Long had it been thought that the Zentraedi were the creations of the self-proclaimed ‘Robotech Masters’, the oligarchical elites of the Tiresian Republic. In truth the Zentraedi were found by explorers of the old Mercantile Republic, explorers who had yet to master super-luminal flight, explorers whose ships still used cold-sleep technology.
Given that the Masters took their knowledge of the ancient meeting with them to their graves, and any archived information pertaining to the event was either destroyed in the Invid’s assault on Tiresia, or lost as the myriad Masters gargantuan motherships succumbed to the ravages of both Invid and time; we have little in the way of hard fact to go on.
However, despite the lack of documentation, a few things can be surmised about the encounter based on what we know of the Zentraedi, the ancient Steller Republic, the Schism and Ash Wars that gutted it (Steller Republic), as well as Tiresian history that can be corroborated.
It then stands to reason that the Zentraedi, when located, were in stasis, and that the automated IFF systems aboard the 42101 Fulbtzs-Berrentzs Class Mothership of the Bodol Main Fleet passed the visiting Tiresian’s off as Puroto Kerlchuun, or the descendants thereof. Given what we know about the Schism and Ash War, we know that 42101 did not identify the Tiresian’s as members of the Supervision Army. Had that occurred 42101 would have either blown the Tiresian ship(s) out of space, or merely folded away, (assuming it had the fuel stores and power reserves to do so).
It also stands to reason that aside from discovering the Berrentzs Class Mothership, that nearby, or within its computers, was the location of a Factory Satellite. Records that did survive the fall of the Masters Republic make mention of a massive mineral rich asteroid within the Frakhla System that was converted over the span of a century into a Factory Satellite. Information corroborating the notion of explaining away the discovery of the Factory Satellite with a cover-story are found in surviving Senate Archives. From these we can deduce the rough discovery date of the Berrentzs Class Mothership and the Factory Satellite as somewhere between 1010 and 1110 AD. If the location of the Factory Satellite had been pulled from 42101’s computers, then it is likely the Satellite was fully manned (whether its crew were lucid or in stasis is up for debate). In either case it would have been simple enough to have sent a contingent to the Satellite using 42101’s bone fides to gain access and control.
To support this hypothesis, we need to look at what records we do have access to, and of course, can verify. It is widely accepted that the old Tiresian Interstellar Republic reached a state of unification circa 1166 AD, due in large part to the advent, or rather, introduction of the Fold Drive. We also know that the Zentraedi weren’t fully revealed to the public until 1355 AD, ostensibly at the behest of Senate. We also know that a ‘development contract’ was awarded to a powerful group of scientists known to us now as the Zorrlev’dra Gistarea, or Robotech Masters.
One can surmise that descendants of this cabal were part of the initial discovery of the Berrentzs Mothership, and of the Factory Satellite. By hook or crook they and their progeny kept the discovery a secret. The logical course of events would have been thus. First; a crash program (50 to 100 years) to back engineer the wondrous technology they had found, or at least learn enough about it to turn it on and use it. Second; a power base would have had to have been established using the new technology, skillfully and strategically ‘developed’, and then finally unveiled.
As an aside, one can imagine the amount of grant / seed money that must have been made available to develop Faster-Than-Light engines. After all, these funds could have been used for most anything but development, because the product already existed; it only needed to be unveiled a bit at a time to show progress, and to ensure the funding continued. With funding and scientific credibility in hand the next steps could be taken.
During this time the Tiresian Interstellar Republic was undergoing internal strife; already with a major war fought between the allied Republic and Karberran Hegemony against the V’loxia (1274 – 1306 AD), ending in the genocidal eradication of the V’loxia at the hands of the Republic fleet, much to the shock and horror of the Hegemony. This brought about the severing of relations with the Republic and the Hegemony (1339 AD) and the alliance between the Hegemony and the autonomous Tirolian Republic of Ci’Vonia (1342 AD).
Thus a powerful force to police, defend and expand the Republic was needed. What better a force to use then a slumbering fleet of 5 million ships crewed by 40 foot tall giants? With their new found prestige, the Zorrlev’dra Ertulve (Robotech Elders) then ‘proposed’ the aforementioned Zentraedi program.
One can debate the timing of the next step, but most can agree about the outcome. With the Zentraedi fully revealed and doing the Republic’s bidding the Elders felt free to advance their own ideologically based desire to create a ‘pure society’ thru cloning and eugenics, all based on the numerology of three. Here we believe the Elder’s tried to go too far too fast and when details emerged, the public and Senate were horrified and ordered the ‘grand experiment’ halted. Sadly while the Senate controlled the Zentraedi de jure, the Elders controlled them de facto. In 1361 AD the Elders unleashed the Zentraedi, shattered the Republic Military, seized control of Tirol, and disbanded the Senate.
We also know from history that in 1519 AD the Republic made war against the Ci’Vonian Republic and in so doing lost over 200,000 ships and their crews as, on Terra, the Zentraedi encountered the wonders of culture and defected. What resulted was a civil war that lasted 400 years until 1940 AD when the last remnants of the Ci’Va were either destroyed or scattered to the winds.
An interesting note should be the presence of an ancient order, one that ultimately saved Terra from complete annihilation. A directive that gave pause to both Supreme Commander Dolza, and Commander Breetai via the console of his Archivist Exadol Folmo.
From the Irkas Journal we know that the Zentraedi had been programmed with the protocol to ‘Not Interfere with the Puroto Kerlchuun’ by their original creators. We know that the directive had to be rescinded in order to allow the Steller Republic forces to effectively fight the Supervision Army. This they did, with devastating results. They alongside the Anima Spirita managed to either destroy or seal away the Supervision Army’s Protodelvin masters. Without the controlling influence of the Protodelvin much of the brainwashed soldiers of the Supervision Army were free and return to their own lives. Sadly, while the Puroto Kerlchuun were able to recognize the difference between a repatriated citizen and a still active member of the Supervision Army, the Zentraedi did not, or could not.
So it was that when Puroto Kerlchuun world(s) gave refuge to ex-members of the Supervision Army the Zentraedi saw this as giving aid and comfort to the enemy and would subsequently obliterate said world. Any pleas or orders to the contrary would have been seen as evidence of Supervision Army duplicity and mind-control. This turn of events prompted the Puroto Kerlchuun to hurriedly reinstate the ‘Puroto Kerlchuun Protocol’ and then move to absorb the Zentraedi into Puroto Kerlchuun society, by way of demilitarization and micornization.
This desperate, if not noble, measure was seen as evidence of Supervision Army trickery. Something similar was seen in the chaos and strife experienced by the now famous Zentraedi Malcontents of Terra who likewise resisted acculturation. The results were horrific enough on but one world. One can well imagine the devastation wrought on a galactic scale as some Zentraedi complied, essentially defecting, while others would not comply and turned on their traitorous brethren.
One interpretation of the ‘Puroto Kerlchuun Protocol’, when it was re-enacted some 500,000 years ago alongside the subsequent acculturation efforts, may have been the basis for the superstition embraced by Dolza when he said that ‘Contact with the Puroto Kerlchuun would bring about the destruction of the Zentraedi’. While not a literal destruction, such contact would have, and indeed did, end the Zentraedi way of life; as warriors turned swords to plowshares. It was at this point 500,000 years ago, that the Steller Republic finally and irrevocably lost control over their Zentraedi warriors, an event mimicked on Terra as the UEG irrevocably lost control over the Malcontents.
Survivors of the Steller Republic were deemed members of the Supervision Army and thus began the Forever War that rages to this day.
As an aside, yet worth mentioning; from the Irkas Journal we know that the Berrentzs Class Mothership is not alone in the galaxy. Known to exist are 1,000 to 2,000 Berrentzs Class Motherships, alongside a recorded 1,000 known examples of the as yet un-encountered, Gorg Class of Mobile Fortress, all supporting and defended by their accompanying fleets. If the fleet deployed alongside the Berrentzs Class Mothership that spearheaded the attack on Terra may be considered standard, then there are a possible 6 to 12 Billion Zentraedi ships of the wall within the Milky Way Galaxy. (Note that the fleet that attacked Terra numbered 4,795,122 ships. Since we know that prior to that assault on Terra, 200,000 vessels defected to the Ci’Va, we can assume than, at full strength the Bodol Main Fleet may have been comprised of 7 million vessels when we account for the defection and battlefield losses over the span of 400 years of conflict. While it is unknown how many ships would accompany a Gorg Class Mobile Fortress, if one goes by recorded size alone; the Berrentzs 1400km to the Gorg 600km then a Gorg Class might support a fleet of, or around, 3.5 million vessels.)
A possible explanation as to why the Bodol Fleet was in stasis when first encountered is that, Fleets such as the Bodol Main, may have been ordered by the Puroto Kerlchuun into stasis before the command structure, and authority, of their Steller Republic was completely lost. An order to ‘Enter stasis and await further orders.’ might have been more palatable, and believable, then one of ‘Stand down, turn over your arms, and submit to societal integration.’