Telepathic devices that stored the history of a power struggle that wiped out the Saltah'na race. The Klingon ship Toh'Kaht found the sphere on a planet in the Gamma Quadrant in 2369. The spheres proved to have a self-sustained energy matrix that caused the Klingon crew to kill themselves acting out the power struggle recorded within the sphere. Just before the Toh'Kaht exploded, First Office Hon'Tihl beamed to Deep Space Nine carrying the matrix. The matrix then affected the Ops personnel in the same way, splitting them into factions led by Commander Sisko and Major Kira. Unaffected by the telepathic sphere, Security Chief Odo was able to enlist Dr. Julian Bashir's assistance in creating a signal that forced the energy matrix out of the Deep Space Nine crew and into space.