Thousands of years ago, during the time of the Old Imperium, there was a rival alien government that spanned the stars. Technologically superior to any of the other Young Species in Known Space, they managed to control over 500 systems at their height. They had no name for their government, but those who observed them called them the Infinite Empire.
The Infinite Empire was ruled by the Rakatan, a now-extinct amphibian species which grew from the planet that is now known as Lehon. Known to be highly intelligent and devoted to science, they developed a version of the hyperdrive and began aggressively colonizing the stars. Soon they were rivaled by the Imperium in the Core Worlds and Mid-Rim of the Galaxy
The heart of the Infinite Empire's strength was its matter-energy-conversion technology, the ability of a machine to construct organic and inorganic products with nothing more than a power source. The Empire utilized this technology to do everything from synthesizing food and tools, all the way to constructing starships and terraform planets.
At some point before the foundation of the Galactic Republic, the Infinite Empire faded away. From the scant records of that time, it seemed to be a civil war that erupted within the nation but Imperium reports indicate that some sort of plague also swept through their planets, causing the death of billions of Rakatan.
Whatever the case, little remains of the culture and technology of the Rakatan or the Infinite Empire in the modern-day galaxy. Early in the Galactic Republic history, a Sith managed to find a Star Forge, a Rakatan satellite capable of manufacturing hundreds of robot-crewed starships at a time. Darth Revan used this device to create a vast fleet to attack the Old Republic, sparking their first real crisis since their foundation.
A joint effort between the Republic and the Jedi Order was able to destroy the Star Forge and end Revan's insurrection. The remains of the Forge were lost to scavengers and over the next millennia, they have floated through DarkNet auctions and personal collections. The Vulcan used the knowledge to create their Transporters and are looking at furthering it to developing full-blown Replicators.
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