Introducing the Lopati
The Lopati evolved on the small, low-gravity planet of Lopat which orbited a brown dwarf on the outer edge of its habitable zone, and are a tall slim-statured race with small, deep-set eyes and thick, tough skin capable of weathering extreme cold. The surface landscape was ice-covered, with life initially evolving in a thermally thawed subsurface ocean, and then eventually in subterranean cave systems where the resultant Lopati built primitive communities. At this early stage of evolution the Lopati developed the ability to “die” at will, shutting down their metabolic processes and entering a state of dormancy much like a tardigrade. This allowed their communities to cope during times of extreme desperation where food and other resources were incredibly scarce.
As their technology advanced they branched upwards to the planet’s surface, discovering harvestable life forms capable of surviving the harsh conditions, and learning to construct weatherproof shelters that not only protected against the intense cold, but also the frequent storms that ravaged the surface in part due to Lopat’s highly elliptical orbit. They used a combination of underground caverns, large weatherproof shelters and greenhouses to create crop and livestock farming complexes, reducing the strain on fundamental resources. Surviving and thriving in spite of the rigors that Lopat threw at them, taught the Lopati to be hardy, resourceful and excellent problem solvers.
Lopati Technology
Eventually they evolved technologically to the point where basic flight was possible, using manned balloons capable of reaching altitudes higher than the roiling, storm-filled lower atmosphere, allowing them to start mapping Lopat’s surface from above, study weather patterns and develop forecasting & early warning systems - and also sparking their curiosity about the sky overhead with its many pinpoints of light and the muted brightness of the system’s brown dwarf. Atmospheric flight ultimately became space flight, and the Lopati began to explore the system’s planets and its sizable asteroid belt.
They applied their hardy aesthetic and problem-solving skills to their spacecraft, making them incredibly durable and efficient, and began to construct mining communities on the larger asteroids where they discovered & mined new metals and other resources that helped to further revolutionize their technology. This technological spread throughout their system was picked up by Altan ultra-long range telescopy, piquing their interest. Initially they sent probes, but after discovering a civilization capable of space flight the Altans sent a delegation to make formal contact with the Lopati, ultimately inviting them to join the Federation.
Lopat’s Doom
Things were going well for the Lopati, until the advent of a celestial calamity that neither their engineers nor their Federation allies could avert. Due to gravitational changes in the system’s asteroid belt the orbit of a large asteroid shifted enough for it to collide with a small planetoid, the impact altering its orbit enough to put it on a collision course with Lopat. There was no way to destroy or divert the planetoid from its course, so Lopat was doomed - but the Lopati had a year’s warning and they, along with the Federation, worked tirelessly to extend their asteroid communities and build ark-ships in a bid to house as many of their civilization as possible.
The vast majority of the Lopati people were relocated in time - a notable exception being small communities of skeptics who refused, believing that they could “weather any storm” - and watched from the safety of the converted asteroids and ark-ships as the planetoid collided with Lopat, a process that took hours as the two bodies inexorably ground into each other. By the end only debris remained, a new hazard for the Lopati to deal with as it spread, carried by momentum from the collision and gravitation from the system’s brown dwarf.
Given the ongoing risk Lopati leadership offered their people a choice: stay or leave. Those who opted to stay would need to reinforce their asteroid communities and find a method of moving them more out of harm’s way, and thus received the majority of available resources to sustain themselves and facilitate necessary infrastructural changes. Those who opted to leave - a slight majority - took up residence in the fleet of Ark-ships, a cramped situation mildly alleviated by the provision of a small number of aging Federation freight vessels re-fitted for the purpose.
Arkhives
The preservation of the memory of Lopat and the history of the Lopati people was of incredible importance, so prior to the fleet’s departure each ship and asteroid community received a specialized data core crafted from pieces of Lopat’s debris harvested for that purpose. These “Arkhives” as they came to be known contained all Lopati knowledge, and colony leaders were required to continue updating the cores with new knowledge and experiences. These cores were kept secret from outsiders, as the Lopati feared that the less scrupulous among the Federation’s many communities might see value in stealing them, either to hold for ransom or to comb through the knowledge they contained for secrets that might afford them an edge over competitors.
Once each ship had been fitted with a hidden Arkhive the fleet split into small groups of two or three ships and scattered, the Lopati having determined that this would be a better strategy than remaining together in what other races might see as an invasive armada. The Lopati aboard the Ark-ships ultimately embraced austere, nomadic lives, searching the stars for a new place to call “home” but never truly finding it - though some found solace among the more welcoming communities of the Federation, their engineering skills and resourcefulness widely appreciated.
The one thing that helped them retain their sense of species identity, was the requirement that the Ark-ships return to their home system every so often to share their new Arkhive data with the asteroid colonies - and in turn to receive the new data collected by them. This act became known as “The Pilgrimage'', and ensured all Arkhives continued to contain the sum of all Lopati knowledge and experiences. The return of an Ark-ship to the home system was a cause for celebration, with both the returning nomads and the asteroid communities devoting precious resources to the festivities.