The Zeji Imperium dates back to the times when the Xel'Naga were still at the peak of their power. As one of the galaxy's 'First Ones' the Imperium made incredible advances in cloning technology and genetic splicing. Their scientific curiosity soon transformed into playing god, and eventually key members of the Imperium lobbied for war.
Knowing they have the means to conquer the galaxy the Zeji Imperium set out to tame all of the wild space and bring it under their control. Any races that opposed their 'manifest destiny' were systematically wiped-out, but the other First Ones were not content with allowing the Zeji to use their homes as their stomping grounds.
Many of the First Ones conspired to turn the Zeji ranks against each other, and succeeded after many sacrifices had been made. A massive genocidal war followed, as the Zeji, who once turned against their neighbors, now turned against themselves. However, mysteriously, one day, the Zeji Imperium vanished entirely from the eyes of the First Ones. Some say the Zeji succeeded in wiping each other out, while others believed they finally realized the error of their ways, and exiled themselves from this galaxy in shame. Whatever the truth may be, it was certain that they left their weapons in the playground for the younger races to find....
The Present
Fast forward to the present, in a time when the Zeji Imperium are a distant memory to the minds of the Xel'Naga's creations. Only the ancient texts of the Shelak Tribe spoke mention of these incredible 'Star Gods' who threatened Aiur in a time before the Aeon of Strife, put down by the Xel'naga. One such Judicator, Arestes, studied the surviving records of the enigmatic Star Gods that threatened their creators. He learned of their bio-mechanical terror and advanced cloning technology, and therefore resolved to claim this technology for his own purposes. Arestes learned of a recently-discovered ruin well beyond the territories of the Protoss, and sent the Templar Kabala, who had fallen out of favor with his caste (reasons classified), on an expedition.
Kabala journeyed to this ruin, and discovered it was in fact an ancient Zeji colony, long abandoned by the Star Gods. There, Kabala learned much of the Zeji Imperium and then some, finding among the ruins intact Cloning Cylinders. Seeing this as a potential bid for power Kabala decided to unite the war-torn sector by force. However, this power bid was put down, and Arestes gained control of the newly-created Zeji Armada. For a time Arestes bided his time until he could build a force sufficient to wipe out the Koprulu Sector, but Kabala eventually slew Arestes and retook control.
Looking ahead the Zeji Armada joined forces with dissident Terran factions and renegade Zerg Swarm in a final attempt to unite the Koprulu Sector. In the events that followed the successful Zeji Armada was about to accomplish its goals until one of its members betrayed Kabala and tried to seize control himself. Having failed for a second time Kabala realized that he will never have the power to unite the warring factions, and took the Zeji Armada to unknown space.
The Future
The current Zeji Armada, now joined by the Terrans and Zerg, are now seeking to carve out their own territories in the untamed wild space. What they encounter, and whether they plan on returning to the Koprulu Sector, remains to be seen.
The Zeji Imperium's warships are actually ships and structures used by the 'Nephilim' in Wing Commander: Prophecy. The title itself is a sort of homage to that same game, as well as deals with the subject of this story. I forgot to note who did it, but thanks to whoever extracted the ship models; seeing them available inspiried me to create this campaign, and finally create a worthy opponent for the Black Dream. Special thanks to Wing Commander CIC, as the source of these files, as well as reference to the ships themselves.
Enjoy!
-- Razorclaw X
[an error occurred while processing this directive]