Worlds like Pollux, Coridan, Tellun (Elas and Troyius), and Deneva are nearby, along with the vast Starbase 12 complex. Orion is in the ring that is the first colonial expansion from Earth. Orions were encountered early on the in the expansion of the fledgling Earth Starfleet. Orion and Orion III are the two main worlds in the Orion system. This is an entirely different problem for the Federation and Starfleet. This allows Bird of Prey traders and heavies to protect the Orion operations. With the fall of the Neutral Zone and the troubles in the Klingon Empire since Praxis, the Orion Syndicate finally has access to what Starfleet and the Federation Council dreaded all along: Klingon mercenaries and black market weapons. The sheer wealth of the Orion Syndicate, combined with their influence across all borders, has given them an almost unparalleled power and influence to transport their goods and trades to anyone and anywhere they want. The quest for the Orion government for neutrality and denial of involvement in the pirate oprations of the Orion Syndicate was a smokescreen to cover for the operations of the cartels. The Orion Syndicate took over the running of the planet and its satellite colonies as its own shadow empire, with the President and government of Orion as the legitimate, public face of the Syndicate. The need for narcotics, black market goods and prostitution, coupled with the social acceptance of these things as the norm, helped combine to topple the government in an invisible coup.
The society then rotted from within with the rise of the criminal cartels and their powerful influence. The culture reached the same heights that the United Federation of Planets enjoys today. The planet Orion was once a highly advanced civilization.