The Yoongar are a nomadic race of savage warriors who roam the depths of space in massive armadas.[1][2] The name of their home world and the circumstances that caused the Yoongar to abandon it are lost to time.
History
What is known is that the Yoongar engage in warfare for its own sake rather than a means to an end.[2] Each Yoongar armada scoured space for inhabited star systems, which were then invaded and ruthlessly conquered.[1] Diplomacy failed to halt a Yoongar assault as did armed resistance.[2] Once victorious, the Yoongar then stripped their defeated foes of anything valuable, especially advanced technology that they adapt for their purposes. Worlds conquered by the Yoongar were left in ruins or sometimes completely lifeless. The Yoongar's military success along with their physical might and technical aptitude gave them a species-wide superiority complex. As a result, a Yoongar warrior would chose death over surrendering to a non-Yoongar opponent.[3]
The Yoongar Invade the Cooperative
The Yoongar Invasion
About 50 years ago, a Yoongar armada made plans to invade the Cooperative, a star-spanning civilization in the Milky Way Galaxy. The armada launched its first strike by destroying Velda Glenn, a planet on the edge of Cooperative space. The Cooperative responded to the attack by quickly reconstructing and repopulating Velda Glenn, a feat making them an even more desirable target in the Yoongar's eyes. To the Yoongar's surprise, the Cooperative sent a pair of their D'amsi police officers to negotiate a peace treaty with them. The Yoongar responded by fatally shooting the D'amsi, who were revived thanks to advanced Cooperative medical technology. The Cooperative naively believed the Yoongar's aggression was motivated by a need for valuable resources. So, the revived D'amsi again met with the Yoongar bearing a peace offering in the form of a Maker, a Cooperative device that can create matter in any configuration or quantity. The Yoongar accepted the Maker before again slaying the D'amsi. As the Cooperative continued their futile peace efforts, the Yoongar used the Maker to upgrade their already formidable warships. Eventually, the Cooperative faced the truth about the Yoongar and reluctantly prepared for war.[2]
Early in the conflict, the Yoongar were clearly at a technological disadvantage since they could not figure out how to use the Maker to increase their warships' speed. Thus, the Yoongar armada took nearly 50 years to reach striking distance of the heart of Cooperative space. This gave the Cooperative time to amass a huge defense fleet that could repel the invaders. However, Cooperative military strategists realized the Yoongar's invasion route would take them near the primitive world of Earth.[2] The Cooperative feared the Yoongar would callously destroy Earth simply for being in their path. These fears were justified after Yoongar scout ships soon detected Earth and deemed it worthy of conquest because to its large number of metahumans.[1] The Cooperative considered defending Earth with their advanced technology. However, this would risk mankind learning of the existence of extraterrestrial life, a revelation that would cause major social upheaval in so immature a species. The Cooperative sought advise on this quandary from the Earth-based superhero Icon (secretly a Cooperative citizen) and his human sidekick, Rocket.[2]
Rocket Stands Against the Yoongar
Rocket's opponent, Dak-Sha (on left)
Upon learning of Earth's impending destruction, Rocket used the Cooperative's Transmat to teleport on-board the command ship of the Yoongar armada.[2] There, Rocket offered a challenge to the Yoongar commander: Earth would be spared if she defeated his strongest crewman in single combat. Amused, the commander agreed to the challenge, but chose his weakest crewman, the accountant Dak-Sha, as Rocket's opponent. Despite his relative lack of strength, Dak-sha proved a formidable foe for Rocket, who just barely won after a grueling battle. Still, Rocket thought Earth was safe until the Yoongar commander reneged on their deal. The commander decreed that each of his crew would face Rocket in single combat until her death in battle.[3]
After beating six Yoongar warriors in a row, Rocket was on the verge of collapse when Icon teleported aboard the command ship to rescue her.[3] The Yoongar commander ordered the deaths of Rocket and Icon, but the latter created a distraction by disabling the command ship's artificial gravity, rendering the Yoongar temporarily weightless. Being capable of flight, Icon and Rocket were unaffected and promptly teleported off the ship, which was soon repaired by a now vengeful Yoongar crew.[4]
However, Rocket's efforts to save Earth were not in vain since she realized the best way to defeat the Yoongar was having them face a new enemy. Inspired by this clever suggestion, the Cooperative deployed a fleet of self-repairing robotic warships to intercept the Yoongar as they neared Earth. The robotic ships were programmed to constantly fight the Yoongar's warships to a draw. Oblivious to this, the Yoongar kept vainly changing tactics to defeat a foe not seeking to win. This battle continues to this day. Hence, the Yoongar invasion ended before it really began.[4]
Powers and Abilities
Powers
Yoongar have tremendous strength and durability due to their larger size and denser bodies. Their metabolisms are similarly enhanced, granting them metahuman endurance in all physical activities.[3]
Miscellaneous
Type of Government:
Stratocrachy
Level of Technology:
Highly advanced
A Yoongar armada
Far superior to Earth's, much of Yoongar technology is either copied or stolen from the races they have conquered.[2] Yoongar technology reflects the race's fanatical dedication to warfare. Yoongar armaments range from primitive melee weapons (wrist blades, halberds, etc.)[3][4] to highly advanced energy blasters[3] and flight capable battlesuits.[2] Among the most unusual is the power mace, which can serve as either a flail or a thrown weapon.[3] The mace has a voice-activated mechanism that causes the weapon to return to its user's hand after it is thrown.
Even before recent upgrades, Yoongar warships boasted powerful weaponry that could devastate planetary surfaces. Yoongar warships are capable of faster-than-light travel, but are rather slow by Cooperative standards.[2]
Cultural Traits:
Belligerent, completely dedicated to warfare, intuitive understanding of advanced technology from other races[2]
Representatives:
Dak-Sha
Notes
- The Yoongar armada first appeared in Icon #31, but the aliens themselves did appear on panel until Icon #34.
Trivia
The Yoongar have yet to appear in other media. However, Green Lantern makes reference to them in the Justice League episode Maid of Honor, Part II. On his forum, the late Dwayne McDuffie admitted that the Yoongar reference was an Easter egg for Milestone Media fans.
See Also
- Appearances of Yoongar
- Race Gallery: Yoongar
- Images of Yoongar