|Location:||Farius system, Bajoran sector, Alpha Quadrant|
|Land mass percentage:||60%|
Farius Prime was the third planet of six in the Farius star system, an orange star in the Bajoran sector in the Alpha Quadrant. It was in close proximity to the Demilitarized Zone between the Federation and the Cardassian Union, and to the Badlands (less than 12 hours at warp factor 5). It was a Class M world, with a ring structure (Decipher RPG module: Worlds) and two moons. It was a neutral, independent planet and homeworld of the Farian people. (DS9 episodes: "The Maquis, Part I", "Honor Among Thieves", ST - The Lost Era novel: Well of Souls, Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
Farius Prime and the rest of the Farius system were governed by the Farius Planetary Authority, an oligarchy with a heavy focus on economics and business. It claimed the right to independently prosecute those who broke the law within the system. It had no extradition treaties with any major powers, and handled extraditions on a case-by-case basis. As a result, although many semi-legal and illegal actions were coordinated from Farius Prime, the criminals responsible were wise not to make an enemy of the Farius Planetary Authority (Decipher RPG module: Worlds).
- Worlds marks the Farius Prime entry with a UFP emblem, indicating a Federation world. However, the text makes no mention of this, and discusses its independence and neutrality, so this is likely in error.
With its open and neutral status, it was at times a base of operations for a number of resistance movements, such as the Bajoran Resistance and the Maquis, and organized crime groups like the Asfar Qatala, Orion Syndicate, and Ferengi renegades. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds, ST - The Lost Era novel: Well of Souls)
The native Farian population only numbered in the hundreds of thousands, making the world sparse and under-populated compared to other worlds. In fact, it had a higher population of non-Farian offworlders, as did the rest of the Farius system.
Farius Prime was formerly a quite harmless and unexceptional world, and the Farian people were content and cooperative. In 2120, Farian explorers ventured into space and soon came into contact with many alien races. They also found that many weren't so cooperative, and instead simply crushed those in their way and took what they wanted. In particular, their position close to Cardassian space and that of other powers made them a prime location for a military staging ground.
The Farians considered their options, and decided to simply not be in the way. Thus they would make themselves mediators and facilitators, and provide trade ports and facilities for others. By enabling commerce between the various powers, Farius Prime should be more valuable to them as an independent than as conquered territory, the Farians reasoned. The Farius Planetary Authority developed and set about exploiting their system for all they could. Now established on every world of their system and with resources to trade, Farius Prime opened up to trade and became a free port.
By 2200, Farius Prime was an established port-of-call amongst local worlds. Its openness and cautious acceptance drew commerce to the world, and with it came prosperity for the Farians. However, these same policies and trade also attracted crime, and the world became a sanctuary for criminals and trouble-makers. For example, far-ranging Orion pirates used Farius Prime as a safe port and a place to fence their loot in relative safety. When other states demanded the pirates be handed over, those who depended on Farius Prime's trade blocked these efforts. The world was in danger of being swamped by crime entirely.
Then some Orion pirates happened to raid a group of Klingons and retreated to Farius Prime. Unlike the other powers, the Klingons made no efforts to extradite the Orions through the Farius Planetary Authority, but instead travelled directly to the world, hunted the Orions down and dealt with them their own way. The Farian government made no attempt to either protect the Orions or stop the Klingons, making it clear that their world was safe port but not a sanctuary. The criminal organizations operating on Farius Prime went underground, keeping themselves safe and the world neutral.
Though a busy port through the 23rd century, Farius Prime was too far from the Federation for all but the most long-range starships. However, as warp engines improved in the 24th century and became capable of greater speeds, reaching Farius became easier and the world received more visitors. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
By the 2330s, Farius Prime was a center of interstellar trade, with numerous races doing business there, including Orions. A significant part of that business was conducted by criminal organizations, including Asfar Qatala and the Orion Syndicate. As a result, much of the population of Farius Prime lived in poverty while a minority prospered. (ST - The Lost Era novel: Well of Souls) The world was rife with illicit trade and Orion Syndicate activities (Decipher RPG module: Worlds). The Syndicate established a headquarters there (DS9 episode: "Honor Among Thieves").
Through the 24th century, during the Occupation of Bajor, the Bajoran Resistance made good use of Farius Prime's closeness and illicit traders. They established trade routes that funneled weapons and supplies in from outside the Cardassian Union, through Farius Prime and to Bajor. Ferengi also traded heavily through Farius Prime as they expanded deeper into the Bajoran sector; as well as legitimate business, they also laundered money and fenced illegally gained goods.
When Federation colonists settled many worlds in what was later the Demilitarized Zone, they used Farius Prime as a port and supply depot. With the colonies and the Cardassian conflict, Starfleet followed and established a presence in the Bajoran sector. It tried to enforce law at Farius Prime, but soon found that too many local powers relied on Farius Prime for them too interfere with it. Thus they had to respect its neutral status, and Starfleet Intelligence found it useful during the height of the Federation-Cardassian War.
After the Maquis uprising in the late 2360s, Farius Prime became a key link in their supply lines, due to its independence and location, close to Bajoran space, the Demilitarized Zone and the Badlands. The Maquis used Farius Prime just as the Bajoran Resistance had, and funneled through supplies, support and recruits. The local Orion Syndicate actually aided their efforts.
However, when the Cardassian Union joined the Dominion in 2373, the Syndicate betrayed the Farius Prime Maquis cells and surrendered them to Jem'Hadar soldiers. This action saved Farius Prime from a Jem'Hadar assault such as other Maquis bases had suffered, and kept that world neutral and independent in the coming Dominion War. The Syndicate worked with the Dominion during the war (Decipher RPG module: Worlds).
In 2374, Miles O'Brien was sent by Starfleet Intelligence to infiltrate Raimus's Syndicate operation on Farius Prime to locate the source of a leak in Starfleet. O'Brien also discovered the Syndicate's involvement with the Dominion, uncovering their plot to assassinate an anti-Federation Klingon ambassador to Farius and divide the United Federation of Planets and the Klingon Empire. (DS9 episode: "Honor Among Thieves"; Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
PlacesEditFarius Prime was the site of a number of starport cities, named simply Highport to Seventhport. Highport was the largest and wealthiest, and first port-of-call for many visitors. It had the highest volume of traffic, with thousands of vessels landing or leaving every day, and hundreds of tons of cargo passed through. Thirdport and Sixthport were smaller and out-of-the-way, but received most of the illegal, and consequently most profitable, of business. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
The cities of Farius Prime were hubs of business. They were also home to Orion Syndicate enclaves, renegade Ferengi bases, and, at one time, Maquis supply depots. The many mountainous and rocky areas, connected by quality infrastructure, were ideal locations for criminal and secretive organizations to set up bases and conceal their activities from prying eyes, even the Farius Planetary Authority.
- Fifthport • Fourthport • Highport • Maltabra City • Navor • Porlat • Secondport • Seventhport • Sixthport • Thirdport
- Two "Sixthports" are marked on the Worlds map, but only one is mentioned in the text. As there is no "Firstport", Highport is likely to be the true first port.
Environment & GeographyEdit
Farius Prime was a Class M world, with a standard atmosphere, cool temperature and 40% hydrosphere. It had a gravity of 1.2 g. Being situated on the outskirts of Farius's habitable zone made Farius Prime a relatively cold world. It had sufficient temperate areas for agriculture, but the short growing seasons limited food supplies, and so the native population was comparatively small. However, it did have plentiful resources for industry and development, though little that was valuable on the interplanetary market. There were many mountainous and otherwise rocky areas. (Decipher RPG module: Worlds)
- Danbur Mountains • Darak Sea • Donvir Mountains • Galldean Sea • Gedbur Mountains • Jetoro Ocean • Jorgry Mountains • Khar • Kharon Channel • Krigry Mountains • Lanor Sea • Nedbur Mountains • Orean Ocean • Redbur Mountains