Over 350 years ago...
An unknown race of humanoid life forms was dying. They had destroyed their home world with their own technology. Stealing needed materials from moons and nearby planets, the race destroyed countless worlds.
But even with those extra materials, the race was still on a rapid decline. Birth control was monitored by the government. Young girls were even killed at times to keep the population down.
Rebellions began, wars were fought. One group, who called themselves Ba'ku, understood the danger and horrors were caused by the technological side of their race. They tried to speak up. They tried to establish colonies that were untechnological, but the government didn't believe them and thought their attitudes were treasonous.
The Ba'ku quickly pooled their resources and gained control of a vessel. The group of uncounted hundreds piled onto the ship. The conditions were terrible, there wasn't enough room, and it was impossible to live by the old ways as they had wished. For the trip they depended on replication and waste recycling technology to survive.
They realized that although it could destroy their colony to live by technology, it was important to never loose the knowledge of it. The medicines and surgical procedures could save their lives, if they only ignored devices like weapons and androids.
Over the trip, thanks to a few select Ba'ku, conditions got better as they organized their ship and removed weapon systems and other things to save room.
Then, one day, their propulsion system when out. They still had the ability to move, but not enough to get clear of a large nebula.
They were able to safely navigate through the nebula and found a planet that rested inside. A dangerous crash landing damaged the vessel beyond repair without materials and computers. They were stranded on the planet with only a handful of scanning devices and the memory banks of their ship.
They began their mission for a simpler life, including hand copying all the text in their databanks into books, a job that they thought would take generations.
It only took a few months to notice that something odd was going on. Older men began to grow hair again, and those who became terribly ill on the long trip began to recover to better condition than when they left. Most praised the clean air and way of life for the health of the Ba'ku.
After a few years it became blatantly obvious that none of the Ba'ku had aged. Many had even began growing younger, except the children, they seemed to age normally.
They dug out their old scanning devices and looked at their science files (still in the process of being transferred). There was metaphasic radiation in the planets rings. It had been all over the nebula but seemed very, very concentrated in the rings of the planet. It had an amazing affect on those living there. It constantly regenerated their cellular structure. They had found a fountain of youth.
2264
A group of younger people, sick of the humdrum life on the planet, wished to construct machines and ships to explore the cosmos. Their parents tried to explain what was out there, but the children wouldn't listen. They began to secretly plan an escape.
Many thought that the elders were weak. Even though they constantly stayed young, they were still over two centuries old and were stuck in the old ways. Reading the books on technology and scraps for the original ship, they constructed a crude transport ship and some weapons. They also managed to find the original database that held all the information.
However, they could not access the database, they were forced to read the books to learn what they needed to know.
2275
After over a decade of planning, they were ready. The time had come. About 100 young had joined the group. They called themselves Son'a. They all ran away from their homes one day. That night, they attacked. They ran towards the village firing their crude energy weapons that used lasers instead of the more powerful phased energy they had read about.
Their leader was the first to fire. He was amazed when he weapon's energy never reached the target. None of the weapons did. The could only reach a certain point. Confused, the children stopped. The elders came out.
After so many years of planning, the elders knew of the children's plan and how they planned to execute. They had decided the best course of action was actually a small bit of technology. They created a laser dampening field around the village that would stop all laser weapons shot towards it.
The group was exiled away from the planet. They were told that if they thought technology and weapons were the answer that they needed to find out for themselves the dangers and horrors that they caused. The group got on their transport and left the planet to explore they galaxy.
2300
Ro'tin, now Ru'afo, looked at himself. He looked older than his father. All the Son'a did. They had aged normally. Reading the database that they had finally gotten to work, they realized why. Ru'afo felt as if their exile was a death sentence.
The Son'a had become a powerful force over the years. Using the information, they had made great adjustments to their ship and been able to set up a colony that quickly was run by machines. There, a few Son'a constructed ships and weapons.
But, no Son'a stayed on the factory planet for more than one rotation at a time. They all wished to explore and conquer. A search for a strong, primitive race began. Two were found.
2325
The Tarlac were a vicious, was like race that was easily conquered. Many were used taken to the factory and were put to work.
The Ellora were a race of beautiful creatures that were also very primitive.
The Son'a integrated them as a labor class. They were paid and given rights because the Son'a had learned that slaves began rebellions, just as they had 50 years ago.
The Tarlac men and women mostly worked in the factories, while the Ellora women did other services for the aging Son'a.
By this time, Ru'afo was equivalently 65 years old. His skin had sagged and he was getting sicker. The Ellora became nursemaids to the Son'a. Much technology had been developed to keep the signs of age away, but the Son'a never stopped looking for a better solution.
2350
By this time the Son'a were a strong force in the quadrant. They had taken over a large portion of space and held it firmly. But, many of the Son'a were reaching dangerously high ages. Also, no young were born anymore. Some of the first cleansing processes failed and made the Son'a a sterile race. There would be no one to continue to run the empire.
Then, the first Son'a died. Cause: Old Age.
A few Son'a, including Ru'afo's second, Gallatin, thought it would be best to return home and apologize. He knew that if they left now that they would survive and would maybe grow young again.
Ru'afo denied the request. He refused to admit he was wrong. But, the thought of returning was appealing. After studying the metaphasic radiation, the Son'a learned that if it could be harvested it could be used to create the effects of the planet for billions. However, they had no way to harvest it.
2366
The United Federation of Planets gains control of the area of space where the Ba'ku lived. They called the nebula, the Briar Patch, due to its strange interior that resembled the plant. Dangerous, thorny, and slow going.
The Federation controlled the entire sector, although they rarely visited the other side of the nebula. It was so huge that it took three days to cross through it, or five to go around it.
2372
The Son'a were notorious bullies. They had created isolytic subspace weapons and had begun making large quantities of the narcotic, ketracel-white.
They had also developed a way to harvest the metaphasic radiation. The only downfall was that if would destroy the planet. Secretly, Ru'afo loved the idea of stealing the fountain of youth from the elders with the same technology that they abandoned centuries ago.
However, he didn't wish to begin a war with the Federation. He waited for the right time.
2375
The Federation had taken huge losses from the Borg, and were on the verge of loosing the war against the Dominion. They had integrated an enormous number of societies into the Federation. Ru'afo took the opportunity that was presented. He offered to join the Federation.
The Federation was cautious at first. Some in its ranks feared the use of the subspace weapons, other realized the potential of having an ally without Federation morals who could take a chunk out of the Dominion. Peace talks began.
Ru'afo looked for, and found, a Admiral who could be easily convinced. Admiral Dougherty was easily convinced that the plan the Son'a had could save the Federation. Slowly, Ru'afo began to tear away his morals. He gained huge victory when he convince the Admiral that it would be OK to transport the Ba'ku without their knowledge so that the radiation could be harvested.
Ru'afo wanted his elders to grow old and die, just like he and his friends were doing.
The scheme failed when Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and the crew of the USS Enterprise NCC-1701-E, revealed the existence of a holoship to the Ba'ku.
Ahdar Ru'afo was consumed with bitterness and anger, and prepared to harvest the metaphasic radiation while a significant number of the Ba'ku were still on the planet. This proved too much for Subahdar Gallatin, who joined forces with Picard and enabled him to destroy the science vessel that would harvest the radiation, killing Ru'afo.
Following the incident, many of the Son'a returned home. For some, it was too late, the metaphasic radiation could not cure them or old age. But, they died with their families.
Gal'na, Gallatin's real name, took control of the Son'a. They became more peaceful, giving the Tarlac and Ellora more freedom. They dismantled their subspace weapons. They also created a stronger alliance with the Federation.
2380
Captain Picard retired. Relations with the Dominion were stable, and the Federation was doing well. He returned to the Ba'ku planet, which had been kept a secret so that no one else would attempt what the Son'a did.
Picard was only allowed to retire there because he knew of it and he was invited by the Ba'ku to return.
2381
Gal'na dies. Another Son'a takes over.
2382
Picard is kidnapped by an unknown people.
It was difficult looking for Picard. Huge efforts were made because of his living legend status. Finally, Picard was found in a torpedo tube, redesigned as a transport vessel. He was found only days before the craft would have flown into a star.
Upon waking him, the Federation told Picard that they had made plans to explore the other side of the Briar Patch. They had created plans for a Supply Base that would sit at the other side so that ships would not get stuck on the other side without any allies or communication with Starfleet. Also, traders could use the station to make it feasible to trade and develop friendships with races in that section of space.
Picard demanded to be made part of the plans. He was furious over his kidnapping and knew that security was a must.
Admiral Ross granted Picard Admiral status. Although the plans and construction for Supply Base 901 had started, it's crew had not been decided.
Picard requested, and was granted, full jurisdiction over the crew compliment of SB901. He began to choose the crew carefully, starting with the commanding officer.