Arafel County is a region of the Alpha Proxima II colony. Arafel County is almost completely dependent on food imports from Sierra City. When a deadly plague was unleashed on Alpha Proxima II by one of the ancient Malkus Artifacts in 2266, Starfleet Commodore Matthew Decker declared martial law in the region. One of Decker's mandates was that food distrubution to Arafel County be overseen by a bureaucrat named Malruse. (TOS - The Brave and the Bold, Book One novella: The First Artifact)