In early 2401, a Starfleet task force was summoned to the stellar phenomenon discovered by the USS Stargazer: a subspace fissure flaring with energy that would have devastated the sector. Disaster was only averted through cooperation with the off-shoot of the Borg Collective led by the new Queen, Doctor Agnes Jurati, their mighty ship coordinating with Starfleet to stabilise the fissure into a new kind of transwarp conduit. In the long months since, Starfleet and these Borg have collaborated to study the conduit and discover where it leads.

They finally have an answer: deep in the Beta Quadrant, beyond the borders of Romulan and Klingon territory. A region rife for exploration, untouched by the rest of the galaxy, shrouded in mystery. A region Starfleet has dubbed the ‘Shackleton Expanse.’

The transwarp conduit is not the Expanse’s only mystery. Until mid-2402, the entire stretch of space – spanning nearly 100 light-years across – was afflicted with subspace disturbances which limited warp travel to warp 2, slowing interstellar travel to months or years. This created a natural buffer on the spinward borders of the Klingons and Romulans, forcing them into trailing expansion and tensions with their neighbours.

In mid-2402, the collapse of the Blackout – despite the Vaadwaur’s restriction of Alpha and Beta Quadrant subspace being a wholly unrelated phenomenon – seems to have brought with it the collapse of the subspace disturbances across the Expanse. For the first time in recorded history, the region is accessible to all: its inhabitants, its neighbours, and other interested parties.

As the Romulan Free State, the Romulan Republic, and the Klingon Empire all recover from the immediate aftermath of the Vaadwaur invasion, their eyes, too, fall on the Shackleton Expanse. Now, all four powers prepare to set foot in this mysterious region, seeking opportunity, resources, and allies.

The Federation has invoked its alliance with the Republic, the Treaty of Algeron, and the Khitomer Accords to manage this undertaking – to prevent the Shackleton Expanse from being annexed and fought over. All four powers have agreed to eschew from military expansion, with expeditions and infrastructure in the Expanse limited to gathering resources, scientific investigation, or exploration and diplomacy.

The Fourth Fleet spearheads Starfleet’s expedition. They will traverse the transwarp conduit, reaching the fringes of the region in a matter of hours, and enter the Shackleton Expanse – but not alone. Allied forces from the Romulan Republic and pro-Federation Klingon Houses join them, part of the new integration to build deeper bridges between the major Beta quadrant powers. The Shackleton Expanse will be the first test of this collaboration.

Of course, not all those venturing from the Beta Quadrant are so friendly. The Free State always has its own agenda, and Klingons more loyal to Chancellor Toral, ever suspicious of the Federation, launch their own expeditions. The Khitomer Accords and Treaty of Algeron may bind all in formal peace, but the Shackleton Expanse is vast, and many things can happen in darkness.

Any ship that traverses the transwarp conduit and reaches the far side will begin its journey at the newly constructed Narendra-class Framheim Station. From there, the mysteries of the Shackleton Expanse tumble before them.

Little is known about the region. Klingon and Romulan ships may have limited knowledge from brief expeditions or subspace telescopes. No more was possible with the subspace disruptions limiting warp travel, a phenomenon referred to by Starfleet scientists as the ‘Shroud.’

All civilisations in the Expanse have spent the last thousands of years – as long as any records – under the Shroud. To them, the Shroud was unremarkable, a state of normalcy, a scientific principle of the universe. Civilisations of the Expanse could develop high technological advances, colonise their own – or even nearby – systems, or build subspace communications systems or sensor arrays unlimited by the Shroud. Many advanced societies are aware of alien life, either from neighbours whose star systems are months away, or visitors prepared for long-haul adventure. But none have expanded their territory or influence beyond their immediate surroundings; there are no major powers, and most civilisations have little awareness of the wider Expanse.

This has changed for them, too, in recent months, the fall of the Shroud offering new opportunities for expansion and discovery – but also opening the door to a chaotic galaxy. Many cultures are undergoing a period of disruption and change, which some see as opportunity – and others see as threat.

At least one more mystery lies at the heart of the Shackleton Expanse: the origin of the Shroud. Explorers will find the presence of a long-dead power: cultures who have never crossed paths bearing similar touchstones in spirituality and faith, or ancient histories speaking of powerful, dark rulers. They may find ruins of fallen civilisations with matching architecture on dozens of scattered worlds, all holding hints of powerful technologies capable of manipulating interdimensional space or harnessing psychic energy. Most noteworthy of these are the spires a kilometre high found on dozens of scattered worlds, each with a now-inert energy orb at their base, which may hold the key to the Shroud’s nature.

Nothing is known of these ancient peoples of ancient influence. But as Starfleet venture deeper into the Shackleton Expanse, someone may look backwards, to the transwarp conduit in the Alpha Quadrant, and its location: close to the Vadia system, whose ninth planet was discovered in the 22nd century to be home to an interdimensional prison for the malevolent, powerful beings known as the ‘Vezda’…

Not all secrets and challenges of the Shackleton Expanse lie ahead. Some, the powers of the Beta Quadrant will bring with them. Others lurk behind in the distant, shadowed past.

Starfleet has issued the Fourth Fleet with the following orders:

• To explore the Shackleton Expanse, seeking new worlds and new civilisations;
• To discover the origins of the Shroud;
• To uphold the Khitomer Accords and Treaty of Algeron, and ensure the Expanse is not exploited by the great powers of the Beta Quadrant;
• To pave the way for ongoing cooperation with the Federation’s allies.