’s family, typically throat-slashing.
Zu’kara dagger - Ceremonial blade used to commit Zu’kara.
—
10 Million BC
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
Pre-sentient Kilrathi begin using instinct and natural weaponry to hunt. Proto-Kilrathi lie in wait along the trails of food-animals, and attack the weakest of the groups. As they become sentient they begin to build shelters out of acidic ash and gain the ability to build traps for their prey. Weapons are evolved.
[TCH]
3517 BC
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Kilrathi begin measuring history.
[VOW]
1600 BC
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
"Star Gods" appear in the Kilrah System, finding the uncivilized Kilrathi unworthy of their advanced technology. The aliens promise to return and destroy the Kilrathi should they ever fail in combat against another race and to return when the Kilrathi are a challenge. This becomes a pillar of the culture of Kilrah’s developing society.
[ICIS]
1319 BC
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Prophet Sivar and the Prophetess Kt’lan write the Prophecy of Sivar, based on the promises of the "Star Gods." The creation of the Cult of Sivar is regarded as the beginning of Kilrathi civilization. Xag starts the First Kilrathi Empire.
[ICIS]
1454 AD
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The current design for Kilrathi armored uniforms is first used.
[TCH]
2277
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Shata first arrive. They begin to trade with the primitive Kilrathi.
[AS]
2334
[Kilrah, Kilrathi System]
The Shata trade rudimentary space travel technology to the Kilrathi, and are in turn slaughtered. For the first time the Kilrathi leave their own biosphere.
[AS]
2431
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Mantu explore the Kilrah System, where they are attacked by the Kilrathi. The Mantu fight back, and the ensuing major war ends in a draw. The Kilrathi spend the next 200 years demonizing the Mantu.
[FA][ICIS]
2434
The Kilrathi first encounter the Hari Empire.
[FA]
2469
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
Clan Kiranka fights the Ki’ra Empire in the Seventh Dynastic War, which ends with millions killed, several planets devoid of life and the Ki’ra almost completely wiped out. Clan Kiranka becomes the new Imperial Dynasty and the Eighth Kilrathi Empire.
[VS][FA][Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Utara arrive on Kilrah, bringing with them jump drive technology. The Kilrathi wipe out the peacefully aliens, taking the technology for themselves.
[FA]
2476
[Hari Sector]
The Kilrathi begin a war against the Hari Empire, systematically wiping out over one thousand Hari colonies.
[FA]
2480
[Hari Sector]
The Kilrathi-Hari war ends with the total destruction of the Hari Empire. All remaining Hari commit suicide rather than surrender, rendering the race extinct.
[FA]
2504
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The first variant of the Fralthi-class cruiser enters service. Fralthi are first used during inter-Clan conflicts.
[TCH]
2529
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The first KF-100 Dralthi Is enter Kilrathi service.
[TCH][Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The development cycle of the Dor-Chak laser rifle begins.
[TCH]
2569
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
Interstellar technology becomes common on Kilrathi warships.
[TCH]
2579
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
The Dor-Chak laser rifle enters military service.
[TCH]
2594
[Varni Republic]
The Kilrathi Empire spends a short time studying the newly discovered Varni Republic before launching a surprise attack, lead by the Kilrathi (of Clan Kiranka) who will eventually become the last Emperor of the Eighth Kilrathi Empire.
[AS][Varni Republic]
A Varni fighter strike nearly destroys a Kilrathi heavy cruiser before becoming uncoordinated when their Wing Commander is killed.
[AS][Touring System]
The Kilrathi attack the Varni colony in the Touring System, during which Vakka nar Ki’ra saves the life of his good friend Harga.
[AS][Karing System]
The Kilrathi Empire attacks the system’s Varni colony. During the ensuing battle Karga nar Ki’ra’s cubs are killed while at his side.
[AS][Varni Republic]
The Varni launch a suicidal final defense against the Kilrathi flagship, during which the future Emperor of Kilrah loses an eye and a leg.
[AS][Varni Republic]
The Kilrathi claim victory after 30 days of fighting, having taken all ten Varni worlds. Nargth first serves the Empire.
[AS]Varni refugees begin to appear in Terran Confederation space, bringing with them stories of Kilrathi brutality.
[AS]
2598
The Kilrathi once again engage the Mantu, in a brief skirmish which ends in a draw.
[FA]
2621.293
[Ghorah Khar, Ghorah Khar System]
Dr. C.L. Kohl is captured and executed by Kilrathi priestesses while observing the Sivar-Eshrad ceremony. This marks the first recorded encounter between mankind and the Kilrathi race.
[SM2M]
2628
[Landreich]
Terran merchants first encounter the Kilrathi, although their claims are ignored by the Terran Confederation government.
[AS]
2629
[Vega Sector]
Kilrathi Clans begin a mass expansion spinward, before running into the Terran Confederation.
[AS]Remote Deep Probe 12 reports the existence of the Mantu Empire some 10,000 light years away from the Terran Confederation, before going silent.
[AS][Fawcett’s World]
A Confederation colony on Fawcett’s World is captured by Kilrathi forces, a short time after it had landed there. Rather than have the humans slaughtered Baron Vakka nar Ki’ra orders that they be taken prisoner. The computer of the Confederation transport is searched for information, and all Confederation colonists who had at some time served with the fleet are taken to Kilrah where they are interrogated by the Emperor, before being killed. The Confederation survivors at Fawcett’s World voluntarily speak to the Kilrathi, and work to live. Vakka’s good friend, Harga, is made commander of Fawcett’s World. This marks the second encounter with the Kilrathi Empire. While the capture of Fawcett’s World is never officially known by the Confederation, it does become a common rumor. Vakka spends a year on Fawcett’s World learning about the humans.
[AS]
2629.105
The TCS Iason encounters the KIS K’rath’kan while exploring the Vega Sector. Captain Jedora Andropolos of the Iason attempts to contact the destroyer using wide-band non-verbal greetings. After a 22 minute standoff, Captain Brath’kar nar Caxki of the K’rath’kan orders his ship to open fire, destroying the Iason. Brath’kar reports back that he believed the Terrans had been attempting to neutralize his ship’s shields with their communications. Deep space tracking computers follow the K’rath’kan as it returns to the Kilrah System. This marks the first official contact with the Kilrathi Empire.
[CM][VOW]The Kilrathi begin a five year campaign of assault, piracy, kidnapping and plundering against the Terran Confederation. All attempts to meet with Kilrathi High Command are rejected. Congress votes unanimously to enforce a strict non-aggression policy for the Kilrathi.
[AS][Fawcett’s World]
Vakka nar Ki’ra spends a year on Fawcett’s World, studying the captured human settlement.
[AS]
2632
[Kilrah, Kilrah System]
Who would be the final Emperor of the Eighth Kilrathi Empire ascends to the throne.
[TCH]Rumors about the Kilrathi capture of Fawcett’s World begin to spread.
[AS]
2634
.89 - .170
As the Emperor of the Kilrathi Empire gives the Great Clans the go-ahead to move in against the Confederation, Confed prepares Plan Orange Five, which calls for limited action only to push the Kilrathi back gradually through the Facin Sector and hold elsewhere, with "punitive response only to force them to cease their border harassment." Ensign Geoffrey Tolwyn, a recent graduate of the TCSA Fleet Academy and protégé of Commander Winston Turner, makes the mistake of running afoul of a Confederation senator, Senator Jamison More. His career nearly coming to an end as a result, Ensign Tolwyn, along with Vance Richards, receives an assignment in the McAuliffe System of the Vega Sector. With Vance, Commander Turner, and the smuggler Hans Maximillian Kruger, Tolwyn partakes in a much-needed mission of espionage of the Kilrathi in the Landreich region of space along the Kilrathi border.
[AS]
.186
The SS Anna Magdelena, a refitted transport ship ferrying orphans to their new homes on the Vega Sector planet Dieno, is openly attacked by a pair of Kilrathi fighters. No one survives. In retaliation for this and the five-year string of equally heinous abuses of all known laws of civility, countless acts of piracy, and unwarranted assault, the Terran Confederation officially declares war on the Empire of Kilrah.
[AS][WC1][WC3][KS]
.228
TCSN cryptographer Ches M. Penney intercepts and decodes a stray Kilrathi cipher implying that a strike will soon be launched against the Vega Sector planet McAuliffe and its orbiting space station, Alexandria. Confederation High Command orders a counteroffensive twice the size of the anticipated fleet, hoping to reach McAuliffe first and ambush the attackers.
[AS][WC1][WC3][KS]
.235
After a tense rush to McAuliffe, the Confederation fleet, consisting chiefly of the TCS Ark Royal, Concordia, North Carolina, Masada, Yorkshire, and the private vessel SS Lazarus, of which First Lieutenant Tolwyn is among, establishes a formidable defensive position around the planet on Confederation Day. When the Kilrathi fleet arrives, however, it is quadruple the expected size. Several days of bloody fighting all but obliterate the defensive forces, leaving a still-sizable force of functional Kilrathi spacecraft. But the Kilrathi, momentarily daunted by the ferocity of the Terran resistance, turn back to regroup and repair. The first large-scale Terran-Kilrathi engagement ends with the Kilrathi spearhead momentarily broken. Prince Ratha, the eldest son of the Crown Prince Gilkarg, is killed in the engagement. After only the Emperor’s son, Gilkarg, Prince Thrakhath becomes the heir and crown prince to the throne.
[AS][WC1][WC3][KS]
2652.102
The first psycho-anthropological profile on the Kilrathi is compiled by Second Lieutenant Christopher Douglas, giving insight into the minds of those who had been simply thought of as "The Enemy." It would be revised through 2668.312, with a compilation of facts offered by the eventual Kilrathi defector Ralga nar Hhallas and gathered by Terran Intelligence and various Covert Ops.
[WC3][KS]
2653.293
In the Dolos System, Prince Thrakhath prepares the yearly Sivar-Eshrad ceremony on the planet Dolos, where the Dolosians have been enslaved by the Kilrathi Empire. Upon learning of this, the Bengal-class strike carrier TCS Tiger’s Claw (CV-07) is sent in by the Confederation. Commodore Tolwyn feints the enemy by pretending to launch a Marine assault to take the planet, then goes ahead with a full strike on Thrakhath’s flagship dreadnought, KIS Agon Ra Sivar, when it diverts fighters to defend Dolos. During the conflict, Christopher Blair, who believed there was going to be a Marine invasion of Dolos, is captured, though he is quickly rescued. In the end, Thrakhath’s dreadnought is destroyed (though Thrakhath survives) and the Claw suffers heavy losses. Blair refuses to receive an award from Tolwyn in the aftermath, believing the commodore attempted to sacrifice him.
[WCATV]
2655.199
Reconnaissance ships eventually locate the dreadnought ship suspected of carrying the prototype superweapon. The Claw follows and, in a stunning display of deep space logistics and fighting skill, eliminates this Sivar-class dreadnought, the KIS Sivar. Afterward, the Kilrathi Emperor has his son, the Crown Prince Gilkarg, the commander responsible for the dreadnought’s loss, executed. The Emperor’s grandson, Prince Thrakhath, replaces Gilkarg as crown prince and heir, now becoming the next in line for the throne.
[SM1][KS]
.278 - .315
In the interim, a huge Kilrathi battle fleet commanded by the now-Crown Prince Thrakhath and his Drakhai (Kilrathi Imperial Guard) moves into the Firekka System. During this time a Kilrathi Khantahr that defected on 2655.271, Ralgha nar Hhallas, is instrumental in assisting the Confederation’s efforts, soon joining their ranks as "Hobbes" and providing useful information that is added to the psycho-anthropological profile on the Kilrathi (already begun by 2nd Lt. Christopher Douglas). The fleet’s intent is unknown until Ralgha nar Hhallas exposes a plan to use Firekka for a religious ritual, the Sivar-Eshrad, in which warriors rededicate themselves to Sivar, the Kilrathi God of War. The Confederation decides to disrupt the religious ceremony to be held on 2655.293 in the hopes of breaking enemy morale. Marine troopships jump into the system and stage an assault onthe Kilrathi priestesses. The mission is successful on 2655.315, and the Claw retreats to Terran-controlled space under heavy Kilrathi pursuit. In short order, Firekkan natives revolt and force the remaining Kilrathi forces to withdraw, though not before taking prisoners. Major Chen "Bossman" Kien is killed during the space fighting.
[SM2]
2667
The TCSN Corvette Johnny Greene accepts a surveillance mission to the mysterious Kilrathi Vukar Tag Sector planet Vukar Tag. Encountering overwhelming opposition, the corvette is barely able to make the jump back to Confederation space with the fragmented information it had gathered. Acting on information supplied by the Johnny Greene eight months before, Marine and space-based attack forces led by Lieutenant Commander Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky and pilots aboard the new CVE-type TCS Tarawa (CVE-8), including Kevin "Lone Wolf" Tolwyn (nephew of Geoffrey) are sent to the front lines. The Tarawa then closes on Vukar Tag, seizing the planet in "Operation Back Lash," as it comes to be known that Vukar Tag contains the ancestral home of the Emperor’s mother, the Dowager Empress Graknala. A Confed plan is revealed as the TCS Tarawa, Intrepid, and Kagimasha are dispatched to Kilrah itself to deter the Kilrathi fleet, allowing the full Confed Fleet waiting at Vukar Tag a much greater chance of combating the reduced number of Kilrathi capital ships that would arrive in retaliation. The Terran fleets then strike hard against Kilrathi forces on the front lines at Kilrah itself, eliminating nine carriers under construction and crippling dozens of transports and four shipyards. Running low on combat ships, the Kilrathi military appears on the verge of retreating for supplies.
[ER][KS]
2668
As the pendulum of war swings toward the Terrans, a peace accord is unexpectedly offered by Kilrah. All fleets are withdrawn, even those in the midst of combat. In the following months, several frontier colonies refuse to abide by the armistice rulings, investing both forces and ships in an attempt to search out suspected active shipyards on the far side of the Kilrathi Empire. Using captured stealth equipment, private forces intercept a HoloVid of the rumored facility in the Hari Sector, along with a message that Kilrathi forces are embarking to attack Earth. The armistice is renounced, and a hastily assembled force of still-intact Confederation ships prepare to defend against the attack, bolstered by private ships of the Free Corps and Free Republic of Landreich Navy and carriers led by the Confederation-class dreadnought TCS Concordia (CVS-65). The first hits result in total radiation-warhead destruction of Warsaw, Gilead, and Sirius Prime. Front-line Marines land on the Imperial flagship Hakaga-class heavy carrier, where a few brave Marine volunteers place mines in suicide missions. The volunteers destroy three of the Hakagas, but the remainder of the fleet reaches striking distance. The Kilrathi successfully launch anti-matter rockets on crucial defense cities—Chicago, Pittsburgh, Boston, Miami, Quebec, Berlin, Paris, Kiev, and others—then retreat to friendlier space. Captain Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky plays an instrumental role in the defense of Earth, along with Rear Admiral Geoffrey Tolwyn, Admiral Vance Richards, and Admiral Spencer "Skip" Banbridge. Veteran pilot and longtime Confederation hero Captain Ian "Hunter" St. John, one of the last Tiger’s Claw survivors, is presumed dead a short time before what becomes known as the Battle of Terra.
[FA][KS]
2669.267
In an organized sortie on Kilrah itself, it is Colonel Christopher "Maverick" Blair who makes the trench run to the fault line most vulnerable to tectonic impulses and drops Dr. Philip Severin’s Temblor "T" Bomb after shooting down Prince Thrakhath in orbit. Kilrah is destroyed, and in an explosion hurling the mass of the planet in every direction, much of the Grand Fleet in orbit is annihilated with it. Humbled by the destruction of their homeworld and the death of their Emperor and Crown Prince Thrakhath, the Empire of Kilrah offers unconditional peace with the Confederation. The treaty is accepted and the vast number of Kilrathi that surrender agree to dismantle all of their warships under the conditions of the Treaty of Torgo/Ko-Bar Yagar. This brings an end to 40 years of hostilities and 35 years of declared war. As the Kilrathi stand down, however, they speak of an alien race they had fought into a mutual stalemate 71 years ago, the Mantu, now having come back in force after finishing their own conquest of another race. The Mantu had been reportedly skirmishing along their borders opposite the Confederation, indicating that with the Empire in shambles there will be little to prevent them from ravaging across the galaxy. It is unknown what race the Mantu had conquered, but the following Kilrathi-conquered races and others are known in the outer reaches of space, some deep within the Spinward and Coreward Unknown Territories: the Dioscuri, Dolosians, Eyoka, Hagarin, Haggans, Hari, Gorth, Jarma, Ka, Mopokes, Oasians, Shata, Sorn, Utara, Varni, Wu, and Yan. It is possible the race in question was the mysterious "Double-Helix" race sighted by probes on 2654.080 or the Steltek race, though unlikely.
[WC3][WC3N]
2669.315 - 2671.056
Rear Admiral Tolwyn, now working for the Free Republic of Landreich Navy as a result of the disastrous Behemoth incident, is faced with the problem of ambitious independent Kilrathi warlords attempting to rebuild the fallen Kilrathi Empire. Retired Commodore Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky is reinstated by Landreich President Max Kruger and called to the Landreich to refit and take command of a damaged Kilrathi Bhantkara-class supercarrier, the KIS Karga, later renamed the FRLS Mjollnir when captured by the Landreich Republic, in what is called Project Goliath, with the help of who is revealed to be the rightful heir to the Empire’s throne, the Hyilghar Prince Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak (of Clan Kiranka blood). From there, the threat of the Kilrathi uprising is fought directly. In the aftermath of the Battle of Baka Kar, Jason decides to stay with the Landreich Republic and aboard the Mjollnir. Tolwyn leaves to head off the Strategic Readiness Agency (SRA).
[FC]
2673
* Following the Black Lance Incident, the Kilrathi grow tired of their existence as a subordinate state to the Terrans. The Kilrathi Imperium (the Ninth Kilrathi Empire) is founded under the leadership of Clan Caxki and Emperor Mangkrah nar Caxki (after an Eighth Dynastic War), and a series of blitzkrieg attacks reestablish Kilrathi presence in space formerly taken away by the Confederation. The fateful Battle of Zu’naga in late ’73 results in Confed being pushed back and a continuation of the Kilrathi War, consolidating the Ninth Empire. Operation Crusade (the Kilrathi term for it) in early ’74 further cements this consolidation. [ Chronicled in the PBMs, Operation Crusade and Assault on Tr’Pakh ]
2675
* The Secession War intensifies as the Confed advance into Andorra Sector is halted at Neudresden, the Kilrathi Imperium enters into the Secession War, and the Gemini Alliance is destroyed by the Confederation and Kilrathi Imperium.
[ Chronicled in the PBM, The Secession War ]
2676
* After much consideration in light of the incidents in the recent past, the Confederation purges itself of one sixth of the officers in the Confederation Space Navy, Marine Corps, and Space Force in an effort to rid it of underlying corruption. Most of these officers, however, simply retire. Some are found guilty of various charges ranging from misuse of Confed resources to embezzlement after a meticulous examination of records.
The Andorra Sector successfully halts a Kilrathi incursion in the First Battle of Colin’s Corridor.
[ Chronicled in the PBM, The Truce of Dayan ]
2677
* Further Kilrathi incursions are repulsed in the Second and Third Battles of Colin’s Corridor. Led by the highly capable now-Vice-Admiral Lenida DeLuge, the Andorran Spinward Fleet is dispatched in an offensive codenamed "Operation Cerulean" against the Kilrathi. In a bold attack that completely surprises the Kilrathi, the Andorrans sweep through the Jih’tahn Sector and smash two Kilrathi battle groups. The annexation of the Jih’tahn Sector and the fortification of its frontiers effectively puts the Kilrathi threat out of the picture. DeLuge then turns his attention to the Confederation.
[ Chronicled in the PBM, The Truce of Dayan ]
2678
* The Andorrans launch "Operation Magenta," making an offensive into the Belfor Sector. They penetrate deep into the Confederation rear and cut off its front-line fleets. The front-line fleets eventually find themselves critically short of supplies and are lured into a trap that becomes known as the Calgary Ambush.
[ Chronicled in the PBM, The Truce of Dayan ]
2679
* With their fleets destroyed and the Andorran raiders operating deep in their rear, the Confederation has no choice but to sue for peace. The Truce of Dayan is signed, ending the Secession War and securing the independence of Andorra. [ Chronicled in the PBM, The Truce of Dayan ]
2680
* Skirmishes occur along Kilrathi-Confed border in Gemini Sector. Much of the sector falls to the Kilrathi Imperium, nearly the entire Clarke Quadrant being taken by the Kilrathi fleets. Perry and New Constantinople are among those systems that fall to utter Kilrathi conquest spearheaded by the a powerful Kilrathi "Black Fleet." [ Chronicled in the PBM, Hell in a Handbasket ]
* A sun’s flare in the Fariss Quadrant of the Gemini Sector opens the Cynium System. A planet within that had been no more than a dead moon until a stellar flare struck it changes the stones of the planet to crystallize with power estimated to be 900% more powerful than any modern reactor or fuel engines in use. The amazing discovery is named Cynium. A conflict of galactic proportions ensues as the powers of the galaxy fight to obtain this incredible power source, though the planet Cynium is eventually destroyed on 2680.102, leaving no side to harness the power it held. Following the signing of the Treaty of McAuliffe/Treaty of "Vikyah," a state of peace is reached between the Ninth Kilrathi Empire and the Terran Confederation, ending the Second Kilrathi War.
[ Chronicled in the PBM, King Of the Mountain ]* During the Cynium battle but before its conclusion, Mangkrah nar Caxki, Emperor of the Ninth Kilrathi Empire/"Kilrathi Imperium," is assassinated. Heir D’golik nar Caxki assumes the throne.
.321
The Midway-class megacarrier/heavy fleet carrier TCS Midway (CVX-01) receives what is perhaps its maiden voyage as it is called to take on the Kilrathi "Demon’s Eye Pack" in the Valgard System of the Epsilon Sector. TCMC Colonel John "Gash" Dekker, formerly of the Durango-class destroyer BWS Intrepid (CV-06), leads the Midway’s Marines on the ground without incident, while two pilots from the megacarrier become the only casualties of the operation.
[WCP]
2680 - 2681
* Hostilities between the Kilrathi and the Confederation are quelled, leaving a state of uneasy peace between the two former enemies. After infighting ceases on the Feudal Planets the Kilrathi become fairly consistently known as the non-militaristic "Kilrathi Assembly of Clans." Within the Assembly, a Tenth Kilrathi Empire is eventually born under the unlikely Clan Kur’u’tak and Emperor Q’yhirp nar Kur’u’tak, wresting the Imperial house from Clan Caxki and the now-late Emperor D’golik nar Caxki. The Tenth Ninth Empire exists as an unstable entity within the Assembly of Clans, its intent as yet unclear towards the Terran Confederation.
The Confederation is allowed to occupy the Kilrah System, where mining operations are begun.
[WCP]
2681.014
Thirty-six Kilrathi in the "Demon’s Eye Pack" that was captured through the efforts of the TCS Midway convicted of piracy, murder, and malicious disorder are executed at Valgard. Included in the mass execution was the pirate’s leader, Krahtagh N’Ryllis, AKA "Bloodeye." The executions are carried out at 0700 Hours (CST) at the Valgard Military Prison complex. Despite the protests of the Kilrathi Provisional Counsel that the prisoners should be turned over to the Kilrathi for their own traditional execution, the prisoners are executed as a group, by flash incineration.
[WCP].018
Confed Astronomical Station K-105 picks up an unidentified energy surge near Kilrah Prime. The surge is identified as an equipment malfunction or the reflection of a solar flare. It is feared, however, to be the opening of a jump gate or wormhole of some kind. A short time later, TOBY drones from the TCS Devereaux are destroyed while exploring the asteroid belt near Kilrah Prime. Three hours later, the Devereaux itself is destroyed. Meanwhile, the Sivarist monastic outpost on asteroid K-14G is destroyed as well, followed by the Astronomical Station K-105. Fighters are scrambled from Surveillance Outposts Bravo and Delta to recon and respond.
[WCP].019
The recon group from Outposts Bravo and Delta jump to the site of K-105. They do not reestablish contact. The Kilrathi colony on Kilrah 6 and a previously unknown Kilrathi smuggler/insurgent base on Kilrah 7.4 are destroyed. Surveillance Outposts Alpha, Bravo, Charlie, and Delta attacked, then presumed destroyed. Kilrah System is presumed to be in full enemy control. The first of seven recon missions dispatched into the Kilrah systems from Tal’q Naval Station. It does not return as scheduled and all contact is lost. Tal’q sends a FLASH message to Earth and goes to full alert status. Major Leeward Washington and Hugyn Squadron then discovers the remains of a smuggler’s base on Kilrah 7.4 during the seventh recon attempt from Tal’q. Major Washington quickly completes his recon of Kilrah 7.4 and returns to Tal’q with photos and possible enemy artifact: an irregular slab of hard, crystalline substance, with a hand-print of one of the appendages of the enemy within its central cavity. Washington’s is the only recon mission of the seven to return as scheduled, and the others are presumed lost. Recon missions are terminated pending the analysis of known data. A short time later a strike group, lead by Corvette TCS Brack, is dispatched from Tal’q to Kilrah 6.
[WCP].020
The last transmission is received from the TCS Brack. An initial Terran Confederation Intelligence Assets (TCIA) report on the incident is compiled and dispatched. The enemy race becomes codenamed the "Nephilim," after the Hebrew legend of the "giants in the earth." Two races suspected by Confed Intelligence to be the Nephilim are the Mantu and the enigmatic "star gods" of ancient Kilrathi myth.
[WCP].025 - .051
The Nephilim continues their invasion into both Kilrathi and Confederation territories. From the megacarrier TCS Midway on its shakedown cruise, recent TCNSA Academy (graduated on 2680.131) & Flight School graduate and son of Major Michael "Iceman" Casey, 2nd Lieutenant Lance ("Frosty"?) R. Casey, comes aboard and completes a series of tactical operations to stop the Nephilim’s advance under the watchful eye of Commodore Blair, who at one point becomes captured and probed by the aliens before being recovered by Midway Marines. In the end, their wormhole gateway into Kilrathi space in the Kilrah System is obliterated through the efforts of Midway fighters and Marines. When the Marines could not reach the last "tower" of the wormhole gateway’s structure, Commodore Blair boards it himself and completes their work, though not before being attacked by one of the Nephilim. As such, when the gateway is destroyed, Blair is still in it. The undeclared war is feared to continue. Blair is survived by no immediate relatives.
[WCP]
—
III. Kilrathi Armed Forces Ranks
Enlisted ranks :
Least Claw (Spaceman/Spacehand) (E1)
Third Claw (Veteran Spaceman/Spacehand, 2nd Class) (E2)
Second Claw (Petty Officer/Spacehand, 1st Class) (E3)
First Claw (Chief Petty Officer/Senior Spacehand) (E4)Officer ranks :
Fourth Fang (Ensign, 2nd Class/2nd Lieutenant) (O1)
Third Fang (Ensign/1st Lieutenant) (O2)
Second Fang (Lieutenant JG/Captain) (O3)
First Fang (Lt. Commander/Major) (O4)
Shintahr (Commander/Lt. Colonel) (O5)
Kal Shintahr (Captain/Colonel) (O6)Flag ranks :
Kalahn (Rear Admiral Lower-Half/Brigadier General) (O7)
Khantahr (Rear Admiral Upper-Half/Lt. General) (O8)
Kal Khantahr (Vice-Admiral/Major General) (O9)
Kalralahr (Admiral or Space Marshal/General) (O10)Non-ranks :
Hyilghar = A word translated very approximately as a lieutenant, though with a modifier that implies staff rather than combat duties and a sort of special aristocratic social status (typically a first officer)
Kalrahr = Commanding officer of a ship, higher in notoriety than Khantar
Kal Thakhra = Baron of a Clan
Khantar = Commanding officer of a ship, lower in notoriety than Kalrahr
Thrak'hra = Head of a hrai within a Clan
Trathkhar = Kilrathi officer in charge of/representing Communications on a Kilrathi vessel (i.e. the Comm Officer of a Kilrathi ship)
Most Kilrathi pilots attain at least the rank of Fourth Fang. First Fangs and higher usually go on to command ships and squadrons. Kalralahr is the Kilrathi equivalent to the Confederation Admiral or Space Marshal - he controls whole sectors or commands large fleet operations.
—
"Honor shall flow to the Warrior who it true, to his Hrai, to his comrades, to his people, and to himself, for only the true warrior shall know the gods hereafter."
<unknown> Codex, <unknown>"There is no such thing as a battle without honor, though it is possible to encounter an honorless foe."
- First Codex, 2:28:10"No Warrior should fear honest labor, as no Warrior should shirk onerous duty."
- First Codex, 04:22:10"Of all the weapons of the Warrior, it is the mind that elevates mere fighting to glorious Victory."
- First Codex, 6:34:14"Honor the heroic dead, for their deeds are worthy of remembrance."
- First Codex, 10:14:64"The brave Warrior is not without fear. He is a friend of his fear, embracing it, intimate with it, but never allowing it to overcome him."
- First Codex, 10:21:18"Vigilance is the Warrior’s salvation; inattention the Warrior’s most dangerous foe."
- First Codex, 12:16:03"Fortunate is the Warrior who meets Death in Battle; no true Warrior should die in bed with his claws sheathed."
- Second Codex, 3:18:12"Among the pillars of victory, the first and greatest is the art of the unexpected, for it is by surprise that the Warrior achieves domination on the field of battle."
- Second Codex, 4:18:21"Rejoice in the victory today, but prepare for the conflict of tomorrow, for life is an eternal struggle."
- Third Codex, 3:18:10"Honor is a thing to be cherished, but no true Warrior will place his honor above his duty."
- Third Codex, 7:12:05"Victory must inevitably go to the Warrior whose desire for conquest is greater than his fear of death."
- Third Codex, 18:10:05"There is no dishonor in caution, so long as the careful Warrior avoids the pitfalls of cowardice."
- Fourth Codex, 16:12:21"The true Warrior perseveres against any and all obstacles, and gains the greater glory for his efforts."
- Fourth Codex, 2:17:06"Glory is the outward measure of the Warrior’s worth, but the knowledge of a duty fulfilled is the one true inward measure."
- Fourth Codex, 4:18:31"Better Death with claws extended than Life without honor."
- Fourth Codex, 18:35:30"Honor shall flow to the Warrior who does his duty, for his Clan shall earn glory by his deeds. Honor shall flow to the Warrior who meets death in battle, for his name shall be remembered. Honor shall flow to the Warrior who strikes down his foe, for he shall win victory for his people."
- Fifth Codex, <unknown>"Brave comrades are the Warrior’s most cherished gift."
- Fifth Codex, 2:17:38"Fang and claw, sharp eyes and alert ears and the nose of a hunter, these are the tools of the Ideal Warrior, but they are as nothing without the spirit and heat of a fighter."
- Fifth Codex, 10:23:05"There is no treachery greater than the betrayal of comrade against comrade."
- Sixth Codex, 16:33:17"Consider the story of Karga the Hero, which tells of the rewards of honor and duty. Consider the story of Vorghath the Hunter, and reflect on the perils of complacence."
- Seventh Codex, 04:17:09"The true leader offers his Warriors in sacrifice only when there is no alternative; the true Warrior offers himself in sacrifice in the knowledge that only thus will the battle be won."
- Seventh Codex, 12:18:07"Never permit your enemy to learn your advantages, unless doing so can cause him to become fearful so that he stumbles during the chase."
- Ninth Codex, 21:05:10"Even in Death there can be Victory."
- Tenth Codex, <unknown>"The gods expect that every kil shall perform his duty."
- Tenth Codex, 17:14:33
—
Emperor Xag - The legendary First Emperor of the First Kilrathi Empire, starting the First Empire of Kilrah around 1300 B.C. (Terran reckoning) after the embarrassing visit of the "Star Gods" to Kilrah. Also something of a philosopher, his maxims are the topic of study even in modern Kilrathi times (his Fourth Maxim: "No attack plan ever survives first contact with the enemy," another: "Judge not thy enemy by the strength of his arm, but rather by the cunning of his brain," and another: "Always reinforce triumph, learn to back away from defeat"). [AS]
Emperor Joor’ath - A Kilrathi Emperor of an unknown Empire. A famous quote of his: "The warrior who obeys can never be dishonored." [WC3N]
Emperor Y’taa’gu - A Kilrathi Emperor of an unknown Empire in the "Gakarg Period." A malevolent Emperor who was considered to be insane and finally killed by a virtuous warrior in order to save his period. Modern Kilrathi have produced a number of dramas on him. [FA]
Emperor of the Eighth Empire, Kiranka hrai (name unknown) - An esteemed warrior in his prime who pushed the victorious war against the Varni, finally ascending to the throne in Clan Kiranka’s name in 2632. The former ruler of the Kilrathi Empire, he is perhaps one of the more mysterious of their culture. His true name is a mystery. His eye was lost in the Kilrathi’s struggle against the Varni. During the final raid on the Varni homeworld, a suicidal attack from their fleet was able to heavily damage the Imperial flagship. His mother, the Dowager Empress Graknala, was considered of low blood. He died when Kilrah was destroyed on 2669.267. [AS - WC3]
* Emperor Mangkrah nar Caxki - Emperor that came to power in the 2670s on behalf of the militaristic Clan Caxki. Undisputed, even by the former Imperial Clan Kiranka, Mangkrah spearheaded the Battle of Zu’naga in late 2673 and Operation Crusade in early 2674 that gave the Ninth Kilrathi Empire (also referred to as the "Kilrathi Imperium") authenticity. Though already dying of an uncurable ailment at the time, he was assassinated in early 2680 by an unknown assailant, possibly his heir, Crown Prince D’golik nar Caxki. [ Chronicled in the PBM, King of the Mountain ]
* Emperor D’golik nar Caxki - Second Emperor of the Ninth Empire, he assumed the throne for Emperor Mangkrah nar Caxki in early 2680 just in time for the conclusion of the Battle of Cynium. He sent Baron Vakka nar Jukaga lak Ki’ra on behalf of the Ninth Empire to sign the Treaty of McAuliffe, ending the Second Kilrathi War which became the catalyst and turning point that turned the Kilrathi Empire into the "Kilrathi Assembly of Clans." Assassinated through the efforts of K'sihrak nar B'dlu. [ Chronicled in the PBMs, King of the Mountain & Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright ]
* K'sihrak nar B'dlu - First Emperor of the Tenth Kilrathi Empire "by right of revolution," formerly the governor of the Sudaxia System. Assassinated in mid-late 2681 through the political string-pulling of S'pulchr nar Ki'ra. [ Chronicled in the PBM, Tyger Tyger, Burning Bright ]
* Emperor Q’yhirp nar Kur’u’tak - Second Emperor of the Tenth Kilrathi Empire who came to power sometime in mid-late 2681 on behalf of Clan Kur’u’tak under shrouded circumstances brought about by the equally enigmatic S'pulchr nar Ki'ra. The Tenth Empire exists within the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans, not yet a stable entity in and of itself. It is not yet known Q’yhirp’s feelings towards the Terran Confederation, or if there will be a continuation of the Kilrathi Wars. [ Chronicled in the PBM, Illusion of War ]
—
Despite the decades of war between the Kilrathi and us humans, the unfortunate truth is that just as the workings of human society remain a mystery to the Kilrathi, we remained ignorant of the innards of the Kilrathi society. An excellent example of this is the fact that while we’ve long realized that each Kilrathi swears allegiance to one of the eight Great Clans, we do not comprehend the significance of this fact. In particular, we do not know the role the Great Clans play in the Kilrathi society and the lives of each individual Kilrathi.
As the tension with the members of the Cult of Sivar and the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans (the title of the Kilrathi government at large following the dissolution of the Ninth Kilrathi Empire/Kilrathi Imperium in 2680) at large continues to rise, it is vital that we try to understand the inner workings of the Kilrathi society. One must keep in mind that though the Confederation is allied with Chancellor Melek and Hyilghar Prince Murragh Cakg dai Nokhtak (nar Kiranka)’s Assembly of Clans and is on overall good terms with its Provisional Counsel (political quibbles over Confed dealing with Kilrathi pirates aside), Intell can claim little knowledge about the Tenth Kilrathi Empire that has only recently arisen from the Feudal Planets under (eventually) Clan Kur’u’tak’s banner. This understanding would give us insights into the Kilrathi plans, determines how best to negotiate with the Kilrathi, and how, perhaps eventually, to exist on a peaceful basis with the Kilrathi, without fear of treachery. However, to understand the Kilrathi society, one must unravel the mysteries surrounds the eight Great Clans.
It is to this end that the author of this article have interviewed various Kilrathi prisoners of war as well as those Kilrathi who had followed the leadership of the late Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka’s chee’dyachee, Chancellor Melek nar Kiranka, and surrendered to co-exist peacefully with us with the signing of the Treaty of Torgo/Ko-Bar Yagar.
(Special thanks must be given to Rol’prui nar Kiranka, Tho’reari (counselor) to Chancellor Melek, who has supplied much of the valuable information in this article and provided this author with precious insights to the Great Clans.)
No understanding of the Kilrathi society would be adequate without proper attention to the Great Clans which form the basis of the Kilrathi daily life. The eight Clans are nar Caxki (in union with Clan Sho’lar), nar Qarg, nar Ki’ra, nar Kiranka, nar Kur’u’tak, nar Ragitagha (in union with Clan Hhallas), nar Sihkag, and nar Sutaghi. An important point here is that while most Kilrathi swear allegiance to one of the Great Clans, only those with the proper blood are considered a true member of the Great Clans. Kal Thak’hra (Clan Lord) of the Great Clans are only chosen from the true members of the Great Clan in question. There are a great number of Lesser Clans, including the Haka Clan, Khirgh Clan, Ghorah Khar Clan, Ta’hal Clan, Volles Clan, Val Clan, Ja’targk Clan, Som’mers Clan, Poghath Clan, *Gorgan, *Talmek, *B’dlu, and *Kreeyatha Clan, among others. Some (or all) of these Lesser Clans, while individual Clans, are each branches of a respective Great Clan.
The Great Clan derived from the days of the old Dynastic Wars. Each of the Great Clans represent one the eight Clans that had been the first to colonize space. The names of the Great Clans are based on the colonies that it had founded.
Each Great Clan is specialized in a certain aspect of the Kilrathi Imperium. While these responsibilities may overlap and become reasons for fierce turf fights, it is understood that every Great Clan is essential to the Kilrathi race. As the saying goes, "Each Kilrathi has his seat in the Great Clans and every Great Clan has its hall on Kilrah" (meaning each Kilrathi has a place among the Great Clans, and each Great Clan has a role in the government). Below are the Great Clan and a brief description of its role in the Kilrathi Assembly of Clans:
nar Caxki - The Imperial Clan of the Ninth Kilrathi Empire/Kilrathi Imperium that lasted from late 2673 to 2681, the nar Caxki is known for their military prowess. The nar Caxki have a long military tradition that dates to the dawn of the Kilrathi Empire. In the Eighth Kilrathi Empire, while the Imperial the nar Kiranka may be the planners of grand strategies, it is the nar Caxki that actually translates these strategies into tactics and responsible for their execution. In the former Kilrathi Imperium, the nar Caxki not only functioned as the Imperial Clan, but also controlled the Kilrathi military. Members of the nar Caxki Clan fills the higher echelons of Kilrathi command. Owners of most of the frontier worlds that bordered the Confederation during the First Kilrathi War, their ability to repel Terran invaders earned them the respect accorded by all Kilrathi, a submission to strength. Shortly before the Kilrathi attack on Earth, many of the clans felt that they shared an unequal burden in the war, due to a plan begun by Confed to pay special attention to striking territories owned by the Caxki, and added to the underlying tensions which would later cause the Empire to go to war with each other. The Caxki seized the throne due to the fact that the majority of the inner world Kilrathi fleet (the "Grand Fleet," consisting of chiefly 22,000 meter dreadnoughts) was annihilated in the attack on Kilrah, and the warships protecting the frontier became the only Kilrathi ships of note in existence, with the Caxki controlling these fleets. However, the nar Caxki are also known as the military pragmatists and commanders who have demonstrated their capabilities are known to be adopted into the nar Caxki Clan, ensuring capable hands at the helm. Due to the fact that Kilrathi technology tends to be geared toward war, the nar Caxki has strong association with the nar Sho’lar Clan. The nar Sho’lar Clan is responsible for the development of new technologies. In the old Eighth Kilrathi Empire, the nar Sho’lar were responsible in everything from the designing of new fighters, new guns, to the development of cloaked technology. Due to the close association between the military and technology in Kilrathi society, the nar Sho’lar has long had a close relationship with the nar Caxki Clan. Thus, when the nar Caxki raised the banner of the Ninth Kilrathi Empire, nar Sho’lar was the first Great Clan to support the nar Caxki. For their loyal support, the nar Sho’lar were rewarded with the management of various production facilities and certain engineering related military units in addition to their traditional spheres of responsibility.
Well-known members : Burak "Starkiller" nar Caxki [WC1], Kal Shintahr Torshk nar Caxki [WCMN]nar Qarg - The Qarg are easily one of the more warlike of the eight, but seem to have a degree of rationale and intelligence concerning battle that their warrior-superiors, the nar Caxki, lack. It seems most likely that it was the Qarg who first encountered the Mantu, as they have vilified them to an almost demonic proportion. There is a long standing feud between the Qarg and the Ragitagha.
Well-known members : Baron Qar’ka nar Qarg [FA]nar Ki’ra - The oldest of the Great Clans who were the sovereign Clan of the Seventh Kilrathi Empire prior to being usurped by Clan Kiranka in the Seventh Dynastic War, the nar Ki’ra is the Clan of the hunters. This Clan is the undisputed noblest Clan of the eight Great Clans. They are known for their intellectual prowess, as well as their espionage system. The Ki’ra play a key role in designing their ships and weapons, gathering intelligence, and attempting to find any weaknesses in other races that they can exploit. The nar Ki’ras are responsible for the management of the vast number of hunting preserves (each of which may be as large as an entire planet) that serves to feed the Kilrathi. The Kilrathi descends from carnivorous predators, hence requiring a large amount of meat to maintain their metabolism. The very fact that few Kilrathi has rarely, if ever, starved is a testament to the skills of the nar Ki’ra. Whenever a new world is chosen to be a hunting preserve, the nar Ki’ra are there to build up herds suitable for culling. At each preserve, the nar Ki’ra maintains the health of the herds, ensures the availability of the ak’rah bushes for the feeding of the herds, and supervises hunts that serves to cull enough meat to feed the empire. As could be imagined, generations of training as hunters serve to further sharpen the nar Ki’ra’s predatory capabilities and members of the nar Ki’ra are renowned for their ability at hand-to-hand combat as well as tracking skills. The best hunters of the nar Ki’ra Clan often volunteers to become a member of the vaunted ShadowClaw stealth commando units. Whispered about is a Kilrathi by the name of S’pulchr nar Ki’ra, who apparently holds some great degree of power and influence in Clan Kur’u’tak’s Tenth Empire.
Well-known members : Baron Jukaga nar Ki’ra [ER,FA]nar Kur’u’tak - The nar Kur’u’tak are nearly considered one of the Lesser Clans, just above the lowest of the low in the Great Clans, the Sihkag. This Clan truly has little significance on the Kilrathi’s history or their current status. Often relegated to support positions in battle, the Kur’u’tak maintain their status only through their boot-licking of the Kilrathi Imperial Throne. Ironically enough, it was Clan Kur’u’tak that rose the banner of the Tenth Kilrathi Empire and Q’yhirp nar Kur’u’tak that rose to Emperorhood in early-mid 2681, wresting the Imperial house from Clan Caxki and Emperor D’golik nar Caxki, K’sihrak nar B’dlu, and a number of other would-be claimants of a revolutionary war in the Ninth Dynastic War carried out on the Feudal Planets.
Well-known members : J’tak nar Kur’u’tak [PS]nar Kiranka - The Imperial Clan in the Eighth Kilrathi Empire that came into power after the Seventh Dynastic War, the nar Kiranka is known for being the administrative heart of the Kilrathi. One of the more interesting clans due to their long-time control over the Kilrathi Empire, the Kiranka were once considered one of the lesser in the Great Clans, just above the lowest, the Sihkag, and their one-up superiors, the Kur’u’tak. The nar Kiranka are often administrators, organizers, and planners. The nar Kiranka are noted for their sophisticated mind, subtle political machination, and brilliant insights into psychology. Even though the nar Kiranka has lost its position as the Imperial Clan to the militaristic Clan Caxki in the Ninth Kilrathi Empire that asserted itself in 2674, it retained control over many of the administrative organs of the Imperium. The nar Kiranka is mistrusted by the nar Caxki, as the nar Caxki fears that the nar Kiranka would attempt to regain their imperial trappings. Fortunately for the nar Kiranka, the nar Caxki also realizes that the nar Kiranka are needed for their administrative abilities, and avoided a full-scale feud with the Clan. The closest ally of the nar Kiranka is the nar Ragitagha Clan, perhaps due to the similarities between psychology and politics.
Well-known members : Crown Prince Thrakhath nar Kiranka [WC1+], Bakhtosh "Redclaw" nar Kiranka [WC1]nar Ragitagha - The name of nar Ragitagha is almost synonymous with the idea of psychology in the Kilrathi language. It was an ancestor of the nar Ragitagha who pioneered the idea of psychological warfare in the days of the Kilrathi civil war. The nar Ragitagha proved that victory could be achieved by striking at the enemy’s psychological weakness and provoke the enemy into foolish reactions. A physically stronger enemy can be whittled down to size if one attacks his vulnerable psyche instead of confronting him physically. Members of the nar Ragitagha specializes in a wide variety of psychological branches, ranging from the management of slaves (a delicate psychological problem if one wishes to work the slaves hard yet avoid costly rebellion), to propaganda and development of psychological profiles of the enemy. During the First Kilrathi War, rumors abound of nar Ragitagha performing excruciating psychological experiments on human prisoner of war, however, such rumors remain unconfirmed. The Ragitagha are known for their perhaps overly-developed sense of superiority to others, as well as being one of the noblest clans, second only to the Ki’ra. The Ragitagha are also one of the most wide-spread clans of the Kilrathi, owning several primary, colonial, and outpost worlds. This has caused a vast amount of offshoots of the Ragitagha, and the nar Hhallas clan is one of these offshoots. The nar Hhallas Clan is probably best known for its lords, Ralgha nar Hhallas (also known as Hobbes, his callsign), who was inserted among the Confederation as a deep sleeper agent. The nar Hhallas, however, is not responsible for such covert activities (see nar Sihkag) but serves the extremely vital function in the Kilrathi society as the keepers of law and order. Ranking members of the nar Hhallas Clan are the magistrates and law-enforcers of the Kilrathi Imperium. On occasions when one Kilrathi challenges another for the sake of honor, it is also a nar Hhallas who serves as witness and arbiter of the duel. Centuries of serving the law and order have made members of the nar Hhallas Clan to elevate the ideals of honor, justice, and fairness to an almost religious status. The nar Hhallas often consider themselves to be above inter-Clan rivalry and remain impartial to all feuds between the Great Clans. The Ragitagha are long-standing enemies of the Qarg Clan, which by default makes the Qarg the enemies of the Hhallas Clan as well.
Well-known members : Najji "Fireclaw" nar Ragitagha [VS]nar Sutaghi - The Sutaghi are a powerful clan, perhaps even the second most noble in the Council of Eight, depending on who you ask. Owners of several of the highly developed inner worlds of the Kilrathi Empire, the Sutaghi are always capable of turning a setback for them into one that other Clans will have to solve for them. Perhaps the most unusual Clan, the nar Sutaghi is also composed mostly of female members. When a female Kilrathi of noble blood reaches the age of maturity, she may choose to leave her Clan and join the nar Sutaghi. The nar Sutaghi Clan is dedicated to the serving Sivar. After years of studying and training, certain qualifying members of the nar Sutaghi Clan may consecrate themselves to become priests/priestesses to Sivar and join the holy priesthood. The nar Sutaghi Clan is responsible for all religious functions in the Kilrathi life. Members of the nar Sutaghi Clan are responsible for the building and maintenance of temples and serving as representatives of Sivar at birthing, mating, funeral, and various other ceremonies. Perhaps an excellent indicator of the power the nar Sutaghi Clan exerts is the fact that it was the crucial support of the nar Sutaghi that made it possible for the nar Caxki Clan to raise the standard of the Ninth Kilrathi Empire and became the new Imperial Clan throughout the five-way civil war on the Feudal Planets that was the Eighth Dynastic War.
Well-known members : Flight Captain Graldak nar Sutaghi (Stalker Squadron Leader) [WC3N]nar Sihkag - Last and least are the lowly Sihkag. Known for multiple matings with lowly Kilra’hra, they are considered the lowest of the eight great clans. The Sihkag are mainly relegated to the role of liaison between the great clans and the common Kilrathi, as well as the police force. The Sihkag are also generally considered not warriors, in body as well as mind, they do not truly grasp how to fight. The Sihkag have no enemies in that it is considered a disgrace for any of the other noble clans to lower themselves by fighting with them. Along with the much-maligned Clan Kur’u’tak, the nar Sihkag Clan is also the smallest of the Great Clans, yet only a foolish or suicidal Kilrathi would dare refute the nar Sihkag Clan’s place among the Great Clans. The nar Sihkag is also known as the "Clan of Shadows." Responsible for the gathering of intelligence (hence its association with the nar Caxki Clan, to correlate military intelligence), the spread of misinformation (hence its turf fight with the nar Ragitagha over the area of propaganda), and the elimination of traitors and disloyal elements. The nar Sihkag Clan functions like the both the intelligence agency and secret police in Kilrathi society. The success of the nar Sihkag can be easily seen when one realize that the entire Society of Mandarins movement that had so hindered the Confederation’s war efforts in the first two decades of the First Kilrathi War was created by the nar Sihkag. Likewise, the nar Sihkag were responsible for supplying the Church of Man (AKA "Retros") in the Gemini Sector and tying down Confederation forces in the area. The ShadowClaw commando units is also part of the Sihkag Clan (although many recruits comes from the Ki’ra Clan).
Well-known members : Dakhath "Deathstroke" nar Sihkag [WC1]
THE INDIVIDUAL KILRATHI AND THE GREAT CLANS
A Kilrathi begins his under the tutelage of his parents. In this period, with other cubs of the hrai, he learns of the Kilrathi oral traditions, the religion of Sivar, and the duties and honors that is life to a Kilrathi. In addition, most Kilrathi also learns to fight and hunt during this time. Most Kilrathi cubs learnt to kill before they are able to stand-up.
When a Kilrathi reach the age to began his or her professional training, he or she may join one of the many different school of any of the Great Clans. Some of the schools, however, are difficult to enter and would require a Kilrathi to be of noble blood or demonstrate particular abilities before acceptance. In particular, schools such as the nar Caxki’s Fang Gathering (officer training school) and the nar Kiranka’s Kilrah Creshe (civil service academy) are extremely difficult to enter, and some Kilrathi parents have been known to spend their entire life in attempts to en-noble their bloodline to such a degree that their cubs may attend some of the more prestigious schools.
Of course, a Kilrathi is not limited to any particular training school. In fact, many Kilrathi of rank spend long years in training among different schools. Chancellor Melek nar Kiranka is known to have attended the nar Caxki Fang Gathering, the nar Ragitagha Mek’tashi (psychology institute), and the nar Kiranka Kilrah Creshe. Furthermore, a Kilrathi does not necessarily has to swear allegiance to the Great Clan that he has been trained with or even working for. For example, pious soldiers training under the nar Caxki may swear allegiance to the Sutaghi Clan. Most Kilrathi, however, tend to choose the Great Clan that is closest to their chosen profession to swear allegiance to.
After their professional training, a Kilrathi enters into his adult life. In this period, the Great Clans functions as an extremely important social organization for the individual Kilrathi. The Great Clans provide those who swear allegiance to them with everything from healthcare benefits, employment opportunities, social circles, and even funeral services. In return, those who swears to the Great Clans are expected to uphold the honor of the Great Clan, and do their duties to the Great Clan (which may range in everything from spending a fraction of time cleaning the local temple to Sivar, to serving in the military reserves, or teaching the cubs to hunt).
An aged Kilrathi who can no longer perform his duties to the race, Clan, or hrai, usually volunteers for the Yar’ral’mek. Instead of choosing to live old, becoming more and more useless with each pass year (something with which the Kilrathi considers extremely distasteful) and die in bed (the ultimate shame to the Kilrathi mind), most Kilrathi choose the Yar’ral’mek. The Yar’ral’mek is the ceremony of honorable suicide. In this ceremony, the aged Kilrathi is surrounded by his beloved hrai (family) and friends, attended by ranking representatives of the Great Clan he has served, and a priestess of Sivar. After feasting and glorying in the deeds of his youth, the Kilrahi drank full of a cup of poisoned Vak’qu and slips quietly into unconsciousness, returning to the arms of Sivar. The entire Yar’ral’mek ceremony is paid for by the Great Clan the Kilrathi has served for, a final tribute to a Kilrathi who has did his duty and lived honorably.
The story is told of Xag’s mightiest general, Karga of the Ki’ra hrai, who was sent to conquer the stronghold of Dr’qtan. Victory was assured from the moment they stormed its battlements. A lone warrior came forth from Dr’qtan and personally challenged Karga to a duel. The warriors of Xag’s armies laughed and mocked the young warrior, but Karga agreed. After a short but vicious battle, Karga emerged victorious, and Dr’qtan was burned as a warning to others who attempted to resist. And so did Karga accrue the greater glory, for in allowing the young warrior to fight and die for his home, he was able to preserve the younger warrior’s honor, and the preservation of the honor of any so brave is the most honorable act any warrior can perform.
The story is told of Vorghath the Hunter, from the days when mighty Barons ruled vast expanses, before the Empire. As he set out upon the hunt, he espied a rugalga, and began to stalk it. However, the rugalga, for its slow wit, was very quick, and ran across the plains. Vorghath saw no need to hurry, as he was certain that he could catch the beast at any time, and was enjoying the stalk. As the day grew long, Vorghath found himself beyond the hunting plains, in the rocky areas where the rugalga dwelt. Tiring of the hunt, Vorghath lunged at his prey. As he did so, from the rocks, dozens of rugalga attacked Vorghath, their blunted teeth and hooves tearing into him, rending his flesh from the bone. And so does the tale of Vorghath stand as a warning to those who become complacent while upon the hunt.
—
VII. Psycho-Anthropological Profile of the Kilrathi
"The Kilrathi have been civilized a lot longer than we have, and they’re anything but stupid. Or else the war would have been over with a long time back, and without all the blood and pain we’ve had to invest just to fight them to a standstill. No, they just have a different outlook on things. If more of our political leaders would stop treating them as if they were humans in furry suits and start recognizing just how different their culture is, we might be able to deal with them better. Find common ground, even. It’s only when you insist on holding somebody to your own narrow standards that you shut off all hope of ever reaching them."
- Jason "Bear" Bondarevsky, FC
(The following information is a compilation of facts offered by Ralgha nar Hhallas and gathered by Terran Intelligence and various Covert Ops. Compiled by Lt. Col. Christopher Douglas and Chris McCubbin of Incan Monkey God Studios, 2652.102, 2668.312; Last revision: 2681.106. Upon the revelation that Ralgha was a sleeper agent for the Eighth Kilrathi Empire in 2669, this information was placed under much scrutiny until human-Kilrathi relations genuinely improved following the Treaty of Torgo/Ko-Bar Yagar, enabling this information to be confirmed and elaborated upon.)
The Kilrathi are a race of sentient, space-faring, non-humanoid bipedal felinoids. They represent the first space-faring, non-human civilization encountered by humanity since the Yan War in the twenty-fourth century.
The Kilrathi rule an Assembly of Clans of unknown size, probably consisting of 300 to 500 inhabited systems. Kilrathi space abuts Vega and Gemini sectors, while Epsilon Sector is roughly divided between systems colonized by humanity and those originally settled by the Kilrathi.
Purpose
In what was a war of cultures, it is critical to understand the
thinking behind the enemy’s actions. We must analyze their
thought processes if we ever hope to anticipate their reactions
and prepare for their tactical moves should the newly arisen Tenth
Kilrathi Empire or the currently governing Assembly of Clans (its
not clear where the line is drawn between the two entities) choose
to become our enemy as its predecessors have.
Evolution of the Kilrathi
Kilrathi civilization arose from the sprawling savannas of Kilrah,
where the species’ predatory forefathers first learned to
hunt. The Kilrathi are believed to have evolved from carnivorous
pack-hunters, resulting in their belligerent and expansionistic
territoriality.
Later, they used their forepaws and emerging intelligence to fashion crude shelters from the scalding acidic ash that frequently followed massive volcanic eruptions in their tectonically unstable world. With this tool-making ability came the capacity to construct traps for their more evasive prey (particularly a small, intelligent, chimp-like creature which remains to this day a Kilrahi delicacy) and ultimately, weapons.
With the advent of intelligence, territorial conflicts among hunters were inevitable. The Kilrathi learned early in their social development the art of killing other Kilrathi. In fact, the whole of Kilrathi history is an extended chronicle of civil wars—the Dynastic Wars, factions of the Kilrathi just having finished their ninth in early 2681—so brutal that they make those in human history pale in comparison.
This unrestrained carnage continued until two centuries ago, when a devastating war erupted between the two most powerful Kilrathi Clans, Clan Ki’ra (at that time the Imperial Clan) and Clan Kiranka (who became the reigning Imperial Clan of the Empire the Confederation fought from 2634 to 2669). This Seventh Dynastic War resulted in the utter destruction of Ki’ra’s standing and established the uncontested supremacy of Kiranka. Clan Kiranka came into power in the Eighth Kilrathi Empire at the cost of millions of warriors and several sterilized worlds. United under one rule, it was only natural that the Kilrathi’s territorial ambitions should turn outward to other life-bearing worlds. Now, they aggressively claim what they find and take by force what does not bow to their claim.
Bred as warriors and raised for battle, the Kilrathi hold little regard for pleasantries. Their entire culture is based on war and aggression, elevated to religious levels. Both Kilrathi aesthetic and technological design reflect the species’ fanatical focus on death, conquest, and domination.
Kilrathi history never experienced cultures paralleling those of Earth’s ancient Egypt, China, Greece, Renaissance Europe, or the Utopian Underground of 2200—cultures that knew prolonged peace, reflection, and artistic development. Because of this, Kilrathi aesthetics remain (by human standards) primitive.
Social Structure
Kilrathi warriors bear some similarity to the old Imperial Army
of Japan, never giving up honor even at the cost of their lives.
In fact, it is not at all uncommon for disgraced crew members to commit Zu’kara (ritual suicide, typically throat-slashing) for something as simple as unintentionally insulting their superiors.
A Kilrathi’s future, both as a warrior and a citizen, is determined by his or her social status from birth. The entire population of Kilrah swore allegiance to one of eight noble Clans, each with a unique social status. Every Clan wears loyalty to its current baron, and even the Imperial bloodlines themselves are subdivided into Clans of sorts. The Emperor holds absolute power, and can casually order executions and banishments. Coups are commonplace political maneuvers, and even assassination attempts, though assassination was a thing they shamefully picked up from both their former Hari enemies and humans. The Kilrathi Emperor is the hereditary leader of whichever noble Clan is currently in power. The power of a sitting Emperor is legally absolute; however the Emperor’s power or policies may be challenged by another Clan, an action leading to vendetta. Such conflicts usually take the form of all-out civil war, with the throne staying with or going to the winner. Inter-Clan challenge is also a common route of Imperial succession.
All Clans in Kilrah and its surrounding moons take the phrase "born leader" quite seriously, passing royal bloodlines down from one generation to another. Clan Kiranka is considered (chiefly by themselves) the noblest Clan of Kilrah, while perhaps not the purest, with Clans members holding chief positions in the loyalist troops and in government.
Not much is known about the remaining Kilrathi social structure, except that Kilrathi women are in charge of religion, especially the "Priestesses of the War-God Sivar." Females control all religious factions on Kilrah and direct all offerings and religious festivities, such as those that occurred during the thwarted Sivar-Eshrad ritual on Dolos in 2653 and on Firekka in 2655.
Kilrathi Language
The Kilrathi writing system was first seen in the cockpit of a
captured Dralthi II-class medium fighter. The Kilrathi language
is written in sets of four vertical lines. Each vertical line
comprises a full line, a split line or shorter line with a dot
above or below it. This set of four lines creates a single syntactic
element. Vertical clusters of the four-line sets combine to make
sentences. The language is for the most part ideographic—each
symbol representing a word or idea, as do the characters of the
Chinese language. However, in this language, the dots and small
squares in each ideograph appear to act as modifiers that alter
the meaning of the main symbol—they have been observed to
appear in different places and combinations around the main graph.
Body Language
Body language is perhaps even more important than spoken language
in the Kilrathi culture. A flashing of teeth is a sign of victory,
of that the opposing side has submitted, and a bow is a show of
submission. Rippling one’s mane is a sign of defiance or
disdain. Simply bowing slowly to a superior reveals a subtle resistance,
or a rebellious thought, and all Kilrathi are thus very observant
of the actions of others around them.
The Kilrathi numerical system is similar to ours, with only minor differences. Kilrathi units, of course, equal ours, meaning that 1 unit in our language is 1 in theirs as well. The only true difference is that their system is base eight, whereas ours is base ten. This developed due to the fact that, while we have ten fingers on both hands, they have only eight, and as such, their numerical system developed base eight as a result. In the base eight system, instead of using a sequence of ten numbers, as we do, they use eight. For instance, their counting to 16 would proceed as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8 and 1, 8 and 2, 8 and 3, 8 and 4, 8 and 5, 8 and 6, 8 and 7, two 8s, whereas ours would be the standard 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16. The only basic tenet for using the Kilrathi numerical system is a basic ability to add and multiply, to say 30 you would say three 8s and 6, to say 17 you would say two 8s and 1, etc.
12 Zarmaks = 1 centimeter
1.2 Maks = 1 meter
12 Octomaks = 1 kilometer/klick
12 Zargrammas = 1 centigram
1.2 Grammas = 1 gram
12 Octogrammas = 1 kilogram
Liege-Lord System
The liege lord/servant system is one that has served the Kilrathi
for generations. Generally, a clan of Kilrah’hra will
swear allegiance to the hrai of Kilrathi nobles, and throughout
the generations, this servitude is passed on. The servant of a
liege lord is there to obey his master utterly, and without question.
This system functions so very well in that the servant cannot
do anything without permission from his lord, from eating
to sleeping to going to the bathroom. This is part of the system
that keeps them from being exploited or from unknowingly performing
an action harmful to their lord, as they cannot know if it will
be harmful or not. This also protects the servant from harm, for
the liege lord will notice if his servant has not come by recently
to receive his orders.
Also a word of note, when a servant joins a liege lord, he takes on his name and any royal or commoner blood that may entail. Usually, it is a commoner that submits to one of royal blood. No noble Kilrathi can offer himself in servitude to another noble Kilrathi unless his entire clan has submitted. Thus far, this has never occurred. Even if a servant is freed of his bond to his liege lord, he still identifies himself through his lord.
—
"Steel against iron is not a testing."
- Kirha, FA ("an old Kilrah saying")
In planning effective offensive and defensive operations against the Kilrathi, it is first necessary to understand the underlying principles that guide Kilrathi tactical decisions. And before those principles can be understood, it is necessary to understand how the Kilrathi mind works.
Kilrathi are not human beings and do not think or react like human beings. The presuppositions behind their tactical philosophy are rooted in their racial evolution.
Before discussing the presuppositions of Kilrathi tactics, a vital distinction must be drawn. Kilrathi are neither animals nor machines. They are highly intelligent, adaptable, and self-aware sentients. The Kilrathi understand the patterns of their thought processes better than humans ever can, and they are fully capable of designing and carrying out tactics that specifically avoid their normal patterns of behavior.
Understanding the patterns of Kilrathi tactical assumptions can be an invaluable tool, particularly in large-scale or impromptu actions, but it can be a fatal error to assume that the Kilrathi will always behave according to these patterns.
The Kilrathi are descended from predators—pack-hunters. Humans are also descended from predators, but human ancestors were hunter-gatherers. Early Kilrathi ancestors reached the top of the food chain much quicker than proto-humans did.
Kilrathi are naturally predisposed to attack over defense, and to ambush over attack-in-force. They are natural guerrilla fighters.
Proto-Kilrathi hunting packs would conceal themselves along known game-trails, lie in wait until a herd of food-animals passed by, identify the weakest, most vulnerable prey, and execute a coordinated attack. Early humans also used similar tactics, of course, but not until they achieved sentience and began to make weapons—three or four million years ago. Kilrathi have been hunting in this fashion, using instinct and natural weaponry, for at least 10 million years.
This means that pack-hunting tactics are very deeply ingrained in the Kilrathi psyche. Again, anything the Kilrathi instinct suggests, the Kilrathi intellect can overrule, but the pack-hunter paradigm is the one that comes the most naturally to the Kilrathi, and therefore the one they will turn to under stress, or when they believe they have the advantage.
Some general principles are implied by the evolutionary psychology of the Kilrathi. These general principles are supported by the majority of current after-battle debriefings.
Kilrathi are most comfortable attacking in groups. In groups of three or more, Kilrathi warriors will often display suicidal courage, and engage numerically superior forces. However, a lone Kilrathi (and sometimes a pair) will tend to avoid contact, even against an evenly matched enemy.
Kilrathi have a natural affinity for the ambush. A lone Kilrathi is frequently a decoy planted to lure opposing forces into an ambush situation.
Kilrathi will sometimes fixate on a wounded enemy, pursuing it to the death, while ignoring more dangerous, undamaged opponents. This happens enough that Confed tacticians have given it a name... it is called a "blood frenzy."
Because of their affinity for group tactics, Kilrathi are not naturally prone to sabotage or spy operations involving the insertion and action of a single operative.
The Kilrathi are, of course, fully aware of these tendencies in their psyche—they have been exploiting them against each other in inter-Clan warfare for millennia. As a race, they have developed numerous social constructs designed to bypass these racial tendencies when it is advantageous to do so. However, these social constructs, in turn, also represent trends in Kilrathi behavior which can be successfully exploited in battle if fully understood.
These behaviors include. . .
1 : Obey without question, 2 : Focus on the strongest, 3 : Respond to challenge
This is the most basic and pervasive social tenet of Kilrathi martial culture. Imagination and creativity are only encouraged in senior commanders and nobles. Line troops are trained to simply follow orders, specifically and without question or interpretation. The conceptual basis for this custom, it is believed, is the idea that a warrior given specific instructions can concentrate on fulfilling them, to the exclusion of other distractions, while a warrior given more general goals may become distracted by instinctive hunting behaviors, to the detriment of the overall strategic mission. The advantage to be seized here by the enemies of the Kilrathi is that if the opposing force can successfully make the Kilrathi mission goals unachievable or logically impossible, the Kilrathi force will sometimes be thrown into complete chaos, particularly if not
under the direct supervision of a dominant leader.The Kilrathi hunting instinct to run down the weakest opponent has been thoroughly discussed. The strategic inappropriateness of such behavior in warfare—leaving the strongest and most dangerous members of the opposing force free to react, while focusing on the weakest—was obvious to the Kilrathi from the very earliest period of their social development. The solution was a custom that has become one of the central principles of all Kilrathi tactics—focus an attack on the enemy’s strongest asset first. This tendency can be exploited if the Kilrathi can be deceived about where the strongest asset of an opposing force actually lies. Another potentially viable tactic can involve putting the strongest asset in the forefront of the battle, in a strong defensive posture, allowing the remainder of the force to execute a coordinated attack on the flanks while the Kilrathi forces are focused on overcoming the primary target’s defenses.
Any warrior of Kilrah must answer a challenge to combat. Reasonable precautions may be taken to ensure that a challenge is not a veiled trap, but in general any challenge or insult is grounds for a struggle to the death. Such behavior is not only legal and accepted in the Kilrathi military, it is in fact punishable by death for a warrior to back down from single combat. It is theorized that presentient Kilrathi displayed dominance patterns typical of pack-hunters, whereby a smaller or inferior hunter would respond with submissive displays to any challenge from a dominant pack-leader. This dominance/submission behavior still underlies many Kilrathi institutions, from the Imperial Throne on down, but it is not tenable in a warfare context, where it may be necessary for lesser warriors to engage obviously more potent enemies. Therefore, Kilrathi are conditioned to respond violently to any challenge to their prowess or honor. (This general rule is greatly complicated in the specific case of Kilrathi commanders and their subordinates. However, the very complex codes that govern challenge/submission behavior between commanders and inferiors is not germane to this discussion.) This conditioning can be exploited in battle through the use of verbal taunts (under conditions where interspecies communication is possible) or by displays of reckless courage. Such behaviors can sometimes distract members of a Kilrathi force from their primary objectives. (There is, of course, significant risk to the challenger in most such situations.)
Space tactics
Kilrathi Naval strategy tends to view capital ships as more defensive
than offensive assets (the obvious exception being the Hakaga
supercarriers spawned from Project Hari and turned against Earth
in 2668), and as more strategic than tactical in function. The
bulk of the offensive effort in a Kilrathi Naval engagement is
carried by fighters and fighter-bombers. Capships are used as
staging platforms, or for long-range missile bombardment of planetary
targets, permanent space stations, and opposing capships.
If assaulted by a task force of opposing capships, a Kilrathi ship usually tries to withdraw under cover of its own guns and scrambled escort fighters. Most Kilrathi battleships larger than a destroyer incorporate a hangar and carrier deck from which escort fighters may be scrambled. Kilrathi battleships almost never engage in a pitched gun or torpedo battle with an equivalent opposing force.
The central exception to the above is the Kilrathi destroyer, which (much like its Confed counterpart) is a small, heavily armed battleship with no carrier capacity. Destroyers are used for fleet defense—they provide screening actions for the carriers in a battle group, to prevent opposing forces from making direct assaults on the strategically vital carrier decks.
In fighter combat, the Kilrathi are at their most dangerous. They use the same tactics in space that their hunter ancestors used against larger, faster prey in the primordial past. The Kilrathi tend to attack in tight formations (which can make them vulnerable to guided missile barrages launched early in the engagement), surrounding and overwhelming their opponents. They will often make use of decoys, sending one fighter out to engage the enemy one-on-one, then assume a defensive posture, hoping the enemy will chase it while two, three, or more fighters get on the pursuer’s six.
Kilrathi fighters are optimized for speed and maneuverability, and can be almost impossible to run down if they go purely on the defensive. In such situations, if simple marksmanship fails, the Kilrathi defender should be engaged with a guided missile, or caught in a crossfire. Sometimes the evading Kilrathi can be taunted into going on the offensive, if the attacker has a sufficient command of Kilrathi psychology.
All Kilrathi warriors are trained as both soldiers and pilots, but only the best pilots are actually assigned to fighters. Kilrathi honor their elite fighter pilots (those elite in the Imperial Guard called "Drakhai") even more than Confed honors its Aces, and a particularly notable Kilrathi hero will often be given a personalized fighter by the baron of their Clan, with individualized markings and (often) technical innovations designed to optimize the Ace’s fighting style. Any Kilrathi fighter with anomalous markings, particularly if behaving in a particularly aggressive manner or displaying atypically high performance, should be treated as an extreme threat—Kilrathi Ace status is not bestowed lightly, and those who earn it are genuinely dangerous.
Boarding actions
In ship-to-ship boarding actions, Kilrathi tend to enter explosively
and advance aggressively. A Kilrathi boarding party consists of
about four to twenty units of four to eight warriors each. Once
inside the target ship, the boarding party spreads out as fast
as possible throughout the ship, destroying anything that stands
in their way. This aggressive offense gives the defenders very
little time to adjust to changing conditions, but it can also
leave the Kilrathi attackers vulnerable to being cornered or bracketed
by alert defensive forces.
In boarding parties, Kilrathi Imperial Marines are typically lightly armed, carrying only the Ekrashk or Dor-Chak laser rifle and four to six fragmentation grenades. If engaged in hand-to-hand combat, the Kilrathi usually employ their natural claws. Even armed with a knife or staff, humans are grievously overmatched against Kilrathi warriors in close combat. The three-inch Kilrathi claws are capable of cleanly severing a human spinal column, and the average Kilrathi warrior has sufficient strength to dead-lift about 700 kg overhead.
The best tactic against Kilrathi boarders is to isolate the units, cut them off, pin them down, and destroy them. Kilrathi units are optimized for offense, not defense, and if they can be immobilized they become much less dangerous.
Kilrathi ship design
Kilrathi starships are designed around both lethal functionality
and psychological warfare. Almost always asymmetrical, most Kilrathi
vessels incorporate fang or claw-like curves and points to accentuate
their formidable look. Engines and weaponry are always placed
on conspicuous display. Each ship’s external marking indicate
the clan responsible for the ship’s construction.
Kilrathi ships often resemble ornate cutting weapons, most often with those of the post-2668 era. It is not uncommon for the inexperienced human pilots flying markedly superior ships to become intimidated at the first sight of a gun-bristling Kilrathi fighter.
Kilrathi architecture
Kilrathi architecture is driven by many of the same barbaric principles
found in other aspects of their culture. The Kilrathi’s roots
as rock-dwelling creatures are evident in their dwellings. Mesa-like
pillars and protrusions are often found rising from unlikely locations.
Exposed machinery is common, and ceilings are rarely enclosed,
leaving cables and ductwork exposed.
Lighting is usually dark and murky, and the high temperatures and zero humidity favored by the species often results in decidedly dusty atmospheric effects. And, as with clothing, trophies of war play a prominent role in interior decoration, as evidenced by the skulls of victims or blasted hull fragments of conquered starships often found placed on garish display.
Kilrathi uniform
Kilrathi designers never developed an appreciation for order and
symmetry, and therefore their designs are frequently asymmetric
and discordant by our standards. The imagery is iconic and bold,
oriented almost entirely towards glorifying previous battles and
intimidating foes. The standard warrior’s attire is unrefined,
a peculiar mix of functionality and ornament, high-tech and primitive.
As the Kilrathi remain strongly clan-oriented, uniforms are prominently decorated with symbols and insignia identifying the warrior’s clan and family. Favorite colors include reds, blacks, and maroons. Metallic textures lean toward gold and blood-red. The natural, coppery color of Kilrathi plastisteel (of which their spacecraft are also constructed) is frequently found in personal armor.
Kilrathi combat armor
For at least 1,000 years before they discovered space flight,
the standard Kilrathi military uniform has been a suit of jointed
metal plates. Today, except for the materials used (and the advanced
ShadowClaw stealth armor of elite ShadowClaw commando units notwithstanding),
a spacefaring Kilrathi warrior wears the same uniform that his
ancestors wore twelve centuries ago.
The basic structure of the armor remains steel plates, although a sophisticated alloy is now used. Also, the plates are coated with a plastic film that disrupts many energy weapons and also offers some protection against hard radiation. A full suit of Kilrathi armor (with helmet) weighs about 45 kg.
The interior of the suit is coated with fiber "hairs" that interlock under life-support conditions to seal off the suit from atmosphere and heat loss. Life support systems are integrated into the suit, and are rudimentary compared to similar human devices. An external breathing supply is not necessary except for protracted missions, as the Kilrathi metabolism and filtering action of the semi-organic "hairs" allows them to re-breathe the atmosphere within the suit itself for several hours. Under normal circumstances, the only electronic device in a Kilrathi armor suit is the helmet radio, powered by a photonicly charged crystalline power supply.
One unusual feature of Kilrathi armor is that the tips of the fingers are usually kept exposed, to allow the warrior to use his extendible claws in close combat. The helmet visor is coated with a polarizing agent (very similar to the transparent plastic coating over the armor itself) which provides excellent protection against glare. This is an important consideration, since Kilrathi eyes are optimized for a lower level of light than human.
Dor-Chak Laser Rifle
The standard Kilrathi sidearm in shipboard operations (often accompanying
the standard-issue Ekrashk-28 or 34 Laser Assault Rifle) is a
light energy weapon called the Dor-Chak ("Striking Bird")
in the Kilrathi tongue. It usually weighs about 6 kg, and measures
29 cm from barrel-tip to the end of the stock. (Some Clans wield
variant Dor-Chaks, which may look somewhat different from the
standard model, but most function virtually identically.) It is
believed that the Dor-Chak, in its modern form, was developed
by the Kilrathi 50 to 100 years before contact with humanity.
The Dor-Chak is a multifunction weapon. There’s a short-range, wide-beam setting (good for about 10 meters against unarmored targets, with a spread of about 2 meters), a long-range narrow-beam setting (able to penetrate an unarmored human target at 200 meters), plus a 1-meter torch mode, for cutting through hatches and bulkheads. Its crystalline power supply is good for about 20 minutes of continuous use, after which it must be discarded and a new one slotted into its place. Most Kilrathi warriors go into battle carrying at least five fully charged power supplies for their Dor-Chak.
Confed’s M-47 Semiautomatic Laser Rifle, which quickly became the standard from 2654 to around 2667 (succeeded by the M-48 in 2668, the HK-57 in 2673, and M-58A1 in 2679), is based directly on technology originally created by the Kilrathi for the Dor-Chak.
—
|
Names... ( Non-Aces ships only ) |
Classes... ( Aces ships included ) |
|
KIS Agon Ra Sivar - Dreadnought
[WCATV] KIS Bhanktara - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [FC] KIS Bordrav - Escort Destroyer [WC3N] KIS B’ru’k - B’ru’k class Merchantman [TCH] KIS Butha - Butha class Cruiser [AS] KIS Craxha - Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] KIS Craxtha - Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] KIS Darthuka - Snakeir class Carrier [FA] KIS Dorkathi - Dorkathi class Transport [WC2] KIS Dorkir - Dorkir class Transport [WC1] KIS Dubav - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [WC3N] KIS Fralthi - Fralthi class Light Carrier/Cruiser [WC1] KIS Fralthi II - Fralthi II class Heavy Cruiser [FA/WC3] KIS Fralthra - Fralthra class Cruiser [WC2] KIS Frawqirg - Escort Destroyer [WC3N] KIS Gamal Gan - Dorkathi class Transport [SO2] KIS Gamorgin - Gamorgin class Battleships [AS] KIS Ghordax - Escort Destroyer [WC3N] KIS Gi’karga - Snakeir class Carrier [FA] KIS Grakneth’Dak - Snakeir class Carrier [WCAM] KIS Gratha - Gratha class Command and Control Shuttle [FC] KIS Grimalkin - Dorkathi class Transport [SO1] KIS Grist’Ar’Roc - Snakeir class SuperDreadnought [WCM] KIS Hagku’ka - Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] KIS Hakaga - Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] KIS Ha’Tukag - Hakaga class Carrier [FA] KIS Hha’ifra - Hha’ifra class Dreadnought [WC2] KIS Hrai Hhallas - Pelican class Transport [WCP] KIS Hravik - Snakeir class Carrier [FC] KIS Hvar’kann - Dreadnought [WC3N] KIS Irrkham - Escort Destroyer [WC3N] KIS Kamekh - Kamekh class Corvette [WC2] KIS Karga - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [WC3/FC] KIS Karu - Snakeir class Carrier [ER] KIS Kathuga - Snakeir class Carrier [ER] KIS Kheerakh - Fralthi II class Cruiser [WC3N] KIS Kitagki - Battleship [AS] KIS Klarran - Snakeir class Carrier [FC] KIS Kofar - Kofar class Munitions and Fuel Dump [FC] KIS Kraj’nishk - Fralthi class Cruiser [FF] KIS K’rath’kan - Ralari class Destroyer [ARM] KIS Lumbari - Lumbari class Transport [SM1] KIS Naoukeric - Carrier [WCATV] KIS Naktarg - Naktarg class Assault Shuttle [FC] KIS Notakgak - Snakeir class Carrier [FA] KIS Ni’lakh - Kamekh class Corvette [SO1] KIS Ni’runihn - Kamekh class Corvette [SO2] KIS Rakesh - Lumbari class Transport [SWC] KIS Ralari - Ralari class Destroyer [WC2] KIS Ralatha - Ralatha class Destroyer [WC2] KIS Ras Nakhar - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [WC3N] KIS Ras Nik’hra - Fralthi class Cruiser [SM2] KIS Rathtak - Ralari class Destroyer [WC1] KIS Rigakh - Rigakh class Cruiser [SO1] KIS Rogharth - Rogharth class Search and Rescue Shuttle [FC] KIS Sar’hrai - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [WC3N] KIS Shak’Ar’Rock - Snakeir class SuperDreadnought [PS] KIS Shal’Kuz Mang - Fralthi II class Cruiser [CCG] KIS Shar N’Tanya - Ralatha class Destroyer [SO1] KIS Shiraak (23rd Vessel) - Shiraak class Carrier [ARM] KIS Sivar - Sivar class Dreadnought [WCM] KIS Sivar - Sivar class Dreadnought/Light Carrier [SM1] KIS Sivar’s Glory - Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [CCG] KIS Snakeir - Snakeir class SuperDreadnought [WCM] KIS Snakeir - Snakeir class Carrier [SM2] KIS Takh’lath - Escort Destroyer [FC] KIS Targu - Targu class Frigate [AS] KIS Tarvakh - Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] KIS Thrakhra - Thrakhra class CommCon [WCM] KIS Toor’vaas - Escort Destroyer [WC3N] KIS Torg - Snakeir class Carrier [ER] KIS Trak’hmar - Escort Destroyer [CCG] KIS Tugar - Tugar class Light Transport [AS] KIS Tukgah - Carrier [AS] KIS Ukshika - Carrier [AS] KIS Vengeance of Vukar Tag - Dreadnought [CCG] KIS Vorghath - Dreadnought [FC] KIS Wexarragh - Escort Destroyer [FC] KIS Yar - Yar class Battleship [AS] KIS Yu’ba’tuk - Snakeir class Carrier [FA] KIS Zulu - Zulu class Battleship [AS] _ |
Asjaka class Bomber [AS] * Azkad class Medium Fighter ("Burning in the Bush" PBM) Bhantkara class Heavy Carrier [FC] Bloodfang class Superfighter [WC2] Bloodfang (B model) class Superfighter [WC3] * Bloodfang II class Superfighter ("King of the Mountain" PBM) B’ru’k class Merchantman [TCH] Butha class Cruiser [AS] Carrier [WCATV] - (ex. KIS Naoukeric) * Caxki class Dreadnaught ("Operation Crusade" PBM) Corvette [WC3] Darket class Light Fighter [WC3] Destroyer [WCATV] Destroyer [WC3] Dorkathi class Transport [WC2] Dorkir class Transport [WC1] Drakhri class Medium Fighter [WC2] Draltha class Medium Fighter [WC4N] KF-100 Dralthi I class Medium Fighter [WC1] KF-100 Dralthi II class Medium Fighter [SM1] KF-100 Dralthi III class Light Fighter [ARM] KF-100 Dralthi IV class Medium Fighter [WC4] KF-100 Dralthi V class Medium Fighter [WCM] KF-100 Dralthi VI class Medium Fighter [PRIV] KF-100 Dralthi VII class Medium Fighter [PRIV] Dreadnought [WCATV] - (ex. KIS Agon Ra Sivar) Dreadnought [WC3N] - (ex. KIS Hvar’kann) Ekapshi class Light Atmospheric Fighter [WC2] Escort Destroyer [WC3] - (ex. KIS Bordrav) Fralthi class Light Carrier/Cruiser [WC1] Fralthi II class Cruiser [WC3] Fralthra class Cruiser [WC2] Gamora class Bomber [AS] Gamorgin class Battleships [AS] Goran class Heavy Fighter [ARM] Gothri class Heavy Fighter [SO1] Grakhi class Heavy Fighter [ER] Gratha class Command and Control Shuttle [FC] Gratha class Heavy Fighter [WC1] Grikath class Heavy Fighter [WC2] Hakaga class Heavy Carrier [FA] Heavy Cruiser [AS] Hha’ifra class Dreadnought [WC2] Hhriss class Medium Fighter [SM2] Hrakthi class Reconnaissance Craft [FC] Jalkehi class Heavy Fighter [WC2] Jalthi class Heavy Fighter [WC1] Jrathek class Medium Fighter [WCA] Kala class Fighter [AS] Kamekh class Corvette [WC2] K’ha’haf class Heavy Asteroid Camouflage Fighter [WC3] * Kla’meq class Battlecruiser ("Hell in a Handbasket" PBM) Kofar class Munitions and Fuel Dump [FC] Kor-Larh class Heavy Fighter [ARM] KF-402 Krant class Medium Fighter [WC1] K’Tithrak Mang class Starbase [WC2] Light Carrier [FA] Light Corvette [FA] Light Frigate [FA] Light Smuggler [FA] Lumbari class Transport [SM1] Minesweeper [FA] * Nythlar class Dreadnought ("Hell in a Handbasket" PBM) Naktarg class Assault Shuttle [FC] Paktahn class Bomber [WC3] * Pchela class Medium Fighter ("Hell in a Handbasket" PBM) Pelican class Transport [WCP] * Qith’rak class Medium/Stealth Fighter ("Operation Crusade" PBM) Ralari class Destroyer [WC2] * Ralari-K class Destroyer ("Operation Crusade" PBM) Ralatha class Destroyer [WC2] F-44 Rapier II class Medium Attack Fighter [SM1] Rigakh class Cruiser [SO1] Rogharth class Search and Rescue Shuttle [FC] KF-227 Salthi class Light/Stealth Fighter/Bomber [WC1] KF-227 Salthi (B model) class Medium/Stealth Fighter/Bomber [PRIV] Shiraak class Carrier [ARM] Sivar class Dreadnought [WCM] Sivar class Dreadnought/Light Carrier [SM1] Snakeir class Carrier [FA] Snakeir class SuperDreadnought [WCM] Sartha class Light Fighter [WC2] Shok’lar class Medium Stealth Fighter [ARM] * Sho’lar class Corvette ("Operation Crusade" PBM) Sorthak class Super Heavy Fighter [WC3] Strakha class Medium/Heavy Stealth Fighter [WC2] Strakha (B model) class Medium/Heavy Stealth Fighter [WC3] Targu class Frigate [AS] * Tarkhan class Heavy Fighter ("Operation Crusade" PBM) Thrakhra class CommCon [WCM] Transport/Scout [WCATV] Transport/Tanker/Scout [WC3] Tug [WCATV] Tugar class Light Transport [AS] Wu Transport [AS] Vak class Fighter [AS] Vaktoth class Heavy Fighter [WC3] Vaktoth class (B model) Heavy Fighter [WCP] Vatari class Heavy Fighter [FA] Yar class Battleship [AS] Zartoth class Electronic Warfare Craft [FC] Zulu class battleship [FC] |
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Also check out Avatarr’s excellent “Tomes of Sivar” website :
[ http://home.sprynet.com/~avatarr ]
