Wargs

Wargs (they call themselves Rakha, but humans call them Wargs or Wolves) are bipedal sentients derived (probably artificially) from ancient Terran canid stock by the mysterious Precursors.

When the Coeur de Loup was settled (and named), the Wargs were more of a nuisance than a threat. Their decentralized "governmental" structure meant there was no organized conflict, though individual Warg territories and ships raided human space regularly.

Ghaskoungukha: The Great Plague

Just over one hundred and twenty years ago, an influenza-like virus showed up on several Warg border worlds, almost simultaneously. The virus affected only adult Warg, was extremely drug-resistant, and had a nearly 50% mortality rate. The virus' incubation period turned out to be extremely long, and most quarantine efforts were too late. The virus spread deep into the Warg Extents, leaving massive social upheaval in its wake.

Ougdzuekolka: The Lost Generation

Human relief efforts were massive; many orphaned Warg were raised by human agencies. This "Lost Generation" grew up with a shattered social structure. Normal Warg family structures collapsed, and many world populations descended into near-feral barbarism.

Rakha Roekuengu Sokh: Warg Homecoming

The "Warg Homecoming" was a movement among the Ougdzuekolka wherein they rejected human influence. Many moved deeper into Warg space, searching for "untainted" Warg civilization, but most simply attempted to rebuild their own "Warg-only" communities.

Rakhangorrou: The Great Pack

The Roekuengu Sokh might have simply dispersed into general Warg culture if not for the claims of Luza Gekhrsuendhung, a Warg biologist deep in the Extents.  Gekhrsuendhung was researching the Ghaskoungukha virus, and became convinced it was artificially produced - it was apparently tailored to a particular Warg gene sequence. A core of the Roekuengu Sokh crystallized around the belief that the virus was a deliberate attempt by humans to "pacify" the Warg.

Ironically, it was the human influence that allowed the Great Pack to form without breaking down under the usual Warg dislike for long chains of command. The organization grew quickly, and was greatly underestimated by outsiders - especially humans. It turned militant almost overnight, seizing control of first Warg government, then the ships of relief forces, and quickly overrunning human border worlds. The early successes drew more Warg from deeper in the Extents, and the invasion snowballed.

The Warg War lasted almost fifty years, with human refugees being pushed ever farther toward the Pearl/Claw region. Finally, the overextended Warg fleet was stopped at the edge of the Claw, in the Battle of Pledger's Gap.

The Treaty of Pledger's Gap held for only a few years, but it was long enugh for the Rakhangorrou to collapse - at the first sign of failure, the non-Ougdzuekolka Warg turned against it.