Vorta

The Vorta are the Dominion's administrators, negotiators, politicians, and scientists.  Because the Founders do not normally consider such matters worthy of their attention, the Vorta are responsible for the day-to-day running of Dominion operations, including the development of military strategy, all diplomatic duties, and controlling the Dominion's various subject races.  To the casual observer, the Vorta might even appear to be the masters of the Dominion.  The Vorta are humanoid, with dark hair and long ribbed ears that run from the back of the jaw to a point near the top of the head.  Some Vorta have demonstrated limited telekinetic abilities and can generate blue-white energy spheres that can throw an opponent a distance of several meters.  Unlike the Jem'Hadar, there are male and female Vorta.

According to a story that the Vorta tell, they were originally small, timid, ape-like creatures who lived in hollowed trees in the forests of their homeworld.  They survived on a diet of nuts and berries and lived in fear of the many predators that hunted them for food.  The Vorta's history took a dramatic turn when a Founder was chased into the forest by an angry mob of solids.  A family of Vorta took the Changeling in and hid it from its pursuers.  In return, the Changeling promised the Vorta that one day the Vorta would be changed into powerful beings and would play an important part in an empire that would stretch across the Gamma Quadrant.  It seems the Founders kept their word, and the Vorta are now one of the most powerful races in the Dominion.  Over the years, the Founders have altered the Vorta's genetic structure to make sure that they can perform their role as efficiently as possible.  Today, the Vorta have weak eyesight but very sharp hearing.  The Vorta are also immune to most forms of poison, something which is useful in their position.  They have very little sense of taste, although they are aware of texture.  The Founders have ensured that they still enjoy kava nuts and rippleberries to remind them of their origins.

The Vorta are completely devoted to the Founders, whom they believe are gods.  They are well aware that their masters have genetically implanted them with this belief, but in the Vorta's minds this is perfectly reasonable behavior for gods. Nothing makes the Vorta happier than to be in the presence of a Founder, and they will do all they can to look good to their masters.  Although the Vorta worship the Founders, they are also preoccupied with their own survival, and if a Vorta is put in a position where he or she has to choose between their personal survival and the good of the Dominion they are quite likely to protect themselves.  This self-interest would probably not extend as far as openly going against a Founder, but a Vorta is unlikely to think twice before betraying the Jem'Hadar.  The Vorta command Jem'Hadar units and have an extremely uneasy relationship with the Dominion's troops.  The Vorta are well aware that if they did not have the protection of the Founders and the authority to control the distribution of ketracel-white, the Jem'Hadar would turn on them in an instant.  Vorta who betray the Founders have very bleak prospects, and after an unpleasant debriefing they are executed.

The Vorta hope that every situation can be resolved by manipulating others.  Vorta field operatives make sure that they are extremely well informed about the Dominion's opponents, and make a point of studying the psychological profiles of their potential adversaries.  When they meed an enemy they are likely to try to find a way of bribing them, or at the very least exploiting their weaknesses.  They will automatically flatter almost everyone, however obvious it is that they are being completely insincere.  Lying comes so naturally to the Vorta that little they say can be taken at face value.  Part of the Vorta's duties involves liaising with other Dominion members, such as the Cardassians.  They are responsible for propaganda, or, as they prefer to call it, presentation.  Although the Vorta typically attempt to resolve every situation by negotiation, they are more than ready to instruct the Jem'Hadar to use force.  They take the classic, 'iron fist in a velvet glove' approach to life; they greet everyone with a smile and pleasant-sounding words, but at the same time they are ruthlessly trying to calculate the best way to make them serve the Dominion's needs.  The Vorta are cloned; the Dominion has developed a technique that allows them to implant each version of a Vorta with at least some of its predecessor's memories, ensuring that their accumulated experience continues to serve the Dominion.  The cloning process is very delicate, and occasionally a clone is produced which does not show the necessary devotion to the Dominion or an absolute belief in its goals.

Under normal circumstances, a new Vorta is only activated when the previous version had died, though occasionally the Founders have replicated a replacement before a faulty clone has been eliminated.  Faulty Vorta are supposed to eliminate themselves using the termination implants that all Vorta have in their medulla oblongata.  The implant is activated by placing the index finger behind the ear and the thumb under the chin and applying pressure.  Death is quick and the Vorta are told that it is painless.  Despite being faulty, 'defective' Vorta usually have enough loyalty to willingly activate the device themselves.