The Concept

Some time ago, the Federation discovered "the Tangle," a huge area of space on the edge of Federation territory that is comprised of an entanglement field. Any matter - including unfortunate starships - finding itself at the edge of the field falls victim to a real-life demonstration of the uncertainty principle, flung unceremoniously in an unexpected direction at the speed of light.

The discovery of the Tangle led to first contact with the Inphirians, a race native to the planet Inphir near the border of the field. An unfortunate incident soured relations between the Inphirians and the Federation, and attempts to foster a formal diplomatic relationship have been soundly rejected for years.

But now, things have changed. Recently, the Gaia space station - a research outpost at the Federation edge of the Tangle - found an alien spaceship adrift in Federation space. It bore damage markings suggesting it had been in battle with an Inphirian vessel, and - more excitingly - it contained a drive built to counteract (or make use of) the uncertainty principle. In short, this ship was built to navigate the Tangle.

Federation overtures to the Inphirians have revealed that they are in a conflict with the Vruxil, a mysterious race capable of withstanding the physical challenges of the Tangle, and possessed of technology that might be able to weaponize the field against the Inphirians. Seizing an opportunity to aid the Inphirians [Why? What is the draw for the Federation to befriend this race?] , the Federation has hastily installed the uncertainty drive in the USS Hodgkin and assembled a crew with relevant experience. The mission is to attempt contact with the Vruxil with the intent to negotiate peace between them and the Inphirians.

BACKGROUND

Years ago, Starfleet discovered a vast section of space characterized by an "entanglement field" - a place where matter entering the space becomes abruptly subject to the uncertainty principle and flung unexpectedly in a random direction at light speed.

In the course of inspecting this phenomenon and attempting to chart its boundaries, the Federation encountered the Inphirians, a race living on a planet just outside of what has been nicknamed "the Tangle." Superior and mildly xenophobic, the Inphirians initially tolerate a modest amount of first contact activities with the Federation, which leads to the discovery that they possess a resource that could help solve a serious medical or technological problem in the Federation.

It was during attempts to negotiate a formal diplomatic agreement with Inphir that some catastrophic event - unrelated to any other alien race, probably some kind of unexpected accident related to the Tangle - occurred, after which the Inphirians formally rejected further negotiations and forbade the Federation to make future attempts to contact them.

Still hoping to one day establish relations with the Inphirian (and thereby gain access to whatever this important resource is), the Federation ordered the establishment of Gaia research station in neutral territory near the Tangle. It was felt that, in addition to the valuable scientific knowledge to be gleaned from studying the field, a stable Federation presence in the area might eventually lead to an opportunity to offer some sort of assistance to the Inphirians.

RECENT EVENTS

During the conduct of a scientific experiment along one of the boundaries of the Tangle, a Federation research team spotted an alien ship adrift. It was abandoned and bore signs of having been catapulted by contact with the Tangle, but there were also signs it had seen combat before that happened. Starfleet recovered the ship and made several determinations:

1) The ship was not of Inphirian origin;
2) The marks on the hull appeared to be from Inphirian energy weapons;
3) The ship possessed a means of propulsion unlike any Starfleet had ever encountered - and it appeared able to negate the effects of the uncertainty principle.

The "uncertainty drive" had apparently failed during the battle, accounting for the ship being flung out of the Tangle. A survey of the weapons systems on board the alien ship suggested that this race has military technology generally superior to that of the Inphirians and that the failure of the ship's propulsion drive is likely the only reason it lost this particular battle.

The Federation had finally found its bargaining chip to use with the Inphirians. Starfleet immediately set about studying and repairing the uncertainty drive and retrofitting it for use on a Fleet vessel while the Federation made a diplomatic outreach to the Inphirians. When they heard that the Federation was not only aware that Inphir was engaged in a conflict with an enemy of superior capabilities, but had possession of that enemy's technology, they were open to reconsidering a diplomatic relationship.

In the months that followed, Inphir handed over information on the Vruxil, a mysterious race that had long been rumored to live within the Tangle but only recently emerged to attack Inphirian research colonists on a small planetoid on the outskirts of the Tangle. In exchange for access to that yet unnamed resource the Inphirians have, the Federation has promised to help the Inphirians negotiate a truce with the Vruxil.

CURRENT SITUATION

The Inphirians and Starfleet have agreed to launch a joint mission to journey into the Tangle and locate the Vruxil homeworld. A representative of Inphir with a background in both diplomacy and astrophysics(?), Oobadek, will be a crew member on the Starfleet vessel USS Hodgkin. The Hodgkin has been retrofitted with the repaired uncertainty drive, which will make travel through the Tangle possible.

There are technological and physiological challenges and limitations. The uncertainty drive isn't fully compatible with the Hodgkin's systems and requires constant monitoring and quick response to the frequent conflicts and glitches. That the Tangle has a negative impact on human neurology is well-documented by a research team that has been stationed on Gaia for several years. While it appears that the uncertainty drive slows the impact of the Tangle on the human brain, it doesn't negate it entirely, and how much it slows the impact seems to vary depending on the intensity of the uncertainty effects in a given area of space within the Tangle. As a result, the mission can only be carried out in segments, with the Hodgkin methodically searching plotted sections of the Tangle, recording their findings, and returning to Gaia station to examine the findings, tinker with the uncertainty drive, and monitor the health of the crew.