▁War ▁drag ged ▁on , ▁Earth ▁has ▁been ▁suddenly ▁contact ed ▁by ▁the ▁Mon wa ing i ▁space - f aring ▁culture . ▁ ▁The ▁technology ▁of ▁inter stell ar ▁travel ▁is ▁spread ing ▁across ▁the ▁galax y , ▁dis rupt ing ▁one ▁culture ▁after ▁another . ▁ ▁Mon wa ing ▁itself ▁was ▁contact ed ▁only ▁a ▁few ▁centuries ▁previously . ▁ ▁Another ▁culture , ▁the ▁Vor lak , ▁under w ent ▁a ▁transition ▁from ▁a ▁stable ▁planet ary ▁society ▁to ▁a ▁war l ord ▁culture ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁Japanese ▁Sh og un ate . ▁ ▁The ▁nom adic ▁Kan dem i rian ▁culture ▁became ▁a ▁h eg emon istic ▁one ▁similar ▁to ▁the ▁Mong ol ▁Empire . ▁ ▁Earth ▁found ▁itself ▁on ▁the ▁fr ing es ▁of ▁a ▁conflict ▁between ▁Kan dem ir ▁and ▁a ▁coal ition ▁led ▁by ▁Vor lak , ▁with ▁Mon wa ing ▁on ▁the ▁s idel ines , ▁act ively ▁supporting ▁the ▁anti - K an dem ir ▁forces . ▁ ▁There ▁is ▁a ▁ling ua ▁fran ca ▁called ▁U ru , ▁which ▁b onds ▁the ▁diverse ▁cult ures ▁together . ▁ ▁The ▁original ▁speak ers ▁of ▁the ▁language ▁may ▁have ▁also ▁initi ated ▁the ▁spread ▁of ▁inter stell ar ▁technology , ▁but ▁the ▁language ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁out l ived , ▁or ▁at ▁least ▁out st ri pped ▁its ▁origin ators . ▁ ▁In ▁the ▁ 2 0 ▁years ▁since ▁contact , ▁several ▁exped itions ▁have ▁set ▁out , ▁some ▁in ▁borrow ed ▁ships , ▁some ▁in