Zorock Republic

The Zorock Republic is a fairly large empire that has dedicated itself to bringing peace and unity in the galaxy through any means necessary. Their ultimate goal is to unify the races of the galaxy under a single governing power which acts similarly to a republic and works together to achieve its goals. They see their laws as guidelines that the rest of the galaxy must follow. They are relentless in achieving their goal, even going as far as to become involved in foreign matters not relating to them if they view it as necessary.

The extremism of the Zorock brings them into conflict with the ideals of other peace seeking empire and alliances, such as the Peacekeeper Alliance. Zorock have no qualms with using violence to achieve their goals, even going as far as to attack civilian populations if they view it as the proper action. Empires have been destroyed by the Zorock because they were viewed as a threat to the rest of the galaxy. Zorock society also tends to be very arrogant and at many times hypocritical. While the Zorock want peace and freedom for all, their society tends to look down upon many concepts with contempt and even hatred, such as religion.

Occupation Zones
Occupation Zones are the remnants of empires or planets invaded by the Zorock. In these cases, the Zorock hold complete control over the lives of the occupants, replacing any government and military they had previously. More often than not the intention of these occupied areas is not the punishment of the population, but rather to help them rebuild and steer them to a more democratic system of government. They will help the population regrow and reform, providing economic, medical, and administrative assistance to the occupants. With enough time, the population will have formed a new government and rebuild a new home from the ashes of its former system. At this point most occupation forces are pulled out and the aliens are allowed to govern and support themselves from now on. Though, it is common for the two to become allies at some point later. It is a common occurrance for these former occupied states to be culturally and administratively similar to the Zorock thanks to the several yesrs, if not decades, of Zorock control.

Derahs
Derahs, a large arctic planet, is the homeworld of the Zorock. Many parts of the planet are largely uninhabited due to the harsh climate and lack of food and water. The majority of the population is set up along the coastlines or built upon the small islands spread out amongst the ocean. There is more land than there is water on Derahs, though much of the ground is frozen permafrost. or glaciers. Much of the planet is fairly flat and has little elevation, but some mountain ranges do exist. Despite the planet's hostile conditions, the Zorock have immense pride regarding the planet. The thank the planet's harsh climate for making them strong and mighty.

Derahs is divided into three main continents. Jhasoth, Ligovos, and Yielvais. Jhasoth is a massive continent formed from several smaller continents combining several million years ago. The continent is where the Zorock formed and remains as having the most population of the three. The majority of the population is situated in the west, northern, and southeastern regions. Ligovos is a smaller continent close to Jhasoth. Unlike its larger brother, most of Ligovos is suitable for habitation. Ligovos has become famous for its lucrative production of luxury items. Many in the upper class still come here to purchase what they consider status symbols. Yielvais is the smallest continent. It is one of the most mountainous continents and does not have many places suitable for habitation. The continent is largely used by corporations because it is rich in natural resources.

Derahs has a sizable military presence in order to protect the population. Many of the uninhabited regions have military bases constructed in them, many having AA and anti-orbital cannons to deter enemy vessels. A large and up-to-date orbital fleet is also present at all times. The Zorock are ultimately too prideful of their home to lose it, and are willing to fight to the death to keep it.

Biology
Zorock are mammal-like creatures which stand at about 5'9-6'6 feet (1.8-2.02 meters) tall. Their entire body is covered in a very thick coat of fur which keep them warm and keeps snow off their skin. Underneath the skin is a thick layer of fat which insulates the entire body. Their skin and fur are colored to match the colors of the planet's environment. The toes of their feet are long and spread apart, evenly distributing their weight and helps them keep balance on unstable terrain and prevents them from sinking into the snow. They developed strong leg muscles to run away from predators, though the physical strength in their arms is fairly average. They also can close their nostrils and have extra eyelids to help keep sand from entering. They are primarily nocturnal creatures, preferring to stay around a cool place during the day and coming out when it is cooler. Some have managed to become more adapted to daytime hours, which occurs after a few generations on different planets.

They are primarily omnivorous creatures. They can consume most of the foliage on their homeplanet, which include moss, lichens, grasses, and certain berries which grow during a very brief time during the short summer season. They also prey on several animals, including fish, seal-like creatures called Doovero, and Felsef, a species of herd animals. If no other food is present, they will also feed on insects and carrion.

Mothers normally give birth to one child at a time. The gestation period is longer than most other species, at twelve months. Children come out fairly well developed, and are able to walk within a few hours of being born. They reach maturity around the age of 17, and can naturally live up to 115-125 years.

The Rise and Fall of Early Civilization
Originating in the harsh tundra of Derahs, the Zorock began their sentience as nomadic tribal groups. With food being scarce, tribal groups were limited in size, and many battled each other for shrubs and hunting grounds. Technological progress was initially quite slow as groups were focused on staying alive. After several thousand years of a nomadic existence, the Zorock began to construct more permanent settlements near the rivers and coastline. Many fish roamed the water and animals frequently came here for water, becoming easy pickings for hunters. With a steady source of food, the population began a steady rise.

Eventually, many of the settlements came together and formed the very first civilization on the planet. This new civilization was quite peaceful, preferring to expand slowly and trade with other peoples rather than waste troops fighting for land and food when they did not need it. This civilization prospered for several centuries and overtime managed to peacefully annex many of the scattered Zorock settlements into its fold. The civilization managed to slowly spread across most of the western coast of Jhasoth with the help of the introduction of wheels and domestication of wild beast.

Religion
The Zorock have an incredibly hateful and discriminatory view on religion, looking down upon those who believe in gods with disdain and shame. Many view religion as an archaic concept that only leads to violence, death, and abuse of power. Many openly discriminate against religious individuals and empires. Some territories have gone as far as to ban religion altogether. In territories where religion is allowed to remain, they are carefully monitored to make sure they remain in line, and any suspicion is acted upon with extreme force. Only a very tiny minority of the Zorock population worships a deity, most being ancient pagan religions. The Zorock's attitude towards religion leaves them to be paranoid of religious empires. Conflict with religious empires has become common, with few exceptions existing because of an outwardly friendly and more tolerant nature. Spying on such empires is still commonplace though.

Strategy
Zorock military doctrine focuses on subduing the enemy as soon as possible. Use of overwhelming force and shock and awe are staples of Zorock military doctrine. Many Zorock units focus on having heavy firepower and mobility in exchange for less armor, which is somewhat negated by shielding technology. Armor and infantry are generally a mix of forces meant for directly attacking the enemy and forces dedicated to hit-and-run fighting meant to eliminate crucial enemy assets. Artillery and aerial bombardments are also utilized quite often. If standard doctrine stops working, the Zorock do have special divisions of heavily armored forces capable of wiping out enemy forces through sheer power. The rapid and overwhelming strategy of the Zorock tends to leave little consideration for civilian casualties unless they are specifically meant to be not targeted, which can result in heavy civilian casualties.

Marines
Zorock Marines are divided into two separate classes: Jravek and the Gartok. Each class have their own specific purposes and equipment.

 Gartok 

Gartok are the primary assault fighters of the Zorock military. They wear the standard-issue power armor. They also have strong shielding that can take several hits before overloading. Keeping with their doctrine, Gartok tend to rush toward the enemy, using their mobility to quickly move across the battlefield and duck into cover to take shots at the enemy. They tend to use the heavier weapons of the arsenal, such as heavy assault rifles and LMGs, as well as rocket launchers for enemy armor. Given their mobility, some also use heavy melee weapons, such as extremely large, two handed swords.

 Jravek 

Jravek are lightly armored hit-and-run ambush infantry. They wear the standard issue power armor like the Jravek, but they modify it to have less armor plating overall, making them more vulnerable to gunfitre, but also much faster and more agile. The vulnerability is rectified somewhat with moderate shielding. They use their mobility to quickly move around the battlefield to harass and take shots at enemy forces before fleeing. Many Jravek also set up traps along the battlefield. Many Jravek wield light weaponry, such as ARs and SMGs. Most Jravek squads will generally have at least one soldier with a rocket launcher or grenade launcher for quickly destroying targets.

Repzork Empire
Status: War 

The relations with the Zorock and Repzork were bad from the beginning. A large invasion force was launched to halt Repzork expansion in their region of space and to pave the way for eventual defeat and occupation of Repzork space. Twenty-seven years later, with them now knowing of the Repzork's culture and atrocities, the objection has changed from containment to full extermination. Unfortunately, neither have managed to make much progress in the war.

Space Pirates
Status: Hunting 

Like most other races in the galaxy, the Zorock have been raided by the infamous Nalstros. The Zorock seek either the extermination of the Nalstros and their clans or the hope that they can somehow be changed to be more civilized and live within the galaxy at peace, though many view both as nearly impossible to achieve. Several anti-pirate brigades have been created to hunt down and eliminate the pirates, with mixed results.