The Wastelands

The Wastelands
Location
Grid B5, Alpha Quadrant
Astrometrics Data
Quadrant:	Alpha Quadrant
Other Information
Affiliation:	Independent
Template:Infobox Landmark

The Wastelands are a large region of space that is sparsely populated by habitable worlds, species, and powers. The Federation first entered this region in 2273, though its attempts to deeply explore the area were short-lived due to lack of amenable ports for trade and resupply. Various conflicts throughout the Alpha and Beta Quadrants over the next century prevented the Federation from exploring further. In 2389, with the formation of the Alrakis Pact, the Federation returned to the Wastelands in hopes of establishing a foothold.

Overview

Many light-years to the south-west of Sol, an isolated, desolate region, cut off from the rest of the galaxy by large swathes of Federation, K’Zinti and Talarian territory, exists. A lawless territory filled with many worlds all lightyears apart, all free to come and go as they please. The area is known by many names, but to Starfleet it is known as ‘The Wastelands’.

No fancy fleets have been assigned there, no new installations built nearby in decades and only a handful of populated Federation colonies lie on the periphery of Federation space. Starfleet and the Federation have very little reason, and even less desire to be there - until now. Beyond the edge of Federation space, the people of the Wastelands, isolated and full of resentment towards the rest of the galaxy, do their best to thrive under sometimes perilous conditions. But now Starfleet has become embroiled in a race against the clock to make inroads into the area before the Alrakis Pact can claim new members. An area once lacking any strategic value has suddenly been thrust into the middle of a bitter feud, and the people of the Wastelands are ready to have their say on the matter...

Notable Locations

Beta Trianguli

Sister to the nearby Gamma Trianguli system, Beta Trianguli is located on the leading edge of the Wastelands region. There are small colonies on both the second and third planets in the system, as with Gamma Trianguli, but the populace lack many of the creature comforts that their nearby sister worlds take for granted. Abandoned upon the redrawing of Federation borders in the early 2300's, the people of Beta Trianguli distrust everything Starfleet and the Federation stands for.

Gamma Trianguli

Sister to the nearby Beta Trianguli system, Gamma Trianguli is located on the edge of Federation territory and is one of the last stops before entering the Wastelands. There are small colonies on both the second and third planets in the system.

Iota Cassiopeia

A trinary star system which is yet to be confirmed as home to any humanoid species.

Mu Andromedae

At just over fifty lightyears from the border of Federation space, Mu Andromedae marks the furthest known point that any Federation vessel has travelled into the Wastelands. What is beyond the system, no one knows but Starfleet will find out.

Penthara Colony

A Federation Colony on Penthara III is the only Federation presence in the system.

Starbase 214

A Regula class starbase located in the Penthara Sector, SB-214 is an outdated outpost converted into a forward listening post for Task Force 72, charged with monitoring situations in The Wastelands.

Notable Species and Powers

Nihari Ascendancy

Vixia

Black Nagus

History

Discovery

Under the Federation banner, the Wastelands were first charted by the USS Soyuz in 2273 as it charted a path along the expanse of the lower portions of the Federation. The Soyuz was quick to note that it took several weeks at warp five to discover the next planet in the system. Various Federation member species engaged colonization efforts on a small handful of worlds the Soyuz did encounter, and these efforts soon found themselves without much support due to the long distances between them and the closest member world. Starfleet was soon commissioned to construct a starbase near the Penthara system in order to support these colonies' vitalization and defense.

Originally constructed in the Algol system of the Alpha Quadrant in 2284, the station was considered state of the art and was built on the very edge of Federation claimed territory. SB-214's role in the fleet swiftly developed with the times and by 2320 it was nothing more than a research outpost and a resupply point for those vessels far from home and on deep space exploration duties. Eventually, the Federation's territory expanded beyond Algol and with the expansion came the need to move the station to a new location. It was a massive undertaking at the time, requiring several Starfleet vessels, but the station was soon relocated to the Penthara Sector. As Starfleet's attention gradually shifted to regions much further 'north', and even to the 'east', the borderlands largely became forgotten. Over time, and after years of neglect, the Starbase became little more than a nuisance to those stationed there as they sought to keep her running.

Shifting Priorities

As the years went by, Starfleet priorities shifted elsewhere. Exploration of the northern reaches brought first contact with the Cardassian Union, the Breen Confederacy and other species. In the 2360's, Starfleet's mission became more militaristic in nature as they faced the prospect of having to defend against a renewed Romulan threat, the possibility of Klingon aggression and border conflicts with the Cardassians. The fate of everyone in the Federation would change when Starfleet first encountered a cybernetic race known as the Borg, and lost thirty-nine starships in battle at Wolf 359. This was the most serious threat to the safety of the galaxy in centuries, but worse would come in the 2370's when, during exploration efforts in the Gamma Quadrant, first contact was made with a species known as the Dominion. Encounters with this brutal, warrior race precipitated a near four year period of cold-war and later, open hostilities. All of which ensured that Starfleet's focus shifted away from the Wastelands territory and confirmed that it was simply no longer an area of significance.

In the years since the end of the war, Starfleet and the Federation have continued to be tested by threats, both new and old alike, and their focus was clearly elsewhere.

Revitalization

Almost sixty years since Starfleet's last significant push in the region, the colonies and bases along the border with the wastelands lay neglected, no Starfleet vessel having been nearby in almost a decade.

But whilst the Federation have been negotiating with the Alrakis Pact for more time to explore the Inconnu Expanse, Pact vessels have secretly made inroads into the now desolate region known as the Wastelands. Upon receiving intelligence regarding Pact activities in this unexplored territory and faced with the prospect of losing ground in this modern day space race, Starfleet dispatches an initial Task Group to the Wastelands to make contact with those worlds closest to their borders and to expand the Federation’s sphere of influence once again, whilst preventing the Pact from doing the same.

Starbase 214, the very same rundown and abandoned Regula class starbase that hadn’t been updated in a century, suddenly became an integral cog in the fleets newest area of operations as an initial four-ship Task Group arrives and soon enters the Wastelands.

New Exploration

Coming Soon...