The
Mirak Star League is a medium-sized stellar empire on the border
of Lyran and Klingon space. The Mirak are a race of aggressive
predatory carnivores. To be a Mirak is to be a survivor in harsh
conditions, against terrible enemies and predators, both on
the harsh surface of Mirak worlds, and in the cold dark vastness
of space.
The official Mirak government is led by the Patriarch, who
lives in a starbase in orbit around the original Mirak homeworld.
The Patriarch's primary duty is to coordinate the movements
of the Mirak fleets to make certain that they don't come into
conflict with each other (wars between various fleets have
occurred three times in the last two hundred years). The Patriarch
is traditionally given authority over Mirak foreign relations,
but relations with neighboring empires is often dependent
on the strength of the individual fleet nearest their border.
Very strong fleets don't hesitate to send ships across borders
and raid worlds, even those belonging to traditional Mirak
allies.
It's impossible to talk about the Mirak without talking about
their vendetta against the Lyrans. Although neither side takes
the idea seriously, the Hydrans discovered remarkable similarities
in Mirak and Lyran genetic markers, and theorized that originally
the Mirak and the Lyrans shared the same planet, and evolved
from a common ancestor. The publication of this theory was
considered by the Lyrans to be a deliberate insult, and used
as a pretext for a war against the Hydrans that lasted for
three years.
The first Mirak-Lyran war began 150 years ago, and hasn't
formally ended, as any attempt to get the two sides to negotiate
with each other has broken down into lethal hand-to-hand combat
between the diplomats. The Mirak also fought six wars against
the Federation, but losses in those wars weakened the Mirak
fleet to such an extent that when the Federation offered peace,
the Patriarch accepted it with open paws. Since then, a tense
spirit of cooperation has existed between the Federation and
the Mirak Star League. The Mirak also assisted the Hydrans
during the Klingon-Lyran occupation, sealing a long-term alliance
between them as well.
Several decades ago, there was a major Klingon-Lyran excursion
into Mirak space, and it appeared as though the Mirak Star
League might collapse. However, a combination of internal
Lyran treachery, a Federation offensive against the Klingons,
and the unexpected strength of surviving Mirak fleets allowed
the Star League to make a comeback and regain their lost territory.
The commander of the lead fleet took over the vacant position
of the Patriarch, and greatly strengthened it.
Since
then, the Mirak have engaged in an uncharacteristically patient
rebuilding campaign. Also uncharacteristically, they sat out
the recent general war that occurred between the galactic
powers following the disappearance of the Organians. All Mirak
fleets are considered to be at full strength, and all key
worlds are well fortified. There has been a wave of new developments
in technology that has kept the Mirak on par with the other
galactic powers. Only the strength of an unusually powerful
and respected Patriarch has restrained the fleet captains
from "having an adventure". Tensions continue to
rise between the Lyran Empire and the Mirak, and it is likely
that a single incident could ignite the fires of a full-scale
war.
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