Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Ferengi Alliance" and "Gateway Station"

Difference between pages "Ferengi Alliance" and "Gateway Station"

From Bravo Fleet
(Difference between pages)
 
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{icons|fer|bfc}} {{Government
{{Icons|sf}}
|advancement=
{{Starbase
|name=Ferengi Alliance
| name = Gateway Station
|image=[[image:Ferengialliance.png|250px]]
| image = [[File:GatewaySD1.png]]
|species= Ferengi
| registry = SB-23
|homeworld= Ferenginar
| class = [[Spacedock Class]]
|founded= ~10,000 BCE
| affiliation = [[Starfleet]]
|warp= Unknown
| status = Active
|language=Ferengi standard
| commissioned = 2301 (moved to Midgard in 2398)
|currency=Gold pressed latinum
| decommissioned =  
|government=Plutocratic Oligarchy
| destroyed =  
|leader=
| system =  
* Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance ([[ma:Rom|Grand Nagus Rom]])
| sector = [[Midgard Sector]]
* Congress of Economic Advisors
| region =  
* Board of Liquidators
| quadrant = [[Beta Quadrant]]
|military=Ferengi Marauder fleet
| role = Regional Support
| unit =
| taskforce = Fourth Fleet Operations
| taskgroup =
| squadron = Endeavour Squadron
| co = [[bfms_char:12418|Commodore Matt Rourke]]
| xo = [[bfms_char:89890|Captain Lorraine Everard]]
| crew =
| dedication =  
}}
}}
The Ferengi Alliance is the official name for the Ferengi governing body, its military and its economic institutions. The Ferengi Alliance encompasses several star systems in the Alpha Quadrant, and at least one client state: the Hupyerian species’ homeworld. It is probable there are other client states who have affiliated or allied with the Ferengi based on their shared practices, such as the Dopterians, a distant cousin of the Ferengi species. The Alliance further extends its economic and commercial power well beyond its borders and regularly employ large numbers of non-Ferengi.


In theory, the Alliance is dedicated to the promotion and protection of their economic ideals and systems. While these may seem to value free market enterprise, Ferengi rules of commerce are embedded in every aspect of their life, both business and social. Extensive regulations exist to maintain the corporate-dominated status quo and prioritise the accumulation of profit, both for economic advantage and as a form of personal, secular power. While a Ferengi individual can exercise power within their government with their wealth, the Alliance practices “trickle-down economics,” a method supported by the vast majority of the Ferengi themselves. As the current Grand Nagus once said, “Ferengi laborers don’t want to stop the exploitation; they want to find a way to become the exploiters.”
==Political Structure==


[[File:Ferenginar.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Ferenginar, Capitol of the Ferengi Alliance|link=Special:FilePath/Ferenginar.jpg]]
'''Starbase 23''', code-named '''Gateway Station''', is a [[Spacedock Class|''Spacedock''-class]] space station located on the [[Federation]] border to the [[Romulan Republic]] and the [[Romulan Factions#Independent Romulan Factions|Independent Romulan Factions]]. Constructed in the late-2390s, it was designed to replace border infrastructure that dated back to before the Romulan supernova and the collapse of the [[Romulan Neutral Zone]]. Commanded by [[bfms_char:12418|Commodore Matt Rourke]], Gateway Station is now the hub of [[Starfleet]] operations in the Midgard Sector, a region that stretches across the territory of the Federation and Republic, as well as the collapsed Neutral Zone and the former territories of the [[Star Empire of Rator]]. Its mission is to maintain stability in the area through humanitarian operations and diplomacy with local Romulan factions.


Authority of the Ferengi state springs from the Ferengi Bill of Opportunities, one of several Ferengi Trade By-Laws, and the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition. These documents theorize a state apparatus that exists primarily to support private industry and maximum personal profit. The Alliance itself has, in its history, vacillated between a plutocracy (rule by the rich) to kleptocracy (rule by those out for personal gain). While the Ferengi concept of “freedom” is enjoyed by Ferengi males, it translates to freedom enjoyed by those with wealth enough to exploit it. Several times it can be noted in the Rules of Acquisition that a Ferengi without profit or possession is not a Ferengi.  
Gateway Station is the headquarters of [[Endeavour Squadron]], whose primary mission is to further Starfleet's ambitions in the Midgard Sector. The ''[[Rhode Island Class|Rhode Island]]''-class [[USS Tempest|USS ''Tempest'']] is permanently attached to Gateway, and used by her senior staff for missions off-station. Under most circumstances, command of the ''Tempest'' falls to Gateway's Senior Officer of the Watch, [[bfms_char:68948|Commander Zihan Shepherd]], with Commodore Rourke putting his flag on the [[USS Redemption|USS ''Redemption'']] in the field. Gateway is also the launching ground for Project: Horizon, which seeks to launch exploratory missions into former imperial territories, regions Starfleet has never been able to study before.


The result is a persistent state within the Ferengi Alliance that power, influence and opportunity are created through graft, bribery and private deals between individuals. The most important aspects of the Ferengi Alliance’s doctrines outline not regulations, but the importance of abiding by signed contracts: a deal is a deal.  
==Operations==
Gateway Station is charged with the following missions:
*Maintain the security of the Federation border.
*Engage in diplomacy and humanitarian aid with local factions to support regional stability.
*Liaise with the Romulan Republic on matters of commerce, security, and diplomacy.
*Develop opportunities for trade, research, and industry in the Midgard Sector.
*Establish new avenues of Starfleet exploration in and beyond the Midgard Sector.


=== The Grand Nagus===
===Regional Stability===
The Midgard Sector is a highly volatile region. Relations with the Romulan Republic remain underdeveloped, but it is the largest local power beside the Federation and a proven ally. All other non-Federation territory was formerly that of either the Neutral Zone or the Star Empire of Rator and is now independent. While there are multiple worlds, industry centres, or stations known to still be occupied or operational in the area, none are confirmed to Starfleet to have banded into any new factions or fallen under any local warlords.


The Ferengi state resembles a Board of Directors of any large corporate conglomerate. The head of that “conglomerate” is the Grand Nagus. The current Grand Nagus is Grand Nagus [[ma:Rom|Rom]]. While the Grand Nagus has enormous personal power to steer the Ferengi economy as a whole, their ability to enact social changes or enter into political agreement is limited. While individual businessmen go to the Grand Nagus for some of the best business opportunities, in practice the power of the Grand Nagus is blunted by the Congress of Economic Advisors and the Ferengi Commerce Authority. More than one Grand Nagus has been brought low- or even toppled- when their actions have endangered the Ferengi economy.  
Many of these worlds are struggling after the fall of the Star Empire, historically reliant on complex chains of economics and logistics. In the old Neutral Zone is at least one former Romulan Relocation Hub for the evacuation of Romulus, set up by the Federation in the 2380s before their withdrawal from the area after the Attack on Mars. Starfleet has judged that rendering humanitarian assistance is their moral obligation and a political necessity to avoid serious upheaval.


===The Ferengi Commerce Authority===
===Commerce and Diplomacy===
With the opening of the old Romulan border and the Federation's return to outreach programs, regional commerce, industry, and diplomacy changed at the start of the 25th century. Gateway Station acts as a headquarters for Starfleet and civilian efforts in these areas: hosting diplomatic talks with local factions, providing facilities for cross-border trading, and facilitating humane and responsible industrial undertakings in and beyond Federation space. Starfleet especially hopes that any cooperation with the Republic on Gateway can form a model for future relationships.


The Ferengi Commerce Authority (FCA) is the agency responsible for enforcing Ferengi law, tradition and contracts. Part judiciary, part police force, part spy ring, the FCA is run by the Board of Liquidators, a body that can summon, censure and remove a sitting Grand Nagus.  Further, no sentient being may conduct business within the Ferengi Alliance or its holdings without a business or trade license issued by the FCA.  In the event of financial or social “irregularities,” the FCA will send its Liquidators to enforce Ferengi law, an event that most Ferengi both fear and detest.  
===Border Security===
The collapse of the Star Empire of Rator means that Gateway lies on the border with fractious territories of former imperial vassals. There are few even potential enemies in the region who could present a serious threat to Starfleet operations, and especially not to Gateway itself. However, opportunities for pirates and warlords to operate in such a lawless region are endless, and travel ''without'' a mighty starship is considerably more dangerous. Likewise, the Romulan Republic is less resilient against such threats. With its auxiliary craft of runabouts and starfighters, attached starship, and the other vessels of Endeavour Squadron, Gateway Station is expected to keep denizens of the Midgard Sector, especially but not exclusively Federation citizens in the region, safe from threat.


===Lesser Authorities Within the Alliance===
===Research and Exploration===
The formation of the Neutral Zone in the 22nd century locked Starfleet out from ever entering Romulan space. The Midgard Sector thus stretches across Federation territory that has been thoroughly explored and charted, and former regions of the Neutral Zone and RSE where Starfleet has never before ventured. Now, Starfleet is keen to explore beyond Federation borders for the first time. Gateway Station is a platform for Project: Horizon, which seeks to launch exploratory missions across the border. More than merely a scientific undertaking, this will require Starfleet to secure access to these territories through diplomatic negotiation and recognises that Romulan and indigenous locals may have a stake in subsequent research and findings. Project: Horizon is thus a multifaceted operation requiring significant diplomatic investment as well as scientific research.


The FCA’s lesser governing committees include the Ferengi Trade Mission, which regulates their government business' interests with other species. There is also the Ferengi Health Commission and the Ferengi Gaming Commission; the former oversees health regulations in public life and in their businesses, and has the power to revoke a Ferengi's medical license, while the latter oversees gambling ventures. Individual regions, districts and cities are ruled by their own Naguses, who possess similar power to the Grand Nagus on this smaller sphere of influence.
==History==
Since the establishment of the Romulan Neutral Zone and the Federation's founding, Starfleet infrastructure in the Midgard Sector was designed to secure the border with the Star Empire. Until the Romulan supernova, regional stations were for surveillance of Romulan activities across the Neutral Zone, or defence against possible incursion, with limited capacity for humanitarian or diplomatic operations. This left the Starbase 23 of the 2380s, an old [[Watchtower Class|''Watchtower''-class]] station, like many others on the border: under-equipped to assist with the evacuation of Romulus or to manage the subsequent refugee crisis.


==Society==
By the 2390s, Starfleet was rolling out upgrades to regional infrastructure. Starbase 16-Sierra, a ''Spacedock''-class formerly serving second-line support to the Klingon frontier and trade routes, was slated for a larger replacement to meet the needs of modern, bigger vessels. The decision was made to tow 16-Sierra, already modified to remove its arboretum for a second internal docking bay to receive explorer-level starships, to the Romulan frontier. In this age of heightened security, suspicion, and xenophobia, this new Starbase 23 was originally intended to act only to secure the border through defence and diplomatic engagement with the Star Empire of Rator, and discourage refugee migration. This changed after the Federation's return to past policies of exploration and outreach in 2399 and the collapse of the Star Empire of Rator in 2400. Now on the Federation's doorstep were the volatile remnants of the Star Empire, a cluster of warlords, abandoned worlds, and independent factions. Immediately adjacent was the Romulan Republic, in whose ongoing survival and stability the Federation had become increasingly invested.
The Ferengi Alliance is a capitalistic body dominated by wealthy, well-connected Ferengi males. Successful Ferengi bring profit to themselves, their families and their business partners. Advancement in the Alliance relies on who you know and how much you are willing to bribe or pay royalties to for their assistance. The Alliance is best thought of as a major mega-corporation. Greed and profit are the primary goals of the society and its members follow a social doctrine for success called the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition.  


===Social Hierarchy===
As such, the new Starbase 23 finished redeployment not to cautiously guard a border but charged with maintaining regional stability to meet both Federation and Republic interests.
The Ferengi Alliance, while dominated by Ferengi, employs numerous allied and non-aligned species.  Ferengi maintain a de facto preferred status.  Hierarchies within the Alliance can be both rigid and fluid: Ferengi have potential social mobility based on their personal skill at negotiation and accumulating wealth, a trait known as, "Having the lobes for business."  Ferengi advance within the Alliance through bribes, cronyism and graft.


Once a Ferengi reaches certain tiers of power within the Alliance, their influence can become both expansive and authoritative. However, the Ferengi are suspicious of tyranny and maintain check and balance systems even for their most influential. As long as a Ferengi leader is making his subordinates and clients extremely wealthy, most Ferengi are willing to put up with a great deal of abuse and look the other way.  
==Leisure Facilities==
Gateway Station is equipped to provide leisure and entertainment facilities for Starfleet crew, civilian residents, and visitors. This includes dozens of holodecks and holosuites, gym and sporting facilities, and the various lounges, bars, eateries, shops, and cafés. The majority of these are located on the Arcade, a galleria stretching across multiple decks.


Observers have suggested that attributing Ferengi motivation solely to latinum and profit may be an over-simplification of their society. Those who have worked alongside Ferengi report them to often be very hard-working and target-focused, identifying their goals and stopping at nothing to achieve them, even if these motivations happen to have nothing to do with profit. Ferengi certainly prize the acquisition of wealth, and it has been theorised this acts as a literal measure of success, a way their work ethic can be observed and quantified. Profit is not, these sociologists theorise, the goal itself - it is a means of measuring and publicly demonstrating meeting these goals, and Ferengi society has normalised and codified this.  
===Bean Me Up===
[[File:Beanmeup1.png|thumb|Bean Me Up café|225x225px]]
A café in the Arcade, Bean Me Up is a bright and cheerful establishment. The standard-issue cold metal bulkheads are softened by amber upholstery and fixtures and lighting that changes with station time. In mornings, it is bright and bustling, encouraging people to start their days with vigour; by the afternoon, more relaxed and thoughtful, and in the evenings the lighting is gentle for quieter get-togethers than the nearby bars. It is a favourite for the Starfleet crew, and its tendency to attract regular clients has encouraged the staff to provide a friendly service, learning names and preferred drinks.


Though Ferengi eagerly do business with non-Ferengi, and non-Ferengi client species of the Alliance can enjoy a profitable, bright existence, the Ferengi are at heart a conservative, tradition-bound race. Ferengi usually write Ferengi business practices into their employee contracts, forcing any non-Ferengi to adhere to them. A Ferengi measures his success not by how well he is liked by non-Ferengi, but by how well-respected (or feared) he is among his own kind. Most Ferengi prefer to deal with alien species from a position of strength or authority. While the Ferengi employ aliens in many of their enterprises, it is very rare to find Ferengi working in alien enterprises.
===Foxglove===
[[File:Foxglove.png|thumb|225x225px|The Foxglove Cocktail Bar]]
A cocktail bar in the Arcade, Foxglove is a venue evoking a higher-class aesthetic and is favoured by Starfleet officers enjoying a chance to dress up off-duty and civilian visitors looking for a more refined experience aboard Gateway. Its wood-panelled walls are accentuated by a polished, marble-effect floor that give the establishment a cosy but classy atmosphere. Booths, benches, and comfortable seating are upholstered in dark leather around polished wood-effect tables, and the lighting remains dim but clear, enough to foster a sense of warmth and intimacy. A large stage usually offers live jazz, often from holographic performers, but sometimes with living musicians, and the music is normally of a volume to be atmospheric but unobtrusive. On certain evenings, there may be more noteworthy performances, such as notable musicians, stand-up comedy, or dance routines, making Foxglove in those circumstances an event venue for a fulfilling evening. The wide bar at one end offers a plethora of cocktails from thousands of worlds, and while many are made with real ingredients in the bottles behind the bar, their replicators will meet even the most outlandish of needs. Seating is available on the upper level of a veranda stretching around the main floor, offering greater privacy and views of the people or performances below.


Despite this cultural tendency, Ferengi have opened up to other civilizations but there is still culture shock among them when they see clothed females walking around in public, unionized work forces and economies where material things are unimportant. Individual Ferengi may rate these from mildly novel to downright barbarian, but successful Ferengi businessmen put aside these preconceptions for profit.
===Sunny Side Diner===
[[File:Sunnyside1.png|thumb|225x225px|The Sunny Side Diner]]
The Sunny Side Diner is an all-day eatery on the Arcade, offering hearty food in the style of an old Earth diner. As such, while it provides quick, easy food all day, its particular specialty is the large, filling breakfasts. But the primary source of its name is its location: flush against the exterior bulkhead of the Arcade, its windows catch the Midgard sun in the morning, station-time.


===Regulation for Profit===
===Crowbar===
Virtually nothing is for free on Ferenginar or among Ferengi holdings. Entering business or government buildings requires an entry fee. Scheduling appointments with important authorities requires a fee. To expedite a service costs more. It is commonplace for discussions to be held with receptacles placed near each individual - to gain their information, one must pay a small fee within. Even entering Ferengi homes requires a small overhead paid to the family, usually at the front door. Contracts and negotiations take place at virtually every turn of Ferengi society. Contracts are the bedrock of Ferengi society and to break a contract (with another Ferengi) is considered a heinous act.  Breaking contracts between non-Ferengi is still a dubious practice, but one accepted on varying terms by the Ferengi system.
[[File:Crowbar1a.png|thumb|225x225px|The Crowbar]]
The Crowbar is a bar just off the Arcade, opened after spacers looking to do trade beyond the border began to operate out of Gateway. Once a small storage space, its conversion has led to a slightly run-down aesthetic of scavenged furniture and jerry-rigged equipment. It is a favoured establishment for non-Federation, non-delegate visitors, though its reputation for being 'rough' is, according to station reports, more about stereotypes than reality.


An outside observer might consider the Ferengi Alliance's economy highly unregulated. In truth, the corporate regulations established by Grand Naguses and the FCA are vast, complex, and often ancient. Where other worlds and governments have applied regulations to protect workers' rights or enforce safety standards, the regulations of the Alliance exist to enforce ''how'' Ferengi do business. This not only maintains societal norms, but supports the interconnectivity of the Ferengi economy, where profit for one corporation creates opportunities for another. While a Ferengi may be lauded for great gains elsewhere in the galaxy, at least some of that wealth is expected to be seen and ''spent'' among other Ferengi; thus do the Alliance's corporate regulations encourage and sometimes force a businessman down a path that is profitable for the whole Ferengi economy as well as himself.
===Keystone===
[[File:Keystone1.png|thumb|225x225px|Keystone Bar]]
The Keystone Bar is one of the bars on the Arcade favoured by off-duty Starfleet officers, especially the crew of Gateway itself. It is one of the oldest on the station, and one of the few surviving back to the starbase's days on the Klingon frontier. As such, the bar has a sense of history to it, and has often been run by retired officers. Depending on the time of day, it may be a quiet and relaxed place to get a drink, or a turbulent, exciting scene for crewmembers looking to blow off steam.


The systems are highly bureaucratic, forcing a Ferengi to demonstrate their wealth and 'lobes for business' when they navigate any aspect of society and denying the wealthy the chance to rest on their laurels. A young Ferengi may inherit a vast fortune, but the complex social-business practices established and maintained by the FCA and Naguses past means that if he lacks any skill in business, this will be seen and result in a loss of face - and likely, eventually, profit. Social mobility may be difficult in Ferengi society, but those at the top still have to fight to stay there.
===Replimat===
[[File:Replimat1.png|thumb|225x225px|One of the Replimats of Gateway]]
There are many quick eateries around the station offering simple seating and access to a public replicator. While some are on the periphery of the Arcade, most are near busy workspaces or distant living quarters. They tend to be used by visitors or crew looking for a quick bite somewhere sociable, and offer little by way of comfortable aesthetic - the public canteens for a lunch break or a breakfast on the go, rather than somewhere to sit and enjoy the ambience.


==Diplomatic Relations==
==Notable Crew==
Officially, the Ferengi Alliance declares neutrality in virtually every galactic conflict that may exist at any one time. In the realms of galactic politics, the Ferengi Alliance is solely interested in gaining profit- making enemies reduces that end-goal considerably. The Ferengi recognize that their military prowess is inferior to virtually all nearby major powers; their strength remains their economic clout.
===Commanding Officers===
*[https://bravofleet.com/command/82908 April 2401 - Present]: Commodore [[bfms_char:12418|Matthew Rourke]]


===The United Federation of Planets===
== In-Play ==
Official First Contact between the [[United Federation of Planets]] and the Ferengi Alliance happened in 2364 in the Delphi Ardu system after a Ferengi Marauder stole a T-9 converter from the Federation outpost on Gamma Tauri IV.


Relations with the Federation remained tense throughout the 2360s’s and early 2370’s, largely due to the unsanctioned actions of individual Ferengi which the Federation protested.  Individual member systems and Ferengi businessmen increased trade within Federation space.  The Federation was forced to contend with the Ferengi more often when the Bajoran Wormhole was discovered, and the Ferengi made inroads for trade with several Gamma Quadrant species.
* Gateway Station is a starbase command assigned to [[bfms_user:1036|Admiral Alexander Beckett]], but members may feature it in their stories in accordance with [[Command Policy#3.2 - Starbase Strength|Section 3.2.5 of the Command Policy]].
 
* Set on a wild frontier of the former Romulan Neutral Zone and Star Empire of Rator, Gateway is the last stop for many missions of exploration, humanitarian support, or diplomacy headed into regions still largely unknown to Starfleet.
Rom, the current Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance, favors warmer relations with the Federation but the Alliance retains it’s neutrality.  Trade has become increasingly common between the two powers and Ferengi are becoming a more common sight on Federation worlds. It remains a rarity to find Ferengi in Starfleet, however, as Ferengi ideals still frequently clash with Federation and Starfleet practices.
* Despite this, Gateway is set on a border Starfleet has kept secure for centuries. Danger may be found merely a stone's throw away, but the starbase itself is safe, secure, and well-defended.
 
* An influx of interest from both sides of the border has led to a more colourful hue of the average visitor, from eager Federation prospectors to Romulan refugees seeking a better life or those from the former Neutral Zone seeking opportunity. The populace of Gateway is varied and does not all adhere easily to Federation principles and law - but there is no serious crime aboard.
Major membership discussions between the Federation and the Alliance in recent years have been tied up in a multitude of smaller talks that have all but stalled out recently. These talks are primarily stuck on issues that both the Alliance and the Federation consider core issues. Despite this, a litany of smaller formal and informal agreements, usually with intense local frames of reference, are filling the gap and creating a diabolical legal and corporate nightmare along the shared border. These agreements are typically framed as a means to seek respect for Federation territory and public enterprise interests, as well as a multitude of knowledge-sharing and crisis assistance programs. Outside of these agreements however, the two powers find themselves in a spirited rivalry, competing for physical resources and economic advantage, with both powers keen to avoid any physical conflict.
 
The key stumbling blocks in the accession discussions, started in the mid-2380s with Grand Nagus Rom, typically revolve around equal gender rights, the introduction of the New Economy to the Alliance and the integration of the Ferengi judicial system with the Federation's constitution and the Guarantees. While the former issue vastly improved under Grand Nagus Rom, gender rights in the Alliance are still derided by activists within the Federation. The judicial issue is one that in the last few years has made considerable progress leaving the New Economy issue as the primary, and likely most difficult stumbling issue in Alliance/Federation relations for the foreseeable future.
 
== History ==
 
Ferengi history goes back over ten millennia, but much of their history is shrouded in legend. One of the most significant events of their early history was the creation of the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition by Gint and the merging of business and political philosophies into the office of the Grand Negus.
 
Upon the evolution of their commerce-intensive society they purchased warp drive, according to rumors, from the [[Breen Confederacy]] and began to expand their commercial interests. In 2355, a Starfleet vessel encountered the Ferengi traveling through the Maxia Zeta system. The vessel was attacked by an unidentified ship damaging shields and forcing the captain to perform a maneuver in which the vessel jumped into high warp, making it appear to the attackers that the ship was in two places at once. During the confusion the captain issued the order to destroy the enemy vessel, but the damage to the vessel was extensive and the crew abandoned the vessel.
 
Official first contact between the [[United Federation of Planets]] and the Ferengi occurred finally in 2364 in the Delphi Ardu system, where a Ferengi vessel and the Federation vessel were trapped in orbit by a derelict outpost of the ancient Tkon Empire.
 
Though the Ferengi carry little military might, their influence can be found across the galaxy as merchants, arms dealers, and information brokers. Through the Ferengi, the Federation were able to learn much about the Dominion before the War. The Ferengi continue to play a part in today's political affairs, selling information to the highest bidder. It does not scare the Ferengi that they share borders with the [[Breen Confederacy]] and the Federation. After all, it's just good business.
 
==Military==
[[File:D'Kora Class.png|left|thumb|The D'Kora Class, a Ferengi Alliance workhorse.|link=Special:FilePath/D'Kora_Class.png]]
The Alliance maintains a military which consisted mostly of [[D'Kora Class]] vessels; heavily armed and armoured trade vessels. These are better known as 'Marauders' by those outside the Alliance, as while they are most often engaged to aggressively protect business interests, pre-emptive strikes and jealous guarding of shipments in the most dangerous regions of space has been easily misconstrued. However, where Ferengi have conducted outright raids and actions other governments would deem piracy, the D'Kora class are indeed the most often-used ships.
 
Each ship is captained by a DaiMon, who has purchased a contract to operate the vessel on behalf of the FCA in exchange. This gives the DaiMon prime opportunities to take assignments that will bring profit to the Ferengi Alliance, including being given authorisation to conduct trade negotiations on behalf of the Alliance, and in return they keep a comfortable percentage. So long as a DaiMon follows the regulations on how a Ferengi ship must be run and brings back a profit, he enjoys a vast freedom in selecting his assignments and how he operates a powerful warship with the backing of the Alliance. This has led to the Ferengi military becoming a complicated network where a DaiMon's relationship with others are key to securing the biggest successes with the greatest cooperation, but each inevitably compete on some level for a bigger share of the profit.
 
Formally, the DaiMons answer to the Grand Nagus himself. In practice, multiple wealthy and powerful DaiMons conduct their assignments as they see fit, justifying their actions either by bringing back enormous wealth for the Alliance or pursuing the interests of a member of the FCA who will cover their backs. With Grand Nagus Rom struggling to assert personal control over the military and the recent uprising of the galactic powers, many Ferengi ships have been designed, constructed, refitted and retrofitted with more combat-based technologies to pursue the agendas of these powerful DaiMons.
 
The management of the military is likely responsible for many of Starfleet's early misconceptions of the nature of the Ferengi. The Alliance early on identified the Federation's moneyless economy, finding it unfathomable. The Grand Nagus of the time sought to exploit this incomprehensible enemy by conducting a disinformation campaign as to be equally incomprehensible. This took the form of a large military buildup and the sanctioning of the spread of malicious rumours, so as when formal contact was established, it happened from a position of strength. While the Federation has largely corrected its view of Ferengi over decades of interactions, elements of this misunderstanding remains, such as the continued use of the 'Marauders' colloquialism to refer to their ships.
 
==The Ferengi Alliance in Play==
*The Ferengi Alliance has no interest in military conquest.  If they claim a system, it is for the purposes of resource exploitation or salvage operations.
*The Ferengi Alliance maintains its neutrality in all armed conflicts, though it will engage in economic warfare to leverage better negotiating positions.  Individual Ferengi may take sides and sell products for profit.
*The Ferengi have a robust interest in opening negotiations with Delta Quadrant species and have been petitioning the Federation for more access to the [[Barzan]] wormhole.
* Sale of [[Borg]] technology has become a thorny issue among Ferengi businessmen and the other galactic powers.  The Alliance continues to maintain its neutrality and disavows any transactions where the parts seem illicit.  However, the Alliance continues to support salvage rights for any technology that they may encounter- including Borg technology.
*The Ferengi have only had limited success in infiltrating the [[Romulan Factions]], particularly the [[Romulan Free State]].  Much of their success has been among resource-starved colony worlds which need the assistance.
*Increased Starfleet presence in proximity to Alliance space has caused a change in the immediate relationship. While formal relations with the Federation thus remain friendly, individual encounters with Ferengi on the border can be unpredictable as the Ferengi will do whatever is most profitable for them: help Starfleet for the right price, or undermine them as competitors.
 
=External Information=
* [[memoryalpha:{{PAGENAME}}|Ferengi Alliance]] at Memory Alpha
*[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ferengi Ferengi] at Memory Alpha
*[https://memory-alpha.fandom.com/wiki/Ferenginar Ferenginar] at Memory Alpha
[[Category:Alpha Quadrant]]

Revision as of 22:17, 11 March 2024

Starfleet









GatewaySD1.png
Gateway Station
Information
Registry SB-23
Class

Spacedock Class

Affiliation

Starfleet

Status Active
Commissioned 2301 (moved to Midgard in 2398)
Location
Sector Midgard Sector
Quadrant Beta Quadrant
Assignment
Role

Regional Support

Task Force Fourth Fleet Operations
Squadron Endeavour Squadron
Personnel
Commanding Officer Commodore Matt Rourke
Executive Officer Captain Lorraine Everard
Template:Starbase


Starbase 23, code-named Gateway Station, is a Spacedock-class space station located on the Federation border to the Romulan Republic and the Independent Romulan Factions. Constructed in the late-2390s, it was designed to replace border infrastructure that dated back to before the Romulan supernova and the collapse of the Romulan Neutral Zone. Commanded by Commodore Matt Rourke, Gateway Station is now the hub of Starfleet operations in the Midgard Sector, a region that stretches across the territory of the Federation and Republic, as well as the collapsed Neutral Zone and the former territories of the Star Empire of Rator. Its mission is to maintain stability in the area through humanitarian operations and diplomacy with local Romulan factions.

Gateway Station is the headquarters of Endeavour Squadron, whose primary mission is to further Starfleet's ambitions in the Midgard Sector. The Rhode Island-class USS Tempest is permanently attached to Gateway, and used by her senior staff for missions off-station. Under most circumstances, command of the Tempest falls to Gateway's Senior Officer of the Watch, Commander Zihan Shepherd, with Commodore Rourke putting his flag on the USS Redemption in the field. Gateway is also the launching ground for Project: Horizon, which seeks to launch exploratory missions into former imperial territories, regions Starfleet has never been able to study before.

Operations

Gateway Station is charged with the following missions:

  • Maintain the security of the Federation border.
  • Engage in diplomacy and humanitarian aid with local factions to support regional stability.
  • Liaise with the Romulan Republic on matters of commerce, security, and diplomacy.
  • Develop opportunities for trade, research, and industry in the Midgard Sector.
  • Establish new avenues of Starfleet exploration in and beyond the Midgard Sector.

Regional Stability

The Midgard Sector is a highly volatile region. Relations with the Romulan Republic remain underdeveloped, but it is the largest local power beside the Federation and a proven ally. All other non-Federation territory was formerly that of either the Neutral Zone or the Star Empire of Rator and is now independent. While there are multiple worlds, industry centres, or stations known to still be occupied or operational in the area, none are confirmed to Starfleet to have banded into any new factions or fallen under any local warlords.

Many of these worlds are struggling after the fall of the Star Empire, historically reliant on complex chains of economics and logistics. In the old Neutral Zone is at least one former Romulan Relocation Hub for the evacuation of Romulus, set up by the Federation in the 2380s before their withdrawal from the area after the Attack on Mars. Starfleet has judged that rendering humanitarian assistance is their moral obligation and a political necessity to avoid serious upheaval.

Commerce and Diplomacy

With the opening of the old Romulan border and the Federation's return to outreach programs, regional commerce, industry, and diplomacy changed at the start of the 25th century. Gateway Station acts as a headquarters for Starfleet and civilian efforts in these areas: hosting diplomatic talks with local factions, providing facilities for cross-border trading, and facilitating humane and responsible industrial undertakings in and beyond Federation space. Starfleet especially hopes that any cooperation with the Republic on Gateway can form a model for future relationships.

Border Security

The collapse of the Star Empire of Rator means that Gateway lies on the border with fractious territories of former imperial vassals. There are few even potential enemies in the region who could present a serious threat to Starfleet operations, and especially not to Gateway itself. However, opportunities for pirates and warlords to operate in such a lawless region are endless, and travel without a mighty starship is considerably more dangerous. Likewise, the Romulan Republic is less resilient against such threats. With its auxiliary craft of runabouts and starfighters, attached starship, and the other vessels of Endeavour Squadron, Gateway Station is expected to keep denizens of the Midgard Sector, especially but not exclusively Federation citizens in the region, safe from threat.

Research and Exploration

The formation of the Neutral Zone in the 22nd century locked Starfleet out from ever entering Romulan space. The Midgard Sector thus stretches across Federation territory that has been thoroughly explored and charted, and former regions of the Neutral Zone and RSE where Starfleet has never before ventured. Now, Starfleet is keen to explore beyond Federation borders for the first time. Gateway Station is a platform for Project: Horizon, which seeks to launch exploratory missions across the border. More than merely a scientific undertaking, this will require Starfleet to secure access to these territories through diplomatic negotiation and recognises that Romulan and indigenous locals may have a stake in subsequent research and findings. Project: Horizon is thus a multifaceted operation requiring significant diplomatic investment as well as scientific research.

History

Since the establishment of the Romulan Neutral Zone and the Federation's founding, Starfleet infrastructure in the Midgard Sector was designed to secure the border with the Star Empire. Until the Romulan supernova, regional stations were for surveillance of Romulan activities across the Neutral Zone, or defence against possible incursion, with limited capacity for humanitarian or diplomatic operations. This left the Starbase 23 of the 2380s, an old Watchtower-class station, like many others on the border: under-equipped to assist with the evacuation of Romulus or to manage the subsequent refugee crisis.

By the 2390s, Starfleet was rolling out upgrades to regional infrastructure. Starbase 16-Sierra, a Spacedock-class formerly serving second-line support to the Klingon frontier and trade routes, was slated for a larger replacement to meet the needs of modern, bigger vessels. The decision was made to tow 16-Sierra, already modified to remove its arboretum for a second internal docking bay to receive explorer-level starships, to the Romulan frontier. In this age of heightened security, suspicion, and xenophobia, this new Starbase 23 was originally intended to act only to secure the border through defence and diplomatic engagement with the Star Empire of Rator, and discourage refugee migration. This changed after the Federation's return to past policies of exploration and outreach in 2399 and the collapse of the Star Empire of Rator in 2400. Now on the Federation's doorstep were the volatile remnants of the Star Empire, a cluster of warlords, abandoned worlds, and independent factions. Immediately adjacent was the Romulan Republic, in whose ongoing survival and stability the Federation had become increasingly invested.

As such, the new Starbase 23 finished redeployment not to cautiously guard a border but charged with maintaining regional stability to meet both Federation and Republic interests.

Leisure Facilities

Gateway Station is equipped to provide leisure and entertainment facilities for Starfleet crew, civilian residents, and visitors. This includes dozens of holodecks and holosuites, gym and sporting facilities, and the various lounges, bars, eateries, shops, and cafés. The majority of these are located on the Arcade, a galleria stretching across multiple decks.

Bean Me Up

Bean Me Up café

A café in the Arcade, Bean Me Up is a bright and cheerful establishment. The standard-issue cold metal bulkheads are softened by amber upholstery and fixtures and lighting that changes with station time. In mornings, it is bright and bustling, encouraging people to start their days with vigour; by the afternoon, more relaxed and thoughtful, and in the evenings the lighting is gentle for quieter get-togethers than the nearby bars. It is a favourite for the Starfleet crew, and its tendency to attract regular clients has encouraged the staff to provide a friendly service, learning names and preferred drinks.

Foxglove

The Foxglove Cocktail Bar

A cocktail bar in the Arcade, Foxglove is a venue evoking a higher-class aesthetic and is favoured by Starfleet officers enjoying a chance to dress up off-duty and civilian visitors looking for a more refined experience aboard Gateway. Its wood-panelled walls are accentuated by a polished, marble-effect floor that give the establishment a cosy but classy atmosphere. Booths, benches, and comfortable seating are upholstered in dark leather around polished wood-effect tables, and the lighting remains dim but clear, enough to foster a sense of warmth and intimacy. A large stage usually offers live jazz, often from holographic performers, but sometimes with living musicians, and the music is normally of a volume to be atmospheric but unobtrusive. On certain evenings, there may be more noteworthy performances, such as notable musicians, stand-up comedy, or dance routines, making Foxglove in those circumstances an event venue for a fulfilling evening. The wide bar at one end offers a plethora of cocktails from thousands of worlds, and while many are made with real ingredients in the bottles behind the bar, their replicators will meet even the most outlandish of needs. Seating is available on the upper level of a veranda stretching around the main floor, offering greater privacy and views of the people or performances below.

Sunny Side Diner

The Sunny Side Diner

The Sunny Side Diner is an all-day eatery on the Arcade, offering hearty food in the style of an old Earth diner. As such, while it provides quick, easy food all day, its particular specialty is the large, filling breakfasts. But the primary source of its name is its location: flush against the exterior bulkhead of the Arcade, its windows catch the Midgard sun in the morning, station-time.

Crowbar

The Crowbar

The Crowbar is a bar just off the Arcade, opened after spacers looking to do trade beyond the border began to operate out of Gateway. Once a small storage space, its conversion has led to a slightly run-down aesthetic of scavenged furniture and jerry-rigged equipment. It is a favoured establishment for non-Federation, non-delegate visitors, though its reputation for being 'rough' is, according to station reports, more about stereotypes than reality.

Keystone

Keystone Bar

The Keystone Bar is one of the bars on the Arcade favoured by off-duty Starfleet officers, especially the crew of Gateway itself. It is one of the oldest on the station, and one of the few surviving back to the starbase's days on the Klingon frontier. As such, the bar has a sense of history to it, and has often been run by retired officers. Depending on the time of day, it may be a quiet and relaxed place to get a drink, or a turbulent, exciting scene for crewmembers looking to blow off steam.

Replimat

One of the Replimats of Gateway

There are many quick eateries around the station offering simple seating and access to a public replicator. While some are on the periphery of the Arcade, most are near busy workspaces or distant living quarters. They tend to be used by visitors or crew looking for a quick bite somewhere sociable, and offer little by way of comfortable aesthetic - the public canteens for a lunch break or a breakfast on the go, rather than somewhere to sit and enjoy the ambience.

Notable Crew

Commanding Officers

In-Play

  • Gateway Station is a starbase command assigned to Admiral Alexander Beckett, but members may feature it in their stories in accordance with Section 3.2.5 of the Command Policy.
  • Set on a wild frontier of the former Romulan Neutral Zone and Star Empire of Rator, Gateway is the last stop for many missions of exploration, humanitarian support, or diplomacy headed into regions still largely unknown to Starfleet.
  • Despite this, Gateway is set on a border Starfleet has kept secure for centuries. Danger may be found merely a stone's throw away, but the starbase itself is safe, secure, and well-defended.
  • An influx of interest from both sides of the border has led to a more colourful hue of the average visitor, from eager Federation prospectors to Romulan refugees seeking a better life or those from the former Neutral Zone seeking opportunity. The populace of Gateway is varied and does not all adhere easily to Federation principles and law - but there is no serious crime aboard.
Retrieved from "https://wiki.bravofleet.com/index.php?title=Ferengi_Alliance&oldid=13075"