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The Kushan are a race that lived on Kharak. It is revealed that the Kushan are not native to the desert planet, having actually arrived there from Hiigara after being sent into an exile by the Taiidan Empire. In Homeworld, the Kushan serve as the main protagonists to lead them back to their Homeworld.
History[]
The Kushan were a powerful empire divided into extended families called Kiithid, centered on the planet of Hiigara before they fell from grace in a war with the Taiidan and were exiled from their world on pain of death. Some of them hid in the Great Nebula while others fled to the planet of Kharak where they forgot their origins and became similar to the Bedouin in terms of culture and religion.
Life On Kharak[]
For 3,000 years, the Exiles survived on Kharak. In a few centuries, almost all technology was lost, and the differend Kiiths slowly began rediscovering it, while fighting between them, mainly for religious reasons, culminating in a conflict as devastating as the Heresy Wars.
Hiigara became a legend, and in time even the legend was forgotten. This all changed when, once they have returned to space, a satellite discovered an ancient starship buried in the sand.
The ship, called Khar-Toba, was only accessible after the Coalition of the Northern Kiithid won the Desert Wars, the last known religious conflict on Kharak. Inside lay the Guidestone and the word "Hiigara" - home - etched on its surface. But this was not the only discovery, for deep within the ruin lay the ancient Hyperspace Core. When once it had resulted in their Exile, this core would now return the Exiles home.
However, their leaving of Kharak took a high price, as it brought the Kharakian Genocide, with almost all Kushan annihilated and the planet turned inhabitable. Only after the end of Homeworld War the Kushan managed to retake their homeworld.
The blueprints of the core were integrated and expanded upon, or so the Hiigarans presumed. In fact, the core itself remained at the heart of the Mothership's drive. It was merely the containment unit that had been expanded to account for the stresses of sending a Mothership Class vessel through hyperspace. The containment units, which had proven perfectly sufficient onboard Sajuuk's Wrath, were unusable due to the substantially lower energy output of post-Exile technology.
Despite having brought the core with them, the Hiigarans had no understanding of its power or its true origins until 40 years after their arrival on Hiigara, when the first documents explaining its history were unearthed. Accompanying these documents were a collection of blueprints and schematics remarkably similar to those produced thousands of years later by the engineers who built the Mothership.
However, further delving into the archives revealed that these cores were more than merely the instruments of the Hiigaran's Exile and return. In many of the archives, it was recorded that the cores possessed by the Hiigarans and the Bentusi represented two of three powerful artifacts dating far beyond the reach of history.
Blessing or Curse[]
Reports differed depending on the source. Some stated that these cores were a gift from Sajuuk, the Great Maker, to his favored children. Others suggested they may have been forged at the same time as the universe itself, within the same forge in which Sajuuk had hammered the sky from raw thought. Still more implied the cores survived from a time before time, when gods traveled the stars in search of races to endow with sentience for their amusement. More mundane, but mentioned in several key writings, was the possibility that they were merely leftovers from an empire that had fallen many hundreds of thousands of years prior.
Yet all the documents, while differing in many areas, agreed upon one fact. When the third of the great cores is unearthed, it will mark the beginnings of the End Time. Judgment will come upon the children of Sajuuk, and only the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen people, will stand unchanged by His Hand.
Mother of the New Hiigaran Age[]
Debate raged throughout the Daiamid for many years after the Hiigarans returned home regarding what should be done with this ancient core. The Kiith Naabal and Manaan both argued in favor of restoring the core to active service, while Kiith Soban and Somtaaw thought the past was better left buried. However, in reality, all awaited the verdict of one Kiith upon the matter.
Ultimately, the decision lay not with Kiith S'jet, but in the hands of its most honored and respected member, Karan S'jet. As the pioneer of the neural interface that made the Mothership's journey possible, and the mind behind its pilgrimage, hers was without doubt the most respected opinion on Hiigara. All the more so because it was so rarely given, and even then only on matters of grave import. There was no doubt that in a matter tied so closely to the history of their people and the technology of the Hyperspace Cores, Karan's opinion, if given, would be the deciding factor for the Daiamid.
Her connection to the Mothership had permanently changed Karan. The years since the return to Hiigara did not show upon her features, nor had she lost any of the sharpness and incisive intelligence that had allowed her to both develop the first neural link and guide the Mothership through the trials it had undergone traveling to Hiigara.
Yet Karan had withdrawn from any involvement in governance almost immediately after reaching Hiigara. While never detailing her reasons, she had made it clear that being connected to the core had changed the way in which she saw both the world and the stars. Already regarded as a savior, her distance from the public eye actually enhanced her status as an enigmatic messiah, and the cult of personality that had already begun to form around her was growing daily. Already various groups were offering insights into her every word, and icons depicting her embedded within the bridge of the Mothership were sold in every corner of Hiigara.
The Core at Rest[]
On the matter of the ancient core she offered a rare public opinion, outlining the matter in the simplest terms. The core, regardless of the power it offered, was best left as a publicly accessible monument to the trials and triumphs of the Hiigaran people and the mysteries that still remain to be resolved, rather than being pressed into active service. After all, while it would offer near limitless travel to the fleets of Hiigara, it was a freedom that would merely distract from the duties at hand. With the process of rebuilding still ongoing, the population of Hiigara was still only barely sufficient to protect the nearby sectors of space, let alone to travel across the galaxy in safety.
Following her wishes, a museum was founded at Assaam Kiith'sid, also the home of the planetary government. Here the core and the history of its origins and meaning to the people of Hiigara were made available to any and all who cared to visit. For many, it was the first chance to see the instrument of their salvation, and also to reflect upon its role in their Exile. Also including the few artifacts brought with the Hiigarans from Kharak and many new discoveries unearthed upon Hiigara, the museum reflected the past, present, and future of the Hiigaran people.
Enemies Old and New[]
Hiigara just before war with Vaygr
So the reconstruction of Hiigara continued for a time. Yet the matter of the core was not settled. Rumors soon began to reach Hiigara of rising conflict in the Eastern Fringes, long a war-torn zone constantly harassed by forces from the Vaygr Reaches. However, the nature of the conflict had recently undergone dramatic change. Where previously small, disorganized raiding parties had launched guerrilla raids upon the fringes, now they came with overwhelming force, pressing relentlessly onwards.
It would appear that a new warlord had taken control of the splintered Vaygr tribes and Taiidan remnants and united them beneath a single banner. Known only as Makaan, his advance could no longer be dismissed or ignored. What had been only a nuisance for hundreds of years had become something substantially different, a holy crusade with Hiigara as its destination.
Analysis of Makaan's movements allowed but one conclusion. He was headed in the direction of Hiigara and along the way was gathering a fleet larger than any since the time of Exile. Furthermore, the manner and the speed with which his fleet was traveling had a chilling implication. The Third Core, spoken of in prophecy and myth, had been found and was in his hands.
The arrival of the Vaygr also frayed the Galactic Council, and the Vaygr incursions started a series of border clashes that quickly spread like wildfire. Within a few short years, the entire Inner Rim was at war. Many pleaded with the Bentusi to intervene, but they remained enigmatically distant. The fate of the Inner Rim was not theirs to decide. With war spreading and tension high, the Galactic Council fractured, and an institution that had survived for millennia collapsed.
His people worshiped him as the Sajuuk-Khar, the chosen one foretold by prophecy to lead his people to conquest and salvation. He had not only united the Vaygr, he had given them a cause, a dream, and a reason to fight. It quickly became clear that the Eastern Fringes, long a safe buffer against Vaygr incursions, would not hold for more than a few months, at most, against this newly organized horde.
Makaan and the Sajuuk-Khar[]
Under Makaan, the Vaygr were moving with unheard of strength, speed, and numbers. Planets fell before his forces and were stripped of every available resource and left barren. These resources simply acted to bolster the growing war fleet and carry Makaan to yet more triumphant victories.
Like a wave of locusts, the forces of Makaan swept unstoppably forward, seemingly without any goal but the destruction of all that lay before them. It was only by piecing together the reports of various individuals who had escaped their attacks that the matter finally became clear.
Again the Daiamid looked toward Karan for guidance, and this time her advice was to attempt the reactivation of the ancient core. However, if this was to take place she had a request. Again, she would be the one to join with the Core via her neural links. In her words, "I did not lead my people to their home in order to allow their destruction now. If the call has come to defend Hiigara then I must do so. It is neither duty nor obligation that drives me; it is simply what must be."
The Daiamid attempted to persuade Karan to reconsider, explaining that there were many other people more capable, better trained, and possessed of the same neural link that had once made Karan unique. Hundreds of hyperspace-capable ships had been built since Karan led the first Mothership to Hiigara, and advances had been made in both technology and technique. More importantly, Karan was of great importance to the people of Hiigara as both a focus of faith and as a figurehead. Yet Karan would not be swayed from her decision. If the core was to be reactivated and the fleet of Makaan held at bay, it would be her mind at the helm. Thus when the construction of the new mothership, the Pride of Hiigara, was begun at Tanis, Karan was there to oversee the final elements and tests, along with the ancient core that was to be installed within it. Her mind was to guide it in the coming times, for she understood what the appearance of Makaan and his possession of the Third Core implied.
The End Times had begun.
Famous Kushan[]
Strategy (Multiplayer)[]
Each of the Kushan's Mothership and Carrier can produce 2 different types of ships at the same time, allowing them to build a massive attack force faster than their Hiigaran counterpart. Due to their immense production speed, the Kushan race can assemble an attack force to overwhelm their enemies at very early stages of the game: In some cases, the Kushan can already declare an attack while their enemies are still busy building up their resource operations. By then, the enemy will then face a dilemma: to keep building additional Resource Collectors, or to build a defense force. Trying to build additional Resource Collectors will leave their fleet vulnerable to subsequent attacks. Choosing to build a defense force means that they will not have enough RU for later stages of the game, and that they will be overwhelmed eventually.
Another specialty of the Kushan race is their Hyperspace capability: Every Frigate-class and Capital-class ship of the Kushan has built-in Hyperspace drives, unlike those of the Hiigaran and the Vaygr which require a Hyperspace module. Due to this, the Kushan has the ability to launch surprise attacks with little to no casualty: their Capital Ships can freely unleash their deadly fire power, while their Frigates give cover fire against Fighters and Corvettes. If a ship is heavily damaged, the Kushan can easily hyperspace it back to base for repairs thus preventling losses. Therefore, research on Gravity Well technology is crucial when facing against the Kushan.
Yet, as the game goes on,the Kushan becomes weaker compared to the Hiigaran and the Vaygr race. There are several reasons to this. First, the Kushan cannot perform long-range attacks effectively: unlike the Battlecruiser, the Kushan's Heavy Cruiser does not have hangar bays for Fighters and Corvettes to dock with so that they can be hyperspaced along with them. As such, they must send their Fighter and Corvette squad to the attack location first before the Capital Ships can jump into the fray, which eliminates the element of surprise. Secondly, the Kushan can only produce Capital Ships through their Mothership, while the Hiigaran and the Vaygr can also build capital ships through their Shipyard. As the result, these two races have double the capital ship production capability compared to the Kushan and can easily repel Capital Ship raids. Finally, the Hiigaran and the Vaygr can upgrade the armor and engines of their ships through researching, which makes their ships superior compared to the Kushan's.
In short, the Kushan relies on surprise tactics and amazing production speed to gain an advantage in early stages of the game, rather than direct confrontation. As the game goes on, the Kushan's power diminishes. Still, many players prefer the Kushan due to their simplicity, especially new players.
Trivia[]
- The Kushan in Homeworld shares many similarities with the people of our real-world Kushan Empire, based in modern-day north-western India. Such similarities include similar names and the use of extended families.
- According to Homeworld: Cataclysm animatics, their in-game long-time enemies, the Taiidan, also appear to be humanoid, although with somewhat bulkier build.