Orion

For the Orion Homeworld, see: Botchok

Introduction
The Orions, also called Green Orions are a race from the Beta Quadrant famous for their involvement in many criminal endeavors: piracy, slavery, and the Orion Syndicate. They primarily inhabited the Borderlands until its conquest in the 2150s by the Klingon Empire, resulting in millions of Orions spreading across the Alpha/Beta Quadrants.

Biology
Orions were humanoids that possessed the same size and build of an average Human, though they could range from slightly smaller to somewhat taller and more massive, or more slender. Average heights ranged from 1.8 to 2 meters, with average mass ranging from 75 to 80 kilograms. Males averaged at 1.7 meters and 70 kilograms, while females averaged at 1.5 meters and 60 kilograms.

Their external physical characteristics were close to those of humans, though their features tended towards aquiline noses and sharp chins. However, Orion physiology and copper-based blood chemistry were more similar to that of a Vulcan, with skin tones ranging from emerald to dark olive greens, due to both their copper blood and the chlorophyll in their skin cells. This green skin darkened in strong sunlight. They could have either green blood, or orange blood.

Black was the most common eye-color, followed by lighter shades of green. Some Orions (called "erratics") had very different eye colors: blue, brown, gold, yellow, even pink and silver. Orion women could have very distinctive bright blue eyes. Ocular compounds to treat vision disorders, such as Retinax V did not work well on Orions.

Some Orions tended to be hairy, with body hair common among both men and women, which was seen as a mark of distinction, though baldness in older men was not uncommon. Generally, they had thick black hair with metallic green highlights. Hair was generally black or chestnut brown. However, a great many Orions were seen to be practically hairless, with even young men bald and lacking body hair. In old age, they developed white hair.

The Orions evolved under a blue-white sun with a similar spectrography to Rigel, with that system possibly being their home system. Thanks to their chlorophyll, their green-pigmented skin absorbed ultraviolet radiation, keeping them relatively immune to its harmful effects and somewhat resistant to radiation in general. They were possibly "naturalized stabilized" against radiation.

They were also physically stronger than most other humanoid races, though their musculature and powerful builds may have been due in part to a life of manual labor. They also had increased endurance. Though highly charismatic, they had reduced intelligence and capacity for psionics.

They had metabolic ratios quite different from that of a human and a 10 degree difference in body temperature (whether higher or lower is not clear), and Orion gourmands tended toward obesity, with no member of the species enjoying the concept of being underweight.

They lived about 90-standard years, with the effects of old age setting in after 60.

Orions needed a number of short sleeps, instead of one long one.

Phero​mones
Orions tended to smell, not due to lack of hygiene as some believed, but due to their natural skin oils. Distinctive, though not unpleasant, the scent was unnoticeable after a few minutes of exposure. However, it was heavily laden with pheromones that affected the subconscious of most humanoid races. The effect was soothing, and ten minutes in a sizable group of Orions drained tension. Orions found it hard to stay angry in a group, but a strong emotion, such as rage, fear or desire, altered the scent, and though it did not compel others, it did make them susceptible to that particular mood. Unless a humanoid was aware of this, they could find their emotions subtly altered. It was hazardous to be among a group of angry, frightened or panicky Orions, as their mood was literally contagious.

Orion females also produced large amounts of a powerful chemical pheromone that generally acted like a love potion. It had a range of effects on different species and sexes. In a Human male (and likely in males of most humanoid races, including Orions), it accelerated the metabolism and increased adrenaline levels, inducing aggression and delusion, and generally making him highly suggestible to the Orion woman who produced it. In this way, they became enthralled to the Orion woman. Human females, on the other hand, suffered a different, more negative effect, experiencing headaches and lethargy. Denobulan males experienced interrupted sleep cycles and extreme tiredness while Vulcan women were immune to any effects. A Klingon male could experience a pheromonal shock due to the rush of hormones; allegedly, this could potentially be deadly for a young male. This made Klingons especially susceptible to an Orion woman's influence.

The effects of the pheromones were cumulative, such that a longer or more intense exposure resulted in more pronounced symptoms. The pheromones acted as a defensive mechanism against competition.

Orion males apparently had similar pheromones to their women, though they were much less pronounced.

Subspecies
The Orions had a number of sub-races, including the Green Orions, the Ruddy Orions, the Grey Orions, the rare halfbreeds, and muni, or 'blends', consisting of other colors and races. They absorbed a number of other races into their culture, also known as Orion but of limited numbers or presence.

Females
Orion women were famously irresistibly sexually attractive, and though some of this reputation may have derived from marketing hype by dealers in Orion slave girls, most Orion women were considered beautiful and charming seducers. They were known for their extreme "appetites" and very few men were known to be able to resist their approaches. They had a heat cycle that drove their mating instincts, which increased when they were 'in heat'.

Orion women had long, sharp nails, almost like claws, which they could use as weapons. They also had a much greater physical dexterity than Orion men.

There was thought to be a subcaste of the Orion race that possessed animalistic qualities, giving rise to the legend of the "Orion animal woman". They were claimed to be less intelligent and behaved in a semi-animalistic fashion. It was unknown if these traits indicated a subspecies or a genetic alteration or were simply a myth based on their legendary sexual appetites, violence and savage Orion behavior. It may have derived simply from a lack of educational opportunities.

Orion pharmacologists developed a pheromonal treatment that vastly increased the user's sexual appeal at the risk of some degradation of the superego and other higher brain functions (resulting in, for example, animalistic impatience, blood-lust, reduced intelligence, inability to concentrate, a vulnerability to psychic assault, or a decreased will). This only worked on Orions. It might have been the origin of the myth of the Orion animal woman, or it might been developed to fulfill the myth and satisfy the resulting market.

Materialism was a dominant factor. An important, never-ignored ethical principle of the Orions was that value had to be given for value received, or in other words, that one couldn't get something for nothing. Everything had a cost, not just in money, but in time, effort, reputation or blood. Everything gained had a purpose, whether it was for personal enrichment, the sake of one's leader, revenge or other motives, though in the 23rd century there was a growing trend for Orions to trade value for intangibles that had little to do with seeking profit. These habits made them quite efficient and practical. Thus, material value was a universal language, a necessary standard to rely on and the foundation of business and diplomacy. This was comfort and sincerity to the Orions. They were talented at estimating value, and cared deeply for material things. Everything had a price, even things that most others took for granted – a common Orion joke was the value of sunsets, clouds and dust. Orion mothers even sold cookies to their children (albeit with a loving kiss). Meanwhile, Orion slaves bartered their labor for food, shelter and protection.

As a result of this materialism, Orions were a hedonistic race, who lived as well as they could within their means and aimed to enjoy life as much as they could afford. There was no virtue in being or acting impoverished. Orions pursued extremes of luxury, comfort, fineries, entertainment, indulgence, and great displays of wealth and used these things to outdo and impress each other. They tended to delight in partaking in the more civilized vices. Living well and letting others know about it was a point of pride, a display of their success and potential to help others achieve the same.

Culture itself was a tool to the Orions. When contacting a new client or making a first deal, Orion traders and diplomats worked hard to be as similar to those they dealt with as possible and to know all they could about them. When dealing with another race or culture, they spoke the other’s language, adopted the correct customs and matched them for behavior, even to the smallest and even unconscious details. For an individual, they studied their habits, preferences, prejudices, strengths and weaknesses. They were careful not to let the image slip, in case it made the other party suspicious. Though the purpose of all this was to understand exactly what a client wanted, it also showed them what they wanted to see, and gave an Orion trader an edge in the relationship.

Slavery
A fundamental component of Orion society was the practice of Orion slavery, which supported much of their economy and culture, and was governed by customs, contracts and laws. The practice dated back to their very earliest history, when the Orion species was a slave-race. Specific forms of slavery were Orion slave girls and Grey Orions. They were also known to capture and sell alien slaves.

Family Life
Orion society was loosely organized by caju, or great families. They headed clans comprised of thousands of members, in an interdependent web of smaller families joined by marriage, alliances, and business deals, and wielding significant strength and influence. Each caj functioned as a merchant house, operating primarily around trade but also managing Orion governments and various aspects of their civil life, such as organizing trade networks, inter-clan marriages, explorers, and mercenaries. The caju took care of their own.

The great merchant clans and houses dominated local Orion politics, running the culture as a sort of plutocratic republic. Linked together, they formed an extensive trading network, larger than an empire, but often warred with each other for possession of markets and trade routes.

Entire planets were governed by one or a handful of ruling families whose name and word was law. Where government, law and other institutions were weak and disrespected, families were flexible and personal, and Orions admired individuals with authority and personality. The tahedri or tabadi of a ruling family was well known, much-loved, and close to his or her people.

They were also the prime drivers of colonization, with the sons of powerful families gathering ships, settlers and goods to trade, and venturing into space to find a new world upon which they could found a new Colony. Many of the outermost Colonies remained fully in the control of a single family

Mythology
Orion myth resembles or distorts aspects of the history of the Rigel system, of the Rigellians and the Masters. One legend said that the gods once lived on Botchok, until they fought a war, changed their ways and left to protect other worlds from their folly. Others stated that the star Rigel was an ancient, powerful life-form, and that the Orions were created in the image of the Masters to take their place as rulers of the Orion Arm. Others thought of the Rigellians themselves as their Makers. These legends derived from the accounts of Talduk Sik and of faithful Orion servants allowed into the depths of Rigel IV to meet Rigellian elders or surviving Masters and being gifted with wisdom (mainly financial advice) or confused accounts of Rigel's history. These ideas formed the tenets of various Orion religions.

Rise Of The Orions
Millennia of tumultuous history have erased nearly all traces of Orion pre-history, though ancient copies of ancient works reference a lost work, The Origin Of People by the pre-Atom War historian Nowat, who supposedly had access to other lost manuscripts that discussed the possibility that the Orions were planted on Botchok by aliens. The clues are old and unreliable, and the same age includes myth and legend about the Orion gods. Only the Rigellian records hold the truth, and they are kept secret.

Around 98,000 B.C.E., the Protheans seeded Rigel VIII with life, new and promising forms intended to evolve over a million years or so into an intelligent species capable of space-flight and revering the long-dead Protheans as gods.

This species may have become Orions.

Around 38,000 B.C.E., the Protheans came to trade at Rigel, though this fact was known only to the Rigellians, with no clue otherwise. Later speculation posited that they were responsible for placing Orions on Botchok, who appeared at the time that the Protheans disappeared.

The first known record of the Orion species dates to around 18,000 B.C.E.. The Rigellian Trade Authority had been active since at least 98,000 B.C.E., but no sentient life had ever been recorded on Rigel VIII, a planet that had been settled by races such as the Yugai and the Sugg. The primitive Orions - wielding no more than clubs and stones and barely into their Neolithic Age - attacked a Yugai colony, first bringing them to the notice of the many races frequenting the Rigel system. The commander of the Yugai contingent repulsed the attack easily with his people's superior technology, destroyed the attackers' village, and forgot about them.

The alien races that settled Botchok soon came to appreciate the value of the Orions as slaves. The Orions, though traditionally warriors, easily took to agricultural tasks. They were considered difficult to capture alive and to "tame", but once broken, the Orion slaves were quite useful. Over time, the primitive tribes of Orions came to accept slavery. Some tribes would capture other Orions to trade with the settlers, and on occasion, Orions would even offer themselves into slavery. The value of Orion slaves was such that the Sugg soon began to export them offworld.

On 15th July 17,273 B.C.E., a Glath starship captain named Muark Tan brought to the Rigellians of Rigel VI evidence of the sentient humanoid life on Rigel VIII, including photographs, tools, weapons, clothing and three live specimens. It was already too late to undo the interference, and Orion slaves were already valuable on the open market.

Other races soon began to raid Botchok for slaves, preferring to take them from settlements, rather than "the wild", so that they would already be accustomed to slavery. The Sugg armed their slaves with slugthrowers and other low-tech weapons, considering them their own best defense against raiders - the Orion slaves would fight to prevent themselves from being torn away from their families and homes. Over time, the arming of the Orions escalated, and soon the aliens were using Orions as slavers to capture other Orions. By 16,000 B.C.E., the Orion slave trade was well-established.

Orion Era
By around 15,900 B.C.E., Orions were growing so well-armed that the local races foresaw a time when Orion barbarians would overrun all of space. As a result, the Orion-using races convened on the planet Kammzdast and on 15,956 B.C.E., they signed the Treaty of Kammzdast. (Modern historians consider this date the beginning of the Orion Era.) This document placed a number of restrictions on the use of Orion slaves: technology given to them was regulated, they could not carry weapons outside of the Rigel system, and they were only permitted to engage in combat on the "unsettled" Rigel worlds (which included Botchok itself). Though this was of great benefit to the signatory races - local space was kept in a relatively peaceful state for over ten thousand years - Botchok was now a battlefield for the masters of the Orions. In actuality, however, proxy warfare on Botchok was not as common as had been intended, as disputants often did not have adjacent holdings on the planet. The Rigellians signed the treaty to preserve peace, but never traded in Orions, which inspired reverential awe in them.

The Orion people revolted against the stipulation of disarmament, on Botchok and elsewhere. Because few of the slave-holding races had the capacity for continuous policing of their slaves, they began educating their slaves so that they could be used in less militaristic capacities. The 1st Rigel Conference met in 15,839 B.C.E. to implement these relaxed restrictions in the Treaty of Kammzdast. Successive Conferences over the millennia would gather to adjust the Treaty and deal with the Orions. They, and the Treaty of Kammzdast, would outlast all of the original signing races, even as new races arose to be signatories to it. Alterations to the Treaty were always tiny and grudging, without ever relinquishing any actual power to the Orions.

The number of revolts decreased slowly over time, but the alien schools gave the Orions new perspectives on life, as they learned the cultural values and weaknesses of their conquerors, and a hope to be independent of their masters slowly began to arise. Some of these educated Orions revolted, but their lack of knowledge of government and diplomacy meant that most of these revolts were short-lived. Realizing that they would have to be more than barbarians before they could gain their freedom, the Orions ceased their attempts at revolution.

With the peace brought to the Rigel-system by the Treaty of Kammzdast, the slave-owning races were now more likely to settle, even on Botchok itself. The Orions were divided up into territories and nations, and the settlers even built cities for their slaves, so as to facilitate the industries of educating the slaves; the Orions were also easier to keep under control in a civilized, urban setting. The Orions were now taught to respect and obey their masters from the moments they were born. However, as their level of education increased, so did their yearning for freedom.

The aliens that enslaved the Orions had created a hierarchy of the three Orion subraces, with Ruddy Orions on top and acting as overseers and intermediaries, the Grey Orions slightly below and handling the technical work, and the Green Orions at the bottom performing manual labour and fighting their proxy wars. This pattern would continue through much of Orion history.

Atom War, the Long Winter & the First Stage
Over time, the Orions came to be quite civilized, and as a result of their servitude, their masters granted them a good amount of whatever it was they required. The 21st Rigel Conference, held in 12,327 B.C.E., went so far as to grant the Orions nuclear technology. The Orions had learned from millennia of peace negotiations that the threat of nuclear war was an excellent deterrent, and by constructing nuclear weapons of their own, they claimed that they could reduce or even eliminate warfare on Botchok.

But in 12,237 B.C.E., when the Orions completed their nuclear weapons, it turned out that they had a different purpose in mind: they ordered their masters to depart the Rigel system or be destroyed. After a secret meeting, their masters responded by detonating their own nuclear weapons, reasoning that they could do without Botchok for a generation. The brief event became known as the Atom War; it was followed by the Long Winter, which lasted twenty years. During this time, 80% of the Orions on Botchok died.

It was another twenty-eight years before the 22nd Rigel Conference allowed the resettlement of Botchok. During the First Stage, offworld Orions, free from radiation damage and other defects, were taken back to their ancestral homeworld to repopulate the planet and to repair the damage. Their accounts were compiled in the Book of Tears, in which Orions vowed to never allow themselves to be held at the whim of an alien power ever again. To do so, they continued the plan that had been in effect before the Atom War: quiet, faithful service as they worked to diminish their reputation as barbarians. Denied technological education, they were determined to develop their own, steal it or do without.

In 10,529 B.C.E., so-called ‘working groups’ of Grey Orion slaves were quietly taken from Botchok to other planets to act as skilled labour, in violation of the Treaty of Kammzdast that governed the use of Orion slaves. Despite this, their use became widespread in less than a thousand years afterwards.

Three thousand years after the Atom War, the fifty-eight cultures that ruled Botchok were warring more than usual, causing increased damage to the planet, though they were unwilling to put aside their differences to make repairs. At a minor talk during a truce, Orion representatives from the twelve largest Botchok nations announced that the planet's ecology was critically damaged, having never fully recovered from the Long Winter, and that it would fail completely in another thousand years. The Orions volunteered to make repairs with their own labor, cost and technology. In 9143 B.C.E. the Accord of Namazz (later appended to the 59th Rigel Conference) granted them this right. This was the first public responsibility allowed the Orions, and their first taste of self-rule. The First Stage was concluded in 7730 BC, causing the offworld powers to re-institute proxy warfare on Botchok.

Era of Good Feeling
On 9050 B.C.E., the Rigellians detained a Grey Orion named Talduk Sik, who was part of a technical ‘working group’ about to leave the Rigel system. They kept him for a few days, in which he was carefully studied and interviewed. This was the first Orion that they the Rigellians examined, and they began to feel forebodings about them. The Grey Orions found it to be a mystical experience, and to the modern day some continued to think of the Rigellians as the Protheans.

In March, 8486 B.C.E., the Orions on Sharu secretly diverted industrial resources for their own purposes, producing textiles, jewellery and calculators. Though small and unimportant, this marked the first moment of Orion economic self-supply on an alien world. After this, around 8000 B.C.E., the Orions began to smuggle technology back to Botchok and the colonies.

They also began to function as unofficial crews aboard alien starships around this time, beginning in 8191 B.C.E. with Grey Orion navigators and computer operators, and Ruddy Orion crewmen following nearly a century later. In less than five centuries, Orions served on most alien starships with a reputation for reliability. (The first official mention of Orion crews, however, would not come until 3587 B.C.E. - on an insurance claim.) The prospect of Orions being allowed to have warp drives frightened some of the master races, and the issue was debated at the 42nd Rigel Conference, but the move to ban Orion use of warp drive was vetoed by races who believed that it would be too restraining on future trade.

In September 7901 B.C.E., the Orion Alliance was formed in secret on Botchok. By word of mouth, they declared that every Colony and every Orion had to master alien technologies for the ultimate aim of liberating Botchok and abolishing the Treaty of Kammzdast.

The Bema revolt erupted in October 7822 B.C.E., when over 50,000 Orions protested their working conditions and evolved into a demand for liberation of all Orions and their homeworld. In an attempt to stop the revolt, Julin Hyrax the Brave volunteered his 3000 Grey Orions to the Magistrate of Bema, who refused in his distrust. Regardless, Julin led his unarmed force against the rebels, and demanded their surrender. Only 22 survived the slaughter. For a time, Julin was revered as a martyr to a better future, and the Kammzdast signatories considered the act to be a positive change in Orion behaviour. This would be the last revolt for 5700 years, and the period of 7825 B.C.E. to 1508 B.C.E. was called the Era of Good Feeling, in which the Orions built a reputation for themselves as loyal, honest and trustworthy – a total lie. Meanwhile, Orions gained the right to own their own enclaves and businesses and to (officially) serve on alien starships.

A report from 5450 B.C.E. indicates that, at that time, Orions were in service to 32 different races, and their colonies were present on 79 separate planets. Orion influence in their own affairs continued to grow: an Orion delegation was permitted to attend the 113th Rigel Conference in July 4712 B.C.E., where the Orions proposed rules for the proxy war system that would ensure lower casualties without compromising their masters' authority. In 2351 B.C.E., Orion forces were used for offworld combat at the Battle of Lomatin IV, and though the involved master races were censured under Kammzdast, the practice would nevertheless continue discreetly.

Orion Dawn
In 1508 B.C.E., the event that became known as the Orion Dawn legend took place: two Orion spacers named Ombrey and Maark, who served as senior officers on a Buban freighter, organized an operation where they captured two trading vessels that they dubbed the Revenge and the Fate. hey were aided by the silence of the Rigellians, who knew everything. Unable to return to Botchok, these Orions took the ships to the Rigel BC system, where they established bases on the planets Rigel BC-I (Avali) and Rigel BC-II (Ugoan). They began to capture other ships to add to their fleet, gaining 200 merchant vessels in less than fifty years. This was the birth of Orion piracy.

Botchok and the Orion Colonies covertly supported the pirates in their efforts to make star travel available, but they were able to maintain appearances with their master races. The facade of proper behavior was convincing enough that in 1317 B.C.E., the Orions were permitted to launch vessels that they built and crewed entirely themselves, as long as they were unarmed merchant craft, from shipyards on Bema, Nilor, and Sharu. Around this time, thanks to Rigellian influence, the Orions also became involved in the Trade Halls of Rigel IV. After only a few decades, they were present in almost every Hall on the planet, and in two centuries, they made up the majority of the Rigellian Trade Authority's clerical workforce. The master races permitted this because of the increased riches it brought them - but not everyone was pleased with the growing Orion independence. In 891 B.C.E. (stardate -28/9104), the 144th Rigel Conference deadlocked on the issue of Orion piracy, so the Orions pledged to police the Rigel system and support interstellar law enforcement, which was accepted with little debate. Following this, an anti-Orion pogrom was bloodily put down. Meanwhile, a secret emergency meeting of the Orion Alliance was split over the issue of piracy: the Gradualists (who proposed a gradual transition towards independence) felt that it hurt their cause independence, while the Militarists (who thought the Gradualist view impossible) claimed that a strong space force was vital.

Around 700 B.C.E., the Nine Worlds Confederation was formed, a conglomeration of the nine most powerful races operating near the Rigel system. The Nine Worlds believed that the Orions had been allowed to stretch the terms of the Treaty of Kammzdast too far, and they began enforcing them strictly. The Orions and Rigellians complained that efficiency had been severely reduced by the number of required inspections, but the opposition was faint, as the Nine Worlds were entirely within their legal rights. The Nine Worlds were especially concerned about Botchok's complicity in the supposed renegade pirate movement, especially after the Taunpymi Incident of 111 B.C.E. Riots against Orions became increasingly common over time.

Orion War & Independence
Having had success in curtailing Orion freedoms so far, the Nine Worlds called the 187th Rigel Conference on 14th July 95 B.C.E., where they issued what became known as the Ultimatum of the Nine Worlds, a list of prohibitions that restricted Orions from participating in any commercial activities in or out of the Rigel system. The Orions, however, had known what was coming, and as soon as the resolution was announced, someone (history does not record who) cut off the Conference's link to the outside world. Minutes later, Orion troops seized all ships orbiting Rigel IV. All Orions knew that this was the time to act; their own legends indicate that it was the result of centuries of planning, but in actuality, their actions were spontaneous and unrehearsed (their propaganda also claimed that the Nine Worlds had acted in reckless haste, which was also untrue).

An Orion delegation arrived at the Conference (the first to which they had not been invited since the 113th), lead by the previously unknown Nallin Oplate, who presented a counter-ultimatum: all Orions should be granted their freedom or there would be war on all of the Nine Worlds. While the delegates at the Conference conferred, Nallin returned to Botchok with a contingent of rhadamanen from the Rigel Trade Halls and informed his people of the revolt.

Within a month, the Orions had seized control of the planet and imprisoned their former overseers. With diplomacy, Nallin bound the divided nation-states together and created the Botchok Planetary Congress (Botchok Planetary Congress) to govern the newly independent world. Proxy warfare on Botchok was finally ended, and the troops began to ready to defend the planet. The Recall of the Pirates was issued to provide the planet with a space fleet.

Half of the Orion pirates had arrived at Rigel by the time a Nine Worlds fleet arrived on 3rd January 94 B.C.E., presumably to investigate the silence from the Rigel Conference. The Battle of Botchok, which was just barely a victory for the Orions, became the opening conflict of the Orion War. True to Nallin's words, rebellion erupted on the Nine Worlds, and Orions everywhere risked their lives to sabotage and distract the enemy war effort. The war lasted for thirty-seven years, as the signatories to the Treaty of Kammzdast refused to surrender the valuable resource of Orion labor. But it came to an end in December 57 B.C.E. with the Battle of Rhinate, when the Nine Worlds and the other Kammzdast signatories sued for peace. Of 58 participants, the Orions had defeated only 13 in open warfare.

Immediately following the cease-fire, on February 13th, 56 B.C.E., Nallin issued the Declaration of Nallin, which declared Botchok a free world and denied the power of the Treaty of Kammzdast. It made all Orions free citizens, protected by the Botchok Planetary Congress. It also declared that the Orions would have no enemies and hold no grudges, for they wished to resume all of their pre-war trade relations. It would not be as easy as that, however, for the Orions had made enemies all across local space.

New Days
A few years before the Orion War ended, the Botchok Planetary Congress debated the social organisation that they would adopt afterwards, and finally compiled and published the Codex Orion in April 61 B.C.E., a compendium of the laws of their society. This heralded the Era of Lawbringing, wherein the rights of slaves were guaranteed, the behaviour of their owners was regulated, and Orion society was structured with the aim of lasting forever. Green Orion slaves remained as the hard-working bedrock of Orion society, in service to the two races of the Ruddy Orions and the Grey Orions, who could contract to each other, but were considered equal and never subservient to the other. This system would develop into complicated and many-varied forms.

After the Declaration of Nallin came the New Days, a time of cultural and spiritual regeneration for the newly freed Orion people. At this time, there were 21.35 billion Orions on 135 planets. It would not be an easy start however, for nearly 40 years of warfare had exhausted local space of everything bar animosity for Orions. Most cultures, including the Nine Worlds, found treating them as equals as loathsome, and took steps to embargo trade with them. The peace was filled with suspicion, and few dared admit how much their societies had relied on the Orions. Even where they were accepted, Orions were employed only in the worst jobs and unseen locations. The post-war period was filled with suspicion.

The Botchok Planetary Congress chose to avoid the embargo by conducting trade as inconspicuously as possible, hiring alien ships to quietly trade for them while Orion ships and crews visited only their own communities. Though equally impoverished by the war, they rebuilt with hard work, trade with what they had and underhanded dealings with their neighbours. Few wanted to appear worse-off than the Orions, so trade soon resumed as it had before the war. Modern Orion slavery began here, as Orion rhadamanen hired out Orion dubyaln, or 'contract-labourers', just as before the war. In 20 years, no visible trace of the war remained; in 50, there were only bitter memories and a much richer interstellar society.

The newly free and enriched Orion Colonies underwent an explosion of art and culture in every form, as their old folk traditions blossomed. A thousand-year-long golden age developed, which Orion culture of later centuries hearkened back to. They were determined to enjoy the fruits of their millennia of hard work, with luxury and wealth. Excess wealth and self-indulgence took its toll on the Nine Worlds and other worlds, until they became dependent on the Orion economy and finally absorbed into their culture. A few races withered away completely, and others were swallowed whole, living as if they were Orions and always had been. (A few of these races are the non-Green/Ruddy/Grey Orion races.) Orions proliferated and dominated on the worlds nearest Botchok.

Expansion
For more than a century after the Orion War, the Orion Colonies had been preoccupied with recovery and preparation for the future. Only pirates and traders operated in the Outer Dark, largely as uncivilized adventurers; most Orions stayed close to home to seek wealth. It was only when population pressure increased that they began to develop new colonies in unknown areas of space. The first new colony since the war (Nallin founded one a few years after it ended) was established at Zonvan in the Outer Dark, in October of 623 CE.

Not every colonization effort was successful, and not every world wanted a permanent Orion Colony in their midst. Pirates rode ahead of the wave, making things difficult for those following behind. It was only by the permission of their hosts that communities of Orions lived among alien populations many times their size, and existing Colonies had markedly better standards of living. The original Colonies carefully studied their intended sites for maximum survivability and sent out rhadamanen with the necessary funds to begin development. Colonial expansion was slow, and an existing Colony might mount an effort every two or three generations, longer if the last one had failed. But in time new ventures would be launched at the rate of one per year, and many worlds were colonized, abandoned, and re-colonized — some as many as 18 times.

This period, of a cultural golden age and colonial expansion, was not without problems however; a growing strength in the outer regions of Orion space had coincided with a weakening centralized government. In May 879 CE, the Gaetano Region declared its independence from Botchok, triggering a war with the Botchok Planetary Congress. After hiring additional ships from the Anor, Guilpin and Sark Regions, a lack of funds forced an end to combat. No formal peace was ever made, and taxes arriving at Botchok trickled to a halt. Before 867 CE, all 15 of the outermost regions had effectively seceded from the Botchok Planetary Congress, which became increasingly chaotic while social conditions worsened across Orion space.

As the Orions spread across space and became more diverse, occasionally Colonies appeared which were inhabited solely by Ruddies and Greens, or Greys and Greens, or entirely of one race, with not a single member of the others. Social differences increased, as each sub-race wondered why they needed the other. While Ruddy/Grey cooperation had driven the growth of Orion civilisation, their racial friction drove its collapse. Meanwhile, low-class Greens grew restless, seeing their labour make the other races wealthy and powerful. The social differences became more marked.

By July 1037 CE, Orion space was at its greatest extent, a full 150 parsecs in radius, fully half the distance from Rigel to Earth. By this time, 57.3 billion Orions lived on at least 972 planets, with a greater density close to Rigel and decreasing towards the Outer Dark. A colony was established at Talna III, only 31 parsecs from Earth. At least one Orion explorer ventured as far as Earth and Tellar, though leaving no trace but his ship's log.

Reverse
Eventually the wave of colonial expansion slowed, halted and even began to contract, in a period known as The Reverse. The wealth and luxury made sponsors in Rigel increasingly discontented and covetous, and reluctant to fund extravagant operations. Minor disputes over tariffs and trade agreements escalated to full-scale corporate warfare, even near Rigel. After paying taxes to Rigel and getting little back in exchange, some Colonies formally broke off relations with Botchok and declared their independence, beginning with Gaetano in 879 CE. These rebellions had little real effect however, as the links between the Orion worlds depended on trade, which continued despite the political disturbances. Only a few nostalgic idealists begrudged this loss, but they were in the most powerful positions of authority.

Meanwhile, civil disorder began to spread from the lower classes to the middle classes. With their vast holdings, Orion governments became ponderous and ineffective, while local leaders were complacent or indifferent. Small uprisings grew to disrupt worldwide order. The technocratic Greys responded with cautious analysis, social theories and technological solutions. The arrogant Ruddies reacted with brutal repression. Each was generally ineffective, but while the civilization that enabled Grey Orion society collapsed, the Ruddies were better able to survive.

The Botchok Planetary Congress was unable to restore order or political power with harsh laws and military threat, and the ineffectiveness of these measures further weakened their authority. Finally, seeking more power and advocating extreme force to end the Colony disputes, several powerful families on Botchok successfully revolted and on March 21st, 1003 CE, Botchok Planetary Congress President Boyor Ignatin assumed dictatorial powers, jailed his opponents and reorganized Orion government. Within a year he was crowned Emperor Boyor I, called Boyor the Righteous, and he issued his Demand for Unity to all the rebellious or seceded Colonies.

Dispatching the Orion Space Navy to bring these worlds back under control, this triggered the Fringe Wars. A total failure, this only wasted lives and resources and disrupted trade at the heart of Orion space, while filtering arms to the poor and otherwise powerless and ultimately accelerating the disintegration of Orion society. The Fringe Wars also saw many Grey Orion ruling families on the most distant planets wiped out, beginning the Dispossession of the Greys.

Boyor was assassinated in October 1062 CE, and clan warfare and rioting spread to destroy the rest of his family line. The fearful Botchok Planetary Congress named Renat the Old as the next Emperor, but succession struggles continued for another 16 years. On March 7th, 1132 CE, he created the Orion Provincial Senate, but most Colonies refused to send delegates. It lasted for only five sparse sessions. Renat died on April 30th, 1154 CE, and his nephew Arnet the Thoughtful took the throne. He implemented reforms conceived by Renat.

However, a civil war at Votannis resulted in a massacre of over 40 million people, including 23.1 million Orions and the genocide of the native Trunes. These were the darkest days of the Reverse.

There appears to be an error in the chronology, in that Renat died and the massacre occurred in 1132 yet Renat created the Senate in 1154. This article reverses these dates for clarity. The dates still imply reign times of over a century, however, and life spans even longer.

Meanwhile, the Dispossession of the Grey Orions continued. A pattern emerged, wherein ruling Greys faced with revolution turned to Ruddy forces, either local or imported mercenaries, to solve their problems, by functioning as administrators, police and military forces - who then occupied Grey holdings in the name of 'military necessity' and 'temporary measures'. In time, they outright seized whatever they liked without excuses, and panicking Greys on stable worlds closer to Rigel sold off their possessions (businesses, lands and slaves) and fled, saving local Ruddies the effort. Eventually, Grey Orions ceased to own any significant property or wield any power, and they were generally despised and blamed as the cause of the Reverse, even in places where they had not ruled, and even some Greys believed it. Massacres were numerous, and entire planetary populations of Grey Orions were slain in brutal purges, leaving 90% of all Grey Orions dead, the rest in hiding or as refugees.

In May 1220 CE, the Botchok Planetary Congress and Colonial representatives (all Ruddy Orions) met on Kammzdast in a special meeting to discuss the Grey Orion question, aiming to eliminate possible threat from them, now and in the future. They officially revised the Codex Orion to remove all mention of the Greys, and authorised the destruction of all historical material related to them, and banned all current and later mention of them as anything but technically skilled slaves. Even the Greys themselves were somehow 'cleansed' of offending material. In time, Orion history was erased or re-written to forget the Grey Orions, bar what books that memorised and kept alive via an oral history. This was the last act of the Dispossession.

The remaining Grey Orions survived the massacres by pleading for their lives and making themselves useful for their technical knowledge – and were held hostage and forced to work for a promise of freedom, or were permanently enslaved outright, and some lucky few were sheltered by sympathetic Ruddy Orions. These slaves circulated as spoils of war and pirate raid, purchase and trade.

Arnet abdicated on March 17th, 1288 CE. This was part of his plan to restore the old Orion way of life, but he disappeared before nightfall and his family was rounded up and killed. The Botchok Planetary Congress restored order on Botchok and thereafter ignored the Colonies.

This was the time of the Three Emperors, and formed the peak of the three century long Reverse. These turbulent times destroyed Orion wealth and made expansion too costly and prone to failure. The furthest Colonies were beset by pirates and shunned by peaceable alien races, and could not maintain their former volume of trade. Colonies were abandoned more often than they were replaced or re-established, and others ceased to trade and left behind in the Outer Dark to manage on their own. The usually detailed Orion records all but disappeared, and only vague second-hand accounts survived.

After the pride and arrogance of the Three Emperors, a chastened Botchok Planetary Congress quietly shifted its focus from government to accounting. To restore economic order, the Botchok Planetary Congress created the Orion Registry, a census that listed all remaining Colonies together with their population, trade preferences and other useful business statistics and data. Compiling the first Registry was a major task that took several lives, but it proved useful and met with universal acceptance. The first issue, published in January 1301 CE (thereafter semi-regular at roughly ten-year intervals), showed a population of only 31.05 billion and falling on 507 worlds. With order restored, the decline slowed.

The year 1715 CE finally saw a halt to the decline as the Orion population stabilized at 20.315 billion on 213 worlds. This heralded a brief century of cultural rebirth, with renewed interest in colonization, re-occupying lost and abandoned Colonies. A use was also found for the Grey Orion slaves, to restore the stagnant Orion technology, and they began to spread once more.

Fearing the Greys again, Ruddy Orion masters spent the next 150 years trying various methods of maintaining control, to keep them powerless but still useful. Imprisonment was not enough, and drug addiction reduced Grey skills and made the Ruddies dependent on their suppliers. Finally they decided upon genetic mutilation, a affliction of random weakness, deformities and handicaps that made them utterly dependent on their owners and only marginally less useful. It was permanent, incurable and cheap. To prevent the Greys from ever undoing the damage, a great deal of Orion medical knowledge was purged, leaving Orion medicine behind that of other races, and resulting in additional suffering for the other Orions.

By the late 16th century ("500 years or so" prior to the 2280s), the Orions returned to copying and forging the starship designs of other races. These imitations were useful to pirates, who could operate disguised as a freighter or explorer. This practice would continue on to the late 23rd century.

However, as Orion space had contracted in the Reverse, pirate numbers had increased, and the loss of order and trade had made them bold and desperate. The Registry had been equally valuable to them, as it showed prime targets to strike and places to avoid. Larger bands formed, to the scale of pirate fleets, and instead of lone ships, they began to raid entire Orion Colonies. The puny Colony defense forces could not guard every world.

This culminated in the devastating sacking of the Tellun system, led by the notorious Orion pirate Half-a-Man Sooris, beginning on 19th February, 1894 CE, and lasting for weeks. His was the largest pirate fleet in history, outnumbering the Colony defenders, and many crews mutinied to return and defend their homes. The Orion Colony on Troyius, once one of their most productive worlds, was temporarily abandoned, and over 2.5 million people died, including 1.5 million Orions. Even after the pirates withdrew, the fear remained and the decline of Orion space resumed.

Finally, the 73rd ion of the Orion Registry, published on September 8th 1916 CE, reported the stabilisation of the contraction of Orion space. Now only 12.7 billion Orions survived on only 64 worlds, less than it was during the New Days, and most were only 20 parsecs from Rigel. Although many worlds had high Orion populations, only those closest to Rigel remained loosely federated and acknowledging the Botchok Planetary Congress, and trade and travel through Rigel was on the wane. Those worlds beyond 20 parsecs, in the Outer Dark and no longer in contact with Botchok, were not included in the Registry. They had been lost, forgotten and left to fend for themselves.

On reference stardate 0/14, the Orions made first contact with a terrifying new alien threat – the Romulans. Their ships first appeared on stardate 0/1402 to the Coreward end of Orion space at the time, but never responded to attempts to communicate. Their intent became clear when, on stardate 0/1410.21, an Orion pirate vessel stumbled across a Romulan fleet destroying the Farx Colony. With great skill, it fled under fire to raise the alarm.

From stardate 0/1411, the Orions began a widespread retreat before the advancing Romulan fleet. An evacuation of eleven worlds in the immediate vicinity of Romulan space was undertaken; two worlds were assaulted even as the people fled, with heavy loss of life, while the survivors escaped on colony ships. The Triangle and areas within the new borders of the Romulan Star Empire were depopulated of Orions.

The refugees told of bird-like vessels that butchered colonies and scorched whole planets, while the attackers never responded to any communication or offer of ransom. A great panic swept through the Orion Colonies and more worlds were abandoned near the Coreward border, including Ukrainia Novya and Holcomb's Planet. Rhinate, meanwhile, stood firm, and refugees settled there. The Romulans rampaged through the area for a few years, until poor resources convinced them to go elsewhere, finally leaving on stardate 0/1612.

Shortly after the Tellarites made first contact with the Rigellians, they learned of the great wealth of the Orion Colonies in stardate 0/3109. However, they wouldn't make contact with the Orions themselves until much later.

By the end of the 21st century, the Orions had long been a civilization on the decline, falling into decadence and social breakdown. At this time, the Orions lived on a number of planets in the Orion sector, making a living as criminals on the fringes of other societies.

In 2073, Andorian scientists finally made contact with their lost colony on Cimera III, and through them learned of the Orions.

22nd century
In 2132, the Andoria-Rigel trade corridor was established.

First Klingon-Orion War & First Klingon Occupation
Later in 2138, conflict began with another alien race, the Klingons, as an Orion pirate fought a Klingon light cruiser at Phillo'tok V and lost. When they conquered Orion worlds, they ruthlessly suppressed resistance and were careful not to let any warning reach the others. Only pirates escaped to speak of it, but naturally unreliable, few believed them. By the time confirmed reports came to Botchok, the Klingons had subjugated numerous Colonies. As the Klingon Empire closed on Rigel, the Orions realized that their collective navies could not withstand it.

Therefore, instead of battling the Klingons, Botchok Planetary Congress President Balon the Devious welcomed them and the opportunity for trade with a new race, on stardate 0/7203. These events marked first contact between the Orion Colonies and the Klingon Empire.

The Orions cunningly concealed from Emperor Kamtav epetai-Javvic the true value of Rigel, their mineral wealth and the size of their holdings. Therefore, he settled for a small display of force and military occupation of only a minor trade center of the Colonies. The Orions made little resistance. The Colonies officially became a Klingon protectorate, with a Klingon governor on Botchok and paying tribute to the Empire. The governor was a figurehead who acted mostly as a trade liaison and made no efforts at control. Trade opened up with the Klingon Empire, a wealthy new market with a secret desire for luxury items. By and large, the Orions profited from becoming a Klingon protectorate, while the Empire gained access to resources necessary for building up their fleet. In return, Orions paid only casual attention to their mutual protection treaties. But the great Orion trading families took pains to ensure that the Empire didn’t grow too interested in Rigel's wealth.

However, the average Orion was completely unaware of this state of affairs, as the Klingons didn't place enough forces in Orion space to limit Orion freedoms. The Klingon governor was confused, finding these to be hollow, easy victories, and that he exerted no real influence. He often asked his superiors if the Klingons were really still in charge, and suspicious and anxious to have more control, he increased fleet strength in Orion space. However, the effort was wasted, as the Orions never rebelled and paid their tribute promptly. However, as the Klingon desire for Orion trade increased, the tribute decreased until it vanished altogether.

By stardate 0/7610, border disputes between the Klingons and the Romulans had escalated. President Balon convinced the new Emperor to withdraw all warships and trade vessels from Orion space to bolster his forces. The Orions would conduct the trade of war-related resources themselves. The Emperor was left with the impression that this was all his idea.

Though the Klingon governor protested feebly, the ships went and he was recalled soon after. No Klingon came to take his place, and his position was downgraded to a civilian governorship. The Orion Colonies seemed only marginally useful to the Empire. As the Orion leaders had predicted, they were worth more to the Klingons in trade, and that a military presence was inefficient. Exploiting the Romulan tensions, the Orions kept the Klingons away from Rigel for a long time, while they quietly developed their own military forces. Thus the Colonies were liberated by a period of extended, benign neglect.

By the early 2150s, trade was occurring between the Orions and the Earth Cargo Service.

Kemocite Deception
During the early days of the yet declared Xindi Conflict, the Botchok Planetary Congress became an unwilling hand in the Jo’avwI plot to steer the Xindi's Monqarg and Kinet Programs, which were developing weapons of planetary destruction.

Jo'avwI Grandmaster Lady Sarin took note that the Xindi’s supply of kemocite, critical to both the Ketin and Monqarg Programs, was all supplied via the Xindi-Arboreal colony of Azati Minor Vb or Yergdec. Kemocite is a mineral that is a multiphasic isotope of a radiolytic compound and in both programs, used to build phase focusing fields for the reverse-wave motion device, the primary firing mechanism of the weapon. Sarin arranged for a bomb to be planted along one of the lesser fault lines on Yergdec, when it detonated it appear that an earthquake had occurred, knocking out the power systems to the main refineries. Reduced to 70% of its production level, the colony could not meet the demands need to supply the weapon on its predetermined time table.

It was planned that Jo’avwl would sell kemocite to the Orions of the Botchok Planetary Congress through Tarlac intermediaries, and then the Orions with would sell the materials to the Xindi-Arboreals on Yergdec, who’s foreman, Gralik Durr, not wanting appear to be falling behind on their kemocite refining, would keep news of their off-world trading to a minimum.

Sarin however knew that while Degra's Monqarg Program would take the longest to complete, it would deal the greatest amount of damage in a short period of time, whereas Dolim's Ketin Program would be completed the fastest but had the greatest likelihood to leave the victims of his attack still strong enough to fight back. Sarin also believed that whoever's program was a success would be vaulted into a position of power and control in the Xindi government, Degra was considered too logical and emotionally stable to be manipulated for later gains, whereas Dolim's ego and rampant xenophobia was considered easily to model for future Jo'avwI needs. The Jo'avwI Grandmaster stubly encouraged the Tarlac, through the Orions, to pressure Gralik Durr to schedule shipments for Dolim to get priority, thereby moving Dolim's program ahead of Degra's by several weeks.

Betrayal of the Jo'avwI
During the Fall of the Denobula, the Jo'avwl Order discovered that agents of Klingon Intelligence and more importantly Jo'avwI's arch enemy the Gre'thor, had come to their own conclusion that the Xindi were behind the attack on Qo'nos. Seeking all connections to the Xindi, the Klingon Empire began intense investigations ranging from diplomatic connections to the boarding trade vessels that had been logged to have traded with the Xindi.

Fearing the Gre'thor would discover the survival of the Jo'avwI Order or the Klingons would attack one of the neighboring powers, causing the still young Xindi Conflict to spiral into a region-wide war, further fracturing the quadrant while the unified Xindi could expand further without any to stand against them.

In order to focus the attention of the Klingons, the Jo'avwI secretly paid off Duras, Son of Toral, to lead Klingon Intelligence to the recovery of the kemocite used in the focusing fields of reverse-wave motion device and the records of several hundred kilo-tons of kemocite to the New Xindus Cooperative a year before the attack, led the Klingons to the to Botchok Planetary Congress and the Tarlac intermediaries.

Second Klingon-Orion War (Borderland Blitz)
By 15 September, the Coalition noted the Klingon Empire was beginning to move most of its heavy offensive units towards the border it shared with the Delphic Expanse. The United Earth flagship UES Enterprise, named the new Coalition flagship, was redeployed to the Klingon border in hope that the Klingons could enter the war, as Coalition officials began to increase diplomatic overtures to the Empire.

However after six days of waiting, the Klingon Empire surprised the galaxy when on 21 September 2153 it launched the Borderland Blitz. Under false information provided by Duras, Son of Toral; Klingon Intelligence and by proxy the Klingon High Council blamed the Orions for the source of the Xindi probe attack and ordered the Borderlands to be invaded. During this stage in history the Borderlands were a region of Orion dominance. Ellora, Tarlac, Orion, Dav'ir, B'Morgia, Tini, Volgas, Kammzdast, Zchol, Thirat, Syrenya, Noilth, Vab and Verex III, along with much of the Orion Syndicate was completely conquered, while thousands native to the area flee for their lives. The Coalition member nations were stunned by the action, though fears of angering the Klingons during a time of war kept a formal protest from being lodged.

Orion Colonial Confederation was formed from those worlds or populations that accepted Coalition rule and citizenship.