Flaxian
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The Flaxian homeworld orbits a binary system consisting of a Type K7 V star and a Type G5 V star. Called Flaxos by its inhabitants, the planet is located outside Federation space along the border with Tholian space. Their world possesses near Earth-like planetary conditions - 1.25 Earth's gravity and an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere (but it contains trace amounts of sulfur that make the air smell rotten eggs). The environment is predominantly marshy, with the hydrosphere comprising 80% of the planet's surface and a mean temperature of 32 degrees Celsius.
Personality
Flaxians are, by nature, a reclusive people, having little to do with interstellar politics or other sapient species. Their world provides them with all they need, and so they see little need to interact with outsiders. When they travel off-world, they keep to themselves and say little.
Flaxians are consummate artists. Whatever they turn their hands to must be performed with artistry and skill. To a Flaxian, it's not so much whether the painting or sculpture is beautiful, or elicits an emotional response in the viewer, but whether or not the work is the best they can do. Anything they do, especially professionally, must demonstrate their technical proficiency.
While it is safe to say that Flaxians are kind to their family, have rewarding friendships, and share the same emotions that most others sapients do, they have a peculiar moral framework that makes them well-suited for assassination. To them, there's no shame or particular moral qualm in killing someone who "deserves it" - and to the Flaxian way of thinking, if you have a contract on your head, you obviously did something to deserve it. Indeed, the Flaxian emphasis on technical perfection means that Flaxian mercenaries equate the performance of assassinations and military operations with other forms of art: The harder the job, the more famous the personage, the more difficult the terrain, the more prestige associated with successful completion.
Physiology
Standing 1.7 to 2.1 meters tall, the Flaxians tend to have dark skin and hair, with horizontal furrows along the forehead and bridge of the nose. Long barbells descend from the chin, knuckles and wrists. Above the eyes, along the jaw line, in the center of the forehead, and on the sides and back of the head Flaxians grow pearl-like spheres.
History and Culture
With their world located near the border with the Romulan Star Empire and the Tholian territories, Flaxians remain largely unknown to the Federation. The region of space in which their planet resides has yet to be explored by Starfleet, which must worry about Romulan patrols and mysterious disappearances attributed to the Tholians.
Until the 21st century, the Flaxians fought conflicts between balkanized nations. As their civilization advanced, they gradually gave up open warfare as a political tool, to counter the near genocide of the slowly reproducing species, and turned to assassination as a tool of statecraft. When conflicts between nations arose, both sides sent out assassins to kill the other side's leaders. Consequently, few had the desire to lead on Flax, until their society became a de facto anarchy.
At some point in their history, the Romulans made contact with the Flaxians. Discovering a world with no real government, and tradition of highly-trained assassins, the Romulans treated their world like a client state. The precise details of this period and the nature of their relationship remains a mystery. Soon afterwards, Flaxian assassins began practicing their trade on behalf of the Tal Shiar.
Flaxian Society
On Flaxos, assassins are respected, highly trained individuals who weed out society's malcontents. Every Flaxian government at one time maintained a bureau of trained assassins to handle political and social conflicts. As their society evolved into one without leaders, these bureaus styled themselves as assassins' guilds. Each guild specializes in a particular style of assassination - explosives, poison, bladed weapons, infiltration, and so forth. Assassins must be registered on Flax in order to be considered professionals; wanton murder is illegal on Flax, even if you call yourself an assassin.
The Flaxian "assassination culture" is not, of course, the entirety of their society; Flaxians also practice various technical arts such as painting and sculpture, and their pursuit of perfection makes them very good as engineers. Nevertheless, to the Galaxy at large they're best known for their assassins' guilds, especially because of the Flaxians' own lax policy toward such organizations. Indeed, Flaxians see their assassins as their society's version of police, and regard them as admirable figures.
The Flaxian government is one of enlightened anarchy. No one wants to lead, lest they become the target of assassination, and so citizens are left to interact with each other on their own. Laws remain on the books, and this forms the basis of their judicial system; however, the only real law is one's individual moral compass and the judgment of a registered assassin. Consequently, cities on Flaxos have become havens for all kinds of illicit activities, so long as they cause no harm to others, which attracts the likes of the Orions and Ferengi. The Romulans, too, take advantage of this openness, and leave well enough alone.
Reference(s)
- Bridges, Bill, et al. Star Trek Roleplaying Game Book 5: Aliens, Decipher, 2003. ISBN: 1582369070.