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Bradden
Intelligence operative
Commander Bradden is a member of Starfleet Intelligence and provides you with information concerning the Factions of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants. His Klingon counterpart is Commander Korak.
Information[ | ]
Jem'Hadar[ | ]
They were bred to be the perfect soldiers. Completely fearless, completely loyal, completely deadly. They were the military force of the Dominion, and completely devoted to their Changeling masters; they worshipped[sic] the Changelings as gods. However, that is no longer completely the case.
The Changelings (or Founders, depending on your perspective) engineered the Jem'Hadar. Adults of the species are reptilian in appearance, tremendously strong, capable of “shrouding” themselves from visual and sensor observation, and are in possession of very sharp vision themselves. They also require neither sustenance nor sleep. However the Changelings, with their typical paranoia regarding solids, also engineered a control mechanism into the Jem’Hadar.
The Jem’Hadar are incapable of producing a necessary enzyme, requiring regular ingestion of a drug known as Ketracel White. In some senses, this was a brilliant move, allowing the Changelings to control their super soldiers even in the event that those soldiers might come to resent them. At the same time, it is also a dangerous weakness. One that we (the Federation and our allies) were able to use to our advantage during the Dominion War. Without the Ketracel White the Jem’Hadar lose control of their violent impulses, ultimately fighting and killing both their allies and each other.
Also during the Dominion War, the Changelings began manufacturing a new variant of the Jem’Hadar within the Alpha Quadrant. This variant is more independent in temperament than their Gamma Quadrant bred fellows. As a result, the Jem’Hadar Alphas, as they are called, have actually repudiated their Changeling masters.
These Alphas have become a source of great potential disturbance within the Alpha Quadrant. They are, as of yet, a somewhat unknown quantity. Our information indicating that they have settled upon the planet Devo II, where there was a pre-existing Ketracel White manufacturing plant left by the Changelings. They have also taken a contract with Gul Madred, the leader of the Cardassian True Way, an organization calling for Cardassia to return to military rule and xenophobia. At this juncture they are merely guarding his mining operations.
Borg[ | ]
The Borg are an implacable force. They are, or were, one of the greatest threats the Federation has ever faced.
To call the Borg a race would be inaccurate. To call them a plague upon existence might possibly be understatement. They are cyborgs, biological life “enhanced” with technological advancements. They target and assimilate other races they deem of worth. Sometimes they choose their victims because of a technology they want to get their hands on. Sometimes they target interesting biological traits. Always, they target any race they consider a threat.
Assimilation entails a complete loss of self, of individuality. It destroys entire races. The assimilated become a part of the Borg Collective. Among the Borg, there are no individuals and the Collective rules all. The only possible exception to this is the Borg Queen. It is unclear whether she rules the Borg hive mind, or whether she is merely an instrument of the Collective.
The lack of distinct identities makes the Borg an uncanny opponent. They have no personal fears, no emotional weaknesses. They are also quite willing to sacrifice tremendous numbers of their own, because there is no true loss. Add that to their vast amounts of technology and they become nearly undefeatable[sic]. Nearly.
We almost lost the Earth in their first fully fledged attack against us. Since then, we’ve faced them several more times. The starship Voyager in particular came into contact with them repeatedly, thanks to having been stranded in the Delta Quadrant, which we believe to be where the Borg originated.
Thanks to the work Voyager did, we have far more information about Borg technology. It may be that Voyager also damaged the Borg and their transwarp hub severely enough during their last encounter to destroy the Borg. Or, at the very least, set them back several centuries.
Certainly that was the reasoning behind dissolving the Borg Task Force in 2385. I find myself less sanguine about this conclusion than many of my peers. Recent information leads me to believe that the Borg are not so quiescent, and that we may soon have cause to regret our complacency.
Undine[ | ]
Most of the information we have about the Undine comes from the U.S.S. Voyager, and much of their information, in turn, comes from the Borg. Understandably, our knowledge of this unique species is rather incomplete.
The first name we knew them by was Species 8472. They are completely genetically unique from every other life form with which we have ever come into contact. Their DNA is formed by a triple helix, unlike the double helixes of other species. They are not humanoid in any way and they are able to withstand conditions in which most other species would perish. They are able to travel through the vacuum of space without taking damage, they are resistant to most known weapons – biological weapons included, and they can hide themselves from our sensors and transporters. How they do this is a complete mystery to us at present, but we can safely assume that these abilities developed in response to their native dimension, known as fluidic space.
In their natural form, they stand approximately three meters tall and have a tripedal structure. They are also, however, capable of changing shape. Their mechanism for this does not appear to be the same as that used by the Changeling race, but rather the result of an artificially induced chemical process. When seriously threatened, they appear unable to perfectly retain an assumed shape and revert to their natural forms.
We do know, thanks to the information the starship Voyager provided, that the Undine perceived all humanoids as a potential threat. It seems that their initial contact with the Borg defined their view of humanoids. It is most regrettable. However, their interactions with Voyager indicate a willingness to ignore humanoids so long as we make no incursions into their space.
In recent years the Klingons have claimed that the Undine have infiltrated multiple species and replaced key political figures. One such infiltrator identified their species as the Undine, hence the shift from calling them by their Borg designation. While we do have some evidence that such replacements have happened, we believe that the Klingon Empire has over-reacted and exaggerated the potential threat.
Cardassian Union[ | ]
The Cardassians are a warlike and xenophobic people. Once they ruled a far reaching star empire with an iron fist, dominating the various native populations they conquered. They were a fierce military force. However, they are now a people barely surviving. Their ill-fated alliance with Dominion forces during the Dominion War resulted in near total destruction to the Cardassian homeworld and decimated their population. The Detapa Council, a civilian, democratic organization, came into power following the Dominion War, and has attempted to rebuild both the agriculture of the planet and the economy. Unfortunately, the council has faced considerable opposition from a group known as the True Way.
The True Way aims to return to the military order. While the Detapa Council leads Cardassia, and, indeed, the Cardassian Union, the True Way has a large and impassioned following. Quite regrettably, Cardassians have a history of turning to a strictly regimented military in times of trouble. Their homeworld has never been plentiful, resulting in a period of famine in their early history. To resolve the lack of natural resources on Cardassia Prime, the military decided to expand outward and appropriate the resources of other planets and peoples. They treated subjugated peoples as slave labor, regularly committing atrocities against the native populations. For that matter, the military government spied upon and, by many accounts, tortured their own citizens using an intelligence organization known as the Obsidian Order*.
Most unfortunately, this has limited the amount of aid that the Federation has been able to offer the Cardassians. The Federation has, naturally, made an attempt to assist in reconstruction efforts. The Andak Project, lead by Federation botanist Keiko O’Brien, is one of the few such attempts the Cardassians have allowed. The Andak project has provided agricultural assistance in rehabilitating Cardassia Prime’s depleted food resources. However, there is far more work to do to rebuild the planet.
It is worth noting that while the Cardassians have engendered animosity in numerous other species, the conflict between Bajorans and Cardassians is particularly bitter due to the brutal Cardassian Occupation of Bajor from 2328 to 2369.
- It is worth noting that the Obsidian Order seemed to be an equivalent institution to the Romulan Tal Shiar. However, the Obsidian Order was supposedly destroyed by the military government in 2371. My sources indicate that one of the current leaders of the Detapa Council is actually a former Obsidian Order operative.
Romulan Star Empire[ | ]
Romulans are an enigma.
The characteristic Romulan/Vulcan auricula, brow formation and blood coloration results from a shared ancestry and makes the two races almost indistinguishable from external physiology. There the resemblance ends.
Romulans are widely regarded as being -- by many accounts and supported by Federation xenosociology analysts -- highly emotional, arrogant, ambitious, and xenophobic. Romulans -- and most especially, their governing body -- perceive many known races as inferior and will rarely and reluctantly enter into even mutually beneficial partnerships unless said relations are deemed absolutely necessary, as was the case in the Dominion War. Additionally, they are known to work against the interests of their allies whenever doing so would offer them any advantage.
Unfortunately, the Romulan long standing enmity with Vulcan has only complicated matters between the Federation and the Romulan Empire. It is worth noting that a splinter group of Romulans, perceiving the coming threat of the Hobus supernova, appealed to Vulcan for aid and were denied. Since the destruction of the Romulan homeworld in that explosion, Romulans have become even more volatile in their dealings with other species in spite of the aid offered them by the Federation and Federation allies.
Klingon and Romulan conflict has also worsened as the Klingon Empire, perceiving weakness in their old opponents, has made incursions into Romulan space.
At present the Romulan Empire is attempting to recover from the loss of Romulus and establish a stable government. It was perhaps fortunate for the Federation that the Romulans were unable to settle upon a leader for any extended time in the last several years. Such internal instability has no doubt prevented the Romulans from extending hostilities even further within the Alpha Quadrant.
United Federation of Planets[ | ]
The United Federation of Planets is an alliance of hundreds of different species, all working together towards a common goal. As one of the greatest servants of the Federation once said, it is “a dream that became a reality and spread throughout the stars.”
We uphold the rights of all species to justice, equality, and liberty. We also believe in the pursuit of knowledge and exploration. To that end, we created Starfleet. It serves as our peace-keeping and exploratory arm. In times of need, it also serves as our defense.
In 2161 Vulcans, Humans, Andorians, and Tellarites joined together into an alliance that later became the Federation. What began as a pact for mutual protection against the Romulans became something far greater. Since that day, we have encountered and initiated diplomatic relations with countless new species. We have advanced scientific knowledge within the Alpha Quadrant. We have also reached out the olive branch of peace across several quadrants.
We have faced dark times, however. We have warred with the Klingons upon several different occasions, although there have been times when we reached an alliance of mutual respect. We have faced threats from the Romulans, although today we aid them in rebuilding after the loss of their planet. We battled against the implacable forces of the Borg, although we have also given succor to those who were once Borg. We have proven our ability to put aside grievances and work for the good of all: we united with both Romulans and Klingons to protect our quadrant from the ravages of the Dominion.
The Federation will always, must always, fight to protect the rights of all species.
Klingon Empire[ | ]
Physically, Klingons are quite imposing. They possess a ridged exoskeleton encasing their craniums, giving them the distinctive Klingon forehead. They also are in possession of systemic redundancy, referred to as “brak’lul.” Notably, Klingons possess duplicates of all major organs. No doubt this was evolutionarily[sic] advantageous considering their seemingly genetic predisposition toward violence.
The Klingons are a warrior race. Proud of their battle prowess, their willingness to fight, and their code of honor, they can frequently be found in conflict with members of other races. This occurs both on an individual and governmental level.
In the past the Federation has had a complicated relationship with the Klingon Empire. Initial contacts were primarily negative, ultimately culminating in the Federation-Klingon War of 2267. Over time, the Federation and the Klingon Empire were able to come to a truce in 2293 with the signing of the Khitomer Accords. During the Dominion War of the 2370s, the two became active allies.
Unfortunately, in 2399 the Klingons withdrew from the Khitomer Accords, possibly because of the negative response of the Federation to a Klingon invasion of the Gorn Hegemony. In spite of Federation censure, the Klingon Empire continued in their attacks against the Gorn, ultimately annexing the Gorn Hegemony in 2403. Since then, the Klingon Empire has also allied with the Nausicaans. This is in addition to their alliance with the Orions, dating back to 2394.
The Klingons and the Romulans, both with expansionist military empires, have a very intense history of conflict with each other. In the aftermath of the Hobus supernova, which significantly damaged the Romulan Empire, the Klingons have opportunistically begun making forays into Romulan territory. Ironically, the two species share considerable genetic similarities.
We are receiving intelligence that indicates further military preparations on the part of the Klingon Empire and their allies. The likelihood that the Federation will be able to avoid another war with the Klingons is becoming a dim hope.
Notes[ | ]
This NPC could be found on the Star Trek Online homepage until the website was revamped.