The Borderlands: Difference between revisions

{{Borderlands}}

The Borderlands is a vast swath of Federation space that borders the Klingon Empire. Little is known of this volatile region and local legends talk of rampant piracy, hazadous stellar phenomena and space-faring ‘monsters’- all of which have combined to ward off merchants and colony vessels. Despite being recognised as Federation space by most Alpha and Beta Quadrant powers, the area contains a number of indigenous and unaffiliated civilisations such as the Nascaik, the Thama, the Demesians and the R’ongovians- and the Federation has committed to respecting these sovereign claims.

While there are no official stellar boundaries, it is commonly accepted that the Paulson Nebula marks one, with the Celendi Nebula marking another. The oft-disputed Archanis Sector is not considered part of The Borderlands, but is considered adjacent- as is the Mempa Sector. Some parts of the infamous Briar Patch fall within the Borderlands, as does the Azure Nebula- the site of a confrontation between the Starship Excelsior and a Klingon battlecruiser in late 2293.

Starfleet’s first known exploration of this uncharted expanse dates back to the mid 22nd century, when the SS Enterprise NX-01 under the command of Captain Johnathan Archer. During this period, the region was considered was lawless and there was a significant Orion Syndicate presence, mostly centred around Verex III. During this time, Klingon scouts were known to operate in the region, looking for new opportunities for imperial expansion. However this initiative by the High Council was suspended by the turn of the 2160s. It is believed that the Syndicate withdrew from Verex III (and by extension, The Borderlands) at the turn of the 23rd century in favour of an increased presence in the Rigel Sectors.

In recent months, Starfleet Strategic Operations have been deploying resources to combat a rising number of pirate attacks and concerns of weapons smuggling out of the ‘failed’ Earth colony Turkana IV, although political commentators have expressed doubt that these efforts will meet with much success.

Given the vast size of The Borderlands, many areas within its commonly accepted boundaries are distinct from one another. Additionally, the region is home to a vast array of stellar phenomena many of which are still not fully understood.

Aside from the aforementioned Paulson Nebula, the region also includes portions of the Azure Nebula, the uncharted and volatile Celendi Nebula which has been responsible for the destruction and disappearance of numerous ships as well as some of the outer boundaries of the stellar remnant known alternately as the ‘Briar Patch’ and ‘Klach D’kel Brakt’ by the Federation and the Klingon Empire, respectively.

Despite the reluctance of many shipmasters and commercial entities to venture in to The Borderlands, there does exist a shipping route,(albeit one that is used infrequently) known as the Celendi Trade Lane. The commonly accepted route begins at StarBase 118 in the nearby Trinity Sector and stretches to the Klingon Border, skirting the outermost boundaries of the Celendi Nebula (from where the route gets its name). Once the lane reaches the Klingon Empire, it becomes subsumed by the greater wa’neS (Wayfarer’s Passage) trade routes.