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We Are Here!
SECTOR 1757: THE EXPANSE
With war behind the Federation, and the Cardassian Union still licking their wounds and focused on rebuilding their fractured society, Starfleet returns to its primary mission of exploration and study of the unknown. Thus Task Force 92 is born and founded on these ideals. Its mission is to operate far from traditional Federation Borders, to explore strange new worlds, seek out new life forms and civilisations; to peacefully explore the great beyond!
But first we have to get there. A task that is easier said than done. There is a swath of space that the Federation shares with the Cardassian Union, a line in space that has been constantly plagued with turmoil. Not only is this border shared with the Union, but the Ferengi, Tzenkethi, Breen, even the Badlands have all, so far, blocked our exploration. Beyond all of this however, is a large area of space shrouded in mystery, our prize. It is, The Expanse.
The Expanse is one of the last large unexplored regions of the Alpha Quadrant. While the Federation has spent centuries exploring our home Quadrant, as well as the other three, they have neglected this large area of space. As a result, many myths, legends and strange stories of the Expanse have permeated through the Federation and it is up to us to separate fact from fiction.
Any local peoples that may be encountered in the Expanse are typically not affiliated to a centralised government. They do however adhere to a loose trade agreement and are very wary of having yet another major galactic power invade their space. To abate those fears, Starfleet has promised that no more than 8 ships will be operational in the Expanse at any time, at least until the local governments are more comfortable with the idea.
Notable Locations
Although Kepler itself might not traverse The Expanse that doesn't stop members of the crew from doing so. Here are some locations that are worth mentioning.
Planetoid
Designation: (2433614) 2386 KA.
Roughly one day away from Kepler at Cruising Velocity (Warp 6) this seemingly dead planetoid proved to be the location of an elaborate satellite system that masked the location of a Holodeck facility. How or why they were built is unknown but at the time the USS Harbinger passed by they fell into the trap of a rather mad Romulan, tr'Rot, who had taken up residence.
Discovered during: The Donkey's Brahe
Oratt IX
Oratt IX is a medium-sized O Class planet within The Expanse that was mapped by the USS Endeavour during their long-range sensor sweeps of the region. Further investigation was conducted by the Science Department who launched a probe to take more detailed scans of key areas. It was upon retrieval of the probe that the mineral later classified as Teslacite was discovered.
Consisting mostly of water, like other O Class planets, the land formations have built up over millions of years worth of volcanic activity. There is no indication that any of the volcanoes located throughout the planet are still active however which has allowed plant and animal life to thrive across most of the larger continents.
Discovered during: Curieosity Killed The Cat
Native Species
While most of the indigenous lifeforms on Oratt are aquatic there are one or two land dwelling species, such as the lizards and rabbit-sized deer encountered by the Away Team from Kepler Station. The dominant species are known as the Oratti and are humanoid amphibians who live in subterranean structures scattered about the planet.
Special thanks to Curson for the original AOP map