Major Governments Operating in the Maelstrom

Klingon Empire

The Klingons are a humanoid warrior civilization from the planet Qo'nos that bound by pride, tradition, and honor. The Klingons were unified under the leadership of renowned warrior Kahless the Unforgettable over 1,500 years ago, leading to the formation of the Klingon Empire. The violent and aggressive nature forming the backbone of the Klingon has made them an interstellar power to be respected, with each chapter of the Empire's history being filled with war and violence and recorded with the blood of the dishonored and fallen. The Klingon Empire's ruling body has fluctuated throughout history between an Emperor or the Klingon High Council, with the Klingon Chancellor being designated as the Head of State.

United Federation of Planets

Established in 2161 as an outgrowth of the Coalition of Planets, the United Federation of Planets is an interstellar alliance of planetary governments and colonies with over 150 members and territory exceeding 8,000 light years. Leadership of the Federation is vested in the Federation Council, which is comprised of elected representatives from each member state and located in the Earth city of San Francisco. The day to day administration of the Federation is vested in the Office of the Federation President. Among the Federation's primary goals are spreading peace, justice, and freedom throughout the galaxy. The primary organization tasked with this is Starfleet, a humanitarian armada that conducts deep space exploration, scientific research, and military actions on behalf of the Federation. The Federation has seen multiple challenges from neighboring races that has shaken it to its very core; however, a devastating blow came during the Federation Day Massacre when a group of rogue synthetics destroyed the Utopia Planitia Shipyards. These events culminated in the Federation becoming more insular.

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Minor Galactic Powers

Cardassian Union

Poor in natural resources, the Cardassian union is a once powerful alliance of worlds headquartered on Cardassia Prime. History has forced the Cardassians to gather and expand, with the once peaceful government being usurped by the miltary due to the resource challenges experienced by the empire. After years of hostilities with its neighbors, the Cardassians allied with the Dominion and quickly became a dominant power in the galaxy. This would be short lasting as the Cardassians became second class citizens on their own world, leading to revolution and the near extermination of the race. The Cardassians are still rebuilding from their losses and returned to a democratic form of government, but rogue forces have desires to recreate the military ruling class.

Ferengi Alliance

Led by the Ferengi the Ferengi Alliance is an interstellar government that uses complex economic laws known as the Rules of Acquisition to manage their actions. The Ferengi dominate galactic commerce, with Alpha Quadrant civilizations becoming intimately aware of the Ferengi, the way they operate, and their tenacity. The Ferengi are highly invested in galactic politics, but only to the extent that it impacts their own pocketbooks. A series of reforms instituted by their leader, the Grand Nagus, have moved the Ferengi into a less capitalist structure, but this has led to strife.

Kessok

The Kessok are a civilization of genderless, silcon-based lifeforms that are the dominant, native species of the Maelstrom Sector. A technologically advanced species with enhanced scientific and terraforming abilities, the Kessok are highly secretive and borderline xenophobic. First contact with the Kessok was made by the True Way, a renegade sect of the Cardassian Union, in 2378 who manipulated the Kessok into believing that all other species in the Maelstrom were threats to the safety of the region. This led to a widespread sharing of technology between the Kessok and the True Way, leading to a brief conflict between the Alpha Quadrant Alliance, the Kessok, and the True Way. After the True Way was defeated, proper diplomatic relations were established by the crews of the Starships Enterprise and Sovereign; however, relations were strained when the Federation vacated the Maelstrom in 2385.

Maquis

Born from the Federation/Cardassian Treaty of 2370, the Maquis are an independent resistance organization of former Federation citizens formed in response to persecution by Cardassian forces on the worlds ceded to the Cardassians by treaty. Highly dependent upon resources stolen from the Federation or other parties, the Maquis war against the Cardassians were one of the causes of the Dominion War of the late 24th Century. While the Maquis were largely wiped out by the Dominion, some smaller cells were able to escape to hidden outposts and colonies and rumors have been circulating that they have mobilized in secret to resume their campaign against the Cardassians.

Orion Syndicate

An outgrowth of the storied Pirates of Orion, the Orion Syndicate is a criminal cartel that operates within all galactic governments. The Orion government vehemently disavows the Syndicate, going so far as to publicly denounced them as a collection of thugs and space pirates; however, some question the veracity of these claims. The Syndicate is an incredibly powerful organization and has resources on par with some multiplanet alliances. While they are considered criminals throughout the galaxy, members of the Syndicate are typically very honorable and obedient to their masters with those most loyal typically leading very successful lives, but breaking these traditions is punishable by death.

Patriarchy

The Patriarchy is an isolationist empire led by the felinoid Kzinti species. Despite an aggressive start, the Patriarchy has been mostly isolationist since losing a series of conflicts with United Earth and has remained relatively isolated ever since. While their empire is limited to mostly peacekeeping vessels by treaty, recent reports received have indicated that the Patriarchy is militarizing with plans to expand beyond its present borders.

Romulan Free State

The Romulan Free State is one of several nascent governments that emerged from the destruction of the Romulan Star Empire in 2387. A passionate and aggressive people known for their stealth and cunning in combat, the Romulan Free State has taken on many survivalist qualities following the destruction of their homeworld; however, their saving grace has come from the sale and trade of salvage from the Borg Cube Artifact recovered in the Deep Beta Quadrant. Despite their weakened status, the Romulan Free State should never be underestimated.

True Way Alliance

The True Way Alliance (also referred to as the True Way) is a Cardassian terrorist organization operating independently from the Cardassian Union. Originally a secret society that represented the power of old familial elites, the True Way focuses on maintaining the aggressive military regime of the Cardassian Union over the growing democratic methodologies of the modern era. Led by Legate Matan following the Dominion War, the True Way was a key cause of the Kessok Incident of 2378 and later was revitalized by Gul Madred in 2389. While the True Way maintains control of no planets within the Maelstrom Sector, they are known to be in operation in secret on several worlds throughout Cardassian territory.