Orion Syndicate

Similar in some respects to the Ferengi but far more sinister, the Orion Syndicate had been a fixture of the Alpha and Beta Quadrants since at least the 22nd century. The Syndicate originally held territory near the Klingon Empire in the Beta Quadrant and has had dealings with the Klingons almost continuously for over two centuries. The Syndicate had expanded its reach over the course of those decades, and its criminal activities stretched into the Alpha Quadrant, touching on Cardassian and Federation space. The Syndicate was perhaps the premier known criminal organization in the Alpha Quadrant, responsible for countless acts of assassination, extortion, piracy, and racketeering.

They operated, either covertly or openly, dozens of gambling halls and slave markets. While most of their crimes were heinous, it was the last that was of the greatest concern to the Federation. The Federation had issued dozens of sanctions against the Syndicate in the last several decades, though the enforcement of those sanctions had been inconsistent from administration to administration.

There had been attempts by Starfleet Intelligence to infiltrate the Syndicate, but every attempt had ended in failure, with the Starfleet operative exposed and eliminated. The Syndicate was very careful who it lets into their confidences, and their membership process was both expensive and time-consuming and not without risk. As yet, Starfleet had been unable to plant a reliable agent into the Syndicate. It was believed that the Syndicate wields significant power within Orion society and politics, though this had been hard to confirm as officials and civilians both are reluctant to speak out against the Syndicate out of fear of reprisal. The Orion military was modest at best, and they possess little in the way of warships. However, the power and influence they possess was easily worth the power of a dozen warships.

Despite the apparent stranglehold the Syndicate held over Orion society, there was a small independent group of Orions, called the Free Traders, who conducted intergalactic trade on the open market with the Ferengi and other spacefaring races. Some suspect that the Syndicate created the Free Traders as a front to deflect suspicion, though others believe that they were what they appeared to be — independent traders free from their kin’s corruption. While the Orion Free Traders had made some useful contacts within the Federation, most representative worlds were hesitant to do business with them because of their suspected ties to the Syndicate. It remained to be seen if the Free Traders could operate effectively and independently of the Syndicate and avoid being absorbed or eradicated by their blood kin.