Alpha Isles
From the perspective of someone looking over the galactic landscape, the upper left hand corner of the Alpha Quadrant is home to a myriad of species, cosmic phenomena, and potential. It is difficult to find a more diverse - or tenuous - sector of space. A twisted mess of politics and tempers under normal circumstances, the newly-expansionist Sheliak Corporate have upended the balance of power in the region, sending refugees and prior residents in the area scrambling for safety.
The Alpha Isles
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Politics
The politics and active groups in the region make up the principle danger of the Alpha Isles. Over a half dozen powers have borders on or claims in the Alpha Isles, with constantly shifting alliances and uncertain goals making conflict all but inevitable.
- The Sheliak have begun an expansionist move into the region, without care for the lesser carbon-based lifeforms that are in the way. They view humanoids as lower life forms, and have no compunction about eradicating those that are not specifically protected under the terms of treaties, which are famously long, detailed, and intricate.
- The Chalnoth, anarchic warriors of impressive prowess, pillage amongst themselves, weeding out weakness at every encounter. Captain Oqidd of the Chalnoth Vessel Dagger prowls Theta 122 with his pack.
- The Caldonians, led by scholars and diplomats, devote themselves to refined, knowledgeable pursuits. They've been comparatively friendly and helpful to the Federation, and the USS Arrow in particular. However, their scientific aims and lack of Federation membership have led to some points of friction between the two powers. Their chief representative is Beriali Dau, captain of the Syrtan.
- Bordering these proud states is the powerful Breen Confederacy, secretive former enemies of the Federation.
- The Cardassian Union has a presence, if somewhat far-flung from their core worlds. Their power in the region is currently in question after losses sustained during pirate attacks. Gul Dakul, Commander of the CDS Hecklat died onboard the Arrow, and command of the Galor class ship transferred to his Glinn - DeKeal - who left the system on the orders of Central Command.
- The Ferengi Alliance had a nominal stake in the fortunes of Theta 122, represented by DaiMon Blet, the seedy and unscrupulous commander of the FMS Kasseka. Blet seemed to enjoy 'press-ganging' unsuspecting business partners into his service if they reneged on deals made with him, and exploited the smaller ships in the area. After Blet's seeming destruction on the bridge of the Razor's Edge, his second in command - Durg - took command of the Kasseka.
- The Klingon Empire has no official claims in the area, but an vested interest in the region represented by General Murkad, commanding the IKS K'prong. The primary goal appears to be keeping the Sheliak at bay, and denying the aggressive expansion of their kind.
- The region is replete with pirates and privateers, seemingly fixed on taking anything they can get their hands on amidst the chaos (and instigating chaos wherever they can). The most prominent example is the ship Razor's Edge and her Orion captain, Eru Ghant.
Places
- Theta 122
- Theta 122 serves as the safest location in the Isles for refugees retreating from the advancing Sheliak. Neither a particularly hospitable or resource-rich world, the only real thing to recommend the small planet is its location out of the way of the Sheliak - for a while at least. It is also home to Atlas Base, and the location outside of Starfleet-protected space makes it prime for conducting the kind of research that escapes the watchful eye of Federation research review boards. Home to The Brotherhood of Thet.
- Atlas Base
- A small base on the surface of Theta 122, commissioned by Frederick Immelmann. Acting as the administrator to a colony fitted for approximately one hundred, the base was designed to conduct research on and around Theta 122. The base itself is tiny; unlike most other Federation installations, it was designed for compactness and functionality, with limited amenities. Designed principally to conduct science, it is positioned near water and food resources to maximize the power available for research. The base itself is poorly defended, and depends on its small size and relative obscurity for protection. Its minute resources are stretch nearly to the breaking point with the influx of refugees coming to the planet, creating a certain amount of tension between the inhabitants of the base and the Arrow.
- Forward Refit Station-1 (AKA Raft-One)
- Not quite a hive of scum and villainy, but not exactly far off from one. Deployed at the edge of the Alpha Quadrant for the purpose of bare-bones repair, Raft-One didn’t have the most auspicious of starts. Early equipment failures and harsh quadrant conditions backed station staff into a corner. Faced with long waits for official repairs and restaffing, the station staff turned to black markets and various independent salvage operations, allowing various vendors and traders to literally weld their shops to the superstructure of the station, slowing growing Raft-One from struggling repair station to a free-floating trade/resupply hub that comes equipped with its own smallish “entertainment court” that sustains minor gambling and gaming tournaments. At present the complex is overseen by a democratically elected Administrator/Sheriff combination. For a two year term, Administrators and Sheriffs work in tandem to see to the day-to-day operations and protections of the station, while listening to the concerns of vendors and shop-owners. The pairing is usually voted from a pool of internally nominated tradesmen or local “figures” that have served the station and vendors of Raft-One with some distinction. The current Admin is a former Starfleet Intelligence Officer Myssa T’vaz, a half Romulan from Vancouver, British Columbia who once held the rank of LTCMMD before her discharge. Her Sheriff is the stoically steely Sheriff Zel, a stony Breen who served as a deputy under the former Sheriff and repelled a significant boarding attempt by Nausicaan raiders just last year. It is both their first terms. The station offers a number of shops, stores, and salvage operations, including a fully capable ship refit suite thanks to its center dock, a similar structure to McKinley Station in the orbit of Earth. There are also a number of open slots in the station’s interior, which station staff are eager to fill with more lucrative (and maybe not so strictly legal) businesses.
Species
- Aggressive warriors that live without any organized government, preferring a perpetual anarchy in which the strong invariably rule the weak. Any area of order in or around Chalnoth-maintained space is lead exclusively by the individual with the most power. The Federation has had little to no contact with the Chalnoth in any official capacity, partly as a result of an inability to even locate an official contact. Solely carnivorous diets and territorial behavior often lead to ... troublesome situations for those unfortunate to catch a Chalnoth vessel's eye.
- Scientists and scholars by trade and tradition, Caldonians are generally an insular but pleasant people, more prone to studying for the sake of studying than in an attempt to discover particular technologies. Located on the edge of Federation space, the Caldonians are relatively friendly to Federation-aligned species, and are not given to confrontation. Often choosing to eschew bureaucracy and management tasks, Caldonians are more often than not exceptionally intelligent, peaceful and highly committed to the research they prize so highly.
- Very little is known about the Sheliak, something the Sheliak apparently prefer. A non-humanoid race that prefers Class H worlds, the Sheliak show an utter and total contempt for humanoid life, considering it to be lesser, and in many cases, even verminous. Governed by the Sheliak Corporate, treaties and written agreements seem to be the only way to peacefully and actively reach accords with them. The famous Treaty of Armens is notorious in the Federation's diplomatic circles, as its composition required hundreds of legal scholars and approximately 500,000 words. It has been followed to the letter by the Corporate, and as a result, any abrogations on the Federation's part are met with stern and certain condemnation. This obsession with treaty has been used against the Sheliak in the past, but until their recent push into the Beta Quadrant, there has almost never been an occasion where the Sheliak put themselves in a position to be maneuvered against in this way.
People
- A highly eccentric and dedicated scientist turned administrator of Atlas Base. Immelmann led a group of scientists away from Federation protection in the pursuit of the answers to mysteries surrounding Theta 122.
- Edward Morgan
- Former Starfleet scientist turned head of local cult group The Brotherhood of Thet. Eloquent yet dangerous, Morgan leads a rag-tag group of zealots near the only known natural water source on Theta 122.