Encyclopedia Galactica: Geminga Sphere Nebula

 Encyclopedia Galactica: Geminga Sphere Nebula

 

Despite being a relatively humble 300 light-years diameter, the Geminga Sphere has a surprising number of nebula. One ever 100 light-years on average.

1. The Delta Triangle

2. The Badlands

3. Briar Patch (Klach D'kel Brakt)

4. The Regula Badlands, also known temporarily as The Delphic Expanse

5. Typhon Expanse

6. The Bassen Rift

7. Rolor Nebula

8. Azure Nebula

9. Arachnid Nebula

10. Robinson Dark Matter Nebula

11. Mar Oscura Dark Matter Nebula

12. Outer Geminga Dark Matter Nebula

13. Black Cluster

14. Agosoria Nebula

15. Alawanir Nebula

16. Amleth Nebula

17. Betreka Nebula

18. Helaspont Nebula

19. Hugora Nebula

20. McAllister C-5 Nebula

21. Paulson Nebula

22. Tong Beak Nebula

1. The Delta Triangle

The Delta Triangle was a vast, uninhabited sector of the Milky Way Galaxy. Subspace conditions were such that subspace radio (for example) required three weeks to contact the nearest Federation starbase instead of the typical hours. An unusual feature of the Delta Triangle was its ability to cause starship sensors to fluctuate chaotically while within the region. This effect was caused by the parallel time continuum known as Elysia.

The Delta Triangle was a region of space known for having a high number of mysterious disappearances of starships recorded since the earliest days of space travel. In 2269, the USS Enterprise was assigned to a survey mission the area, and possibly determining the cause of these disappearances. In the decades prior, the starship Bonaventure, as well as a number of vessels operated by Andorians, Tellarites, Klingons, Kzinti, Orions, Vulcans, Romulans, Humans, Phylosians, and Gorn became lost in the Delta Triangle.

The three vertices of this triangle were Kessik, Bellatrix (Gamma Orionis), and FGC-82659.

2. The Badlands

The "Badlands" was a region of space located in Sector 04-70 of the Alpha Quadrant. A segment of the border between the United Federation of Planets and the Cardassian Union was located in this region. The Badlands were known for intense plasma storms and gravitational anomalies. In the late 2360s, a few ships had disappeared in this region. For these reasons, it was commonly avoided by most interstellar traffic.

The Badlands are characterized as a turbulent area of space where some ships have been lost, but is also a hiding place, described as a huge flailing plasma storm vortexes and whirling pillars of fires, swirling clouds and the suddenly appearing plasma tornadoes, with electromagnetic flares whipping out dangerously like tentacles. Ships traversing the Badlands have to maneuver through holes in the ever changing internal landscape of the Badlands.

The Badlands region contains 2 stars, 17 planets and 43 moons, three of which were class M, and a large asteroid belt.

During the Cardassian occupation of Bajor, the Bajoran Resistance frequently used the Badlands as a refuge from Cardassian patrols. Because of the severely limited sensor ranges in the area, the Bajorans used a kind of echolocation techniques to navigate and detect other ships.

Because of its strategic location inside the Demilitarized Zone between Cardassian and Federation space, the Badlands became a favorite hiding place and staging area for the Maquis during their insurrection against Cardassian control.

Around stardate 48300, the Caretaker abducted several starships from the Badlands, including a Maquis raider piloted by Chakotay, and the Federation starship USS Voyager. A Cardassian Galor-class warship was also abducted from the Badlands around the same time.

When the Cardassian Union was annexed by the Dominion in 2373, the remaining Maquis cells that managed to escape the Jem'Hadar took shelter on an abandoned mining colony (Athos IV) on the edge of the Badlands.

3. Briar Patch (Klach D'kel Brakt)

Briar Patch, known to Klingons as Klach D'kel Brakt, was a dangerous and beautiful region in Sector 441, in the Beta Quadrant.

The colloquial "Briar Patch" name used in the Federation was first whimsically coined by criminal geneticist Arik Soong in the 22nd century, a reference to the Br'er Rabbit of the 1880s Uncle Remus stories written by Joel Chandler Harris of Earth.

The area known as the Briar Patch contained the stars SNC 461206 and UFC 8177. In the surrounding area, SNR 093120, UFC 9364, NGC 2812 and QSR 390021 were all visible on star charts of sector 441.

The Briar Patch region was known for containing dangerous space matter, created by the remains of supernovae, false vacuum fluctuations, and metaphasic radiation. The Briar Patch containsat least two habitable planets, one of which was settled by the Ba'ku. Ships in the vicinity had to travel at less than one-third impulse power to avoid overheating the vessel's impulse manifolds. According to Admiral Dougherty, ships entering the region preferably were specially fitted for it.

In the 18th century, a group of Ba'ku arrived in the Briar Patch and established a colony on one of several planets located in the Patch. The planet contained special metaphasic rings that somehow greatly increased their lifespans.

In 2271, the region was the site of the celebrated Battle of Klach D'kel Brakt, where Dahar Master Kor led the Klingon Empire in a glorious victory over the Romulan Star Empire. Nearly a century later, Kor was still fond of re-playing the battle in holosuites.

The anomalies pervading the region had not been fully identified when in 2375 a joint Starfleet-Son'a mission was mounted to study the Ba'ku planet. During that mission, the Briar Patch was the scene of the Battle of the Briar Patch between the Federation starship USS Enterprise-E and Son'a ships, following the discovery of a plot to relocate the Ba'ku.

4. The Regula Badlands, also known temporarily as The Delphic Expanse

The Regula Badlands was an area of space made up of intense plasma storms and gravitational anomalies located near the Federation-Romulan border in the Alpha Quadrant. While a few worlds in the Badlands, like Regula II, were inhabited, most of the planets and planetoids in the region were considered uninhabitable by the Federation due to the unstable nature of the region.

The Expanse was riddled with a web of dangerous spatial anomalies and was surrounded by a dense layer of thermobaric clouds, which made navigation extremely hazardous for starships. In some regions of the Expanse, the laws of physics did not function as usual.

The Expanse was known for subspace eddies, Trellium-D exposure, powerful waves of gravimetric energy responsible for the causing spatial anomalies such as the Orassin distortion field.

Despite the dangers, The Regula Badlands contained many inhabited systems: Loque'eque homeworld, Nausicaa, Norellus, Oran'taku, Regula, Skagaran colony, Tarquin's homeworld, a Trellium mining planet, Triannon, Xanthan homeworld, Xindi, Haradin, Ikaarans, Illyrians, Kovaalans, Tret's, U'tani, and V'radians

In the year 2377, scouts sent out by the Romulan Star Empire discovered that the Borg had somehow established a presence in the Badlands.

5. Typhon Expanse

The Typhon Expanse was a region of space near Deep Space Five coreward of the Romulan Star Empire, well-known for its spectacular celestial phenomena, which as of 2368, had yet to be explored by any Starfleet vessel.

In 2368, the starship Enterprise embarked on an exploratory mission in this region, when it encountered a temporal distortion from which the USS Bozeman emerged, having been transported through time from the year 2278. Colliding with the Bozeman, the Enterprise was subsequently destroyed, and the resultant explosion, being in such close proximity to the distortion, ruptured the spacetime continuum. As a result, both ships became trapped in a temporal causality loop in which the Enterprise repeatedly encountered the Bozeman and was destroyed. Eventually, the Enterprise crew was able to determine the nature of the loop and avoid colliding with the Bozeman, thereby freeing both vessels from the loop.

In 2381, the Typhon Expanse was the location where the Breen Confederacy, Gorn Hegemony, Holy Order of the Kinshaya, Romulan Star Empire, Tholian Assembly, and Tzenkethi Coalition negotiated a political, military and economic alliance, known as the Typhon Pact.

6. The Bassen Rift

The Bassen Rift is an area of space between Romulus and the Romulan Neutral Zone. A dense nebula field with many greenish-hued cloud formations, passage through the rift disrupts subspace communications.

It area is irradiated with traces of thalaron radiation.

The Romulan refer to the Bassen Rift as The Great Bloom and refer to it as being in the Tarod sector (β).

7. Rolor Nebula

The Rolor Nebula is a nebular interstellar dust cloud located on the route between the Bajoran system and the Dreon system, near the Demilitarized Zone along the Cardassian Union border, just past the Badlands.

The Rolor Nebula is located in the general vicinity of Dreon, Kavaria, Free Haven and Delavi.

The Rolor Nebula has a high concentration of sirillium, one of only a few commercially viable sources of Sirillium in the Geminga Sphere.

Sirillium is a volatile chemical element, a type of matter that was known to Federation science by the 24th century. Only two sites near Federation space had sufficient concentrations—the Rolor and Azure Nebulae. Sirillium was found within some nebulae in a gaseous state.

One use for sirillium was as a warp plasma catalyst. As a gas it could also be used to boost the efficiency of deflector shields.

In the 22nd century, Andorian and Tellarite starships equipped their torpedo warheads with sirillium.

8. Azure Nebula

The Azure Nebula is a class 11 nebula within the Klingon Empire on its border with the United Federation of Planets. It was composed of oxygen and argon, with traces of theta-xenon, fluorine, and commercially viable quantities of sirillium.

The nebula was created by the supernova explosion of the star which was charted as FGC-SR37-758. Until the nova occurred, the star was orbited by the planet Erigol, the homeworld of the Caeliar civilization.

In 2381, the Borg Collective began using the Azure Nebula's subspace tunnel network to invade Federation space.

The Azure Nebula was also the place where the Borg Collective met its final end. The Caeliar city ship Axion used its Omega molecule generator to lure the entire Borg armada to the Azure Nebula. The Caeliar then proceeded to dismantle the Collective, freeing trillions of Drones in the process.

There is a subspace tunnel from Tholian Space which leads to the Azure Nebula, causing occasional Tholian incursions.

9. Arachnid Nebula

The Arachnid Nebula is an interstellar dust cloud located near Capella and the 34 Tau Sector, some distance from the planet Vulcan.

A 22nd century Vulcan survey indicated that the nebulae was in part composed of disodium, and small traces of ethylchlorate.

The Arachnid Nebula contains pockets of turbulence as well as gravimetric shear.

10. Robinson Dark Matter Nebula

In 2153, Archer and Sub-Commander T'Pol became the first to directly observe a dark matter nebula, illuminating it using metreon particles. T'Pol suggested naming it the "Robinson Nebula," in honor of Starfleet Captain A.G. Robinson, an old friend of Archer's who had recently died in a climbing accident. UFP Starfleet Captain A.G. Robinson, the first Human to break the warp 2 barrier.

Dark matter nebula are gaseous accumulation of material in space identical in its structure to a baryonic matter nebula caused by uncharacteristically high concentrations of dark matter. They could be extremely difficult to detect using conventional sensor technology.

Although Enterprise's sensors were unable to directly observe the nebula, Commander Charles Tucker was able to modify a series of spatial charges to spread metreon particles throughout the area. Archer and T'Pol were able to successfully use the charges to excite the dark matter into illumining the nebula, becoming the first to directly observe such strangely high concentrations of dark matter.

The metren effects caused the mysterious, invisible dark matter begins to phosphoresce! it's a spectacular, cascading effect as the giant nebula becomes evident, pulsing with an aurora of multi-colored light!

11. Mar Oscura Dark Matter Nebula

The Mar Oscura Nebula was a dark matter nebula first explored by the USS Enterprise-D in 2367.

In 2367, the USS Enterprise-D used several modified photon torpedoes to illuminate the Mar Oscura Nebula, a previously-unexplored dark matter nebula. While exploring the nebula, the Enterprise encountered several spatial deformations, which made navigation extremely hazardous.

Dark matter nebula are gaseous accumulation of material in space identical in its structure to a baryonic matter nebula caused by uncharacteristically high concentrations of dark matter. They could be extremely difficult to detect using conventional sensor technology.

Studying the scans taken of the Mar Oscura, Lieutenant Commander Data found that the dark matter density was nearly one order of magnitude higher than in similar nebulae. It was soon discovered that, due to the unusual preponderance of dark matter, small gaps in the fabric of normal space had formed, causing part of the ship to momentarily phase out of normal space each time the Enterprise collided with one of these deformations. This made navigation in the nebula extremely hazardous, and even resulted in the death of a crewmember. In order to safely exit the nebula, Captain Picard piloted a shuttlecraft ahead of the Enterprise, so he could detect the deformations ahead of time and relay the course corrections to the ship. As Picard was piloting the shuttle, a deformation collided with the shuttle's starboard impulse nacelle, necessitating an emergency transport of Picard back to the ship moments before the shuttle was destroyed. With only one million kilometers remaining to the outer perimeter, Commander Riker ordered the Enterprise out of the nebula.

12. Outer Geminga Dark Matter Nebula

An uncharted dark matter nebula was located near Mu Draconis space, near a Dominion ketracel-white storage facility destroyed by Captain Benjamin Sisko and his crew in 2374. Sisko ordered his damaged ship into the nebula to escape several pursuing Jem'Hadar fighters, whereupon they crashed on an uncharted planet.

Dark matter nebula are gaseous accumulation of material in space identical in its structure to a baryonic matter nebula caused by uncharacteristically high concentrations of dark matter. They could be extremely difficult to detect using conventional sensor technology.

13. Black Cluster

A black cluster is a type of cluster that was created when numerous protostars collapsed in close proximity to one another in such a way that this collective collapse was an area of space that absorbed energy and dangerously affected spacecraft systems, particularly navigation. Prior to 2368, the Federation maintained reports from starships traveling through black clusters indicating sensor difficulties.

The clusters were also known for their violent and unpredictable gravitational wavefronts.

In 2368, the SS Vico was assigned to explore a black cluster, located in Sector 97. This particular cluster was formed from hundreds of collapsed protostars, and was seven times more massive than any black cluster that had been previously sighted. After Starbase 514 lost contact with the Vico, the USS Enterprise-D was sent to investigate. Upon its arrival on the edge of this black cluster, the destroyed hulk of the Vico was immediately found. The Enterprise itself was almost destroyed while further investigating the Vico's disappearance.

The black cluster was initially characterized as "a huge, black bending of space, seemingly an immense lens-like cloud, dotted throughout by tiny pulsars."

14. Agosoria Nebula

The Great Plume of Agosoria was the religious term used by Borothan pilgrims to describe a neutron blast that was emitted by a specific protostar within a stellar nursery every eleven years. The Borothans believed this to be a sacred event, as it represented the continuing cycle of creation, with the stellar nursery in which it occurred being the location where the universe was formed. Groups of Borothan pilgrims would book passage aboard a transport ship to witness the event first-hand.

When the Plume reached its full brilliance, it was custom to drink a beverage known as voo-sinteel, as it "enhances the experience". Another tradition was the "Invocation of Renewal", a Borothan prayer that the entire group would recite during the occurrence of the Plume.

15. Alawanir Nebula

The Alwanir Nebula is an interstellar gas cloud.

In late 2369, the lateral sensor arrays of the USS Enterprise-D conducted three spectral analyzes of the Alwanir Nebula, each on a different frequency, while en route to the Gariman sector.

16. Amleth Nebula

The Amleth Nebula is an emission nebula located entirely within the Cardassian Union.

The emissions from the Amleth Emission Nebula renders cloaking devices useless.

17. Betreka Nebula

The Betreka Nebula is an interstellar gas cloud located halfway between the Klingon Empire and the Cardassian Union. It is near Aldebaran and UFP Starbase Two.

The Betreka Nebula was the site of the Betreka Nebula Incident between the Cardassians and the Klingons over the planet Raknal V and the wreckage of Ch'gran's fleet there. The Ch'gran's fleet there was the first Klingon Fleet to leave venture into the inner Geminga Sphere, it used from the ancient Hur’q invasion of Qo’noS.

18. Helaspont Nebula

The Helaspont Nebula was a nebula located near the Federation-Tzenkethi border.

In late 2371, the USS Ulysses, under the command of Captain Entebe, was studying protoplanetary masses in the Helaspont Nebula.

Helaspont is pronounced as "HEL-uh-spont".

In early 2375, a Haradin trading vessel discovered a mysteriously abandoned Breen frigate drifting on the outskirts of the nebula, almost perfectly intact. They sold it to the Kropaslin, who wanted to make use of the advanced Breen biotechnology to improve their own.

19. Hugora Nebula

The Hugora Nebula was a stellar cloud that was located on the Federation's side of the Demilitarized Zone between the Cardassian Union and the United Federation of Planets.

As part of an ambush on Maquis ships planned in 2370, Federation starships hoped to use the nebula as cover from Maquis sensors.

In 2370, Department of Temporal Investigations investigated a temporal disturbance.

20. McAllister C-5 Nebula

The McAllister C-5 Nebula was a protostellar nebula located inside Cardassian space in Sector 71527. The particle flux inside the McAllister Nebula prevented starships from staying inside it for more than 72 hours.

Located just 7 light-years from the United Federation of Planets inside Cardassian space, near Minos Korva, and the deducted origin of the Cardassian ship Reklar due to signs of a molecular dispersion field on its hull acquired there.

In 2369, the McAllister Nebula was used by Cardassian forces to hide their ships in order to begin a sneak attack on Minos Korva. However, this plan was blighted by Captain Edward Jellico, who commanded the USS Enterprise-D on a temporary assignment and detected the Cardassian ships inside the nebula.

The USS Enterprise-E visited the nebula to conduct research in the year 2390. During their study, scans revealed quantum singularities which hinted at the presence of Species 8472 in the area.

21. Paulson Nebula

The Paulson Nebula was a nebula located in Federation space near the trade route between Zeta Alpha II and Sentinel Minor IV. The nebula contained swirling dust clouds, large rocks, and clumpy material which presented a navigational hazard for starships.

In 2366, the USS Enterprise-D used it to hide from a pursuing Borg cube. The Enterprise had to slow to impulse to enter it. Once inside, the nebula became too dense to go farther using impulse. The composition of the nebula cloud was determined to be 82% dilithium hydroxyls, magnesium, manganese, and chromium and found to be effective in screening the Enterprise from the sensors of the Borg, so the Enterprise continued on into this denser spiral cloud section of the nebula. The Borg did not follow them in but continued to scan for them and adapt to the situation. Eventually the Borg started sending in magnetometric guided charges and the Enterprise was forced to leave the nebula.

Following the Borg Invasion of 2381, Lieutenant Dina Elfiki of the USS Enterprise-E suggested that survivors of the attack might have taken refuge in the Paulson Nebula, and were possibly still in hiding there weeks later.

During the Klingon-Federation war in 2409, the Klingons used the nebula and nearby system Lackey to establish a hidden listening post. The Gorn, who were allies with the Klingons at the time, set up an illegal mining operation in the nebula to extract dilithium.

22. Tong Beak Nebula

The Tong Beak Nebula was an interstellar gas cloud located near the border of the Cardassian Union.

In 2373, there were reports of Jem'Hadar activity inside the nebula. As a result, General Martok ordered the IKS Rotarran to go around the nebula on its mission to find the IKS B'Moth, adding a day to their journey. Martok cited orders from the Klingon High Council not to seek combat, although his decision was unpopular with the Rotarran crew.