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.

THE CAMPAIGN

The campaign of New Frontiers is a series of independent stories all contributing to the greater narrative. Members will write about their ships and crews on this mission of exploration, with the Intelligence Office weaving these events into the future of this new region of fleet canon.

Any member with their own command is welcome to participate in New Frontiers, writing the story of their ship and crew venturing into the Shackleton Expanse. You can start a Mission on BFMS under this fleet-wide Mission. If you want to write with another member, you can do so! Your ships or characters can work together on missions. BFMS supports this. This campaign will last for eight weeks.

THE STORY

This campaign is about exploration, diplomacy, adventure, and mystery. The Shackleton Expanse is a new region, with cultures and civilisations that have developed largely in isolation from one another. The fall of the Shroud has opened opportunities for explorers from the Beta Quadrant, but also for the people of the Shackleton Expanse to change and grow – whether they like it or not.

Features like the Shroud make stories about exploration in the Shackleton Expanse stand out from stories of exploration elsewhere. The entire region is undergoing great change, and the arrival of the Beta Quadrant powers gives the opportunity for familiar faces in unknown lands, allowing stories of discovery to be heightened with old challenges and politics. And there is, of course, the mystery of the Shroud, and those who created it.

Writers can choose to have their ships and crews be among those who discover the truth of the Shackleton Expanse: that it was once the home of an ancient Vezda empire. The Vezda – villains of Strange New World’s season 3 – are interdimensional aliens, incorporeal beings capable of telepathy and lethally possessing humanoids, becoming only more powerful once embodied. In Bravo Fleet canon, they once held great influence over many worlds of the Shackleton Expanse, ruling as monarchs or steering as deities, sharing technological knowledge to ensure the construction of tools of their oppression, and building the Shroud network to keep these vassal worlds too isolated to rise up. At some point thousands of years ago, their influence faded, but the Shroud network remained, and the echoes of their presence can still be felt. That influence is not only in lingering technology – some of it telepathic in nature – and ancient ruins, but dark religions, violent cults, and scarred cultures wrestling with legends of oppressive rulers.

The presence of the Vezda is not known at the outset; their existence is nothing but a single Starfleet record a century-and-a-half old few would think to consult. But writers should feel free to engage with the Vezda wiki article and tell stories of mystery, horror, and discovery, as separate ships each come to terms with a horrifying truth about the region. Don’t wait for someone to tell you that you can learn of the Vezda, or whether you can say that the Vezda once influenced a planet in your story, or even whether you want a lone, actual Vezda to show up! The Expanse is huge. Make the most of it.

And, of course, the Vezda’s influence was not absolute. Many worlds were never visited by them, and you can abstain from involving them in your story at all.

Likewise, the presence of Beta Quadrant great powers is optional. If you want your ship to work closely alongside friendly Klingon or Romulan Republic allies, you should purchase an affiliate command for that purpose. Otherwise, feel free to depict them as encounters along the way, though such ships would not be among those assigned to Starfleet.

Klingons from houses that support Chancellor Toral, or Romulans from the Free State, may prove rivals, adversaries, or even enemies. Formally, these powers are all at peace, but each of these groups have their own agenda and interests. In the distant Shackleton Expanse, ambitious captains may wish to push the boundaries of what the Khitomer Accords or Treaty of Algeron permit – either with exploitation of locals, or in confronting Starfleet in the shadows of the galaxy. Stories about such encounters where the niceties of a treaty clash with the realities of a harsh frontier are a core part of this campaign.

Everything else is the Shackleton Expanse itself: a region whose people have been isolated for thousands of years, now able to freely traverse the stars. You may write about worlds that are only now aware of extraterrestrial life, or whose economies were once reliant on long-haul interstellar trade. Of cultures undergoing vast shock at the changing galaxy, or delighted by the opportunity to reach to the stars. Starfleet arrives at the Shackleton Expanse at a time of great change and has the chance to make this a peaceful, stable transition.

Starfleet also has a duty to do so. The Prime Directive is one of non-interference – but it was the collapse of the Blackout that somehow collapsed the Shroud, too, and that was Starfleet’s doing, however unwitting. Even before it is known that the Vezda created the Shroud, the Federation are responsible for its end. While Starfleet cannot march in and dictate how worlds should navigate their future, it would be disingenuous to pretend they have no obligation to provide aid and support through a disruption of which they were the architects.

After a period in Bravo Fleet of stories about peril, politics, invasion, and war, New Frontiers is focused on exploration and discovery. The Shackleton Expanse is ripe for storytelling opportunities for this – but also can be a platform for tense politics as the Beta Quadrant great powers bring old disputes to territories who cannot protect themselves, and where tales of scientific inquiry can descend into bleak horror of uncovering the dark influence and power of the malevolent Vezda.

Writers should consult the following wiki articles for their stories:

– Shackleton Expanse

– Framheim Station

– Vezda

AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY

Areas of Responsibility (AORs) are a major system of this campaign. Some of you may remember them from Nightfall, where they helped ‘share out’ the galaxy in depicting the Vaadwaur invasion. That system has been reimagined for the tales of exploration and adventure in the Shackleton Expanse.

Members will always be welcome to create new member canon locations in the Expanse – star systems or even clusters of systems ripe for discovery. But the Intelligence Office has also developed this new region and written over two-dozen wiki articles depicting systems, governments, and planets that are among some of the places that can be found in the Expanse.

On a first-come, first-served basis, members may claim one of these Intelligence Office-written AORs. They are not only wiki articles which introduce a location, but include an Encounters section. This section may give hidden information about an area (such as, for example, whether the ancient ruins on the surface of a planet are Vezda in origin), specific events that should be written to kick-start the story of an AOR or, more often, simple suggestions for plot hooks, inciting events, or twists that writers can use to depict this AOR.

The ultimate fate of each AOR and the resolution of each conflict or challenge is up to the AOR’s holder. This system is a chance for members to take up a region developed in line with the themes and canon of the Shackleton Expanse, but to leave their mark on it going forward, and to define their corner of this new, exciting region of fleet canon. Writers are free to determine anything that’s not specified by an article for themselves – AORs which don’t mention the Vezda can have them pop up, or Romulan Free State rivals can involve themselves even if they’re not in the article, for example. We’ve written these articles to give the guardrails – anything beyond that is up to you.

Members may also share AORs if they wish. Some AORs are particularly suited to collaboration, such as those that focus on (small) interstellar powers, where ships can share a mission without needing to work directly alongside each other. But under no circumstances should a member who has requested an AOR feel obligated to write with anyone else. Even if their AOR is really cool. They have the right to simply say ‘no’ to any request to ‘share’ their AOR, and no further explanation is necessary or should be expected.

Even members who do not wish to use an Intelligence Office AOR may find the articles useful, as each provides OOC guidance on how to depict sometimes common traits of Shackleton Expanse locations: cultures undergoing change from the fall of the Shroud, and particularly the influence of the Vezda, their technology, or cults or agents acting in their name. It’s actually fine to be inspired by an Intelligence Office AOR, but to create a new one with a twist that’s wholly your own.

You can find the full article on New Frontiers Areas of Responsibility here.