Ithassa Region
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| Ithassa Region (Map, Stellar Cartography) |
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| Major Neighboring Powers |
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| Known Races |
| Starfleet Presence |
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In 2382, six ships from the Starbase 118 fleet set off on a brave new journey to explore strange new worlds, to seek new life and new civilisations; to go boldly where (almost) no-one had gone before.
Nestled in between the Federation, Gorn Confederacy and Tzenkethi Hegemony, the Ithassa Region has relatively few worlds and resources, and so has been largely ignored by these powers. However, with the recent reactivation of Deep Space 17 under Captain Kare'en m'Hapron, the strategic value of this region of space has increased. Starfleet Command, acting under the direction of its new militant commanders, assigned out-of-favour peacemaker then Rear Admiral Hollis Calley to head up a taskforce to explore this region and spread Federation influence where possible. To this end, the Kodiak and Independence rapidly followed by the Wallace, Hammond, Triumphant and Darwin set off to explore the little-known Ithassa region of space. They are designated T-DI (Taskforce Discovery)
With recent changes in command, the fleet now consists of the USS Ursa Major, USS Independence, USS Triumphant, USS Tucson (NPC) and USS Hammond (NPC).
History
Known by the Gorn Confederacy as the Chavesss Sector, it was discovered by the astrophysicist Sjori Ithassa, the region was a relative enigma to the Federation until recent years. The area was due to be explored in 2311 but the Tomed Incident with the Romulans resulted in resources which were due for the Ithassa Region to be redeployed to the Neutral Zone.
This redeployment left Starfleet's presence in the region very bare, totalling only a single Deep Space station. Deep Space 17 slowly but successfully gathered information on the region. However, during the Dominion War, resources were again pulled from this region of space leaving Deep Space 17 little more than an automated outpost.
Astrometry
The Ithassa Region is a vast expanse of space, covering a volume of 15000000ly^3. This region is dictated by boundaries marking out a cuboid in space of 500 by 1000 by 30 light years. At Warp 9, the region takes approximately 1000 days to cross.
Federation Presence
- Deep Space 17 (NPC station)
- USS Wallace (NPC ship)
- USS Ursa Major
- USS Independence
- USS Triumphant
- USS Tucson (NPC Ship) Galaxy Class; Commanding Officer: Captain Danson Mwangi, First Officer: Akira Takenawa
- USS Hammond (NPC Ship)
- USS Darwin (NPC Ship)
Wheeler Colony
A colony established in the Deadwood system in 2320 as a mining outpost. Taken over in 2322 by the Pearson Corporation its valuable mineral deposits were played out in ten years and it was written off as a loss in 2333. Contact was lost with the colony in 2375 when the Pearson Corporation dissolved. A recent mission to the colony by the Independence found a world populated by city-states. The main city, only known as Capital or Wheeler, was rated at late 22nd-century in technology level, though with the visit of a number of Federation ships this is beginning to come up a little, especially with regards to basic services. The crew of the Independence deposed a quasi-dictator and placed his chief advisor, a man by the name of Tully Andromeda, in control of the city.
Region features
- Neutron Star Eratis – Deep Space 17 orbits this. It is a particularly spectacular
- Aronis Sector – A sector of magnetic shoals and high radiation. It was mapped by the Kodiak.
- 3A9 – A planet, now largely destroyed, that had housed a Tzenkethi research station
- T8A - A reputed pleasure planet
- Igloo Cluster (IC-93) - 93 compact systems and home to many the Grendellai.
The Inhabitants
The Grendellai
The earliest inhabitants encountered in Ithassa were small caninoid creatures called the Grendellai (sing. Grendellus). Small, of bipedal appearance, and of no great physical strength, many of the Grendellai work as scavengers and pirates. They have been known to capture and cannibalize old hulls and to capture ships' crews for disposal as slave labor. These cannibalized hulls have become known within the fleet as "Frankenstein" ships. The Grendellai are numerous throughout the sector.
There is no known 'homeworld' for the Grendellai, nor an organized government. Many Grendellai exist in anarchy or in small autonomous groups operating ships. Officially, these are considered traders. In practice they operate either so close to the law as to make no difference, or as pirates and slavers. They operate a pack heirarchy, with the captain as the alpha male.
- Larger networks of co-operative pirates and slavers. Similar to the smaller organizations, there is a strict hierarchy between the ships as well as the vessels.
- Slave labor utilized by the One Kingdom (see below). These Grendellai are seen as sub-Constellationite.
Many ships possess a form of stealth technology, the material for which has been linked tentatively to the Federation's Wheeler Colony in the Deadwood System. One of their major bases is in the Igloo Cluster (IC-93).
Grendellai encountered
Kullyer – leader of a rebellion on Space Station Elvar
Grendellai facilities
Igloo Cluster Base
Further reading on the Grendellai
Free Trade Union
The Free Trade Union (abbr. FTU) is the largest confederation of trade vessels in the Ithassa Region. It has a quasi-political status, mostly designed to attempt to give trade vessels some autonomy over and against the various larger powers in the region.
Each of the Free Trade Ships (abbr. FTS) is autonomously run, and tends to have a crew of various species from the region. But the ships pay a periodic fee, which lets them dock at FTU bases, and be supplied and repaired. There also is a certain level of shared information and technology.
The typical FTS tends to be rather heterogeneously constructed (though not grotesquely so), with a heavy emphasis on shielding and armor. The engine technology is less developed than the Federation -- defense having been the FTU's major research focus. The actual locations of the FTU bases are very heavily guarded secrets. They tend to be in hard to reach places (magnetic clouds, asteroid belts, etc.).
Members of the FTU tend to be on the fringes of society, often joining up when an FTS makes an appearance at a neutral port. Many crewmembers have a dream of buying their own ship and captaining it. Some of the other major powers hunt the FTU actively, but others tolerate them for the goods they bring in and for a kind of "steam valve" effect.
FTU personnel encountered
FTU Vessels
- FTS T’Karn
- FTS P'Kothla (destroyed)
- FTS Marauder
Further reading on the FTU
One Kingdom
The One Kingdom is a hierarchical feudal empire consisting of 16 systems, and incorporating several species. Serving as menial servants are captured Grendellai. At the top are the multi-limbed Constellationites whose number of limbs designate their hierarchical rank. At the very top is the twenty-limbed Emperor, who rules by an allegiance system.
The Constellationites are a fiercely xenophobic species. They believe that they are inherently superior to all other species.
Significant antipathy exists between the One Kingdom and the Gorn Confederacy. The Constellationites consume unfertile Gorn eggs possibly as a deliberate insult.
The One Kingdom is a post-warp civilization, but at a much earlier stage of development than the Federation. Their fastest ships have a top speed of warp 2.3. Offensive weapons include low-yield directed particle weapons and chemical torpedoes. Defensive weapons consist mostly of polarized hull plating.
One Kingdom Personnel
- Supreme Counta Doir Vol'Maatan – The chief of Colony Arkin roughly half-way between the Aronis sector, and the ...
- Kuilshum – Physician on the Space Station Elvar
One Kingdom Facilities
- Space Station Elvar – Defence perimeter platform at the edge of One Kingdom space. Armed with low-yield directed particle weapons, polarized hull plating and possibly chemical torpedoes.
- Colony Arkin – A mining colony 3 light years from Elvar
One Kingdom Vessels
Further reading on the Constellationites
Tzenkethi
The Tzenkethi are known to be active in the region.
Further information on Tzenkethi involvement in the Ithassa Region is classified by Starfleet Intelligence for Alpha-Two clearance and above.
The Gorn Confederacy
The other great power in Ithassa, the reptilian Gorn have been known to the Federation for 87 years. They have apparently been known in Ithassa for considerably longer.
Significant antipathy exists between the One Kingdom and the Gorn Confederacy. The Gorn have been known to supply weapons and supplies to resistance cells of Grendellai within the One Kingdom. The Gorn deliberately sabotaged recent peace talks hosted by then Rear Admiral Hollis.
The Klingons
Four hundred years ago, before the rise of the warrior culture in the Klingon Empire, at the command of Emperor Devoth, a group of explorers set out to discover what they could about the galaxy. They were led by C'tran, founder of the house of C'tran. He took with him seventeen ships on a voyage that lasted ten years. Part way through, the fleet encountered some magnetic shoals, and the ships were wrecked on an unknown planet. With no way of taking the shipwrecked with them on their already overcrowded fleet, the fleet departed, promising to send help as soon as they could.
When the fleet returned to Qo'nos, a change in leadership had occurred. Emperor Devoth had been deposed and a new emperor, Kortath, had replaced him. It was he who first encouraged the ascent of the warrior cult. Most of C'tran's discoveries were destroyed, and C'tran himself, sidelined.
Recently, Kodiak discovered this colony during a routine charting mission of the Aronis sector. Klingons high command has been notified. The Klingons in this sector are at a pre-space flight level of development, and have evolved a totalitarian and aggressive system of government.
Other Species
Other species are known to exist in the Ithassa region, but they are yet to be encountered in significant numbers and may or may not possess Warp technology