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The Orion Union
History and Background
The sector of space located around Orion's Belt and the Horsehead Nebula had been under Tzun occupation for several centuries up to the beginning of the nineteenth century. Nearly every interstellar and space-faring race was under their occupation and influence, and to a greater or lesser extent, their genetic manipulation, and without exception, all non space-faring species were under their observation and genetic experimentation. Some planets held out, while others, such as Tereliptilia and Andoria, were in a permanent state of rebellion. Alpha Centauri, naturally, entered into a peace treaty and a policy of outward appeasement while working to make the Tzun see the error of their ways and turn the occupation into a benign coalition of planets and species. Tivolia happily surrendered to the Tzun, used to being constantly invaded and occupied, and even had volunteers for genetic experiments. After a bitter, long, war of attrition, Trion drove the Tzun from their system, but not without damage to their armed forces, space fleet, economy, and their pride and self-worth. The length it took to drive out the Tzun was something held long in the memory, and used as one justification for the rebellion and revolution more than a century later.
The rebellions of Tereliptilia and Andoria grew and spread across the systems, driving the Tzun back and inspiring more and more species to join to fight to repel the Tzun from their homes and colonies. After their own recovery, Trion began to provide armaments, ships, and finances, and while openly benign and accepting, Alpha Centauri worked behind the scenes to unite and unify the diverse and different species and rebellions into one active anti Tzun force. Draconian history also hints of a strange mammal with white hair who also played a part in uniting Draconia with the other rebels and inspiring them to fight for their freedom and genetic identity and cultural heritage. He became the one and only mammal to be granted Noble status.
Finally, after decades of fighting, and soon after the mysterious mammalian Draconian Noble's appearance, the Tzun were driven from the constellation of Orion and the stellar nursery of the Horsehead Nebula. Sadly, in the push to drive out the Tzun, the non-space faring race of the Aridians became shameful and dreadful collateral damage, as a neutron warhead accidentally detonated in their troposphere, boiling out their oceans and ozone. The Aridians were an aquatic species by nature and evolution, although they could breathe air too, they were a piscine sentience, and the survivors were forced to adapt to a dreadful existence underground and in the permanent dry. Horrified by this, the newly freed planets immediately entered a loose coalition, with a promise to provide aid and protection for the remaining Aridians.
Slowly the economies and civic societies of these planets began to recover from the dreadful war against the oppressive Tzun, with aid from both Alpha Centauri and Trion. Border skirmishes became common, and the Aridians became almost forgotten, so when the Daleks briefly established an outpost on Aridia, not one planet was aware of the new danger within their sector. Fortunately, when aid was re-established a few decades later, the Aridians had an almost mythical story of a white-haired mammalian magician and his acolytes who saved them from the dread and fear of the Daleks. Happily, for the region, the Daleks would not return to that sector of space until the twenty-sixth century, and not again until the thirty-fifth.
Following the border skirmishes and trade wars and wars over raw resources, Alpha Centauri's Ambassador writ large, ever the peacemaker, proposed a trading bloc in 1950 AD Earth time, building on the loose Aridia aid agreement of almost a century ago. Several other planets were also keen for peaceful coexistence and trade, and by 1953 they were deep in negotiations for an Orion-sector wide Economic Community, with ideas of a partnership to keep the peace, strengthen trade and bolster their economies, with a tentative nod at also protecting sentient rights across all planets as well as protecting emerging and non-space-faring sentience across the quadrant. Draconia objected to the inclusion of females among sentience, but Draconia would. The rights of Draconian females kept the planets at the negotiating table far more than was needed, and in the end, the others agreed to respect the ancient and noble Draconian tradition, while Draconian males agreed to treat all other species' females as 'honoury males'.
There were two very important pushes to make this Economic Community work. One was that Trion had long since withdrawn its aid and was retreating into a period of splendid isolation prior to its own bloody civil war. The other was Alpha Centauri's wish to always have planets joined in peaceful coexistence, cooperation, and trade.
On the Earth date of 25th March 1957, Andoria, Bolia, Draconia and the Orions became the founding members of the Orion Union, along with the driving force of Alpha Centuri. As the exiled Martians established themselves on their new planet of Nova Martia, returning to interstellar levels of trade and relations, they were invited to join. Despite some concerns over sentient rights and use of open slavery, the Teriliptils joined at the same time, as tinclaavic was a much sort after metal in the Union, along with Bolian crystal steel, both necessary for interstellar warp and hyperdrive starship construction. The objection to slavery with some species might seem hypocritical considering the planet Orion's long association with slavery, particularly sex slavery. However, in their constitution, both slavery and prostitution were official crimes. The particularly fierce anti Tzun former freedom fighter cells had struggled to adjust to peace, and over the hundred something years since the Freedom Wars, had morphed into first a terrorist group, and as the generations who remembered the Tzun died off, the background criminal activities that had funded the terrorism became the reason d'etre for its existence, and the Orion Syndicate was born.
Sto's system was adjacent to Orion's own system, and had long been observed by many social scientists in the Union. It was less than a decade since its beginnings when ships left the Sto system on exploration and met an Orion mining colony, and then rescued an Alpha Centauri diplomatic ship. The lack of xenophobia or shock at not only humanoid in different colours to the ones they evolved into, but the acceptance as a fellow sentient, peaceful, being, of a hermaphrodite cephalopod, along with the fact that their planet had been unified under one government and at peace with itself for centuries (probably to do with Tzun manipulation), meant that an immediate invite to join the Union was issued. They entered at the right time, as the economy across the system was tanking, and a fiercely capitalist species was just what the economy needed at that time to continue growth and guarantee prosperity.
A few decades later, as they reached space going technology and global governments and acceptance of each other living in the same star system, and both travelled outside their system, the Vinvocci and Zocci asked to join the Union as soon as they encountered it, and were gladly accepted, despite some political factions of some species (Draconians and Andorians mostly) concerns for such young interstellar societies joining, concerned that they might be a destabilising influence. These fears proved false and both planets provided a new influx of labour and enthusiasm across the Union.
Denoblia, having finally recovered from a lengthy, bloody, war with their neighbour a hundred years previously, joined at the same time. The Antarans refused to join, fearing anything to do with Denoblia and mistrusting such a large alliance of very alien species from other systems.
Currently, in the early twenty-first century, the Orion Union consists of Alpha Centauri, Andoria, Bolia, Denoblia, Draconia, Nova Martia, Orion, Sto, Teriliptia, the Vinvocci and the Zocci, and the settled moons and colonies of all planets, and has done for three to four decades.
Peace Treaties and Trading Pacts
Due to the Union's increasing strength and size, when the remaining, scattered Tzun re-entered the sector, the Union was able to put on a united front and the Tzun were forced to sign a non-aggression pact back in October 1989, agreeing not only to never invade or genetically manipulate any member of the Union but to leave alone, not even observe, any non-space-faring species in the sector.
Trion, previously provided aid when the planets had united as rebels to drive out the Tzun occupation, and had, up to its civil war, continued to provide aid to the Aridians, was not interested in joining the Union. However, it did petition for many years after its inception in 1957, but was constantly rejected due to its invasion and occupation of Tivolia. Trion justified their new colony by the argument that the Tivolians were naturally a subject people, and their benign rule for the benefit of this most child-like species protected them from far more aggressive species invading and occupying them, such as the Tzun, or the other more war-like species looking for tactical advantage in their ongoing wars.
This did, however, contravene a very important article of the Union, and until Trion gave Tivolia and its other colonies, such as Sarn, their independence they could not join. The difference between Trion colonies and those of Union members was the fact that Trion colonies already had sentient inhabitants before the arrival of the Trions, whereas the type L and M planets of the Union members, did not.
Trion, after a very populist and aggressively fought public referendum following the rebellion and civil war and establishment of the Republic and the end of the Monarchy, announced it had no wish to ever join the Union, it was in any affect, an older and more superior species anyway, far above even the Draconians and Alpha Centauri, established millennia ago by the mythical Gallifreyans. Trion did, however, trade with the Union and signed protective peace treaties with them.
The Orion Union also trades with, and has a non-aggression pact with, its other near neighbours, Raxacoriofallapatoria and Clom, along with Vulcan.
The Orion Union is a co-signature of the Shadow proclamation, but only allows the Judoon to enter its space on a case by case basis, wanting, by preference, an extensive and detailed extradition hearing, but will accept a warrant alone for emergency situations with violent, dangerous, fleeing, offenders.
Of the shadowy species who reside the other side of the Horsehead Nebula, who communicate only by old radio wave signals on the bandwidth 456, they are not permitted near Union space, nor its allies, nor protected non space-faring sentient species' planets. They are highly dangerous, rumoured to be addicts to all kinds of bio-chemicals, including those given off by humanoid young offspring. Any ship entering the quadrant will be challenged, and by preference stopped and searched, and failing a response, blasted out of existence, as it is by far more merciful for any abducted humanoid children to be killed that wired up to a member of species 456, their life unnaturally frozen pre-pubescent and extended. All blasted ships remains are forensically scanned for any evidence of remains of stolen humanoid children. So far there has been only two incidents, and both before the 1960s.
Protection of non space-faring sentient species
The shadow of the Aridia incident casts a very long shadow, and one of the principle tenets of the Union, along with lasting peace and cooperation between the planets, mutual trade and free movement of peoples without prejudice (with the notable, permitted exception of Draconian females, although under a amending clause to the Original Treaty, any Draconian female who leaves [escapes] Draconia will be given Union citizenship and not returned), is the principle of the protection of non-space faring species within the Constellation of Orion, the Horsehead Nebula and other member planets' constellations. They promise to protect all planets containing sentient species from all more aggressive, warring, species, as well as interference from either the scientific community, the anthropological community, or curious media conglomerates of any planet in the Union, along with its trading partners not in the Union, who must sign this Treaty of Protection to be able to trade. The Delegate from Alpha Centauri was instrumental in this Article of the Original Treaty as well as Trade Agreements with third parties. Prevention of scientific studies and the social sciences academics from breaking the agreement proves easy, as does the media, who will make up anything they want about such planets if it will sell ad space, newfax or downloads, but preventing the criminal elements from Union and allies planets poses an on-going problem to monitor, police, and control.
Among the planets under the Union protection are The Sense Sphere and Ood Sphere, along with the Nurazh. All these species are located in the Horsehead Nebula, which being, in part, a stellar nursery, might explain the undeveloped nature of these species. However, the Horsehead Nebula is also a place of ancient myth and legend, such as being the home of the legendary planet builders, the Magaratheans, along with the Battle of the Osirans to defeat the Mad Mind of Bosphmal of the popular mythical Millennium Wars.
Kahler, although a space faring race, is in a violent war with itself, and is yet to leave its star system, as far is known, and its system is closed to Union traffic, and its allies, and protected from aggressors.
Earth, as is widely known, is protected and avoided, although having such a diverse and violent sentient species, with some breed or other having aspects of every Union planet's culture, along with its fascinating popular culture broadcasts, which have been arriving in the Union quadrant for some few decades now, is a fascination in both Union popular culture and the social sciences, particularly for Sto. Nova Martians, however, have nothing but contempt for these primitive Terrans, but monitor with care their primitive drone incursions into their ancestral homeland, and have had to be warned by the Parliament Committee of non-intervention and Council Select Committee of non-aggression to leave them alone, that a probe or two is not an invasion,
Outside the Union Boarders
Outside the boarders of the sector of space the Orion Union and its allies occupy, two interstellar wars are raging, and sometimes the violence comes too close, causing merchant shipping to become collateral damage.
The Argolians and Formosi's sometimes hot, sometimes cold, war, continues, and can cause threats to the shipping lanes. However, during times of tenuous peace and cold war, the lure of the Argolian Leisure Hives are too tempting for many a Union traveller, especially the Orions themselves, despite all the official government warnings from all member planets, and a Union Parliament and Council of Planetary Ministers having a permanent edict of warning.
The Urochi and the Malakh War is more violent and aggressive, being on-going or many centuries. Both species are known to infiltrate a planet to groom children on the cusp of puberty for indoctrination and turning them into child warriors. Because of this, both species are banned for Union space, and any ship entering will be boarded and searched, or destroyed.
Occasionally the Sontaran and Rutan War may come close to the boarders, in which case a policy of rapid assemble and muster of all Union and its allies fleets exists to chase them as far from the sector as possible, giving as many as possible a glorious death to deter them from returning.
Daleks, despite an outpost on the ruined Aridia, are not expected to return until long after the Union’s existence.
Conclusion
The Orion Union is a fine example of how sentient species can work together, however various and difference, to maintain peace and order. This order, of course, would be shattered initially, but the arrival of humanity in the region, but ultimately would be the template for the much wider and larger Galactic Federation which would keep the peace for millennia, being destroyed again, but a second, less aggressive, Earth Empire the Federation replaced. It can be argued that multi planet organisations keep peace better than not, even if they are Empires, but this is another topic. Also, as Earth proves to be so important for millennia across five galaxies, the fact that the enlightened protective views of the Orion Union kept the developing planet safe from alien invasion, along with [redacted]
Assessment and marks:
Well researched and mostly well argued, and I am pleased you stayed (mostly) within the main timeline and alpha universe of our own this time. But I notice certain veiled references as well as one which I have had to redact. We have talked before about what is permitted here, my dear.
Beta plus
Signed: Borusa