Silentium image - Ages of the Federation mod for Sins of a Solar Empire: Rebellion

An unknown assailant strikes a Federation colony transport on the edge of the frontier.

In the mid-22nd Century Starfleet first encountered an unknown hostile species that attacked without provocation. All attempts at communication were met with silence. Even to the xenologists of the late 24th Century, this species remains as inscrutable as during that first encounter.

Very little is known about this species, and what is known is largely based on speculation based on rare encounters that last mere moments. They are known to prefer dark environments, and based solely on fleeting visual observations they appear to be fungoid-based lifeforms. They are known to be technologically advanced, and their starships are difficult to detect. When their attacks are successful they leave little to no evidence of their presence, and when driven off they retreat swiftly back into the shadows, leaving no traces to follow.

Through the 22nd, 23rd and 24th Centuries only a handful of recorded encounters with this species have occured. Their home star system remains unknown. No dialogue has ever been exchanged. Every encounter has resulted in hostilities. However, judging by the sophistication of their technology and the methodical nature of their observed bahviour, xenologists do not believe this species picks their targets at random, but rather have a specific purpose in mind with each encounter. One particularly disconcerting theory is that this enigmatic species is, over time, working towards a single, much larger goal, and that every attack so far has simply been a single step in a wider, slowly unfolding plan.