The Sojourners / Thane

[Mike]

OFFICES OF THE GALACTIC ANTHROPOLOGY COMMISSION
Species Format Submission Form 35489.2321A

Please fill out this form in as much detail as possible.

GROUP NAME: The Sojourners

CULTURAL DESIGNATION: See above

HOME SYSTEM: Thane

PLANETARY INFORMATION: Of the three habitable planets in the Thane system, Thane II (redesignated: Sonjourner Alpha) is the least hospitable but is the one that The Sojourners chose to set up home on. They were granted use of the planet by the Government of Thane in exchange for bringing operations and trade back to the area.

DISCOVERY DATE & SHIP: 2388 - USS Jackal, USS Metis, USS Antietam & USS Vesta

AFFILIATION: Hostile.

CAPITAL: The capital of Sojourner Alpha is little more than a giant trading hub which functions much as a Stardock class base does. It is designed around a black market system of barter.

POLITICAL SYSTEM: Unclear. The Sojourners are led by a warlord known as Vaishaa but little more is known about their political structure.

POPULATION: Unknown.

APPEARANCE: See Vinarian Syndicate.

LANGUAGE: See Vinarian Syndicate. It is worth noting that the word Sojourn has a double-meaning both in Vinarian trade-speak and Federation Standard. In Federation Standard, Sojourn means to 'stay temporarily'. In Vinarian, it has a much simpler definition: 'Storm.'

CHARACTER: Warlike

LOCATION: The Thane system lies just to the East of the Ritorian Confederacy on the fleet map.

HISTORY: Very little is known about The Sojourners as a set-up but it is known that they are a radical offshoot of the Vinarian Syndicate who believe that the Syndicate's 'downscaling' over the last five years has been to its detriment. Starfleet Intelligence first reported signs of escalating pirate activity at the edge of known space around the end of 2387 but no more information is available as to the beginnings of The Sojourners.

That being said however, it is thought that the USS Shiloh encountered The Sojourners during its last mission in the Galactic Salvage Yard. The Shiloh was tasked to locate a number of missing Starfleet vessels and soon found that they were being stolen and moved onto a group. It was never given the opportunity to investigate further.

In mid-2388 Starbase 332's resident Private Investigator came to the fleet with intelligence on a mooted attack on Federation territory by the Ritorian Confederacy in the Thane system. When the crew of 332 was assigned to investigate and repel the attack, it was discovered that the planned attack was not the work of the Ritorian Confederacy at all and was actually an act being carried out by a group calling themselves The Sojourners.

The Sojourners were in negotiations with the government of Thane to open trade routes and 'put them back on the map' as a trade and commerce centre. Upon their arrival in the Thane system and after a short period of discussion with the Commanding Officer in charge of the Expeditionary Force, the Regent of Thane and the Warlord Head of The Sojourners (referring to herself as Vaishaa), the Starfleet force was fired upon by the assembled might of The Sojourners' force, a cobbled together group of reclaimed starships from the Galactic Salvage Yard to the North.

The force of assembled vessels greatly outnumbered the vessels that the Starfleet force had at its disposal and quickly overwhelmed the Federation group. Just as the odds seemed to have turned against them, the USS Vesta arrived on the scene to provide tactical assistance and bought the Expeditionary Force enough time to jump to warp and limp back to 332.

The level of resistance and the willingness of the Thane Government to submit to The Sojourners (or the Ritorians in the first instance) had not been accounted for at Pegasus Fleet headquarters at Cestus III. The Thane Government later submitted formal motions to remove itself from the protectorate agreement and work with The Sojourners. With little choice in the matter, Starfleet was forced to accept the motion and allow The Sojourners a valuable foothold in the area.

It is thought that The Sojourners were gifted the least densely populated planet in the Thane system for their efforts in assisting the Governor of Thane, Sallarus in expelling the Federation who he saw as not doing enough to repel the threat of the Ritorians and had convinced his people of such. His motivation was to bring trade and consumer confidence back to the area by siding with a potentially dangerous ally.

TECHNOLOGY: The Sojourners have no technology of their own but have the brilliant minds of Vinarian Engineers to call upon. When they left the Syndicate, The Sojourners began reclaiming vessels from the Galactic Salvage Yard and refitting them to suit their needs.

RELIGION: None.

MILITARY: Like the Vinarian Syndicate, this information is unclear.

By submitting this form you agree to allow G.A.C. members to expand upon or alter the information you have submitted.

[Williams]

To be honest, I'm not sold on the name; considering a sojourn is defined as "a temporary stay", it doesn't seem to fit with the hostile nature you've set these guys up to have.

[brendan81]

Well, shouldn't have read this. Yet agree that the name should have something more sinister like the Coalition of Vinarian or the Brotherhood of Thane.

or just the True Syndicate.

/me throws in his two cents.

[Mike]

The reason I chose Sojourners as a name is because it speaks to their history as pirates, travelling the galaxy and finding themselves outcast from the order which they felt they represented. In addition to that, I imagine the name would appeal to a certain type of trader, a certain type of potential recruit. It's all about being an outcast. They've had their temporary stays as it were, here, there and everywhere but now they have an opportunity to plant roots.

That was my thinking behind it.

[Williams]

Perhaps then we could keep the name, but say that when translated into their language, it has a double-meaning? Something that matches the typical Federation Standard meaning of it, whilst the other meaning speaks more for a rather aggressive take on it?

[Mike]

Well, yeah, I don't see why not. It would be derivative of Vinarian tradespeak though given that the Sojourners themselves are not a 'race' as such.

[Mike]

What if Sojourn meant "Storm" in Vinarian tradespeak? Would Storm work?

[Williams]

Aye, I think it would

[Mike]

Done. This will now be put forward for voting.