—A Century After the Fall—

“The Nall ruled with teeth and claws. Now their empire rots – or hides.”

1. The Parallax survived the collapse – but only barely.

Unlike the Consortium, the Parallax didn’t simply disappear. It fractured. Isolationist Nall cells cut themselves off from outsiders – and even from each other. Some still cling to old oaths. Others have gone fully feral.

2. The Nall still believe they rule the galaxy.

Even with the Parallax in ruins, many surviving Nall carry themselves like conquerors. On distant stations and half-dead colonies, a Nall’s word can still be law – if they can back it with claws and force.

3. Most non-Nall vassals either fled or died.

The Vollistan Light Singers, Grimlahdi, Mekke, and other subject peoples under Parallax rule didn’t fare well after the collapse. Without the iron grip of Nall governance, most scattered, rebelled, or were exterminated in “cleansing purges.”

4. The tribal cells are worse than the old regime.

The modern Nall “cells” aren’t unified. They’re survivalist, brutal, and often view outsiders – and each other – as threats. Without central authority, ancient rites of dominance and blood have become even more savage.

5. There are still war-clutches hunting in the void.

Small Nall fleets still operate in deep space, hunting ships like predators in dark waters. No diplomacy. No warnings. If you see their insignias, you run, or you die.

6. Patch is what the Parallax hates and fears.

Patch – Iron’s End’s sharp-clawed market boss – is seen by some traditionalist Nall as a traitor to blood and bone. Independent, pragmatic, not bound by dominance rituals. To them, she’s a glimpse of a future they’d rather burn.

7. Some Nall cells worship the Plague.

Whispers tell of cult-like Nall sects that believe the Plague was a divine trial: an evolutionary crucible. They don’t fear infection. They seek it.

8. There’s a hidden Nall warlord building a new Parallax.

The name Shaath-Drix surfaces sometimes in cargo bays and spacer bars. A charismatic Nall commander rumored to be uniting scattered war-clutches and lost vassals, forging a new empire from the ashes.

9. The old Parallax battle-languages are still spoken in secret.

On Iron’s End, in deep salvage camps, in forgotten colonies – you’ll hear harsh, coded Nall speech. Not just words. Commands. Challenges. Warnings.

Sometimes even those who speak it don’t remember what the words mean, they just feel the blood behind them.

10. The Parallax didn’t fall. It adapted.

The worst fear whispered in the Shambles and back-alley trade hubs is this:

The Parallax didn’t die. It learned.
It shed the skin of empire.
It became something harder to detect, and harder to destroy.

🗨️ What People Say

• “The Nall don’t conquer planets anymore. They conquer ships.”
• “You think you’ve got a deal? Wait until the Nall you’re trading with tests you.”
• “Some blood oaths last longer than governments.”
• “Patch walks free because the cells fear she’s what they’ll become.”
• “You don’t beat the Nall. You just hope they get bored.”

The stars may be broken. The flags may be torn.
But some predators never stop hunting.