A/N: This one will hopefully explain the enemy Homeworld is facing in my stories, as well as where they come from. Hope you enjoy it, because I want to die.
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Ask any sentient creature in the galaxy, whether it be an upstanding politician on the galactic stage, or some barkeep in the seedy underbelly of a frontier outpost, about the fall of the Arcadians.
You'll be guaranteed the same story every time.
The Arcadian Republic was a fledgling spacefaring civilization, only having a significant presence in the galaxy for several hundred years.
Their youth, however, did not detract from the progress they made.
In only a hundred years, the bipedal species had created FTL drives faster, more powerful, and more efficient than anyone in known space. Their understanding of the sciences had allowed them to prolong their natural lifespans, extending their years well beyond the point normal organics could last. Their military was one to be reckoned with; proficient, highly trained, and deadly, sporting weapons only ever conceived in theory. The amount of resources they could gather, as well as replicate, was astonishing.
Culturally, they had progressed to the point of sparking a galactic renaissance; Arcadian art, literature, and entertainment were celebrated throughout the cosmos, inspiring artists of every species imaginable to carve out their own piece of creativity.
However, despite their technological superiority and influential culture, nobody held the Arcadians in contempt.
Quite the contrary; they were some of the most well-loved beings in the galaxy.
Then, there were some species, one in particular, who saw them as a threat to their own seats of power.
The Diamond Authority had been an interstellar empire for thousands of years, firmly cementing itself on the galactic stage. Its influence stretched over a vast swathe of interstellar space, with hundreds of systems under its control.
The Diamonds held the most prominent position in galactic politics, with all other species too afraid or too weak to seriously challenge them.
So imagine the Diamonds surprise when a civilization of organic life began to assert itself as formidable powerhouse.
The Arcadians never challenged them outright; they were content to keep within their own staked out territory of space, the external affairs of the galaxy not seeming to trouble them.
No, it was the hope that the Arcadians gave to the rest of the intelligent life in the galaxy; the idea that an organic species could actually rival, and hypothetically triumph, over a race of theoretical immortals.
No, that did not sit well with the Diamonds at all.
So they did what any empire feeling threatened did.
They proposed a direct alliance between themselves, and the Arcadians.
And, much to their delight, the Arcadians accepted.
For two hundred years, both powers prospered under their mutual partnership; trade was healthy, philosophy and ideas were swapped, and research was shared.
Strategically, the Arcadians shared only a fraction of the technology they had created, the same with their military tactics and protocol. However, the Akios Military Academy was established to foster a closer relationship between the two species, integrating Gems and Arcadians alike into 400 different squads that would study the art of warfare.
Usually, newly emerged gems were sent to the academy to further their knowledge on the subject, and would spend four years studying while learning how to interact with their Arcadian counterparts.
This would prove to be downfall for the Arcadians.
Over time, the Diamonds would send in plants; older, more experienced gems under the guise of one who had just come into existence. These gems would be integrated into the system, where they would infiltrate classified academy databanks and report any information they could get their hands on back to their superiors.
After five years, the Diamonds had gathered enough information to expose the flaws in Arcadia's planetary defense systems.
What they did with this information would be denounced throughout the galaxy.
Using the yearly festival that marked the alliance of the two civilizations, the Authority moved its fleets to surround Arcadia, under the guise of a fleet parade that would show off the might of the two powers.
And the Diamonds did just that.
Using the information they had gathered over the years, the Authority made quick work disabling the planet's formidable defenses. The few Arcadian cruisers orbiting the planet put up a valiant fight, each one lost taking twenty gem ships with it.
Eventually, however, they were overwhelmed.
Planet-side, the gems within the Akios Military Academy made their move, making quick work of the unarmed students and staff with energy weapons that had been smuggled in. Once wiping out most of the academy, the gem forces made their way toward the major city centers for extraction.
Killing any and all in their path.
Above them, the Diamond's armada moved into low orbit, covering population centers across the globe. Reinforcements bolstered the gem forces already on the ground, fresh troops providing the extra power to push back the staunch Arcadian resistance.
By twilight, however, movement on all fronts had ground to a halt.
The Arcadians had halted the gem advance; they were on home turf, and they weren't giving another inch.
So the Diamonds, intent on seeing the Arcadians defeated as quickly as possible, decided to take the easiest route to accomplish said task.
They ordered the planet be Glassed.
Within a full planetary revolution, the entire surface of Arcadia was wiped clean, turning the once lush, temperate world into a desolate, blasted wasteland.
And so, as the story goes, the Diamonds reveled in their victory, proudly boasting to the galaxy that they had single handedly destroyed a mighty civilization with one crushing blow.
While many governments quietly vilified the Authority's actions, none spoke out against them, for fear of being annihilated themselves.
Thus came the end of the Arcadian Republic, and the ascension of the Diamond Authority to the top position of power in the galaxy; an abrupt finish to an otherwise peaceful and ambitious people.
Some, however, don't believe that the Arcadians were entirely wiped out.
Some find it strange that Authority forces encountered little resistance around the planet itself, leading to the theory that the main Arcadian fleet was elsewhere during the time of the attack.
The Arcadians also had colonized worlds scattered across the expanse of their empire. Yet, when investigated, these worlds were found abandoned; entire cities left empty and derelict.
No evidence of the people who once inhabited these worlds has ever been found.
The Arcadian population numbered some eighty-three trillion individuals peppered across known space, leaving an incredible margin left over after the destruction of one planet.
No one, throughout all of the nations in the galaxy, have seen and Arcadian in centuries.
They've almost passed into legend.
Many claim to have seen one, others have begun to deny they ever existed, a tale spun to cement the fear of the Diamonds in the hearts of lesser species.
Some, however.….
Some believe they are still out there, quietly rebuilding themselves,
Waiting for the perfect opportunity to seek retribution against the beings they once considered friends.
But, these are all just theories of course.
At least, that's what the Diamond Authority has to say on the subject.
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This felt somewhat rushed, but I really can't tell; college has me running on all cylinders 24/7. Hopefully you all got a kick out of reading this. Anyways, if you've got any tips or criticisms, I'd be happy to hear them. It helps me better my crap writing,