Prim

The Prim are the most powerful alien vassals in the Coalition. In truth, the "Grey Faction" (as they refer to themselves) could be considered a state within a state. Their fleet is the largest entirely alien armada allowed by the Coalition. Its offensive and defensive capabilities are essentially equal to one of the Thirteen Fleets. The Prims' laws are dictated by their own Council of Nine, who operate almost entirely outside of Coalition jurisdiction. The only evidence to prove that the Prim are citizens of the Coalition are the annual tithes the Prim are happy to pay to Earth, so long as mankind and the other races don't infringe on Prim interests.

The Prim are allowed to exist with these freedoms and powers thanks to their intervention in the Third Volos War. Prior to that conflict, the Prim and Coalition had been hostile to each other, on the verge of War. However, during the Volos invasion of Morrigan Sigma the only human force capable of halting the Hive-minded invaders was Seventh Fleet. Unfortunately, Seventh Fleet had suffered too many losses to prove effective against the Volos. On the verge of conquest, Coalition reinforcements would have taken too long to prevent the complete destruction of yet another fleet. The annihilation was prevented by the arrival of the Prim Fleet, who, alongside the remaining elements of Seventh Fleet, expelled the Volos from Coalition Space. The Prim had decided to intervene because they predicted future Volos incursions into their territory after the fall of Morrigan Sigma. Afterwards, the Prim and Coalition signed the Proclamation of Morrigan Sigma, which guaranteed Prim autonomy so long as the Council of Nine paid the customary annual tithe to the Coalition which all worlds and races provide. The Prim have aided the Coalition in every Volos War since then, but otherwise have never provided support to other Coalition operations.

The Prim are forced to live in isolated suits when interacting with outsiders, due to the fact that they breathe a mixture of air that is almost universally toxic to other races. Prims terraform most of their colonies by artificially infusing planetary atmospheres with the gas, while replacing the planet's local flora with plants that regularly recycle and produce the toxic gas.

Study of Prim DNA proves that their race is a descendant of the Sowers, thus making them a Seeded (humanoid) race.