Echen F'don: Difference between revisions

==INTRODUCTION==

They are tactically sophisticated, strategically aware and employ a highly developed intelligence arm which has successfully infiltrated Star Fleet.  While the current focus of their activity appears to be several systems within former Gold Fleet patrol zones, they are to be considered an emerging threat, especially since securing a beachhead there would put them within striking distance of core Federation worlds.

==HISTORY OF CONTACT==

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 [[BuSHIPS#Tsyklon-class_Surveyor|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.

==TECHNOLOGICAL PROFILE==

===An'oke Physiology===

They appear humanoid in form, have orange skins (color ranging from deep tan to bright orange) with red or yellow eyes.  Specimens appear to be an average of 6' feet tall and well over 100 kilograms.  They have a dense bone structure, multiple organs, and sharp vestigal canine teeth.  

===Physical Evolution===

The second corpus of material relates to the historical Fardon Empire as judged from archaeological finds in the Amos and adjacent Zelas systems.  Situated in what has been for some time a galactic crossroads, owing to the systems' proximity to the Scutum Arm rift, these two systems boast hundreds of millenia of near continuous occupation of sentient species.  Once studied for their relevance within the field of Iconian archaeology, they are also central to emerging picture of the relatively recent (in historical terms) Fardon Empire.  

DNA evidence suggests that the An'oke are in fact a racial subtype of the original but hypothetical 'Planet Fardon' sentient humanoid.  Three distinct strains, the apparent product of a collapsed sub-speciation event, have cropped up in the archaeological record.  

Two conflicting hypotheses account for the available evidence; neither is conclusive.   

Dr. C. Sarrango argues instead for the single planet hypothesis with a different twist.  Her position is that the surface of the planet may have become relatively inhospitable to the base Fardon humanoids (An'lak).  Her argument runs that the An'lak remained subterranean, while the An'oke were genetically engineered to endure harsher surface conditions.  The An'lak were genetically engineered, presumably a little later, with the priestly and administrative roles in mind. (3)  

During the time frame identified as the late Fardon classical period, one starts to see a gradual process which presumably ends with the disappearance of the An'lak and the An'gar, as they are amalgamated by the An'oke and the local indigeneous populations.  

In the intervening millenia, some analysts argue that the surviving An'oke strain was further diluted by contact with other humanoid populations.  It should be noted, however, that the mammalian monotremes cannot naturally interbreed with the far more numerous placental mammals regardless of structural similarities of humanoid form.  Thus, any such dilution would necessarily involve bio-engineered reproduction.

==STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES==

As has been observed, none of the systems in which the Fardons have expressed interest are of much concern to our allies.  Nevertheless, they are disturbingly close to core Federation worlds.  Though the rimward Beta frontier has been quiet for some time, the presence of the Fardon threat may well change that.  It is thus judged absolutely imperative that Star Fleet act with all immediate speed to determine the location of Fardon Space and to the degree possible the nature of Fardon territorial aspirations.  

Investigations conducted by SECIS indicate not insubstantial infiltration of Star Fleet and Federation civil service branches  dating back to the late 2390's.  How long the Fardons were aware of the Federation before the placement of intelligence operatives is unknown.  That they have only recently tipped their hand to their own existence (in late 2408), it seems prudent to assume that they have immediate objectives in mind and are in a position to accelerate the timetable if threatened.

==TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS==

Finally, it bears reiterating that while they do have a trilithium weapon of mass destruction, their propensity for using it, and the degree to which it is standard issue on all but their largest cruisers, is unknown.

==THREAT ASSESSMENT==