Bravo Fleet
Difference between pages "Ferengi Alliance" and "Cardassian Union"

Difference between pages "Ferengi Alliance" and "Cardassian Union"

From Bravo Fleet
(Difference between pages)
 
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{icons|72|fer}} {{Government
{{Government
|advancement=
|name=Cardassian Union
|name=Ferengi Alliance
|image=[[image:CardUnion.png]]
|image=[[image:Ferengialliance.png|250px]]
|species=[[Cardassian]]
|species= [[Ferengi]]
|homeworld=[[Cardassia Prime]]
|homeworld= [[Ferenginar]]
|founded=1800 CE
|founded= ~10,000 BCE
|warp=1925 CE
|warp= Unknown
|language=Cardassian
|language=Ferengi standard
|currency=Lek
|currency=Gold pressed latinum
|government=Military Republic
|government=Plutocratic Oligarchy
|leader=
|leader=
* Grand Nagus of the Ferengi Alliance ([[ma:Rom|Grand Nagus Rom]])
*Detapa Council
* Congress of Economic Advisors
**[[Ila Rekal|Chairman Ila Rekal]] (Head of State)
* Board of Liquidators
*Ministry of Justice
|military=Ferengi Marauder fleet
|military=
}}
*Central Command
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. <br />
*Obsidian Order
[[Category:Alpha Quadrant Powers]]
}}The '''Cardassian Union''', sometimes referred to as the Cardassian Empire, has a long, rich history. The Cardassians were originally an empire driven by peaceful and spiritual knowledge. When an extreme resource depression forced the Cardassian people into a more militaristic power the tides of political power changed on [[Cardassia Prime]] in an effort to gather off world resources in the name of self preservation. Since that time the Cardassians have striven to expand in an effort to increase their storage of raw materials and economic wealth.  
In theory, the Alliance is dedicated to the promotion and protection of free market enterprise, libertarian economic ideals and the unregulated accumulation of profit 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 ==
The head of the Cardassian Union is Chairman [[Ila Rekal]].


[[File:Ferenginar.jpg|left|thumb|350px|Ferenginar, Capitol of the Ferengi Alliance|link=Special:FilePath/Ferenginar.jpg]]
= History =


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 free of heavy commercial regulation 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.  
The history of the Cardassian Union tends to consist of extremes, once a peaceful and spiritual people, their planets poor resources proved unable to support their expanding population and starvation and disease became rampant. Millions of deaths resulted, leading to a general breakdown in the government. The military forces of the planet staged a takeover and launched several wars against their neighbors in order to secure new resources. Although further millions were lost in these wars, the military government did succeed in stabilizing the situation on Cardassia. The Cardassian Union itself was formed under an agreement between Central Command and the Obsidian Order to share power.
[[Image:Cprime.jpg|left|thumb|The capital city of Cardassia Prime.|link=Special:FilePath/Cprime.jpg]]
<br>
In 2346 the Cardassians invaded Setlik III, believing it to be a base to be used in an invasion of their own territory by the [[United Federation of Planets]] and a prolonged period of tension further heightened by hostilities resulted. In 2355 the Federation dispatched a [[Constellation Class]] starship in an attempt to make peace, but the Cardassians rejected the offer and forced the ship to flee. Hostilities officially ended in 2367, although the Cardassians remained less than friendly.


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.
==Dominion War==


=== The Grand Nagus ===
In 2372 a civilian uprising deposed the military government. Suspecting [[Dominion]] involvement in the coup, the [[Klingon Empire|Klingons]] launched an invasion of Cardassian space and eventually Cardassia Prime, the Cardassian homeworld. The Federation opposed this action and was successful in forcing the Klingons to halt their advance towards Cardassia Prime. Although this destroyed the Federation-Klingon alliance and resulted in a short period of hostilities between those two powers after the Klingon Empire withdrew from the [[Khitomer Accords]]. The Federation shipped considerable aid to the devastated Cardassian government.
<br>
<br>
Humiliated by having to rely on charity from a former enemy after a relatively quick and easy defeat at the hands of the Klingon Empire, [[ma:Dukat|Gul Dukat]] led a Dominion takeover of the Cardassian Union and was installed as ruler of the region in 2373 and promoted to legate. The Dominion were quick to upgrade the Cardassian fleet and introduce more advanced technologies into their ship building techniques. Cardassian forces had subsequently fought along side the [[Jem'Hadar]] in the [[ma:Dominion War|Dominion War]] with their leader, [[ma:Damar|Legate Damar]], who took power after Legate Dukat was presumed dead. However, on stardate 52412.8, that all changed; angered by the Dominion's alliance with the [[Breen]] and the loss of over 7 million troops, Damar led a Cardassian fleet comprised of elements of the 1st, 3rd, and 9th Orders. They attacked and destroyed the Dominion Cloning Facility on Rondak III. In doing so, Damar had called on all Cardassians to rebel against the Dominion. During the final battle for Cardassia Prime the Dominion seemed to have the [[ma:Federation Alliance|Federation-Romulan-Klingon Alliance]] outnumbered. However once word of the Dominion destroying [[ma:Lakarian City|Lakarian City]] on Cardassia Prime reached the Cardassian troops that were within the Dominion fleet, all the Cardassian vessels turned on the Dominion and Breen vessels. The Alliance wasted no time in joining the Cardassians and thus the Dominion War ended with a Alliance victory.
<br>
<br>
The United Federation of Planets extended a hand of friendship to the Union after the war in an effort to help them rebuild. While the Union was loath to accept that help there was little choice: the Cardassian Union had be devastated by the war and barely had the resources to rebuild Cardassia Prime, much less the rest of the Union. Three months after the end of the war, the first Federation assistance arrived on Cardassia Prime.


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.  
==Recovery==
[[Image:Cardassianfleet.png|right|thumb|A fleet of Cardassian ships after the reformation of the Central Command following the Dominion War.|link=Special:FilePath/Cardassianfleet.png]]


=== The Ferengi Commerce Authority ===
Post-Dominion War Cardassia, and the Union as a whole, is a ghost of its former glory. With their infrastructure obliterated by the occupation by Dominion forces, their people left starving and without the means to support themselves, the Detapa Council turned to their ‘liberators’, namely the Federation and their allies, for aid and relief following the end of the war. Such aid is rendered, though not without conditions; namely that the Cardassian people forget any ambitions of extending their grasp to worlds under Federation protection, including but not limited to Bajor. Given their desperation to have their worlds returned to self-sufficiency, it wasn’t a hard bargain to strike. This led to a cold war of sorts, with the Cardassian government allowing Federation backed trade vessels into their space while turning their expansionist eyes toward the other side of the Alpha Quadrant rather than toward Federation space.
<br>
<br>
This tacite peace lasted right up until the events of Utopia Planetia attack in 2385, when the policies of the Federation suddenly shifted to matters of the internal state rather than those of external relations with other governments. Just as the Romulans found themselves abandoned when the Federation gave up on the rescue fleet, so too did the Cardassians find themselves suddenly abandoned by their ‘benefactors’. This begins the Detapa Council’s slow decline in power.


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.
==A Turbulent Decade==


=== Lesser Authorities Within the Alliance ===
In the first few years after the Federation aid petered out, the Council was able to find means and methods to gloss over the loss of goods that had been almost a staple for the various worlds as they continued to rebuild and refocus their efforts and energies on reaching the oft stated goal of complete self-reliance that the Union had enjoyed prior to the Dominion War. But these measures were only a temporary fix to a problem they had never wanted to admit, that being that they had grown dependent on Federation assistance, relying on them to provide for them the very things they had promised their people they would be able to provide for themselves.
<br>
<br>
The Central Command, throughout these early years, had been browbeaten and tossed to the side, a ‘relic of the past’ according to the Council. The old warmongering military officers were given little in the way of support and resources to rebuild their military might, a calculated move by the Detapa Council to limit their ability to threaten their lofty position as providers for the people. When resources elsewhere began to grow scarce, the Central Command took it as their cue that the Council had finally reached the limits of their grandiose promises and that the time was ripe for them to swoop in and take the power they’d been stripped of back.
<br>
<br>
Whether by deceit, machinations, or outright murder, the leaders of the Central Command began to build a foothold, inciting a great many worlds within the Union to begin demanding that the Council relinquish their hold on aspects of governance that they had previously held sole dominion over since the end of the war thanks to the Cardassian military being disgraced so thoroughly. By the early 2390s, both the Detapa Council and Central Command could be said to have had equal footing when it came to which of them held power in the Cardassian Union.


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.
==Return of the Obsidian Order==


== Society ==
Not to be outdone, the Detapa Council decided that the Obsidian Order would help to break the stalemate that had begun to stieme the government. By the middle of the year in 2395, the Obsidian Order had infiltrated the ranks of the Central Command, their numbers soon large enough to control Cardassia Prime itself, and a large number of military installations in the surrounding space. Their insidious and effective infiltration put Central Command on the backfoot, sending the major players into a panic over how they would recover from the crippling loss of the home system.
The Ferengi Alliance is a capitalistic, libertarian 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.  
<br>
<br>
With this newfound security, the Detapa Council decides that they are strong enough to reopen their relations with the Federation, a rather thinly veiled attempt to pull in much needed resources that had been lacking for nearly a decade at this point. Their overtures were met with mixed results, given that the Cardassians weren’t willing to give much up other than a promise to continue their non-aggressive policies toward Federation holdings in exchange for trade being reestablished. With some flow of goods finally returned to the Cardassian economy, the Council believes itself finally to be in a position to bring Central Command to heel once and for all.


=== Social Hierarchy ===
==Central Command Retaliates==
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.  
It doesn’t take long before the Central Command becomes desperate enough to act. They begin organizing raids on the trade vessels, at first little more than pirate style raids in stolen vessels untraceable to the Cardassian Union. When these raids are met with very little in the way of response from either side, the scale and breadth for which they reach grows far more ambitious and bold. By 2398, Cardassian ships were leading massive raids on transport convoys, resulting in a great many lives lost in the endeavor. This garners the attention Central Command had been hoping for.
<br>
<br>
The Federation cut off all trade with the Cardassian Union, blaming the Detapa Council for orchestrating the savage brutality that their convoys endured. The Council immediately denies involvement in the raids, going so far as to point to their own military leaders as the culprits of said raids. This impassioned denial falls on deaf ears, and the Federation revokes the trade agreement they made with the Council, and ostensibly cut the Union off from all but the most unscrupulous and untrustworthy smugglers.
<br>
<br>
Having been robbed of their support, and in turn being substantially weakened by the action of Central Command, the Detapa Council orders the Obsidian Order to begin hunting down those responsible for the raids.


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.
= Structure of the Union =


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. 


=== Free Market Capitalism ===
== Detapa Council ==  
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.
The '''Detapa Council''', headed by the Chairman, the Cardassian Head of State, is the civilian governing body on Cardassia Prime that is tasked with all the civilian power of the Union. The Detapa Council represents the Cardassian people and their wishes. As elected officials they claim to coordinate efforts with the legate's of the Central Command, but in reality the Central Command usually ignored the wishes of the Council.


Because the Ferengi impose few regulations and no social safety nets on its businesses, it is up to individual Ferengi to purchase certain guarantees or forms of insurance to protect themselves from harm or fraud. A form of the ultimate libertarian ideal, these free market, for-profit services include medical coverage, legal representation, court jurisdiction, accidental death or dismemberment, fraud prevention and identity protection.  Anyone who comes to Ferenginar or any Ferengi holding must purchase dozens of different insurances to cover them.
While both organizations are supposed to be equally as powerful through the checks and balances system, in effect the Detapa Council holds all the political legislative, executive and, judicial power on Cardassia. However as they are not the military force and are only an elected civilian body and have no control of the military.  


== Diplomatic Relations ==
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.


=== The United Federation of Planets ===
== Central Command ==
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.
The '''Central Command''' is the main military operating force of the Cardassian Union. Operating thousands of vessels across Cardassian space the Central Command is tasked with, but not limited to, overseeing the protection of the Cardassian people, the security of it's boarders, national security of the Cardassian Union, exploration of unknown space, first contact with new races and civilizations, shipping and handling of cargo within the Cardassian Union, and protection of civilian freighters within Cardassian civilian owned companies.


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.


Relations with the [[Bolian|Bolians]] are perhaps the warmest among the Federation affiliate species.  The Ferengi Gambling Commission has taken control of most of the Bolian’s gambling ships and cruise lines.  Many Ferengi do a great deal of their banking investments in the Bank of Bolarus, though this is changing as the Alliance has begun to shift toward banking institutions of its own.
== Ministry of Justice ==


It remains a rarity to find Ferengi in Starfleet as Ferengi ideals still frequently clash with Federation and Starfleet practices.
The '''Ministry of Justice''' is the central legal structure of the Cardassian Union dealing with the courts and judicial system. Considered cruel by most standards, Cardassians have a unique sense of justice. Often the verdict and punishments of criminals are arranged far in advance of any trial. Because of this, trials, usually publicly broadcasted, are just propaganda for the Cardassian government. While the Union underwent somewhat of a cultural revolution after the war, the sense of justice the Cardassian people is unchanged and a point of national pride. The Detapa Council keeps an iron grip on the Ministry to keep the Cardassian method of justice unchanged.


=== The Cardassian Union ===
The Ferengi and the [[Cardassian Union]] have retained fairly amicable trade relations for decades.  The Ferengi government, exercising its neutrality and middle road philosophy, took no sides in the Cardassian Occupation of Bajor.  The Ferengi also took no official sides in the Dominion War against the other Alpha Quadrant powers, but within the higher echelons of the Alliance, the Ferengi knew that an Alpha Quadrant with the current powers was more palpable than restrictive rule under Dominion control. 


With the Liberation of Cardassia and the end of the Dominion War, the Ferengi Alliance was quick to offer their economic clout to help the Cardassian government recover. However, this trade petered out as the Union closed its borders, and as diminishments of Federation investment left Cardassia economically weak. With increases in pirate raids on Cardassian trade, many Ferengi consider commerce with the Cardassian Union not worth the risk or expense. 
[[Category:Alpha Quadrant Powers]] [[Category:Cardassian Union]]


=== The Klingon Empire ===
The Ferengi Alliance and the [[Klingon Empire]] have no official political or economic ties whatsoever. They do not exchange Ambassadors. The Klingons view the accumulation of profit as a dishonorable act. Typical Klingons regard Ferengi as loathsome, sniveling little cowards without honor. They are so pathetic that killing one is hardly worth the effort. In return, most Ferengi are unusually blunt in their view: Klingons are brutish, unpleasant and seldom worth the trouble. So rocky is their relationship that the Klingons are the only other species (besides the Vulcans) to be mentioned specifically in the Ferengi Rules of Acquisition: Rule #192 states, "Never cheat a Klingon... unless you're sure you can get away with it."


=== The Romulan Successor States ===
{{Cardassian Footer}}
Speaking in generalities, the Ferengi Alliance has a poor relationship with all three of the recognized Romulan successor states; their relationship with the Tal'Shiar-dominated Romulan Free State is particularly bad.  As anti-alien sentiment has re-surged in the Romulan sphere of influence, the Ferengi are as unwelcome as any.  Despite this, the Ferengi doggedly chip away at the barrier they tend to encounter with the Romulans. Their best relations are with the Republic, who benefit from the economic boost of trade with the Ferengi, while the Alliance enjoys access to brand-new markets.
 
Otherwise, the Ferengi focus on individual Romulan businessmen and individual contracts. Often these are done not with Romulan officials but the splintered Romulan warlords who are less choosy about where their resources come from. Here, the Ferengi have made some modest gains, particularly in selling power generation, weaponry and surplus vessels which could be refitted. The Ferengi have particularly benefitted from the new opportunities for commerce in the old [[Romulan Neutral Zone]], able to trade with and exploit the independent worlds.
 
=== Minor Alpha and Beta Quadrant States ===
The Ferengi have made several inroads of trade, especially among groups that may be opposed to or at least neutral with the larger political bodies of the Quadrant.  There remains a desire by some groups and individuals to not tie their interests up in groups such as the Federation, largely because of the Federation's economic policies and the Prime Directive.  The Ferengi also frequently employ groups from these minor states.  Within these minor political bodies, the Ferengi often find some of their most lucrative business contracts.
 
==== Orion Colonies ====
The Ferengi Alliance and the so-called "[[Orion Colonies]]" engage in extensive trade- primarily in alcohol, textiles, art and music, but also in more illicit trades such as drugs, porn and information.  Orions are frequently found on Ferengi installations and on Ferengi worlds, though most do not serve within the Alliance itself.  A few Orion <i>Caju</i> possess estates on Ferenginar where they do business.  Ferengi are equally welcome on Orion worlds for the purposes of trade.  Individual Ferengi often hire Orions for a diverse array of tasks- from hacking, to arm candy.  Both species share a love of gambling as well.
 
==== Orion Syndicate ====
The Ferengi Alliance largely recognizes that the Orion Syndicate is a dangerous criminal enterprise and that going in to business with them is equally hazardous.  Officially, the Alliance has no political ties with the Syndicate and they do not support some of their more overtly violent actions.  Individual Ferengi businessmen, however, may risk the road for the hope of greater profits.  However, few Ferengi enlist within the Syndicate itself unless they are truly desperate.
 
==== Breen Confederacy ====
The [[Breen Confederacy]] and the Ferengi Alliance have few dealings, largely because of the xenophobic tendencies of the Breen.  Their political relationship remains icy, as in the 22nd Century, the Ferengi Alliance was forced into an unusual footing by the Breen: warfare against another galactic power.  After several Ferengi colonies were raided for slaves by the Confederacy, the brief Raiders' War came to an end with a Breen defeat by allied Ferengi and Cardassian forces.
 
Much of their modern, interaction is through brisk trade around refrigeration technology.  Individual Ferengi businessmen are sometimes keen to purchase Breen weapons technology to sell to interested third parties.  It is widely believed, however, that the Ferengi Alliance first obtained warp drive technology from Breen traders.
 
==== Tzenkethi Coalition ====
 
==== Tholian Assembly ====
The [[Tholian Assembly]] is too distant- and too xenophobic- for regular Ferengi trade.  However, there is a lucrative business around Tholian silk, of which several Ferengi businesses are resellers of.  The Tholians occasionally send observers to the Alliance but Tholian xenophobia prohibits the Ferengi from doing the same.  Despite this, their relationship remains stable.  The Ferengi have little interest in provoking the Tholians and the Tholians have no interest in Ferengi politics.
 
== 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.
 
Increased Starfleet activity in proximity to the Alliance has caused such an opportunity to come about. The Federation has expanded its security, exploration, and colonial ambitions in the region, and in all of these ventures they are most likely to encounter the Ferengi of any of their neighbours. Many formal and informal agreements have sprung up with the Alliance or individual Ferengi businessmen to respect Federation territory, or to lend knowledge or assistance in regions and with factions the Ferengi know better. But outside of these agreements, the Ferengi are often rivals to Starfleet, competing with them for physical resources and preferring to plunder what Starfleet would survey, exploiting Federation colonies who may benefit from Ferengi overpriced trade, or undermining Starfleet activities that come too close to infringing on their interests.
 
== 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 which are loosely translated as being marauder craft. The military was used their fleet of marauders to primarily protect the business ventures of Ferengi entrepreneurs, not to wage war. However, with the recent uprising of the galactic powers, Ferengi ships have been designed, constructed, refitted and retrofitted with more combat-based technologies acquired by Ferengi ship captains, known as DaiMons, who are authorized to begin trade negotiations at the behest of the Ferengi Alliance and are rewarded handsomely for successful business transactions.
 
== 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]] Successor States, 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 they compete for perceived profit.
 
=External Information=
* [[memoryalpha:{{PAGENAME}}|Ferengi Alliance]] at Memory Alpha

Revision as of 10:31, 8 October 2020

CardUnion.png
Cardassian Union
Basic Information
Major Species

Cardassian

Homeworld(s)

Cardassia Prime

Founded

1800 CE

Warp Capable

1925 CE

Official Language

Cardassian

Official Currency

Lek

Political Information
Governance Type

Military Republic

Leader
Military Branches
  • Central Command
  • Obsidian Order
Template:Government

The Cardassian Union, sometimes referred to as the Cardassian Empire, has a long, rich history. The Cardassians were originally an empire driven by peaceful and spiritual knowledge. When an extreme resource depression forced the Cardassian people into a more militaristic power the tides of political power changed on Cardassia Prime in an effort to gather off world resources in the name of self preservation. Since that time the Cardassians have striven to expand in an effort to increase their storage of raw materials and economic wealth.

The head of the Cardassian Union is Chairman Ila Rekal.

History

The history of the Cardassian Union tends to consist of extremes, once a peaceful and spiritual people, their planets poor resources proved unable to support their expanding population and starvation and disease became rampant. Millions of deaths resulted, leading to a general breakdown in the government. The military forces of the planet staged a takeover and launched several wars against their neighbors in order to secure new resources. Although further millions were lost in these wars, the military government did succeed in stabilizing the situation on Cardassia. The Cardassian Union itself was formed under an agreement between Central Command and the Obsidian Order to share power.

The capital city of Cardassia Prime.


In 2346 the Cardassians invaded Setlik III, believing it to be a base to be used in an invasion of their own territory by the United Federation of Planets and a prolonged period of tension further heightened by hostilities resulted. In 2355 the Federation dispatched a Constellation Class starship in an attempt to make peace, but the Cardassians rejected the offer and forced the ship to flee. Hostilities officially ended in 2367, although the Cardassians remained less than friendly.

Dominion War

In 2372 a civilian uprising deposed the military government. Suspecting Dominion involvement in the coup, the Klingons launched an invasion of Cardassian space and eventually Cardassia Prime, the Cardassian homeworld. The Federation opposed this action and was successful in forcing the Klingons to halt their advance towards Cardassia Prime. Although this destroyed the Federation-Klingon alliance and resulted in a short period of hostilities between those two powers after the Klingon Empire withdrew from the Khitomer Accords. The Federation shipped considerable aid to the devastated Cardassian government.

Humiliated by having to rely on charity from a former enemy after a relatively quick and easy defeat at the hands of the Klingon Empire, Gul Dukat led a Dominion takeover of the Cardassian Union and was installed as ruler of the region in 2373 and promoted to legate. The Dominion were quick to upgrade the Cardassian fleet and introduce more advanced technologies into their ship building techniques. Cardassian forces had subsequently fought along side the Jem'Hadar in the Dominion War with their leader, Legate Damar, who took power after Legate Dukat was presumed dead. However, on stardate 52412.8, that all changed; angered by the Dominion's alliance with the Breen and the loss of over 7 million troops, Damar led a Cardassian fleet comprised of elements of the 1st, 3rd, and 9th Orders. They attacked and destroyed the Dominion Cloning Facility on Rondak III. In doing so, Damar had called on all Cardassians to rebel against the Dominion. During the final battle for Cardassia Prime the Dominion seemed to have the Federation-Romulan-Klingon Alliance outnumbered. However once word of the Dominion destroying Lakarian City on Cardassia Prime reached the Cardassian troops that were within the Dominion fleet, all the Cardassian vessels turned on the Dominion and Breen vessels. The Alliance wasted no time in joining the Cardassians and thus the Dominion War ended with a Alliance victory.

The United Federation of Planets extended a hand of friendship to the Union after the war in an effort to help them rebuild. While the Union was loath to accept that help there was little choice: the Cardassian Union had be devastated by the war and barely had the resources to rebuild Cardassia Prime, much less the rest of the Union. Three months after the end of the war, the first Federation assistance arrived on Cardassia Prime.

Recovery

A fleet of Cardassian ships after the reformation of the Central Command following the Dominion War.

Post-Dominion War Cardassia, and the Union as a whole, is a ghost of its former glory. With their infrastructure obliterated by the occupation by Dominion forces, their people left starving and without the means to support themselves, the Detapa Council turned to their ‘liberators’, namely the Federation and their allies, for aid and relief following the end of the war. Such aid is rendered, though not without conditions; namely that the Cardassian people forget any ambitions of extending their grasp to worlds under Federation protection, including but not limited to Bajor. Given their desperation to have their worlds returned to self-sufficiency, it wasn’t a hard bargain to strike. This led to a cold war of sorts, with the Cardassian government allowing Federation backed trade vessels into their space while turning their expansionist eyes toward the other side of the Alpha Quadrant rather than toward Federation space.

This tacite peace lasted right up until the events of Utopia Planetia attack in 2385, when the policies of the Federation suddenly shifted to matters of the internal state rather than those of external relations with other governments. Just as the Romulans found themselves abandoned when the Federation gave up on the rescue fleet, so too did the Cardassians find themselves suddenly abandoned by their ‘benefactors’. This begins the Detapa Council’s slow decline in power.

A Turbulent Decade

In the first few years after the Federation aid petered out, the Council was able to find means and methods to gloss over the loss of goods that had been almost a staple for the various worlds as they continued to rebuild and refocus their efforts and energies on reaching the oft stated goal of complete self-reliance that the Union had enjoyed prior to the Dominion War. But these measures were only a temporary fix to a problem they had never wanted to admit, that being that they had grown dependent on Federation assistance, relying on them to provide for them the very things they had promised their people they would be able to provide for themselves.

The Central Command, throughout these early years, had been browbeaten and tossed to the side, a ‘relic of the past’ according to the Council. The old warmongering military officers were given little in the way of support and resources to rebuild their military might, a calculated move by the Detapa Council to limit their ability to threaten their lofty position as providers for the people. When resources elsewhere began to grow scarce, the Central Command took it as their cue that the Council had finally reached the limits of their grandiose promises and that the time was ripe for them to swoop in and take the power they’d been stripped of back.

Whether by deceit, machinations, or outright murder, the leaders of the Central Command began to build a foothold, inciting a great many worlds within the Union to begin demanding that the Council relinquish their hold on aspects of governance that they had previously held sole dominion over since the end of the war thanks to the Cardassian military being disgraced so thoroughly. By the early 2390s, both the Detapa Council and Central Command could be said to have had equal footing when it came to which of them held power in the Cardassian Union.

Return of the Obsidian Order

Not to be outdone, the Detapa Council decided that the Obsidian Order would help to break the stalemate that had begun to stieme the government. By the middle of the year in 2395, the Obsidian Order had infiltrated the ranks of the Central Command, their numbers soon large enough to control Cardassia Prime itself, and a large number of military installations in the surrounding space. Their insidious and effective infiltration put Central Command on the backfoot, sending the major players into a panic over how they would recover from the crippling loss of the home system.

With this newfound security, the Detapa Council decides that they are strong enough to reopen their relations with the Federation, a rather thinly veiled attempt to pull in much needed resources that had been lacking for nearly a decade at this point. Their overtures were met with mixed results, given that the Cardassians weren’t willing to give much up other than a promise to continue their non-aggressive policies toward Federation holdings in exchange for trade being reestablished. With some flow of goods finally returned to the Cardassian economy, the Council believes itself finally to be in a position to bring Central Command to heel once and for all.

Central Command Retaliates

It doesn’t take long before the Central Command becomes desperate enough to act. They begin organizing raids on the trade vessels, at first little more than pirate style raids in stolen vessels untraceable to the Cardassian Union. When these raids are met with very little in the way of response from either side, the scale and breadth for which they reach grows far more ambitious and bold. By 2398, Cardassian ships were leading massive raids on transport convoys, resulting in a great many lives lost in the endeavor. This garners the attention Central Command had been hoping for.

The Federation cut off all trade with the Cardassian Union, blaming the Detapa Council for orchestrating the savage brutality that their convoys endured. The Council immediately denies involvement in the raids, going so far as to point to their own military leaders as the culprits of said raids. This impassioned denial falls on deaf ears, and the Federation revokes the trade agreement they made with the Council, and ostensibly cut the Union off from all but the most unscrupulous and untrustworthy smugglers.

Having been robbed of their support, and in turn being substantially weakened by the action of Central Command, the Detapa Council orders the Obsidian Order to begin hunting down those responsible for the raids.

Structure of the Union

Detapa Council

The Detapa Council, headed by the Chairman, the Cardassian Head of State, is the civilian governing body on Cardassia Prime that is tasked with all the civilian power of the Union. The Detapa Council represents the Cardassian people and their wishes. As elected officials they claim to coordinate efforts with the legate's of the Central Command, but in reality the Central Command usually ignored the wishes of the Council.

While both organizations are supposed to be equally as powerful through the checks and balances system, in effect the Detapa Council holds all the political legislative, executive and, judicial power on Cardassia. However as they are not the military force and are only an elected civilian body and have no control of the military.


Central Command

The Central Command is the main military operating force of the Cardassian Union. Operating thousands of vessels across Cardassian space the Central Command is tasked with, but not limited to, overseeing the protection of the Cardassian people, the security of it's boarders, national security of the Cardassian Union, exploration of unknown space, first contact with new races and civilizations, shipping and handling of cargo within the Cardassian Union, and protection of civilian freighters within Cardassian civilian owned companies.


Ministry of Justice

The Ministry of Justice is the central legal structure of the Cardassian Union dealing with the courts and judicial system. Considered cruel by most standards, Cardassians have a unique sense of justice. Often the verdict and punishments of criminals are arranged far in advance of any trial. Because of this, trials, usually publicly broadcasted, are just propaganda for the Cardassian government. While the Union underwent somewhat of a cultural revolution after the war, the sense of justice the Cardassian people is unchanged and a point of national pride. The Detapa Council keeps an iron grip on the Ministry to keep the Cardassian method of justice unchanged.



Retrieved from "https://wiki.bravofleet.com/index.php?title=Ferengi_Alliance&oldid=43"