The Lords of Silence

Formed in 1188 with the goal to “reduce and eventually abolish all commerce and inappropriate contact among the stars,” the Lords of Silence are the largest and most influential group in a philosophical halo of organizations called the non-interventionists. Most such organizations disintegrate after a few months due to ideological conflicts among their constituent species, but the ruler of the Lords of Silence, an enigmatic figure called only The Mute One, has forbidden species-related animosity.

The Lords of Silence are considered a “high danger” terrorist organization by the Triskelion; they recently gained similar notoriety in Human space when they hijacked an Imperial starliner and nearly destroyed it.

Despite their violent policies on several dozen worlds, the Lords of Silence possess links with non-aggressive circles of academics and philosophers, who generate political arguments that attempt to bolster the Lords’ position. They argue that almost all interstellar activity is detrimental to individual worlds, and that contact should be kept to a minimum, with certain more advanced races (in this scheme, Moochava, Mendats, and Bomaugs) shepherding and protecting other races from unacceptable influences. These arguments have curried some favor with academics, but the violence displayed by the Lords of Silence have so far kept them out of political circles.