Bhatch

The Bhatch were an ancient species that sprawled the inner spheroid from approximately -110,000 to -80,000. Though extinct today, in their time they likely composed the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. They are sometimes called the "Bhatch Empire," although their society featured a conspicuous homogeneity of culture and species that might call this classification into question.

The Bhatch were the only known forester civilization to achieve a widespread galactic presence beyond a handful of planetary systems. Indeed, it is disputed between scholars whether the term "forester" can rightly refer to a civilization that actively expands its presence, rather than remaining as compacted and undetectable as possible. What is not disputed, however, is that the Bhatch destroyed all other peoples they came into contact with; remains from Bhatch ruins consistently reveal they were the only intelligent species present in their vast society.

The Bhatch conquered their own star cluster quickly and with little difficulty. But they evidently began to meet nonnegligible resistance as they expanded beyond their home sector of 2[A,i]. The more advanced planets in the inner spheroid posed real challenges to their expansion, but it wasn't until they neared the galactic center that their ambitions were halted altogether. A small alliance of the most powerful civilizations in the region launched an offensive against the Bhatch empire, resulting in the bloodiest conflict in galactic history.

Bhatch historical records promptly end following the Bhatch Wars, which leads some historians to believe the alliance managed to wipe out their empire. But because the wars appears to have only lasted two centuries, most are not convinced this was the cause of their disappearance.

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