Deneb Sector
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The Deneb Sector is one of the most distant frontiers of the United Federation of Planets. Stretching across their trailing-coreward border in the Alpha Quadrant, it lies nestled between the territory of the Breen Confederacy and the Kzinti Patriarchy, and reaches into some of the most remote and unexplored parts of the known galaxy. The main hub of Federation activity in the region is Farpoint Station.
History
The Federation first ventured into the region in the late 22nd century, where they met the highly hostile Kzinti. As encounters almost always ended in violence, early colonisation was exceptionally dangerous and Starfleet discouraged unnecessary travel or prospecting to the region. Some colonies were still founded, and to this day have flourished as some of the largest and most prosperous on this frontier.
Only in the 24th century, when the Kzinti became more insular and withdrew their influence from much of the sector, did the Federation begin exploration and settlement in earnest. As recently as the 2360s, Starfleet was reliant on locals such as the Bandi for assistance with regional infrastructure, such as with the settlement of the first Farpoint Station. The discovery of the true nature of Farpoint Station, that of an injured alien life form that could change its form, reinforced not only the elusive nature of this mysterious frontier, but the need for Starfleet to be vigilant in its operations.
The second Farpoint Station was built some years later, and the Deneb Sector continued as a ripe new frontier for colonisation and exploration. This caught the attention of the nearby Breen, however, who started to view Federation colonists as possible targets for their slavery. Starfleet contemplated whether to respond with more force or to discourage civilian activity on the frontier, but the decision was delayed and then forced with the rising military needs of the Borg incursions and then the Dominion War. The Breen’s entry into the conflict led to increased fortification of the region, with new defensive forces assigned to the region.
While the aftermath of the war stymied hostilities with the Breen, the established military infrastructure allowed the Deneb Sector to flourish. Now its locals were better armed against the Breen, the Kzinti, or any mercenaries who would deny ever being paid by the Ferengi, let alone the dangers of the unknown frontier beyond.
The border became somewhat set after the Attack on Mars, with Starfleet loath to expand any further, but for colonists who preferred as little interruption to their way of life from the central Federation as possible, a golden age of settlement, prospecting, and industry began.
2399-2401
In 2399, the Breen began a new offensive into Federation space, including in the Deneb Sector. While local Starfleet forces and defences have stopped much of the aggression in its tracks, raiders have still on occasion pushed across the border on missions of theft and enslavement against Federation settlements. Likewise the Kzinti, while never consistently venturing too far from their space, have seen their Federation neighbours as ripe targets for raiding.
Starfleet defensive infrastructure stopped large-scale assaults from these powers, but the settlements of the Deneb Sector are highly dispersed and the local Starfleet task group was relatively small and unable to protect everywhere at once. Settlers in the Deneb Sector, Federation colonists of all stripes and species, grew accustomed to fending for themselves in defence as much as industry. While Starfleet was not viewed with hostility or suspicion, the colonists are a hardy breed generally prepared to go it alone, even against the likes of the Breen.
The Dominion Incursion
For more information see The Lost Fleet.
In February 2401, the Dominion ‘Lost Fleet’ - forces that vanished from the Bajoran wormhole in the Dominion War - appeared in deep space beyond the border of the Deneb Sector and launched an invasion of the Federation. Reigniting their old alliance with the Breen, they annexed vast swathes of Federation territory, holding and fortifying worlds they needed and waging devastation elsewhere to disrupt Starfleet logistics and morale.
Starfleet was slow to respond, downplaying the severity of the situation as a minor Breen incursion. Months later, this refusal to act would transpire to be a result of the Changeling infiltration that would later culminate in the conspiracy that caused the crisis of Frontier Day. Only the Fourth Fleet responded, its leadership using its mandate to respond to crises as they saw fit to bypass the need to wait for Starfleet Command to order them there. Not long after, the Cardassian Union, learning of this return of their former allies and architects of the genocide against their people in the final hours of the Dominion War, dispatched the hardened military force of the Third Order to assist in the defeat of the Lost Fleet.
Both forces spent long weeks embedded in this campaign. Worlds were fought over, some liberated more swiftly than others. Eventually, however, Starfleet was successful in liberating lost territory, and the Lost Fleet was eventually convinced of the error of its ways, ordered to stand down in a missive from the Gamma Quadrant, modern-day Dominion leadership.
Aftermath and Present Day
With the end of the invasion and, later, the revelation that the abandonment of the Deneb Sector was a Changeling plot, Starfleet began redirecting resources to support the Deneb Sector's recovery. Many ships of the Fourth Fleet spent a period after Frontier Day aiding directly in the rebuilding and redevelopment of the region, and putting down final pockets of hostility from the neighbouring Breen.
Today, the Deneb Sector still bears the scars of this invasion. The Dominion caused mass slaughter in worlds they did not need, and brutally oppressed the populations of those they did. Recovery will take a long time, and the local dangers of the Breen, Kzinti, and the more unscrupulous figures of the underworld have not vanished. But in many places, trust in Starfleet has been considerably restored. The Deneb Sector remains a wild region of space, but it is also once again the final port before missions of exploration venture into the unknown regions beyond. There is always a world that needs help, a border that needs defending, or a new stretch of the final frontier to be challenged here.
Notable Locations
The Deneb Sector is dotted with various colonies, hubs of industry, starbases, and stellar phenomena. Many systems are poorly charted, with priority given to only the most obvious homes of life or precious resources, but untold secrets could remain on worlds even deep within the border.
Stations
- Farpoint Station - the planetary station in the Deneb system itself, and main hub of Starfleet operations in the sector. Ships receive support, supplies, and maintenance from the Presidium-class station in orbit.
- Starbase 514 - the Copernicus-class station near the Kzinti border. With limited capacity to support large Starfleet ships, SB514 provides ships and shuttles to conduct border patrols and support locals. It is also home to the regional Starfleet force, Task Group 514.
- Pesak Repair Yards - a civilian ship repair facility
- Messif Supply Depot - a civilian surface supply depot
- Shangris Science Station - a Jupiter-class research outpost
Colonies
Stellar Phenomena
In Breen Space
In Ferengi Space
In Play
- The Deneb Sector was the main setting for the 2023 Fleet Action 'The Lost Fleet'. The description of the Dominion invasion summarises the event, and most of the setting, including the pages listed immediately above, were written for this event. These locations remain free for anyone to use as places that give the area colour and intrigue and can be visited or used in your stories.
- Since the Lost Fleet was defeated, the Deneb Sector is in recovery. It will take years before even the wounds of the brief invasion and occupation will heal, whether literally, psychologically, or in local infrastructure. There is always work to be done on worlds that were occupied or bombarded, and in rebuilding what was once there to keep the region safe or even merely functional.
- The people of the Deneb Sector are hardy and independent, but their protection has also been one of Starfleet's biggest moral victories in recent years. They know the Fourth Fleet came to them when others didn't, and they have become increasingly reliant on the Federation's aid in rebuilding. Some locals may be embittered about this for various reasons, but if Starfleet treats them in good faith, most will respond in kind.
- The Deneb Sector is also the last stretch of so-called civilisation for any ships venturing on missions of exploration into the spinward regions of the undiscovered Alpha Quadrant. Many crews will stop off on worlds or stations here before they head into the unknown. More than merely the last taste of the Federation in some while, this means part of the recovery of the region includes infrastructure to support and receive such crews - and any discoveries they may have made. This is a wild frontier, but it also embraces its identity as the edge of the unknown with excitement.