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In 2373 USS Voyager found that members of this race, who possessed
a pre-industrial technology and outwardly resembled humans, were being
taken advantage of by two Ferengi who had been stranded in the Delta Quadrant
in 2366 after passage through the Barzan Wormhole. The Ferengi had been
mistaken as the Holy Sages, two demigods spoken of in the epic poem Song
of the Sages. Voyager was able to abduct the Ferengi and make it appear
to fulfill the end of the poem, in which the sages were led away by the
Holy Pilgrim. The members of this race encountered by Voyager used a form
of currency known as a frang.
In 2366 two Ferengi, Arridor and Koll, crashed their shuttle on this
planet after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant by the Barzan Wormhole,
which was stable in the Alpha Quadrant but whose terminus in the Delta
Quadrant moved from point to point. Making their way to the nearest habitable
star system, they crashed in the town square of Takar, a small but prosperous
community possessing a pre-industrial level of technology. The two Ferengi
were immediately mistaken as the Holy Sages spoken of in the epic poem
Song of the Sages. In this poem the sages were said to arrive from the
sky on a pillar of flame, a description that matched the burning trail
of plasma their shuttle had been emitting during their descent to the surface.
Under Arridor's leadership and initiative, the two Ferengi quickly took
financial advantage of the Takarians and their mythical beliefs. They soon
found themselves living in an extravagant temple while the townfolk went
poor. The Takarians, as well as the citizens of other outlying provinces,
were brought under the financial control of the Holy Sages, who promoted
the virtues of Ferengi culture and used a replicator taken from their shuttle
to appear capable of magical feats.
In 2373, while going about their normal business, Arridor and Koll
suddenly found themselves beamed aboard USS Voyager, a Federation starship
that had been lost in the Delta Quadrant years earlier and had detected
the recent presence of the Barzan wormhole in the area. Arridor was intrigued
at Captain Janeway's intent to try and attract the wormhole back to the
area so that they could return to the Alpha Quadrant, but Arridor was not
about to give up his life of opulence. He argued that he and Koll might
well be the Holy Sages described in the poem, and that their sudden disappearance
from Takar could cause despair and confusion among the town's inhabitants,
who truly thought that the Ferengi were gods. Janeway, who had planned
on taking the Ferengi back to the Alpha Quadrant, relented and returned
them to the planet. Upon his return, Arridor modified the replicator so
that it emitted an ionic disruption field that prevented transporter usage.
A short time later Arridor and Koll were shocked and surprised when the
Grand Proxy arrived at their temple. The Proxy indicated that Voyager had
been successful in temporarily stabilizing the wormhole and that the ship
had contacted the Alliance and informed them of Arridor and Koll's operation.
The two Ferengi were to be sent back to the Nagus and were to give a speech
to the Takarians about their departure. The Proxy declared that all of
their holdings were to be appropriated, and then left to attend to other
business. When the Proxy returned Arridor and Koll reacted by trying to
kill him. The frightened Proxy then revealed that he was actually Neelix,
a Voyager crewmember in disguise. Arridor allowed Neelix to go free and
told him to tell Janeway to leave him an Koll alone. Neelix, still in his
Ferengi disguise, later appeared among the townfolk posing as the Holy
Pilgrim, another character in the poem who was supposed to arrive and lead
the sages away on wings of fire. Neelix furthered his claim by making reference
to three new stars that were a part of the poem and a sign that the sages
were to return from whence they came. Three bright objects appeared in
the sky at Neelix's command—actually photon bursts fired from Voyager.
Arridor and Koll refuted Neelix's claim, but soon found themselves set
upon by the Takarians, who tied all three up and attempted to burn them
alive. By this time Commander Chakotay had managed to disable the ionic
interference field and Arridor, Koll and Neelix were beamed back to Voyager.