About fifteen years prior to the events of Stirring the Storm, the Quorat felt it was time to integrate a twelfth planet into their alliance, and after surveying many potential worlds, they eventually chose Earth.
However, they realized that the human race was still too closed-minded to communicate with them on a proper level, and that if they were to simply arrive on Earth and introduce themselves, they would be greeted with fear and distrust.
Therefore, they decided to send ambassadors to Earth, in order to gradually introduce humanity to some of the powers that they possessed, and broaden the minds of their soon-to-be-allies.
To this end, several female inhabitants of each Quorat planet were sent to Earth and settled in Britain (chosen for its isolation as an island and because its people were viewed as being among the most tolerant the world had to offer).
Dax's Aunt Hessa states that humanity has always possessed certain minor psychic, dowsing, glamour and healing abilities, but that the powers the COLAs inherited from their mothers are expected to grow far beyond anything the Earth has ever seen before.