Orion Colonies

An area fifty light years across recognized by both the Klingon Empire and the United Federation of Planets as being neutral. The area is centered on Botchok the center of things Orion.
The majority population of the worlds there is Orion, however other races and several non-Orion ingenious races are present.
The Orion colonies, while they presented an united front at the Anaxar peace conference (where the current borders were negotiated.), are if anything less united than the Klingon Empire. The colonies are a series of feudal fiefdoms owned by various Orion houses. The golden rule in all respects. The Gold with the gold makes the rules. Otherwise known as "The Natural Order". The united front is explained by the Orion hierarchy of loyalty; Myself, my house, my race, others. Yes Orion society can be seen as a monkey barrel. But it is a barrel for Orion monkeys. All the Orion monkeys will join together to toss any other monkeys out before contending for the top spot. 
=Orion Sphere=
==B'Morgia==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Botchok==
Rigel VIII<BR> 
The titular capitol" of the Orion Colonies and the ancient homeworld of the Orion race. It is by agreement stronger than law a neutral world among the neutral worlds. It is owned by no single house and any Orion can come there.
The massive City of Kulian is a stunning 500 kilometers across and holds more towers over a mile in height than perhaps any city in the known Galaxy. Conversely the slums located at the base of those towers never see the light of day and are a very bad place to find yourself. Kulian represents the best and worst of Orion society. 
Every House that is anyone must have a tower in Kulian. Power flows vertically. The higher you live the richer and more powerful you are.
There are other Settlements on the planet, but none are important. The remainder of the world is divined into plantations and forest districts. Each owned by some house. Again property on Botchok is money in the bank no matter how mean. The only way to get deed to anything is to pull some truly creative caper.
===Culture===
:"Prince of planets." — the poet Huwald
:"Festering stinkpot." — a Klingon spy 
By the late 23rd century, Botchok was home to 5.6 billion people, the most populous of Orion worlds. They lived in the cities and semi-dispersed agricultural communities that were scattered around the world. By 2365, the population was around 5.4 billion. 
A primitive Orion cave-drawing on Botchok depicted a spaceship landing on the plains, with bulky suited aliens emerging to capture and carry away the stick-figure natives.
As the ancient homeworld of the Orion people, the cultural and spiritual center of their civilization Botchok is thick with shrines, temples, monuments, memorial parks, statues, museums, relics and ruins of its long history. There are countless festivals, celebrations and remembrances. These are all exploited for the tourism industry. There are bazaars, cantatas, markets and clubs. The roughest taverns on Botchok have ears nailed to the wall, even Klingon ears.
However, Orion Colonials see the people of Botchok as effete, snobbish, timid and lazy. They are thought of as homebodies, with an inexplicable fear and disgust of those who traveled and explored. Their reverence of old names and customs is dismissed when the customs don't make sense. They are said to be unproductive, decadent and ungrateful for the efforts of the Colonies. In turn, the homeworlders think of the colonials as uncivilized, lacking in history, tradition, and class. They are bumpkins, forgetting their origins as they pick up alien habits. Despite all this they are still bound together by trade and sentiment.
Inspiring much of Orion Colony design, Botchoki architecture includes fluted and spiraled towers, knurled blocks of apartments with balconies, all faced of colored stone and adorned with cloth hangings. Curvilinear style has remained popular among the Orions for all their known history. It is closer to Rococo than Art Nouveau. In Orion style, more is always better.
===Economics===
With nearly all of its natural resources and raw materials used up, Botchok depends on imports from other worlds, even lumber and oil, while it salvages and recycles all it can, it still requires massive imports support itself and its own meager supplies.
It produces no goods; its primary exports are information, expertise, entertainment and cultural artifacts. A sizable proportion of the population consists of authors, artists, entertainers and specialists. Their earnings made up a large part of the planet's total income, and a liberal tax system encourages more to come to Botchok from other worlds. Local governments even offer package deals to prospective valuable residents.
Tourism is also a significant industry, with three billion visitors arriving on Botchok each year to see the historical and cultural sights or attend business meetings and conventions.
===Environment===
Botchok has a 1.0 g. gravity and a 28-hour day, with 40.8% land mass and 59.2% water. A class M world with a terrestrial atmosphere, the climate was warm and dry, though with an average temperature of 19.2° Celsius, and it is said to be rather pleasant. As Rigel is a B class star|bright blue-white star, the sun here is exceptionally bright. 
As the site of many proxy wars fought with Orion slave soldiers, and once enduring the Atom War and an ensuing holocaust called the Long Winter, the ecology and atmosphere of Botchok suffered greatly. To correct the damage, the Orions attempted to repair it in the historic First Stage project, though with inferior terraforming technology, little care and a lot of zeal. Ever since, they have were forced to make frequent corrections to many oversights and natural imbalances. 
As a result, Botchok's climate and most of its ecology are artificially maintained at an incredible cost, but also tuned for greatest comfort, with little bad weather. Should the biosphere management system fail Botchok would turn into a half-frozen wasteland within a year.
It is free of dangerous animals, plants, and any of the native serious diseases. However, it is noted that only five percent of all life-forms on the planet are native to it, including the microbes and the Orions (and this was doubtful given speculation about their prehistory). All the rest have either been imported from other worlds, or altered in some way. 
===Govermennt===
The alien overlords of the Orion people originally created the nations of Botchok for their convenience, with different factions controlling different regions and using them as pawns against each other in proxy warfare. They were bound together by Nallin the Unconquerable during the battle for Orion freedom. These ancient nation-states survived into the late 23rd century since nothing replaced them, with their original power and independence intact—with relatively little of either compared to the powerful Orion families and corporations.
Of these nation-states, the so-called "Big Four" were Kulian, Mazak, Tipot and Yuin, their delegates control the Botchok Planetary Congress (BPC) and the Orion Colonies Intelligence. There are few disputes between the nations and their governments, and history blurred the distinctions between them and their forms of government. Usually they just disagree on matters regarding the BPC itself and its role in the Orion Colonies.
===History===
Around 998,000 BCE (reference stardate −10,000/00), the Masters seeded Rigel VIII with life, new and promising forms intended to evolve over a million years or so into an intelligent species capable of space-flight and revering the long-dead Masters as gods. These species may have become the Orions. The time-scale is approximately correct, with prehistoric Orions appearing 980,000 years later and some claim descent from the Masters. However, their later appearance was a surprise, with no sign of sentient life previously detected, while Preserver relocation has also been suggested. Thus, it is not known if these plans were successful or were disrupted by alien interference.''
Prior to the appearance of the Orions, Botchok had already been thoroughly picked over by the starfaring alien races that visited the Rigel system, and their records showed no sign of sentient life. At this time, it was cold temperate wilderness.
Thus it was a surprise when primitive Orions attacked a Yugai colony, who destroyed the village responsible, around 18,000 BCE (stardate −200/00). The Sugg, however, used them as slaves, and alien slavers created puppet nations on Botchok to fight their proxy wars, under the terms of the Treaty of Kammzdast, whose signing in 15,956 BCE (stardate −179/56), beginning the Orion Era. An Orion bid for freedom in 12,237 BCE (stardate −142/37) resulted in the punitive Atom War, and the ensuing twenty-year Long Winter. On 9143 BCE (stardate −111/43), the Orions were allowed to conduct terraforming to repair the damaged world; this First Stage was concluded in 7730 BC (stardate −97/30).
Botchok was finally liberated in 5495 BCE (stardate −20/9508), when Nallin the Unconquerable led the overthrow of the alien slavers and bound the nation-states together by founding the Botchok Planetary Congress. The Battle of Botchok in 5494 BCE (stardate −20/9401.03) defended the newly freed world and began the Orion War of independence. Botchok became the hub of the new free Orion nation and the core of the Great Orion Empire.
The original Federation scouting of the planet reported Rigel VIII as the suspected Orion pirate superbase, and advised others to approach "with extreme prejudice".
==Dav'lr==
===Culture=== 
The usual Gold superiority, Green Slavery. No different than any other world of the Orion Main. 
===Economics=== 
They are possessed of a Class A shipyard. They are THE major player in Orion shipbuilding.
===Government=== 
Auric House - One of the Six Auric worlds.
===History===
The Dav'lr system held much good for making ships in the days of the Great Orion Empire. They recycle and import now. The main world is a stable Terraform job, that is to say in the Imperial days was less welcoming. All wildlife or plants are native Botchok species.
==Kammzdast==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
An Auric World
===History===
==Nolth==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Qualf==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Syrenya==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Thlrai==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Tini==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
===History===
==Vab==
===Culture===
===Economics===
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==Vem'rl==
===Culture===
===Economics===
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===History===
==Verdan==
Epsilon Fargy III<BR>
The primary fief of the Verdan Family. Said family was split a generation ago, Genalin Verdan, the loser of the disagreement fleeing to Federation space settling on Standish Colony. The winner would really like him dead.
===Culture===
Your typical expression of the Natural Order.
===Economics===
Verdan is a world of mainly vacation estates and farms. Like many of the old Orion worlds it is resource poor and must import or recycle.
Their one advantage; the Verdan trading fleets, are not currently doing well due to the inattention of the House Lord.
Two things work against the return of Genalin Verdan, whose skill in trading has been proven. The first is that the Orion Syndicate all but owns Kraus Verdan. Genalin Verdan would not honor the agreements and debts of the brother. They stand to lose. The second is that Genalin Verdan's stand against slavery frankly frightens the population. Were he to free the Green population they fear the end result. The other Orion houses might eve step in to stop it.
===Government===
Kraus Verdan is noted is a coarse man. Something he takes a certain perverted pride in. He likes his entertainment violent and his woman naked and tied. His habits have caused the world to slip to about 6th rate in the eyes of more refined Orion Houses. Some have even considered getting Genalin Verdan back.
Kraus is venial and his favor short lived. This makes the government one of whim with little stability. The last person to gift him a new green woman or gladiator is is latest best friend. 
Your best bet is to stay under the governmental radar. As is the master so are the servants.
===History===
Verdan is an old Orion world. Its settlement dating from some time in the era of the Great Orion Empire.
The most recent event was the fight between the brothers Verdan. It cut deeply into house resources even if it affected the common population little. Genalin Verdan escaped with a sizable fortune and five loyal ships. That is nothing compared to a planet.
==Volgas==
===Culture===
===Economics===
===Government===
An Auric world
===History===
==Zchol==
Argar II -- four rocky planets, three gas giants, two asteroid belts, both close in to the star.
===Culture===
Zchol is an Orion world in culture. Orion culture with a heavy work ethic. You will find little in the way of Lords. Most people are firmly in the middle class. Skilled labor is required to build ships. If it isn't skilled it is likely Green and a slave.
===Economics===
Zchol is one of the principle shipyards of the Orion colonies. The chief jewel in the Auric crown. The yards here can build anything that Earth itself could build. The system even now contains untapped resources. It also contains the hulks of ships going back 5000 years or more to the period of the Great Orion Empire. Ship recycling is an important industry. 
The second industry is built of servicing the shipyard workers. this is largely Green labor for everything from food prep to entertainment, each marked as the personal property of Lord Auric himself.
Planets being large there is a full range of industry and population, however most of it is there to serve the planet, and therefore to support the shipyards.
Mining is prevalent on all planets even those that support no life. The system is blessed with an abundance of heavy post stellar materials.
===Government===
An Auric world -- The Governor of Zchol is firmly under the thumb of the Auric House. This planet and its shipyards cannot be underestimated as to their value to the Auric fortune. Lord Auric is very certain of the loyalty of the controlling vassals.
===History===
The pre stellar cloud that formed The Argar system was formed by the nebulas of three super novas. Zchol has been known as a prime resources for both trititanium and dilithum since the time of the Great Orion Empire. In spite of thousands of years drawing on the system's resources
=Federation Sphere=
=Klingon Sphere=
Category:Political Units
Category:Orion Space
Category:Unfinished Articles
Category:Epiphany Trek