|
| |
The Interstellar Confederacy
The Interstellar Confederacy (ISC) is an organization,
similar to the Federation, of several species. As is typical of the eastern
regions of the known area of the galaxy, all of these species are native to
different planets, but these star systems are within a relatively small area at
the center of the ISC Trusteeship Territory. As with the Gorns and Romulans,
there are no other significant sentient species in their territory.
The ISC became aware of the Gorns and Romulans in 2270 when the energy flashes
of a battle were detected by a far-ranging survey mission. As the ISC are
singularly pacifistic anyway (having found wars very unprofitable), their first
encounter with the two warring empires left a scar on the ISC psyche. They had
assumed that the development of warp-power would lead all species to a higher
understanding based on the realization that there were enough worlds for
everyone. The "outworlders" were considered to be dangerously violent and not
entirely sane.
The ISC withdrew before they were detected and concentrated on building a
defensive fleet. This was a psychological burden on the ISC, but they felt that
their neighbors could not be talked to. The ISC developed their tactics in
battle simulators before the fleets were built, resulting in an integral
tactical doctrine and the lack of anachronistic ships, such as the Romulan
Warbird.
During the next ten years, the ISC became aware of the Orion Syndicate.
Relations were complicated as at least three cartels and several independent
operators were involved. Although the ISC did not have any form of alliance with
the pirates, and found their activities intolerable in a polite society, they
did obtain from them a great deal of information about the rest of the galaxy.
This ISC attitude toward open warfare reached fulfillment in 2295-96 when the
General War reached an end. Since nothing had really been settled by the
eighteen years of warfare, the ISC knew that left to their own devices the
forces of the galaxy would be back at each other's throats within a decade.
Eventually, the fighting was bound to overflow into ISC territory. Considering
that the ISC had more major ships than any three of the empires combined, they
recognized a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to save the galaxy from itself.
The ISC "Pacification Program" between 2296 and 2298, during which ISC fleets
roamed more or less at will within the entire known area of the galaxy as far as
Lyran space was not a conquest as such, but a self-appointed peacekeeping
mission to end all warfare forever. The ISC never actually conquered any major
empire (and quickly learned to leave the Tholians alone), but they did manage to
force the empires to withdraw from the border areas. The ISC reasoned that, if
they kept the empires apart and had enough force to crush anyone who tried to
challenge their control, they could keep wars from happening. In the end, the
two years of peace enforced by the ISC (during which warship construction
reached a peak) may have given the Galaxy the edge to survive the Kelvan
invasion.
The arrival of main elements of the Kelvan Invasion in the period 2298-2302
caught the ISC forces dispersed across the entire known area of the galaxy; more
than two-thirds of their forces were destroyed before they could concentrate.
During the Kelvan War, the ISC gradually gave up its utopian idealism and
adopted a galactic outlook similar to that of other empires
| |
Pages in this Section
Up
Acelaphans
Carminians
Chelonians
Settrians
Seraptians
|
