Confederation of Allied Worlds

Ever since first contact was made in 2370, the Confederation of Allied Worlds, lead in practicality by a race known as Stagnorians, and the United Federation of Planets have been allies. Although very different peoples, often with very different means to a given end, it's commonly understood between both parties that their ends are fairly similar, a desire for peace, stability, and discovery. Like all alliances however, the 'closeness' between these two has vacillated greatly since the first meeting. In 2370 the CAW had just begun 'setting up' in the Quadrant, with a few dozen unpopulated worlds claimed for colonization. Although this ruffled a good deal of proverbial feathers, the strength of the CAW's military presence, the Alpha Quadrant Defense Forces, was sufficient to deter any actual aggression. Although not especially large, especially at first, the AQDF was extremely advanced technologically, and posed enough of a potential threat to ward off any aggressors, while at the same time making it obvious offensive action was undesirable. Initially the Alpha Quadrant worlds were the very epitomy of a 'frontier', comprising very sparsely populated worlds, an overall fairly low population, and very little in the way of centered resources. As a result, alliances became a very important strategic goal, particularly as rising tensions with the Dominion and the observation that although distant, the Quadrant wasn't beyond the range of Borg attacks set in. This lead to a strengthening of the already amicable relationship with the Federation, arguably the most powerful and certainly the most philosophically similar power to them in the area. At it's height the relationship brought with it officer exchanges, and during the Dominion War of 2373-2375 even volunteer units to fight alongside Federation forces. By the time the Dominion had surrendered, and Cardassia was under occupation, the alliance had been sealed in blood, and there were even talks of Confederacy observers being invited on a routine basis to Federation Council meetings. For all the similarities and friendship however, differences still remained. The Confederacy's presence was growing, with new immigrants basically tripling the CAW's initial population by the end of the war, and later on that year (2375), a previously occupied world of a quarter-billion, known as Lurenia, which was liberated largely by AQDF and domestic forces in 2370, officially began the entry process into the CAW... giving the CAW a far more legitimate claim on territory in the Alpha Quadrant. Although a friendly and peaceful power, some in the Federation began worrying, even at this early stage, about the growing influence and possible intentions of this group. By 2380, only a decade after the initial arrival, most of the major infrastructure necessary for a sustainable, permanent presence in the Quadrant had been completed, largely with Federation aid in the form of combined diplomatic initiatives when dealing with other powers. The AQDF had done 'some' muscle flexing, but this was limited to peacekeeping operations on technologically sophisticated worlds along the proclaimed border. Still, the increasing military power of a people who had avoided 'officially' entering the Dominion War, and the seeming willingness to use it, while not revealing any major technological advances began souring the relationship, especially as the Dove and Hawk divide within the Federation Council became more acute. The Quadrant War which dominated the mid to late 2380's was a near breaking point for the alliance. The Stagnorians, despite having steadily built up their military presence to the point they were sufficiently capable of limited offensive action, refused to actually participate in the conflict 'actively', electing once again for a more clandestine role. They had the benefit of a strong relationship with the Quadrant's main power, and fairly peaceful terms with most of the others. The neutral stance was not well received in the halls of Starfleet, as a dedicated Stagnorian entry may have ended the war far more quickly, and saved many more lives in the process... some even went as far as to blame the CAW of usary. Still, 'official' tones remained friendly, mostly because the steady flow of volunteers, intelligence, and excess industrial capacity was of great need. The CAW 'did' eventually enter the war, taking some of the stress off of the inter-stellar alliance that the Federation had formed, but even then participation was again limited to raids into enemy territory, along the border, and defensive operations such as convoy escort. Towards the end of the war, while Starfleet had determined it unnecessary to enter Breen territory, Stagnorian, and thus CAW military policy dictated otherwise. Their quasi-passive support for the Klingon and Romulan assault was a source of diplomatic contention as late as 2390. Not too far later the relationship again warmed, brought on by the threat of the Aean. While typical defensive measures were ineffective, Stagnorian Vidium torpedoes, originally designed to attack the Borg at a molecular level to de-assimilate and infect Borg vessels, when modified were able to slow-down and eventually paralyze the viruses. Unfortunately there were too few ships in the quadrant equipped with limited stocks of these weapons, and the Aean managed to simply overwhelm these numbers, causing extensive damage. Using a similar principle, Romulan and Cardassian scientists created a biological 'counter-virus', proving to be the turning point in the war against the Aean. Although the AQDF fleet had sustained significant losses, typically in defense of the territory of others, it none the less returned home proudly. Having fought with distinction where possible, and proving that when faced with no other alternative, they were capable of holding their own. Like the other powers of the Quadrant, the CAW welcomed the turn of the century in peace, at least the Alpha Quadrant colonies did. By now the first true 'worlds' were set up, with significant populations, and a complete infrastructure system was in place. The Alpha Quadrant colonies had become completely self-sufficient, a need highlighted by the events with the Aean, and were thus capable of constructing their own, modest, fleets. The political realities of the Quadrant however dictated that there was less of a need for the high-technology battlewagons common to the CAW Armada's in the other quadrants, and it was decided strategically the best way to go would be to aim for 'slight' unitary superiority, reinforced by the small, dedicated warship contingent to maintain the peace and security of the Alpha Quadrant colonies. This would allow the Alpha Quadrant to become an arsenal for their diasporatic brethren, while at the same time easing concerns of the major Quadrant powers over a policy of 'militarism'. This policy was personified in the Treaty of Al'Klei'sh (2402) which, in turn for technical expertise and support for fleets of multi-purpose vessels along Federation design lines, allowed for Starfleet observers to monitor the construction and type of each vessel built using information obtained by the Federation. This had an effect of pacifying many of the remaining neigh-sayers, as well as diversifying the mission scope and capacity of the AQDF's Armada, and facilitating it's construction. The stability of the Quadrant however became immediately threatened by a rearming Breen. The next war exposed a great deal of fractioning throughout the Quadrant which had been covered under diplomacy and tradition previously. By 2406 the issue of the Breen war had depleted the Federation from 168 member worlds to 97. Similarly the Romulan Empire suffered a schism, with reunionists seeking, and earning a closer tie with Vulcan, ending in reunification of the two estranged cousins. More hardline Romulan elements fought to keep the Empire together, however the Romulan and Klingon Empires were now facing the classical issue of imperialism. During the Aean War, many of their installations were drawn down to meager, if any actual presence for the sake of defending core, strategic systems and their respective homeworlds. As a result, conquered species long under the oppression of Klingon and Romulan military might realized that not only could they not count on their oppressors for protection, but at the same time they themselves were able to fend for themselves. Many began demanding autonomy, claiming abandonment, and some even went as far as to organize their own fleets, ready to show down with their superior adversaries in the name of freedom. With the Breen devastated, the Cardassians still slowly rebuilding, the Romulans, Federation, Ferangi, and Klingons racked with internal strife on social and political levels, and increasing rebuilding issues among the various militaries as resources become increasingly controlled and scarce, the CAW's AQ colonies and member worlds were left in a rather interesting predicament. Technological advancements had allowed them to synthesize surplus valuable materials that were otherwise available only through the mining of raw resources on some level, and while most powers were left trying to reorganize and regroup from their losses or refit aging fleets, they had at their disposal a very modern, very capable military force now being backed by an economic engine which, by virtue of Stagnorian society, could be channeled entirely at the external. Their closest ally was severely weakened, and the political situation of what was supposed to be an 'alamo' should the Borg threat ever reawake was becoming disasterously unstable. One school of thought believed the CAW should use it's new found strength in the Quadrant to actively influence the situation along philosophical lines, supporting budding powers in their attempts to establish free democracies. Others believed this to be unrealistic, and instead suggested CAW influence be channeled to try and stabilize the current situation as much as possible, reintegrating the older, imperfect, but comfortable galactic model. This divide, although no where near as intense or destructive, mirrored the Hawk/Dove divide in the Federation, and simultaneously was referred to as the Idealist/Realist divide. In the end a compromise was reached, with the AQ Colonies deciding to play a semi-active role along a strategy of 'selective re-integration.' The overall plan was to try and join, piece by piece, most of the Quadrant back together, integrating as many pieces into larger political units as possible to promote stability and peace. It is an uncomfortable and an unexpected position for a people which had been satisfied as a mid-level, isolationalist power. The policy has met with some small-scale success, getting several minor worlds to remain as higher 'members' of the former Empires, however at the same time the sudden exertion of influence has raised eyebrows within the Federation, and has lead to yet another, less direct souring of the relationship. Although this hasn't translated to any direct action as of yet, (at least no 'sanctioned' actions) it is contributing to rising suspicions, with many... especially Hawks... seeing this as a sign of a new rising power that could in theory balance Federation post-war relative supremacy, and although dedicated to similar overall ideas, still pursuing it's own agenda and interests at the risk of those of the Federation. This is where the relationship stands in 2411... with many conceding that although not powerful enough yet, the CAW may soon be a 'competitor' on the inter-stellar stage with the UFP.