Echen F'don: Difference between revisions

{{aliens}}<center>[[Image:Fardon.gif|100 px|Fardon logo]]</center>

The Echen F'Don, or Fardon Empire, is the creation of Jari Makela, former CINCSF and Commanding Officer of USS CHARLEMAGNE.  They are an alien race whose physiology and biology far from resemble that of humanoid beings.

The last time the Fardons played a major role in ASR RP was in 2409-2410 on the CHARLEMAGNE missions.  This mission ended with the loss of the escorts USS SABRE and YAKOLEV as well as the psychological trauma encountered by the members who were abducted by the Fardons.  Immediately following this mission, follow-up missions by USS RESOLUTION and USS QUASAR were carried.  However, since this time, they have not come up as a major force in ASR role-play until very recently, when USS CIRCE began uncovering evidence of Fardon incursions into GOLD Fleet areas of operations.

The Fardons are essentially a GOLD Fleet thread at present; however, they were created by GREEN Fleet players and what development their has been was developed during GREEN Fleet missions.

Federation first contact with the Fardons occured in late 2407, when the USS LaSalle was sent to investigate a vessel of unknown origin which had drifted into GOLD Fleet's patrol zones.  

Moreover, the away team inadvertently activated a sophisticated defense system, releasing a virus into the computer system of the USS LaSalle.  In the end, the command crew of the LaSalle was forced to destroy the alien vessel.  An emblem of apparent importance to the species was discovered by the away team (see graphic in upper right corner). The symbol has a large circle in the middle, with a ring of three smaller circles surrounding it.  The significance of this tri-partite symbolism was not determined in the course of the mission.  

Genuine first contact did not come until 2409, with the USS Charlemagne's maiden voyage to investigate an alien ship discovered by the USS Sabre and USS Yakovlev in the course of routine patrols.  For this mission, the USS Charlemagne was escorted by the USS Wyvern.  

While the Yakovlev and Sabre waited, and even after the two ships joined them, the unknown vessel held its position, remained inactive, apart from fluctuating coloration of the hull.  Their first priority was to establish contact.  

To this end, the Charlemagne was assisted by Ambassador Chlodec and his secretary, a Mr. Rocker.  While it was initially assumed that these changes in color were an attempt at communication, that proved erroneous.  When first contact was established, the ship identified itself as representative of the 'Fardon Empire' and stated its purpose was to make contact with the Federation.  

This initial meeting was followed by an invitation for Star Fleet personnel to visit the Fardon ship.  There, the away team was attacked and taken prisoner.  Shortly thereafter, another Fardon ship arrived and fired upon the Star Fleet vessels.  Destruction of the Yakovlev and Sabre (loss of all hands) ensued, though the Wyvern and Charlemagne were able to retreat after securing the safe return of the away team.  

In late 2409, the USS Resolution was dispatched to follow-up intelligence reports of a hidden Fardon base in a mature star cluster well within GOLD Fleet's former patrol zones (currently assigned to GREEN). Between sketchy reports from various OSFI assets and claims made by pirates arrested by the SIGMA Patrol Squadron (PATRON-74), there was reason to believe that the Fardons were constructing a hidden base.  

That intelligence was corraborated when the USS Panache, a PATRON-74 Wolfe-class vessel on patrol, spotted a superfreighter which they were able to identify as a Fardon vessel from engine signatures.  This vessel eluded the Panache and escaped using superior Fardon stealth technology.  

The USS Resolution proceeded under the guise of a scientific mapping mission, exploring several possible systems.  Intelligence from the Resolution's mission suggests a probable location for Fardon space deep within the Beta quadrant.  Over the course of the following year, SECIS made several arrests of suspected Fardon agents, most of them chamelenoid, and was able to get one to talk.  That prisoner's testimony substantiated what the Resolution had learned.  

Several missions were dispatched to find the suspected bases; no more were found.  It was as if the Fardons had disappeared for more than two years.  In early 2412, USS Ikar, a Tsyklon-class scout was studying gravitic anomalies on the near edge of the Scutum Rift.  Without warning six Fardon corvettes attacked and destroyed Ikar with the loss of all hands. The attacking vessels used gravitic propulsion exclusively, gravitic weapons of an unknown design and had armored, spiked hulls made of a substance called kirellium.  Stafleet dispatched USS Quasar to the scene; her squadron spent about a year looking for evidence of the Fardons in the area and found nothing.

Some analysts suspect that the recent destruction of the USS Chang Zheng might also be the work of the Fardons.  USS Circe found a kirellium-hulled shuttlecraft on Karbella II in the Orestes Sector and traces of kirellium have also been found on Frika, a planet outside Federation space and not far from the Gorn and Romulan borders near DS13.

Like Federation technology, which relies heavily upon gravitics, the Fardons appear to have gravitic drives and a stealth technology which can be best classified as a forerunner to gravitic cloaks.  However, unlike Romulan and Klingon style gravitic cloaks, the Fardon's technology does not leak tachyon emissions.  Their ship's power sources are unknown, but Fardon vessels have been observed with raised shields and weapons firing while still in 'stealth' mode.  

The Federation calls that alloy 'kirellium.' Until USS Circe's recent recovery of a shuttle with a kirellium hull, only fragmentary samples of the metal had been analyzed. The metal is far more dense than any known to the Federation.  Its manufacture would require prohibitive energy levels.  It has been theorized that properly tuned disruptors might be effective against this metal, but until now there has never been enough of the material to know.  

Star Fleet has encountered four types of putative military vessels.  The first, roughly the displacement of a Solar class command cruiser, appears to be a modular unit (which can rapidly deploy embarked craft) with protruding spikes typical of classical Fardon ships dating from 6000-4000 years ago.  The historical and current purposes of these spikes are unknown.  This ship's weapon systems and defensive systems are consistent with Star Fleet battlecruisers.  

Both these vessels are apparently escorted by corvettes.  Observations prior to the Ikar incident implied that these corvettes have no spikes and do not seem to be warp capable but can be piggybacked upon larger vessels; the discrepency between that information and the readings from Ikar has not conclusively been explained.  Finally, there appear to be warp capable freighters which transport troops and materials over longer distances.  

Moreover, Fardon ground troops are highly mechanized.  They have impressive landing vehicles, sub-atmospheric assault craft, and employ battle armor (as observed by the Charlemagne away team on the planet's surface) far more extensively than those of most of the major spacefaring races.  While this makes their ground troops slower to deploy and more sluggish in responding, it would imply that they rely heavily on seige tactics, buttressed by orbital firepower.  

The An'oke are the taxonomical equivalent of mammalian monotremes.  They do not give live birth, but instead lay fragile, over-large eggs which support the fetus through all stages of pre-natal development (as observed by the USS LaSalle away team).  This embryionic sac is very vulnerable to predators.  

Evidence for the physical evolution of the An'oke comes from essentially two separate sources.  The first consists of multiple DNA samples taken from the colony ship discovered by the USS LaSalle.  As noted elsewhere, various dating methods suggest these samples are 4,000-6,000 years old, placing them contemporaenous with the Fardon classical period (4500-1500 B.C. terran time, or circa 7000 to 4000 years ago).  

The material discovered is discussed extensively in the historical and cultural profile.  Nevertheless, among the material recovered researchers found intact DNA samples dating from approximately 4500 B.C. Terran time.  Analysis of these samples substantially corraborates those of the USS LaSalle's mission.  

Dr. K. Ancelin (COU, USS Resolution) argues for a double-planet system with one planet of approximately 50% to 100% higher gravity than the other.  The An'lak would have evolved on the lower gravity planet as base Fardon humanoids.  Ancelin argues that the An'oke were originally genetically engineered (with subsequent evolution) on the higher gravity planet, a colony, while the grey-skins were genetically engineered for a spacefaring existence. (2)  

While the present day An'oke are substantially different from the historical An'oke (see comparisons of USS LaSalle and Zelasian samples to those recovered by the USS Charlemagne), the modern day An'oke are the descendants of that robust, orange-skinned strain of the same name.   

While the strategic objectives of the Fardons are unknown, OSFI believes that they are, in all likelihood, limited to a few key systems, presumably of some historical value.  No doubt their infiltration of Star Fleet has led them to conclude that such limited objectives are not unattainable, especially insofar as GOLD Fleet has been disbanded.

==Notes==

* AUTHOR: D'Maris D. Coffman

* NOTE: The 'Fardons' are the creation of Jari Makela, whose email is (jarim@cc.tut.fi). The author seeks only to compile what information which has become public domain in the course of interactive storytelling on alt.starfleet.rpg.