HISTORY

Naturally, Kentyan history is long and complex, and can only be summarized here. Like most things about Kent, the first civilizations were on Uspats, along the southern coast. It was here about ten thousand years ago that agriculture became extensive enough that the first cities were built. Most of them were trade centres, where food and other products could be bought and exchanged for other goods. As the cities grew, so did their influence. The leaders of the cities began to exert control of the countryside, and as they came into conflict with each other, the Kentyans developed a new institution, war. Early Kentyan history is filled with stories of epic wars, perhaps somewhat embellished by time and the victors. During the earliest period, warfare was the constant state of the southern Uspats settlements, but the influence of agriculture, trade and exploration spread outwards, and more cities appeared.
        One of Kent's greatest early rulers was Ngotolodousoo. He appeared in the southern Uspats city of Ngal as the heir to that city. He was a ruthless ruler but a brilliant tactician who evolved warfare considerably. He was the one who was the first to develop a primitive steel industry, and he was the one who introduced boats to warfare. Before him, Kentyans never thought to use boats to attack coastal cities, fearing, rightly, that they would be targets because they would be visible. But Ngotolodousoo showed the usefulness of navies. With his navies and his armies, he soon conquered all of Uspats but the extreme northern area and the long, slender Chutoso Peninsula (which at this time was lightly occupied). He established what he called "The First Empire," and declared on the vernal equinox the "dawning of the eternal era," and called the previous year "year zero" and the new year just starting as "year one of the eternal era." Instead of naming the years after the current ruler, he decided that the years should be counted in sequence without referring to a ruler, because naming a ruler somehow implied that ruler was involved with the year. So influential was this idea from Ngotolodousoo that the Kentyans, for civil purposes, still use his year-numbering system. Thus, the current year in the Kentyan calendar (the year whose new year started in Earth year 2376) is 6425. Ngotolodousoo's sons and grandsons could not hold his empire, which eventually crumbled, but they did introduce many other things that came into general use on Kent. The son, Ngotolomosod, refined his father's calendar, and introduced the modern Kentyan calendar of eight months, and also established a time-keeping system. The grandson, Ngotolovoroq, made the leap in turning the writing systems of the time, a combination of ideographs and syllabic writing, into a true alphabet. He modified the characters so that they could be easily used on a variety of surfaces, and his invention became the foundation of every Kentyan alphabet developed since. As a result, the Ngotolos are often referred to as "The First Family of Kentyan Culture."
        By 3000, civilization had spread to Rezesblan. In this time period, the most significant location was the city state of Ocojokso, which became an important trading nation, with its ships the first to explore Anguu. In addition, Ocojokso became a centre of learning and had the most significant university of the period. This particular city-state was the origin of some important aspects of Kentyan culture. Some of these aspects have more or less died out in the modern times, such as the practice of buying wives and acquiring wives through auction-like affairs that reduced women to virtual slaves. On the other hand, some aspects of economic theory have their origin in this period. The most important contribution from Ocojokso, however, is the beginnings of the Kentyan religion. Prior to the Theory of Iterations, as the religion became known, Kentyans generally followed animist beliefs, assigning spirits to animals and rocks and even weather phenomena. However, with the development of sciences at Ocojokso, people began to understand the forces behind such thing as rocks and weather and animals and the like. Nevertheless, philosophers at the time still thought that there had to be something more, something deeper than just ordinary physics and chemistry. A reason had to exist why Kentyans had appeared on this planet, and why they occupied the land that they did and how they managed to grow and develop.
        The Theory of Iterations basically said that the Kentyans were not the first species of intelligent, sentient beings to arise on Kent. Instead, Kentyan civilization became known as the "Second Iteration." The first was a race of beings that had appeared, perhaps one to two billion years earlier, and who had evolved to a higher plane of being. Instead of an individual ascending to heaven, an entire culture, once it had become "perfect," would ascend to permanent bliss and joy. Once the society had made this ascension, then they could start to do things beyond the laws of physics. What the First Iteration had done was to create the second one, almost as an exercise to see whether their own creations could eventually join them in this blissful alternative reality.
        The framework of the religion followed from this theory, and this would influence Kentyan beliefs for thousands of years. One thing that quickly became established is that a person could not complete his work, his contribution to perfection, in one lifetime, so reincarnation became an important aspect of an individual's beliefs. A person, once born and educated, would assume to be able to resume the work of his previous self-if he could figure out what it was. In general, it was believed that this work was whatever he was good at. Thus, if a person could perfect his craft, do what he had to do perfectly, and know absolutely everything about his chosen area of expertise, then he was doing his part. His soul (to use a human equivalent term) would eventually be freed and would join those in the First Iteration, but even then, he would not join true and total bliss and harmony until all of society could join him. Thus, he spent his time almost as an "advisor" for those still in the mortal world. Understandably, a premium was placed on education, as a person had to learn everything known about his chosen area before he could contribute to it and hopefully complete the knowledge. Some of the most dedicated believers actually spent most of their lives simply learning and not adding to what they had learned. Extending one's lifetime and preserving one's health became very important, because the longer a person spent in one lifetime, the closer to perfection he could become. Thus, Kentyans put a lot of emphasis in health and medicine, to extend lifespans, and make the person as healthy and as productive for as long a period as possible. The Kentyan religion has no gods, no omnipotent beings that could interfere in the mortal world. Instead, each Kentyan had a psolat, which could almost be considered a form of guardian angel. The psolat was one of those from the First Iteration or one who had perfected his task in the Second Iteration (naturally, as the population grew, there were not enough psolat from the First Iteration to cover everybody, so some from the Second joined in), and this spirit or essence was the guide of the person, the one who would come in dreams and in moments of inspiration and help guide that person on the path of social perfection.
        The Theory of Iterations had no edifices of worship, no priests and no contrived ritual or even a version of hell. Society would exist as long as necessary for it to achieve perfection. Even without the control of the population that religions on other planets, such as Earth, gave to the leaders, the Theory of Iterations spread through the civilized areas of Kent, and to where their explorers went. Because societies that adhered to this became more prosperous and more advanced than societies that did not-because the reward of the afterlife came only from prolonged long work and continued development-the Theory spread to outlying areas, until by 5000, it was virtually global. Only a few pockets of the old animist beliefs and some cult-style religions also appeared. In time, the Theory of Iterations would become more muted, something of the historical record but still on the back of the minds of most Kentyans. They simply had no way of knowing if what their religion told them was true or not.
        One proof, some thought, would be to discover any kind of relic or ruins from the First Iteration, if it was in fact a real civilization. Given the long lead times and the age of the Alpha Centauri system, a prior appearance of a sentient species was not impossible. A billion years was more than enough time for one form of life to be present, die out and then produce a new form of life. However, only a few, hotly-contested and controversial pieces of evidence have been uncovered, and they are by no means convincing. Believers understand that in a billion years, continental drift, even at reduced Kentyan rates, with mountain-building, erosion and the rest would pretty well erase any trace of a prior civilization. With the discovery of faster-than-light travel and contact with other races, some Kentyans believe that the First Iteration might have simply been a settlement by some alien race on Kent, which at the time did not have much of its own life. The DNA in Kentyans and all Kentyan life may, in fact, be traced back to those ancient settlers, although the Kentyans have never found any other planet that shares their DNA, or had evidence of once sharing it.
        Although the religious aspects of the Theory of Iterations has died out in modern times, along with concepts such as eternal bliss, the First Iteration and reincarnation, have died out in modern times, the Theory still has some influence in Kentyans, most notably in the value they put on education and acquiring knowledge and skills, their devotion to extending their lifespans and improving their health and quality of life, and the fact that as a group, they can collectively focus on the good of society as opposed to the good of individuals or groups within the society. Although various cultural groups on Kent might clash, there is a great deal of harmony within a particular group. Kentyans have gone to great lengths to extend this sense of harmony to their whole planet once it was discovered that they are truly not alone in the galaxy.
        By 5000, the trappings of civilization had spread to all the land masses on Kent, producing the more than five hundred nation-states that continue to exist. However, the dominant area remained the lands around the vast Teznopsolts Sea. It was here that much of Kent's cultural and social identities originated, and where the most varied languages and cultural practices persists. Much of its history originated in that area too, especially during the era of the empire builders. On more than one occasion, a nation-state would decide to expand, and not only that, but it assumed the belief that the larger the nation, the more durable and more efficient it would be. At first, the empire would start by the amalgamation of several small, neighbouring states, especially if those states had roughly similar cultures and languages. The overall ruler would invite some of these other rulers to join him in a union, and with their combined military strengths, they would attack and conquer neighbouring states, either forcefully assimilating them into the overall culture or simply treating them as little more than vassal states. One of the longest-lasting of these empires was the Dongong Empire, which appeared starting in 4712 with the amalgamation of the city-state of Dongong and several neighbouring regimes. The Dongong had developed an efficient military, but the expansionist era did not begin until Koptosos II, from the neighbouring state of Ijalt was able to take control of the union. Using the military technology of the Dongong and the large population of his state, he was able to create an empire that took in most of the Isthmus of Light, up the east coast of Rezesblan and across the archipelago to the Notso Peninsula. Under his son, Koptosos III, the forces of the Dongong Empire moved across the central Rezesblan to the states along the east coast, eventually circling and enveloping the more rebellious states in the southeastern section of the continent. By 4800, the Dongong Empire was strong enough to invade and destroy those states, scattering and absorbing the population. Under Koptosos IV, the Empire took over Ocojokso and started advancing up the Urturts Peninsula, so that by 4825, the empire was at its greatest extent, occupying the southern half of Rezesblan. Even when the two sons of Koptosos IV, Koptosos V and Putakh II, challenged each other for control of the empire, it more or less held.
        In 4910, under Putakh III, the Dongong Empire attempted to expand into Uspats, which brought it in conflict with the Northern Uspats Empire led by the powerful nation states of Botsa and Ksatala. These two nations were rather similar, with their languages so similar that they were mutually understandable. Unlike the Dongong, the Northern Uspats Empire was more technologically advanced, and became the first Kentyan society to use motorized vehicles. At one time the Empire was aggressive, but by 4910, it was increasingly seen as a union of semi-independent states, as the two leading states no longer imposed their will so strongly on the subjugated states. In fact, by 4910, the Empire was starting to disintegrate, but in that year, the Dongong Empire invaded. What followed was Kent's biggest war. It lasted for five years, and turned the Isthmus of Light into a war zone, with one contemporary writer describing the land as "running deep with blood." In the first phase of the war, the Dongong forces were repulsed, and the Northern forces pushed upwards, reaching Dongong by 4911 and besieging the city starting in that year. Perhaps inexplicably, the vassal states of the Dongong rallied to the aid of the besieged city, as they set up new armies and counterattacked. Eventually, the Dongong forces pushed the Uspats armies back down the isthmus. However, imperial forces at the Mok Land Pass, the very narrow strip of land that connected the isthmus to Uspats proper, was able to hold the line and prevent the Dongong armies from crossing over. The warfare was intense, with sustained hand-to-hand and close-quarters combat and repeated charges and even a naval battle (a first for Kent, as ocean warfare was not something the Kentyans developed strongly), and the casualties were high. A million a month were dying during the eight-month long battle, a horrific death toll for the time. So many bodies were on the battlefield that instead of burial, they were simply burned where they lay. Finally, early in 4912, the Dongong forces retreated. Putakh III was actually shifting gears and attempting to build up naval strength for a sea invasion of the Northern Uspats Empire, but was soon preoccupied by another imperial army marching up the Isthmus of Light and laying siege to the capital of the Dongong Empire. The imperial forces had a new weapon in their arsenal, rockets. These were packed with explosive powder and fired at Dongong, soon reducing the walls to rubble, and shortly thereafter, the city itself was basically in ruins. Putakh III was killed, and no heir stepped forward. Still, the Dongong Empire did not disintegrate. Instead, more forces were marshalled, to liberate the ruins of Dongong and drive the invaders back down the isthmus. In 4914 and early 4915, the battles raged over the isthmus, with the forces pushing back and forth over that land. Finally, the Dongong Empire fell apart as three contenders to the throne battled it out and split up the empire. Within a hundred years, the original nation states had reasserted themselves and the last trace of the empire was gone. Even so, in the present time, the nation state around Dongong still includes "Empire" in its name.
        At the same time, the war effort led to the dissolution of the Northern Uspats Empire too, and the nation state became dominant. The memories of this horrific war became ingrained in Kentyan culture, and is remembered in fables, legends and even some simple sayings that originated in this war. Since that time, the occasional attempt at empire-building was staged, but they never got very far, and though wars continued right into the seventh millennium, none were as destructive as the conflict simply called "The War." With so many nation states, none could develop the machinery for a powerful military. They simply lacked the resources and the size to produce a strong military, so what conflicts did occur usually involved primarily infantry and light arms and small missiles and small gunboats. Weapons of war that were seen on Earth, like the submarine, aircraft carrier, bomber aircraft and atomic weapons never appeared on Kent (although fighter planes did appear).
        Another significant event that happened on Earth never happened on Kent as well, the industrial revolution. On Kent, guild and craft style industries remained, and were not replaced by large-scale industrial operations that used assembly lines and other techniques of mass production. Once more, it was a lack of resources, both financial and material, that prevented this. A guild style industry, where products were made in small numbers to unique local styles, continued to develop. Although some of these industries did use machines, and some of them actually became quite large, conventional techniques of mass production never applied. The people who work in these industries then (and now) consider themselves to be craftsmen, and it takes education, time and apprenticeships for those who want to work in these industries. Unskilled labour working the assembly line was not something that ever appeared on Kent. The drawback of this approach was that it did not provide employment for large sections of the population, so even into the seventh millennium, Kent was overwhelmingly rural. Products were highly varied from region to region, and so some became more valuable than others. Craftsmanship and quality was high, and the sense of design and planned obsolescence was less important. Goods were built to last, and made to extremely high quality. The prices were high, but devices that were throwaway products on Earth during a comparable period were often heirlooms passed down through the generations on Kent. On Earth, by the end of the twentieth century, only a handful of companies produced automobiles, but by 6100 on Kent, over two hundred different companies produced automobiles. With so many different companies producing small numbers of so many different lines of products, technology and innovation advanced slowly. The capital resources simply were not there to push products hard. Things that required large amounts of capital and resources, like atomic power and atomic weapons and space exploration, were simply beyond the means of Kentyans to develop. Some attempted to unify companies and produce this capital, but the financial system at the time, designed to prevent people from losing money or escaping the responsibility of their losses, made large-scale investments simply impossible. By 6100, technology on Kent had all but stalled, except in the area of medical science. The cars of 6100 were hardly different from the cars of 6050, both in what they looked like and how they operated.
        On the other hand, a large number of universities created a large pool of scientists and thinkers and inventors. Science was evolving more rapidly than technology and industry was, so much so that by 6000, the cherished idea that the speed of light was an impenetrable barrier had been dismantled. Theoretical physicists at the University of Botsa in essence developed the science of subetheromagnetics, and tried to get proof of its existence using the biggest gravity generator around, the two stars in the system. Others at the university suspected that if Kent could develop this theory, but lacked the resources to build the technology, other planets could do this too, and they might not have the same deficiencies as the Kentyans. In short, these thinkers thought that Kent should get ready for alien visitation. They thought that the visitation would occur inevitably.
        Within a hundred years, they were proven correct. The Kentyans, as part of the celebrations marking the beginning of their seventh millennium, decided that as a race, they should be prepared for alien visitation. Some thought that this meant that Kent should have a military force prepared to face off against alien invaders-a theme that became popular in Kentyan science-fiction writing and film-while others believed a global group should be established and trained to meet and attempt to communicate with aliens. Satellites were even launched designed to look outwards to see if alien spaceships were approaching. All of this might have been a little extreme on the surface, but the real purpose of this project was to establish the beginnings of a Kentyan global government. While nation-states and among them, trade, economic and defense alliances, might prove effective within the dimensions of a planet, the Kentyans knew that they had to speak with one voice as a race, as a planet of inhabitants, when dealing with those from outside. They did not established a true world government, since the nation-states were only willing to give up enough sovereignty to allow the Council of Ambassadors to deal with planet-wide matters only.
        Of course, less than ninety years after the Council was established and Kent became concerned about alien visitation, the Bonaventure entered the system. First contact was made, and those who feared that Kent would be invaded turned out to be mistaken. On the other hand, the first contact team was able to meet the humans from a star that the locals called Olaks, a star just 4.4 light years away, and thought of by many as a possible site for a future Kentyan colony-if Kentyans could ever get into space.
        In the future, in the history of the Federation, a world like Kent, a planet without true global government and without warp drive, would be given the protection of the Prime Directive, and would never be contacted. But this was the beginning, and contact was made. Because of Kentyan preparations, it went smoothly. In time, humans and Kentyans learned each other's principal languages, and exchanges were made. In fact, some of the Kentyan first contact team returned to Earth on the Bonaventure. It was the beginning of a prosperous and fulfilling relationship. The Kentyans never did develop their own starships, but they were able to buy ships from Earth and Kentyans soon found themselves working within the United Earth Space Agency. After the Romulan Wars, when the Kentyans were offered a chance to be a charter member of the United Federation of Planets, they too took the chance-although the matter was put to a planet-wide referendum. The motion passed by seventy-one percent. Kentyans soon assumed their role in the Federation, usually serving on other ships, but occasionally given ships that were mostly Kentyan. One such ship was the Ares-class starship Orochbong, which was commanded by the legendary Sentor Tsaksaoluposh. The Orochbong played a key role during the Treeaq crisis of the middle twenty-third century. Several Kentyan-manned vessels, all Akira-class ships built at Earth but outfitted at the Kentyan Utsaks yards, saw significant duty during the Dominion War. Many Kentyans are present in Starfleet, although a disproportionate number are located within the medical division.