Hegemonic Crux

The Hegemonic Crux is the initial antagonistic force in Star Control III. An enormous empire under the control of the K’tang Kaktorri, the Hegemonic Crux has invaded the Kessari Quadrant with the intent on gathering as much Precursor technology as they can. This led to initial conflict with the League of Sentient Races, a collection of former Alliance and Hierarchy species from the Orion Arm.

On the surface, it appears that the K’tang rule the Crux with an iron fist, but this is merely a half-truth. Whilst the K’tang act as the principle enforcers of the Crux’s empire, the real power lies with the Ploxis, a race presenting itself as slaves to the K’tang, but in actuality keep their infrastructure active and in turn, the K’tang serve the Ploxis. This relationship saved the K’tang from extinction and gives them the drive to conquer. Meanwhile, the Ploxis simply indulge themselves in whatever materialistic fancy they come across.

History
The Hegemonic Crux was founded a few decades before the events of Star Control, after the Ploxis Plutocrats had usurped control of their worlds from the rest of the population and hired the K'tang Katorri to act as enforcers of their will. This led to the Ploxis Rebels to rise up and use their rich, eclectic leaders and strategems against the K'tang. This proved to be effective, given the K'tangs general lack of intelligence, but the Rebels were soundly defeated and exterminated after the Plutocrats contacted the Daktaklakpak and received a Precursor ship with which to fight back. This led to the Rebels fleeing into Quasispace in stasis and the foundation of the Hegemonic Crux.

Sometime later, the Crux began their invasion of the Kessari Quadrant, but were met with stern resistance from the Harika and Yorn, as well as the Clairconctlar. In spite of the K'tang's claims of superiority in conquest, the Ploxis were forced to use deception and subterfuge to overcome their opponents, tricking the Doog into an endless trap of debt, infecting the Harika with a plague that forced them to operate as the Crux's shock troopers and kidnapping the Clairconctlar and forcing them into a trap of honour. After this time, the Crux attempted to recruit the Vyro-Ingo and the Lk, but had no success in that area before the League of Sentient Races made their colonization jump to the quadrant.

During the events of Star Control 3, the Crux attempts to gain more allies within the League, tempting the VUX with promises of revenge on the Earthlings, merely threatening the Spathi and accepting the Mycon Elders after they leave the League due to ideological differences. The Ploxis also charge the Daktaklakpak with attempting to discover the reasons behind the Hyperspace collapse and attempt to rupture the League from the inside out. All these attempts fail however, forcing the leader of the Ploxis and the Crux as a whole, Plexor, to confront the Captain and attempt to convince the Captain to join him in ruling the Crux and League together. This fails and as the Crux is further dismantled, Plexor detonates a bomb that will draw the Eternal Ones to the galaxy to consume it. Ultimately, with Plexor's death, the Crux ceased to be, its members scattering or joining the League of Sentient Races.

Culture
The Crux is a largely slave driven empire, conquering worlds and systems, all in the name of driving the K’tang’s lust for power and the Ploxis’s lust for material wealth. The Daktaklakpak, a race of semi-sentient machines, are the technological wing of the Crux, providing the majority of their starships and their weapons in exchange for their desire of collecting and documenting their creator’s technology in an effort to prepare for the coming of the Eternal Ones. The Doog exist at the bottom of the totem pole, serving as the base of the Crux’s economy, infrastructure and servant classes. They are somewhat dimwitted and fail to realise their position is fruitless.

The Hegemonic Crux as a rule seems to keep their client races from communicating with other species, holding their information about the Crux close to their chests and preventing other species from communicating in case their slave races see through the lies and deceit used to keep them in line. This practice comes from the true power of the Crux, deception. Whilst the K’tang are certainly terrifying warriors, no conflict they have encountered in the Kessari Quadrant has been won by them. Instead, all the current races within the Crux, save for the K’tang and Daktaklakpak, have been tricked into joining by the Ploxis. Indeed, the K’tang themselves are constantly tricked by them into “leading” the Crux, being too stupid and insecure to say anything to the contrary. Be it unleashing a virus onto the Harika and offering a cure, to tricking the Clairconctlar about their Queen to ensure their loyalty, the Ploxis retain control over their empire with blackmail, tricks, lies and debt.

Technology
Due to the Daktaklakpak, the Hegemonic Crux is an extremely advanced coalition with access to the largest cache of Precursor technology in the galaxy. This includes a powerful anti-matter shield on the Ploxis Plutocrat world at the edge of the core of the galaxy, protecting the last of the Plutocrats and their impressive Precursor ship, gifted to them by the Daktaklakpak. In addition, the Crux are one of only two groups to have developed an alternative to Hyperspace travel using the technology of the Precursors, the Warp Bubble Transport. This allows the Crux to deploy their ships to other interstellar systems to continue their wars of conquest, whilst those same systems are defenseless against such logistics. The bulk of the Crux's industry is performed by the Doog and such is the level of technology, it can be assembled by the simple Doog without them using that same technology to their own benefit.

Members
The Hegemonic Crux has a total of seven races under their thrall at the start of the game, with the potential of four others joining their alliance.

Leaders


 * Ploxis
 * K'tang Katorri
 * Daktaklakpak

Slave Races


 * Doog
 * Clairconctlar
 * Harika
 * Yorn
 * Spathi (optional member)
 * Vyro-Ingo (optional member)
 * VUX (spy in the League)
 * Mycon Elders (optional members)