Category:Enemies of the Federation

Although the history of the Federation has been peaceful, marked by centuries without any significant military confl ict, it would be a mistake to say it has no enemies. Indeed, potential enemies are everywhere, whether they are hidden somewhere in the vast gulfs between the stars or among the loyal citizens and civilians on Earth.

The Federation has always presented a picture of harmonious peace throughout its territory for its populace. Except for the few instances when the Federation truly went to war (such as the Hesperus Incident) and more recently with the Skinny Incursions and finally with the attacks of the Arachnids on Pluto and Buenos Aires, the history of the Federation has indeed been peaceful. Of course, there have been smallscale conflicts here and there in Federation history, both with alien races and with elements of humanity, but they have never come to the attention of the general populace.

The following information is the kind of material that will not be found on FedNet. The Federation has no desire to see its civilian (or citizen) population worry overmuch about what is, essentially, a small and passing problem. As defenders of the Federation, however, SICON believes you have the right to know as much as necessary about the enemies you might be called on to fight, both foreign and domestic.

Obviously, some Federation enemies are more dangerous than others. Currently, SICON considers the Arachnids to be the greatest threat to the human race – potentially the greatest threat the human race has ever seen. Thus, actions against the Arachnids occupy most of SICON’s current resources. The Skinnies would certainly constitute the next greatest threat, though they are currently held at bay through the military buildup along the Federation’s spinward border, a buildup that had been intended to implement Operation: Clean Sweep until the Arachnid attack caused a very sudden change in SICON military policy.

All other enemies fall far, far below the Arachnids and the Skinnies in SICON’s priority of enemies. For example, the Black Cross and the Civilian Militia, as vexing as they are to the Federation, do not constitute nearly the threat to the Federation the Arachnids and Skinnies do.

Enemies within

Not all the Federation’s enemies are of alien origin. There are elements of human society that have become opposed to the Federation over the course of the years. Most often, these are limited groups of dissidents who have either isolated themselves somewhere in the wilds of a Federation world (such as the Frontiersmen, a non-violent group that keeps to itself in the unwelcoming reaches of the Yukon) or who have formed their own unofficial colony somewhere outside Federation space. The Federation does not approve of such activities but, so long as the group is fairly small and does not seem intent on bringing harm to the Federation or any of its citizens and civilians, SICON has usually been willing to ignore them and let these tiny fringe groups go about their business.

Unfortunately, not all enemies of the Federation that spring from humanity itself are quite so innocuous. Though none can rival the military danger and power posed by alien races like the Skinnies and most particularly the Arachnids, they pose a threat all their own, threatening to weaken the fabric of Federation society by standing apart from their rightful government, or even at times in opposition to it.

Some of these enemies are not even present in Federation space, confining their operations to areas beyond the borders officially claimed by SICON. Nevertheless, because they are human in origin, SICON considers them to be an internal threat.

Dissidents and Seperatists

The category of enemy of the Federation does not apply to those citizens and civilians who simply disagree with Federation policy and laws. The majority of such groups are non-violent protesters exercising their rights to free speech. Nor does it apply to those who simply wish to live outside the Federation. The government of the Federation does not force itself on anybody, and those who wish to leave are free to go.

In the context of being considered an enemy of the Federation, dissidents and separatists are those groups who advocate revolution against the government or violence against its people or its military. The largest of these groups, the Civilian Militia, is covered separately, as is the Black Cross, considered an enemy because it is a large and wellarmed organisation. However, there are small factions scattered here and there throughout the Federation that have similar agendas and beliefs as these larger groups but without the resources to act upon it. Such groups include the Nuevos Comunistas (New Communists) of Mexico City and the Emperor’s Children of Tokyo. Both believe in the overthrow of the Federation and the establishment of a new order. The fact that neither of them has the capacity to even begin such a struggle is immaterial. They are considered seditious and all their members criminal.

Traitors

Unlike dissidents and separatists, traitors are those people who work against the Federation from within, usually for an outside power. The founders of the Black Cross, for example, were traitors to the Federation. It is easy to discount the possibility of treason in the war with the Arachnids. After all, what human would willingly help such a race to defeat his own? What sort of person would truly expect any kind of reward for such service other than to end his days as a warrior bug’s meal?

Recent developments on Earth, however, have led SICON to believe treason may be a possibility in this war after all, though not necessarily through the willing cooperation of a human.

Just one week after the Arachnid attack on Buenos Aires, Dr. Emmanuel Villalobos, a top research scientist for SICON who was working in the Earth division of SICON’s xenobiology studies in Geneva, was walking to work when he was struck by a passing cargo truck and instantly killed. To make certain the death was purely accidental, the body was taken immediately to the SICON laboratories and autopsied. While the injuries to Dr. Villalobos’ body were wholly in line with what would be expected from such an accident, the doctors performing the autopsy made a shocking discovery.

On the back of Dr. Villalobos’ neck was the crushed body of a small insect-like creature that conformed to no known insect life on Earth.  Further testing and examination showed the insect had inserted several tendrils directly into Dr. Villalobos’ brain and central nervous system, tendrils that seemed to allow the insect to access and control the doctor’s mind. Lastly, and most damningly, genetic testing of the insect revealed it was a member of the Arachnid race.

How many of these creatures are on Earth, or what their exact abilities are, are completely unknown quantities. However, given the potential danger of such creatures, all SICON and Federation personnel are examined once a day for any evidence of such an insect.

Enemies without

Although some of the Federation’s human enemies operate outside of Federation space, this section deals with those enemies that truly come from outside humanity – the alien races the Federation has come into conflict with over the years.

The Federation has met several spacefaring races that are not mentioned here.  Apart from the mysterious aggressor that attacked the Hesperus colony, there are other races with whom the Federation has had extremely limited contact – perhaps detecting their ships at long range but never establishing communication or even encountering them again. The mysterious alien city of Scylla would be another example of such an alien race that has not proven itself hostile.