Millennia ago, when dinosaurs walked Earth and man was just beginning to climb out of
the sludge, the Scather civilization flourished. Seekers of knowledge in all its forms, the
Elders, rulers of Skathia, expanded their minds as far as possible within the limited
confines of their galaxy. Ever searching, they went out to other galaxies to continue their
quest for knowledge. So insatiable was their thirst, so driven and focused were their minds
that they began to ignore what they considered the boring and unimportant duties in life.
Duties such as building cities, growing crops and processing food were suddenly
unimportant. In time the Elders ceased doing all physical labor of any kind. To the Elders,
the search for and attainment of knowledge was more important than anything.
So, to free themselves of these insipid responsibilities they applied some of the vast
knowledge they had gathered; DNA from the far parts of the galaxy were combined and
used to create a race of mindless creatures. Creatures that would do the physical labor the
Scathers felt beneath them. Unconcerned by the morality of this; the Scathers rationalized
that these were merely ‘flesh and blood’ robots. In order to be cost efficient the Scathers
designed their ‘robots’ with the ability to procreate; thus guaranteeing that there would
always be a fresh supply of workers. They called them Ogatu; and for centuries the
Scathers used these workers in maintaining their society.
But, for all their super-intelligence, the Scathers failed to remember one basic truth; all
living organisms grow and evolve with each generation. After sixteen hundred years under
the Scather’s mentoring, a portion of the Ogatu became aware and began to learn; and
what they learned they did not like. Their so-called Masters were not the great beneficial
Gods they had thought them to be. They were cruel emotionless slave drivers who used
these poor creatures, as though they were animals. Those who understood hid themselves
from the eyes of their Scather masters. They began to study them - and their spaceships.
In time their eyes were opened to the world around them; and soon followed the desire to
be free. Free themselves they did, to the total surprise of their masters. Insanely raging at
the insolence of these ‘animals’, the Scathers vowed to hunt them down.
On the run for a century, the Ogatu finally found and settled on a planet two galaxies away.
They lived in peace and prospered; but knowing their former masters as they did, they
prepared for what they knew would come. When the Scathers finally found them they
attacked with a ferocity unheard of only to find themselves on the receiving end of same.
The Scathers took a terrible beating at the hands of what they considered inferior beings.
Astonished and frustrated at not being able to destroy these ‘animals’, the Scathers took
out their fury on all who had helped them - destroying planets and murdering millions in
the process. These heinous and unspeakable acts were seared into the mind of every Ogatu.
They fully realized the price of friendship with other worlds. To prevent a repetition of
this ever occurring again they cut themselves off and refused contact with all Outsiders.
Even so, the Scather Elders’ hatred went beyond all reason. They say there is a fine line
between genius and insanity; the Elders sailed over this line without even the slightest
thought as to weather it was right or wrong. They simply could not accept the Ogatu as
sentient beings; nor would they allow them to exist.
