DESCRIPTION:

The Bek originate from the long-destroyed planet, Beldona situated in what was once the Adonai-2 star system. The Bek were a hyper-intelligent, technologically advanced society that dominated the Adonai-2 system for millions of years. 

Little is known of early Bek culture, though historians have ascertained there was a long period of warfare between Bek factions on Beladona which continued into their early days of space travel. Historians believe the Bek likely united under a single species-wide banner when their shared existence was threatened by the failure of Adonai-2. It is known that the Bek made contact with many native species within their home system. Bek interplanetary conflict could be broken into three phases: domination - the Bek would wage total war on a planet and its civs, subjugation - the Bek would integrate new species as members of their slave caste, and finally assimilation - the Bek would conduct biological experiments to extract “useful” traits from a new species and create genetically modified versions to suit their specific needs. The Bek’s approach to terraformation of new worlds underwent a similar process, wherein they would bombard the surface of a planet from orbit, and use complex devices to reshape the planet’s environment. 

Bek cultural hegemony is defined by their shared supremacy through technological advancement, believing their ability to manipulate their surroundings to their liking as evidence of their role as the supreme beings of the universe. Bek are a trans-biological society, they believe augmentation of the physical body (both mechanical and biological) is necessary to accelerate their evolution and solidify their domination over nature. The Bek also possess a strong belief in genetic purity, a source of tension that persists within their species and provides the arbitrary caste by which Bek society is organized. 

Over the course of their mega-annum spanning empire, the Bek’s star, Adonai-2, slowly faded. Faced with the knowledge of their impending extinction, the Bek developed a solution to ensure their species’ survival: alter Adonai-2’s course, forcing it to enter the orbit of the thriving G-Class star  Adonai-1. The event now known as the Great Adonian Collision eliminated four planets and millions of unique lifeforms and in doing so, created the binary system of Deadstar. While the Bek were successful in their goal of altering Adonai-2’s course (and creating Deadstar), they have maintained ignorance of Adonai-1’s native inhabitants (though evidence of their intimate knowledge of the system pre-collision may prove otherwise). When the Pexylocotia Galactic Order learned of the Bek’s responsibility for the Great Adonian Collision, they placed a criminal bounty on Bek leadership and exiled the Bek from Deadstar under threat of Galactic Order intervention. In the following millenia, the Bek roamed the galaxy in search of a species intelligent enough to colonize Deadstar as their proxy.

The Bek quickly began their search for a suitable species to indoctrinate, sending probes across the universe. One probe, the Bek starship, Radaak 8, found Earth and on it a new species called Humanity. Though early in their formation of society, the Bek waited until Earth Humans developed to an industrial and social stage capable of shouldering the intellectual and mathematical burden of interstellar travel. While the Bek waited, they subtly influenced Earth society. They created a version of their species capable of breeding with Humanity and they dropped these creations (now called Azurians) into high levels of Human society (it is unknown when the Bek began direct influence on Humanity, though it is believed it was centuries before their first open contact). These Azurians attempted to instill Bek values onto humanity, though there was little resistance from Humans to lean into the ideals of racial supremacy and imperialist domination. Because many Humans required little push towards Bek ideals, the Azurians began to focus instead on advancing Human technology towards interstellar travel and advanced warfare. 

On October 21, 1962, the Bek decided to make their arrival to Earth known to Humanity. The Bek kept their observation and influence on Humanity a secret, using their Azurian influence to shepherd Humanity towards the Bek’s desired collaboration. After making contact, the Bek offered a lease of their advanced technology and knowledge in exchange for Humanity’s assistance. The Bek presented themselves as refugees without the ability to return to their home system, appealing to both Humanity’s sympathy and desire for colonization to convince them to take the Bek to Deadstar, where they promised Humanity a new system to call home. 

For their responsibility in instigating the Chameiro War, the Bek were exiled to Nymisto, where they subsequently began a genocide of the native ZuBi-Zubi population which culminated in the Spacer War. Since their defeat, the Bek have remained a heavily monitored, isolated, and weakened enclave in Deadstar. Though they lack the power to inflict carnage as they once did, their influence is still felt through Æntez and their Azurian descendants.