Orion

			Intelligent Lifeform Index

Orion
Four Letter Code	ORIN
Federation Status	Undetermined
Planet of Origin	Orion
Encountered	TOS: The Menagerie
T/E Rating	T0/E0
Current Tech Level	N
List of Named Orions
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A green (and occasionally blue) skinned race, the Orions and StarFleet (or Earth) have had over two centuries of trade and contact, originally with the Earth Cargo Service in the mid 22nd Century in the formation years of the United Federation of Planets. The Orion civilization spans several centuries (the exact number is still in dispute, despite archaelogical advances within the last decade or two. Located within the Orion Sector on their home planet of Orion, little is known about the actual government outside of the two affiliation groups StarFleet and the Federation have dealt with:

The Free Traders and the Syndicate

The two contacts the Federation and its allies have known when dealing with the Orions falls within two affiliations. The Orion Free Traders, who had established relations with the Vulcans, and the infamous Orion Syndicate, which was a conglamoration of smugglers, pirates and traders operating within the Black Market, not limited to Orions themselves but a variety of races of which several Orions compromised its leadership.

The Orion Free Traders continue to operate to this day, often with major Federation allied races as well as secular races and some races of which are not affiliated with StarFleet or the Federation. The Orion Syndicate suffered a series of set backs and infiltrations (including, but not limited, to StarFleet Intelligence). They were dealt a major blow in the mid 2370s and several key members of Starbase 118 and the Fleet finished the Syndicate by the by 2380. For many years, there were no known attempts to revitalize the Orion Syndicates, which allowed the Orion Free Traders to flourish, and in some cases, redeem the Orion civilization in the aims they might apply to the Federation.

However, in 2390 during an undercover mission undertaken at the behest of Federation Security, the crew of the USS Drake discovered a reborn version of the Orion Syndicates. Using both their own strength and that of Gorn mercenaries, the Syndicate re-took a former stronghold called Port Royale, in the dangerous Vale of Saoirse. It is presumed that the Syndicate remains entrenched in the Vale and that the Federation will soon be hearing from them again.

Politics & Economy

Not much is known regarding the Orion home world and its political mechanisms, but Federation-Orion dealing within the past suggested something akin to Switzerland's policy of neutrality, of which all Orions uphold, regardless of ship or crew. Unfortunately, due to a series of raids over the course of centuries on Coridan dilithium, the Orions lost their image of neutrality and the government suffered a major blow-back due to the Syndicate's abuse of drug, precious stone, and slave trafficking.

Collapse of the Orion Government

After the destruction of the Orion Syndicate, a major reform similiar to an incident on Earth in 2011 occurred when the citizens of Orion stood up and demanded an end to the reign of what was later determined to be a corrupt administration that had reduced the home world to near poverty levels while the President and several key members of the Cabinet reallocated assets for personal use and monetary gain. No violence broke out under a wave of Orion citizens marching on the capital city, where a three month hold out resulting in a break of the Orion military and goverment employees who joined the protest and effectively "outed" then President M'Voust, who held out for six weeks before being removed from power.

Society & Hierarchy

The Orions have a unique social structure due to the facade and reality they maintain between the male and female species. Historically (within canon), Orion females have been referred to as inferior when the reality of the civilization and structure of their species and civilization reveals the female Orion is the master while the presentation of the Orion male (usually bald, whereas females may have black, brown, or red hair, or combination thereof - blond hair is considered a inferior gene within Orion society and most children who inherit blond hair do not survive adolescence as it's considered an unattractive and "weak" colour.

The breakdown of the Orion hierarchy is as follows:

• The Alpha Female: often depicted as a slave girl, but usually the commanding officer of the associated ship (ship classes and technology are not available as of yet). They range in height, anywhere between five to six feet. Carnal and seductive, with a powerful pheromone similar to the Deltans, they use their sensuality and sexuality to their advantage.

• Slave Males: They will be presented in roles of leadership as a means of deception, usually taller (between six and seven feet) and much more muscular than a Terran male. They are always bald (they are required to shave their hair completely from their bodies). They do not possess the pheromones, but they do extrude a level of testosterone which has been reported to affect females of various races (Vulcans are immune to the Orion pheromones). The Orion female pheromones do affect the male physiology at the adrenalin level, causing sharp increases to incense aggression, and instill a sense of control to sustain the belief they are in control and in charge.

• Slave Females: There is a class of Orion women who are designated as slaves, of which the Orion Syndicate was founded on in the trafficking of passive Orion females to and from the home world during their incarnation. They are docile, usually submissive and surrender themselves without a moment of doubt or thought to their Master, of which they have either been sold to, or are under training.

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