M and Tekah are from an empire called the Silvin, run by the Silvith. They fancy themselves as demigods and imposed a strict hierarchy with themselves at the top.
The Solit (Tekah's species) are a much much older species than the Silvith, but by the time they arrived in the scene, the Solit were like ... a post scarcity/ post violence society.
And the Silvith were more than prepared to use shocking levels of betrayal and cruelty to subdue the more technologically advanced Solit.
From there, they took over several other planet systems until they had a small but tightly controlled empire.
The Silvith truly think they are demi-gods. They hold that their ancestors were true gods and that their place is as rulers and subjugators of their neighbors.
The Solit fall about halfway down the hierarchy. They are the technicians, the engineers, the pilots, the programmers, etc. Most of the tech used in the Silvin Empire is of Solit origin and they've been pigion-holed into managing all of it.
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From there, they took over several other planet systems until they had a small but tightly controlled empire.