Iconian


 * "They whisper in the night for chaos and despair, and Hakeev gives them blood as tribute. Our blood."
 * -- Obisek

The s (Borg designation: Species 29) are an ancient species from the planet Iconia in the Iconia Sector of the Beta Quadrant. With the help of their Heralds and gateways, the Iconians maintained a highly advanced galactic civilization they called "The Whole". Approximately 200,000 years ago orbital bombardment by an alliance of envious species obliterated their homeworld and colonies, forcing the survivors into hiding and to adopt a militant attitude.

Origins and "The Whole"
While the Preservers call them the "first of their Children", little is known about the origin of the Iconians and the beginning of their civilization. The ancient Guardian of Forever describes them as powerful, terrible, wise, selfish, wrathful, and proud; although some of these attributes likely refer to them after their homeworld was destroyed. Although their life-spans can reach thousands of years, the Iconians have always been few in number, but shared their homeworld with the Heralds, a lesser humanoid species, which they first used as beasts of burden and later genetically adapted to be their intelligent and self-aware servants and "pets". Despite this, the Iconians treated them with respect and referred to them as their friends and even "children". 

Around 200,000 years ago, procreation came to a factual halt and it had been more than a century that an Iconian was born. By that time the Iconians had formed an intense social connection called "The Whole" and maintained a galactic civilization, peacefully exploring the galaxy and interacting with numerous species, such as the Dinasians and Iccobar. All gathered knowledge was stored in a central archive called the World Heart, which was well protected as the Iconians firmly believed in not sharing superior technology with "lesser" species, who might use it to harm themselves or others. However, envy grew among other species, who formed an alliance in order to gain access to the superior knowledge by force. While the Iconians anticipated an attack and preemptively evacuated many of their people to colony worlds, the anti-Iconian alliance, which included the Iccobar, attacked every last Iconian world - beginning with the colony of Dewa III and hours later Iconia itself. With the help of "The Other", consisting of the time traveling player, Kagran, and Sela, twelve Iconians were able to evacuate using one of their gateways and sought shelter beneath the surface of Dewa III, where the indigenous population still loyally served them. The World Heart, however, was lost to both the Iconians and the lesser species, or so it was believed... (Last Days of the Dewans (lore), )

Ruthless survival
Traumatized by their experiences and unable to recreate their civilization without the World Heart, the surviving Iconians adopted a paranoid and militant attitude, with T'Ket as the most aggressive of the twelve. They turned the Heralds from mere servants into powerful soldiers, and adopted further servitor races, such as the Elachi and the Solanae. As Dewa III had also been obliterated by the anti-Iconian alliance, the Iconians left and the Solanae constructed a massive Dyson Sphere as a staging base capable of traveling across vast distances through subspace. When the Solanae activated the Sphere, a large scale industrial accident occurred. The surviving Solanae were forced to migrate to subspace when their molecular structure was changed due to exposure to large amounts of and the Iconians abandoned the Sphere due to its flaws. ( Last Days of the Dewans (lore),, , ) At some point, the Iconians also changed their humanoid appearance and became beings of energy, which also rendered them physiologically incapable of time travel. Due to this, as well as their new-found ruthlessness, it was passed down by the races that destroyed them that the Iconians had been "demons of air and darkness", traveling via Iconian gateways and ruling oppressively over their large empire. Captain Jean-Luc Picard of the U.S.S. Enterprise-D once speculated that this might be historical revisionism by the victorious powers, an assumption that would later prove correct. In time, the Iconians retreated from the galaxy to the Andromeda Dyson Sphere, and they as well as their homeworld became nothing but a myth. 

Apparent absence and subversion
In 2365, the discovered an ancient Iconian device during archaeological digs on, revealing the long lost location of Iconia in what by then had become the Romulan Neutral Zone. After arriving at Iconia, however, the Yamato fell victim to an unmanned Iconian Probe that transmitted a piece of Iconian software to rewrite the ship's computer systems and ultimately causing a warp core breach. To prevent a war with the Romulan Star Empire, who claimed the planet for themselves, as well as the Iconian technology from falling into the hands of then-Commander Taris of the, Captain Picard destroyed what was believed to be the only remaining outpost on the planet's surface. 

A second Iconian base was found on Vandros IV in the Gamma Quadrant by the Dominion in 2372. There, a group of renegade Jem'Hadar took over the facility and attempted to use its Gateway to stage a rebellion against the Dominion. A Starfleet/Dominion joint operation commanded by Cpt. Benjamin Sisko and Lt. Cmdr. Worf destroyed the base. 

Despite their apparent absence from the Milky Way, however, the Iconians' desire for vengeance remained unchanged. Already in the 22nd Century, they used the Elachi to gather intelligence on the Humans. In the late 24th and early 25th centuries, they used the Solanae to abduct and study Humans as well as other Alpha/Beta Quadrant species and began to secretly manipulate species of the galaxy in order to prepare for an eventual invasion. Although an initial attempt to infiltrate Starfleet Command with bio-engineered neural parasites was thwarted by the crew of the Enterprise-D, later incursions were more successful. By faking intrusions of Alpha and Beta Quadrant ships into fluidic space, the Iconians pushed the Undine into an aggressive position against the Federation and the Klingon Empire amongst others, causing several conflicts such as the Klingon-Gorn War and the Federation-Klingon War. Their biggest subversion, however, was to deceive Taris of the Romulan Star Empire and even manipulating one of her officers, Hakeev, into causing the Hobus supernova, which destroyed Romulus and Remus in 2387. 

Missions involved

 * : In 2409, Borg Cube 19721 is disabled in the T'liss System during an attempt to survey "Species 29" as part of Project Iconia.
 * : The player investigates relics of Iconian origin at the behest of Dr. Edward Grissom.
 * : The investigation of the Hobus disaster leads the player to Iconia, where an ancient Iconian base and an operational Gateway are found. It seems the Romulan rebels under Taris had been triggering a transmission from that base that ultimately caused the Hobus supernova. Taris is subsequently captured and placed in custody.
 * : Reman Resistance leader Obisek reveals that the Tal Shiar no longer serves the Romulan Star Empire but rather the "demons of air and darkness", an enemy he's never seen that seeks revenge for being driven from their homeworld.
 * : After finding an Iconian gateway on Nopada Prime, it is confirmed that Colonel Hakeev of the Tal Shiar is directly working for the Iconians and actively researches ways to best invoke conflict between various species.




 * : Following Hakeev's death, two Iconian Gateways are discovered and destroyed on Brea III. During a battle in orbit, Empress Sela's is captured by an Iconian ship through a third gateway built into an asteroid. This Gateway is also destroyed.
 * : Obisek wonders openly about the looming Iconian threat to the galaxy.
 * : Captain Va'Kel Shon mentions the Iconian threat during the Borg conference on Deep Space 9.
 * : During the debriefing, Commander Mesi Achebe reveals that during the prison riot at Facility 4028, Taris escaped - apparently with help from the Iconians.
 * : It is discovered that the Iconians attacked the Undine in fluidic space, provoking them into infiltrating and destabilizing the galaxy.
 * : An Iconian gateway is discovered beneath the surface of New Romulus (Dewa III). An ancient video recording shows what is believed to be an Iconian talking to a Dewan and then passing through the gateway.
 * : Iconian database entries on a base in subspace show that the Iconians have been monitoring various powers in all four Quadrants of the galaxy. It is also revealed that there are 7,255 gateways of which 5,967 are inactive and 880 damaged or inoperative. The player also learns that there are Gateways active in Andromeda and that the Elachi and Solanae are servitor races of the Iconians. The Gateway network is reset and a ship-sized Iconian Gateway hidden in subspace appears in the Jouret System.
 * : In 2410, an Iconian appears in the Great Hall on Qo'noS and warns the players' factions against "attracting their attention", killing members of the High Council when they voice defiance.
 * : Analyzing a strange device found on Vaadwaur Prime after the defeat of Gaul, the player discovers that the Vaadwaur communicated with the Iconians via an Elachi station in subspace accessed from the Nal Shadaan System in the Delta Quadrant. On the station, the player and The Doctor discover Sela, who had been imprisoned by the Iconians for the past few months. She refers to the Solanae and the Elachi as the Iconian's scientists and warriors, respectively. She also points out that any point in the galaxy, and maybe the entire universe, is but a single step away for the Iconians, but also that their hubris is their biggest weakness. It is also revealed that Iconians directed the Solanae to bio-engineer neural parasites in order to control the Vaadwaur who they also outfitted with superior technology.
 * : Via Hakeev's personal gateway, Sela and the player board the Andromeda Dyson Sphere. Here, they find Taris, whom Sela subsequently pushes off a precipice, and observe millions of Iconian and servitor warships massing around the sphere's central star before escaping. The sphere jumps to the Iconia System, marking the beginning of the Iconians' invasion of the Milky Way.
 * : The Iconians launch the first strike of their war against the Milky Way, sending the Heralds to attack Starbase 234 and New Romulus. An Iconian appears on New Romulus and obliterates a group of Romulan Republic forces attempting to repel the Heralds on the surface, and M'Tara, the same Iconian who visited Qo'nos, appears on Lae'nas III and kills a Preserver, claiming that it is the Iconians' right and duty to rule the galaxy.
 * : The player joins a covert operation by the Klingon Empire to infiltrate an Omega molecule production facility in the Dinasia System. While there, Emperor Kahless engages T'Ket in combat and manages to bring the Iconian to her knees with the player's assistance. He removes T'Ket's arm with the Sword of Kahless, but is slain before he can land the final blow and the sword has to be left behind.
 * : M'Tara, T'Ket, L'Miren and the 9 other Iconians appear after the player and Nog are removed from the timeline. M'Tara mentions how the bombardment of Iconia broke the Iconians' unity, which made them weaker, and how "The Other" helped to save the survivors.
 * : After crippling and boarding the Iconians' flagship, the player faces off against M'Tara, eventually killing her after draining her energy to the point she can no longer sustain herself. With the last of her strength, she summons T'Ket and L'Miren and beseeches them to avenge her. They both vow to do so as the player escapes.
 * : The Iconians carry out a final assault on Earth. The Alliance sends its fleets to hold Earth while the player, Sela, and Kagran travel back in time to the attack on Iconia to destroy any Iconian survivors. The player instead opts to assist T'Ket and L'Miren in evacuating the planet and saving the World Heart, thereby becoming the revered "Other". As they are about to escape through a gateway, Sela opens fire on the Iconians, injuring L'Miren, for which T'Ket vows revenge. The player retrieves the World Heart and, returning with it to the present, uses it to make peace with L'Miren. Although the Iconian War is officially ended, T'Ket still hungers for revenge and disappears. L'Miren on the other hand expresses her plans to return the World Heart to Iconia, where the remaining 10 Iconians plan to rebuild their civilization.
 * : A team of Ferengi led by Quark and Nog infiltrates T’Ket’s fleet of Iconian renegades, in order to retrieve the Sword of Kahless.
 * : The Iconians appear within a simulacrum recreation of.
 * : The Iconians appear within a simulacrum recreation of.

NPCs

 * ''See List of Iconian NPCs

Servitor races

 * The Iconians use a number of races, referred to as servitor races, who openly serve, and in some cases worship, the Iconians.
 * Bluegill: Bio-engineered by the Solanae. Used to infiltrate and control other races, including the Vaadwaur and certain individuals in the Federation.
 * Dewans: Subordinate species, now extinct.
 * Elachi: Warrior caste.
 * Heralds: Personal servants and elite front-line soldiers.
 * Romulans (Tal Shiar): Operatives serving under Taris and Hakeev.
 * Solanae: Scientist caste.
 * Additionally, the Iconians have manipulated the Undine to attack the Alpha Quadrant powers by attacking Fluidic space with replica Alpha Quadrant ships.

With the end of the Iconian War, and the division between T'Ket and the other surviving Iconians, the current status of the servitor races - including whom any given servitor race may now be aligned with, T'Ket or The Whole - is unknown, although at least some Heralds continue to fight for T'Ket.

Military
The Iconians' military force is made up of Herald servants who operate their advanced starships and fight their enemies on the ground.

Starships

 * Iconian Probe
 * Mir Fighter
 * Baltim Raider
 * Quas Cruiser
 * Vonph Battleship
 * Iaidon Dreadnought

Ground Forces

 * Construct
 * Thrall
 * Fused Construct
 * Defiler
 * Harbinger

Bosses

 * Harbinger of M'Tara
 * Harbinger of T'Ket
 * T'Ket
 * M'Tara