The Briavians were a legendary race believed to have lived in the Alpha Quadrant thousands of years ago. The Briavians were reputed to be one of the earliest and most advanced races in their part of the galaxy.
The Briavians were purported to have developed a weapon called the Siriex Apparatus, which made them invincible, no matter the strength of their enemies. Regardless, the Briavians had disappeared by 7600 BCE, and by the 24th century, were believed to be little more than a myth.
In the 2370s, Wade Portlyn led an archaeological study on an unnamed planet which was supposedly the homeworld of the Briavians. The ruins of an unidentified civilization were found there, dating back at least ten thousand years. Also discovered on the planet was a device which was able to translocate individuals and objects as large as starships into an alternate interdimensional realm. This machine (dubbed "the Zapper" by the dig's financial backer, Rod Portlyn) was theorized to have been the Briavians' legendary weapon. (CoE eBook: The Art of the Comeback)