THE THOLIAN HOLDFAST
[Editor’s Comments: Much of the following
information
is taken from Star Fleet Battles. Readers are encouraged to purchase
that game to learn more of the Tholians and their history.]
What could be stranger than a race of talking rocks? The Tholians
are not native to the Mily Way. They are the survivors of a race
that once dominated their native galaxy -- the exact location of which
is unknown – but were overthrown when their subject races rose in a
galaxy-wide
revolt some 200 years ago. The Tholians of our galaxy are the
descendants
of a group that escaped the debacle and managed, by means yet unknown, to
bring their planet (which was a provincial capital and a small Dyson sphere)
with them.
Tholians are crystalline creatures who exist in very high temperatures;
temperatures so high that no boarders have yet been able to survive beaming
onto a Tholian ship. (The Klingons continue trying to build a better
insulation suits for boarding actions.) So far the only method found
for reducing the temperature of a Tholian ship to bearable levels is to blow
large holes into the hull and vent the atmosphere to space. (Have fun
pressing the z key!)
The Tholians settled on the edge of our galaxy at the
end of the spiral arm that includes the Klingon homeworld. The Klingons
had claimed this territory (and the Federation had tacitly accepted the
claim), but the Klingons had not colonized it extensively. The Tholians
now claim it as their own and defend it fiercely, which explains the
considerable
hatred between them and the Klingons. The Federation has turned a deaf ear
to Klingon requests, through diplomatic channels, for repatriation of the
colonists and base crews from the area. It is doubtful that any survived
the Tholian arrival.
The Klingons could probably crush the Tholian Holdfast
at will, but have been unable to spare enough ships to do so without
dangerously
weakening their other frontiers. Also, the Federation has announced that
it will not tolerate aggression against the Tholians. This would presumably
involve Federation fleets operating in neutral or Klingon territory since
foreign forces are not welcome inside the Holdfast. The Tholians have denounced
Federation assistance and declared strict neutrality, but are fully aware
that their survival in a crisis would depend on Federation assistance. The
Tholians are masters of playing off one side against the other; the first
principle of war taught in their academy is "Let's you and him fight."
The Tholians suspect that some of their former subjects may be
looking for them and want to avoid becoming noticeable. No evidence of
such search missions was known to the Federation prior to the General War.
The Andromedans have definitely been ruled out. It is not known if the
searchers are operating in a clandestine mode haven't searched this far
yet, or aren't searching at all. The Tholians aren't taking chances.
The Klingons, in an effort to keep pressure on the Tholians without starting
a war with the Federation, maintain a strong squadron of ships (the famed
Tholian Border Harassment Squadron) in the area and create incidents on
a regular basis. Klingon ships are rotated through this squadron for combat
training.
The Tholians never attack anyone and venture into neutral territory
only rarely. There is no pirate activity inside the Holdfast and no smuggling
across its border. Incidents with the Romulans have been reported, but
by and large the Romulans prefer to leave the Tholians alone; the Romulans
have enemies enough.
The Tholians only use ships with hulls the size of the Patrol Cruiser
class (or with two or three of them welded together) because the only forging
facilities they have are those of the former provincial capital. Such a
facility
was never intended to build heavy starships. Larger ships were presumably
built at a few centralized shipyards.
This points out the single most important facet of the Tholians.
They are not an entire race, but only a group (albeit over a billion
individuals
strong) of refugees. There is simply no one available who knows how (or
has been able to figure out how) to design a forge to cast larger hull plates.
The Tholians have electronic gear that they can build but do not know how
to repair, weapons that they can understand and maintain but do not have
the skills to build, and automatic machinery programmed to turn out copies
of devices that they could never design
As the General War begins, the Tholians find themselves ina precarious
position. They are wedged between several warring super-powers
– none
of which they are friendly with – and smack in the middle of the
Klingon/Romulan
supply line. Like it or not, these xenophobes may have to pick sides
and do so soon. Will they survive the war? In the end this
may be up to you.
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Last Updated 03/21/2003
