And now that the coalition had been formed, Regrad had a mission: Secure his space, reunite his system, and prepare for war. He knew war was coming: The coalition was too strong, too much of a contender for galactic dominance, for the empire to just disregard. Either the empire would strike first in an attempt to quash them early, or they would strike in an attempt to destroy the evil that the empire represents.
Either way, this was the calm before the storm…
So he would do what he could to be prepared when the time came to fight alongside his allies, and to do that he needed Hephastus. Its’ verdant world was not safe outside the boundaries of coalition space, and its’ people were of such stock as to be a real boost to the Coalition, if only they were given the opportunity.
The Vrakken were similar in some respects to Azguards; Both were noble, brave, fearsome, tall, but they were also different because while Azguards are only fierce and noble in times of great importance, Vrakken are always so. They were a true warrior people, who had never advanced far enough to reach to the stars.
For a short time, the Azguards lived here too. They had come as a part of a colony operation when the Vrakken had been discovered. Then there had been a brief time of peaceful coexistence, until the corrupted government of Azguard ordered the Vrakken lands seized.
This had been a pivotal, nay vital occurrence in the Azguard history. Suddenly, unexpectedly, the local Azguard forces decided to disobey the order. This had been the first time a military force of Azguard had ever refused the orders of their superiors. Suddenly Hephastus became a revolution world, completely against the sudden corruption of their once beloved government. The battles lasted for several days, until Regrad Returned.
He had been lost in space for some time, after a hyperspace accident. He had just returned to find that there was a rebellion. After finding the facts, he sided with the rebels. This was an unheard-of move, and soon he was leading the rebels to victory.
But then, massive Azguard warships came to blast them out of existence, and would have had not another pivotal moment occurred. A Mon Calamari scout had discovered this scene, and had quickly reported it. A massive Calamarian fleet came in, and was able to negotiate the conveyance of peace. Once the corruption of the Azguard High-command was discovered, Regrad was put in charge.
This had been Azguards’ greatest encounter with outsiders until then, and the effect is still apparent today. Not too long after taking control, Regrad shut off all outsiders and relinquished all worlds, to avoid detection by the mighty empire.
But, once the empire had collapsed in on itself, Regrad was quick to champion a renewed space program. He was fast in saving Krakken IV from enemies, he helped start the Save The Frozians fund and had permitted the actions of the research team, and now, to liberate Hephastus, he had decided to come into the planets’ orbit and send people down to re-establish contact with the Vrakken.
When they had left, the Vrakken had been very sad, but understanding. They knew it had to be done to avoid the revering eye of the empire. So when a handful of transport vessels landed upon the planets’ surface, they soon re-encountered the Vrakken.
The Vrakken had been in their technological infancy when the Azguards discovered them last. But due to radical exposure to the Azguard technology, they quickly adapted their traditions and ways to suit their newly acquired devices. By the time they left, a Vrakken could assemble a blaster rifle for hunting, prep a patient for bacta, and administer a worldwide government. And, when the mood took them, a national disco-tech dance competition.
Their scouting ships now encountered a pair of hunters, who whooped and hollered towards them, gesturing for them to come down. The ships made one graceful swoop, and came down nearby. Azguard TARGET League disembarked from the ships, to greet the Vrakken.
“They’re back!” The Vrakken cheered. There was much back-patting and singing of songs. The Vrakken lead them to the forest, where their people resided. After a half hour of forest travel though, things were getting suspicious.
Tree branches lay broken, tufts of earth were ripped from the ground. The explorers huddled together, their armour clinking, as they tried to look in all directions at once. Then all of a sudden, their Vrakken guides vanished into the woodlands. Ten Vrakken leapt from the undergrowth, pointing deadly blasters at the heads of the explorers.
There was silence.
Then there was laughter. The Vrakken bursts into hails of it, and so did the Azguards. “Welcome back.”