Midgard Sector
The Midgard Sector lies in the Beta Quadrant, stretching across the borders of Federation and Romulan Republic space, and extending into the collapsed Romulan Neutral Zone and the former territories of the fallen Star Empire of Rator. Historically, it was a tense but quiet border between the UFP and the Old Romulan Star Empire until the Romulan Supernova, and a site of militarised defence and surveillance networks on both sides. Now, with the old borders collapsed and new factions arising, it is a volatile region of independent systems with an uncertain future, and fledgling cooperation between Starfleet and the Republic in maintaining local stability, and trying to support those left behind with the end of Rator's rule over the area. Starfleet operations in the region are based out of Starbase 23.
History
The sector was first mapped and categorised by Earth Starfleet during the Romulan War, and upon the conflict's end was part of the demarcated Neutral Zone. As such, the Federation side of the border is extremely well-surveyed by Starfleet, due to both the impossibility of expansion beyond the Neutral Zone and the need for surveillance and border defence. Most regional infrastructure for two centuries consisted of surveillance and guard outposts, though by the late 22nd century, the Midgard System itself had been settled as a human colony. With the taut peace between the Federation and Romulans never outright breaking, the sector changed very little for those two hundred years.
Its infrastructure meant that the area was wholly unprepared for the Romulan supernova. When the Federation offered the Empire aid, their facilities in Midgard were unsuited to supporting humanitarian or evacuation efforts. Locals at the Midgard colony vociferously resisted receiving any refugees, and so a system in the collapsing Neutral Zone, Teros, was chosen for the nearest Relocation Hub. The withdrawal of Federation aid after the Attack on Mars was popular with those citizens, and the closing-off of borders returned the region for over a decade to the same suspicious, territorial mentality that had defined it for two centuries.
By the time Starfleet began to look beyond its own borders again in 2399, the only major change was the construction of a new Starbase 23, which had originally existed as a defence platform. Its successor, eventually designated Gateway Station, was intended to continue to protect the border. This changed