Created by Captain Michael Turlogh Kane on Aug 16, 2016 @ 2:45am

THE ORION SYNDICATE

The ORION SYNDICATE is the government of the Orions, a green-skinned humanoid species originating in the Rigel system. Founded in the 22nd century, the Syndicate's early years are those of a criminal organisation, whose activites included racketeering, smuggling, piracy, and slave-trading, and business was good. The Syndicate expanded throughout the Triangle, becoming powerful enough to keep the Federation, Klingons, and Romulans at bay - indeed, by the early 24th century, the Syndicate was employing members of many different species.

Never a wholly unified people, the Orions themselves held an ambivalent view of the Syndicate, which wielded much influence over Orion society as a whole. All that changed in the aftermath of the Romulan withdrawal from Klingon space in 2392. The Romulans withdrew to their pre-war borders, leaving an enormous swathe of empty space in their wake that was formerly part of the Klingon Empire. Most of those worlds had been scoured of life during the Klingon-Romulan War of 2381-2385, and presented a ripe opportunity for the Orions.

In the wake of the retreating Romulans, the Syndicate used its power and influence to unify the Orion people behind it, and it was declared the legitimate government of the Orion people. For the first time, foreign powers could negotiate with the Orions as a united people. With this shift in their politics, the Orions began to function as a new player on the galactic stage, opening diplomatic relations with all the Alpha Quadrant powers, while still keeping their distance from them.

The Orions were quick to seize the opportunity presented by the collapse of the Klingon Empire and the withdrawal of the Romulans. Against the protestations of both powers, the Orions colonised many former Klingons worlds close to the Triangle, greatly expanding their borders and creating a new buffer zone between both Klingon and Romulan space. For the past three decades, the Orions have been developing their new colonies and launching a programme of military shipbuilding. They are the newest power in the Alpha Quadrant, and their power is growing quickly, so much so that they are now directly competing against the Ferengi for the choicest business morsels across the quadrant.

Relations with the Federation have not been smooth. While maintaining trade links, the Orions have kept a diplomatic distance from the Federation, refusing to participate in the Seventh War of Retribution but selling ship parts, weapons and shield systems to everyone else. Utilising their past as a criminal organisation, the Syndicate has also developed a dangerous intelligence network, culminating in their capture of the fully intact and operational Nova-class USS Patriot in 2420. The compromising of the entire line of Nova-class destroyers was a blow to Starfleet Intelligence, who were finally forced to take the Orions seriously as galactic players.

In 2435, a major incident broke out in the Alcyonus system in the area of space known as the Triangle, between the Syndicate and a Klingon fleet led by Is'toQ, a Klingon warlord determined to prevent further Orion colonisation of old Klingon territory. A full-scale fleet action between the Orions and the Klingons ended in a decisive Klingon victory, halting the Syndicate's efforts to form an empire. The situation in the Triangle remains on a knife-edge - rumours suggest that the Romulan Tal'Shiar is backing the Orion push for more territory, hoping to gain a new ally in their cold war with the Federation.