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The hypothetical region of space that would eventually come to be defined as Sector 813 was first listed in a 1664 Vulcan star chart, where it was speculated to be at least 6000 cubic light-years in volume and could potentially contain anywhere between twenty to thirty different star systems. As scientific methods gradually improved over the centuries, the parameters for Sector 813 were constantly re-defined in subsequent star charts, reaching a final volume of 8000 cubic light-years by 2238.
The Federation/Klingon Neutral Zone, the borders of which were first defined in a 2162 treaty, bisected the "Northeastern" corner of Sector 813, effectively ceding territorial control of that region to the Klingon Empire. However, Starfleet historians speculate that the Klingons had first settled in Sector 813 far earlier; an ancient Klingon Tome recovered by the USS Xiuhcoatl (NCC-215) in 2171 mentions a band of Klingon Nomads from the House Jandar- believed to be ancient ancestors of the House Khartan- settling in the region as early as 1955, thus making the Klingon Empire the first space-faring society to venture into Sector 813 to any considerable capacity.
The Excalibur Expedition:
The first Starfleet expedition to charter Sector 813 was organized as early as 2249, as part of the Constitution-Class USS Excalibur's (NCC-1664) first five-year mission. Given the sheer size of sector 813, the charter was initially estimated to take anywhere between two to three years to complete, and, coupled with several lesser expeditions into neighboring sectors, could take even longer. Nonetheless, the Excalibur, under the command of veteran Captain Dmitri Vlasidovich, commenced its expedition of Sector 813 in February of 2250.
By August of that year, the Excalibur had charted at least 19 major star systems, with at least 27 planets observed to possess the bio-atmospheric conditions necessary for sustaining life. However, it was on August 17 that they first detected a primitive warp signature.
The "Rheuysian Miracle":
The signature was eventually traced back to System 813-G, where they had previously observed a civilization that was capable of primitive spaceflight, but was originally determined to be a few years off from full warp capability. As it transpired, however, this society was actually just a few months short of "cracking the code" behind sub-light travel, so to speak.
Once the crew of the Excalibur had indeed verified that the civilization had attained warp capability, First Contact was initiated. The diplomatic body they were referred to, who introduced their species as "Rheuysians", revealed that their civilization was barely 50 years removed from a destructive and bloody conflict following a failed terraforming experiment in the early 21st century; the results of which rendered over 80% of the planet's surface uninhabitable. In light of a follow-through with Starfleet Command, great interest was expressed in the so-called "Rheuysian Miracle," and thus it was requested that Starfleet historian Gundula Rall (already aboard the Excalibur in the role of a Mission Advisor) be assigned to Rheuys as a cultural observer.
The next six months would see the crew of the Excalibur working in tandem with the Rheuysians to help improve upon their spacefaring capabilities, even so far as to help them colonize their first world- and uninhabited biosphere in System 813-H, which was determined by environmental analysts to match the bio-atmospheric conditions of Rheuys prior to their failed terraforming effort. The planet was officially christened by the joint Federation/Rheuysian expedition as "Rheuys Prime."
In February of 2251, however, the crew of the Excalibur had received word that Starbase 18, a Federation outpost in a nearby Sector, had been destroyed with a loss of all hands, and the Admiralty requested that the Excalibur be diverted to investigate. Rall was appointed to remain behind and continue her observations of the Rheuysians; but in some of her final communications with the Federation, she expressed concerns that the Rheuysians were still a bitterly divided people, despite the existence of a planetary government. In addition, she voiced frustrations over her inability to do anything about it due to the Prime Directive. While Rall's final comments were dismissed by Starfleet Command, they would turn out to be strong hints of events to come.
Return to Sector 813, and Discovery of the Eifie:
Following a lengthy six-month ordeal that briefly saw Captain Vlasidovich assuming command of the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701), after its Commanding Officer, Captain Christopher Pike, was mistakenly believed to have been killed in action, the Excalibur, once again under Captain Vlasidovich's command, had resumed their expedition by August of 2251. By May of 2252, they had charted 24 systems, including at least 38 planets capable of sustaining life, when they once again detected a primitive warp signature.
This time, they managed to trace the signature to System 813-Y, where they established First Contact with another humanoid species who referred to themselves as the "Eifie". Compared to the Rheuysians, the Eifie had also had their fair share of wars in the past, but had agreed to set aside their differences some 300 years prior to create a peaceful and safe society. Having long since rejected more aggressive philosophies in favor of passive, scientific growth, the Eifie proved eager to expand the boundaries of their knowledge with another (perceptibly) peaceful society. However, due to an abnormally low male-to-female birth ratio (a rate of just one male to every twelve females), they did stipulate as part of a condition that the crew of the Excalibur would be prohibiting interacting with Eifie males, for fear of contaminating them with biological pathogens that their (admittedly sheltered) immune systems would be unable to combat. The crew of the Excalibur honored this request, though they did provide the Eifie with several bacteriological samples with which they could use to inoculate their males for further contacts.
In the midst of their diplomatic proceedings with the Eifie, and attempt was made to re-establish contact with Gundula Rall and the Rheuysians. When all efforts to reach her ultimately failed, she was inexplicably listed as "missing in action," and no follow-up was ever made.
By 2253, with their expedition in Sector 813 drawing to a close, the crew Excalibur relayed their findings to Starfleet Command: a grand total of 41 systems charted, 57 planets discovered to be capable of sustaining life, 31 planets determined to contain valuable minerals, and contact established with two warp-faring societies. By all means, the Sector 813 expedition had been a runaway success.
Rise of Bra'Khis:
Across the Neutral Zone, a "concerning shift in paradigms" was reported to be taking place in the House of Khartan. The house's reigning patriarch, Khartan, was reported to have perished "under suspicious circumstances" (the exact details surrounding his death are unclear), and governance of the house was passed to his eldest son, Bra'Khis. Bra'Khis himself was already on Starfleet's radar, having made clear on several occasions that he held nothing but contempt for non-Klingon species- including one incident in 2226 where he reportedly shoved a Starfleet Officer down a flight of stairs, seemingly in a fit of rage. But now, with an entire House at his beck-and-call, he was classified by Starfleet Intelligence as posing a "considerable" threat level to Starfleet assets in and along the Federation/Klingon Neutal Zone.
Sadly, Intel's fears came to fruition in 2257, when Starfleet Command received word that Bra'Khis had illegally annexed Kusogh, a system that sat well within neutral space. Outraged at Bra'Khis's blatant disregard for the 2162 treaty, Starfleet Command wasted no time getting in contact with the Klingon High Command and demanding that Bra'Khis and his forces withdraw from the Kusogh system immeditely, or face a potential embargo as a consequence. The Klingon High Command assured Starfleet that they would look into Bra'Khis's behavior, but as the months passed and no official follow-through was made, it became clear that Klingon High Command had no qualms regarding Bra'Khis's actions.
Emboldened, Bra'Khis continued to aggressively expand his boundaries, starting with the annexation of another neutral system, Kuulthar, in 2259, and followed by the annexation of the Phantohk and Piroq systems in rapid succession. This aggressive expansionism proved to be the last straw for both the Eifie and Rheuysians; jointly recognizing the threat that Bra'Khis posed, the two space-faring powers came together for the first time and agreed that the establishment of a permanent Starfleet presence in the sector was "fundamental to preserving their most basic liberties" from the Klingon threat.
Deep Space K-9:
With the logistics of inducting two major space-faring societies into the UFP at once, it was decided that a temporary base of operations would need to be constructed so as to oversee diplomatic negotiations. The construction of a more permanent Starbase could take upwards of three years- time Starfleet evidently did not have the luxury for- and thus it was decided that the assembly of a temporary Starbase was in order.
Starfleet Deep Space Outpost, production code #K-9, was first assembled in 2235 as a temporary base of operations for Sector 750 until the construction of a more permanent Starbase in the sector could be completed. Once that facility, Tarsus 4, was completed in 2246, it was expected that Deep Space K-9 would transfer ownership to the locals of Sector 750 as a trading port. However, local merchants were much more interested in opening up shop in the much larger Tarsus 4, with the possibility of catering to much higher foot traffic. Thus, Deep Space K-9's presence in the sector was functionally redundant, and even sat in a semi-abandoned state from 2260 to 2263.
However, with the request to quickly and cheaply establish a Federation presence in Sector 813 saw a chance for new life to be breathed into the semi-derelict station. With the Algonquin System chosen to house Starfleet's permanent base of operations in the Sector, the nearby Capricorn Zeta system was subsequently chosen to host Deep Space K-9 for the intents and purposes of ferrying diplomatic relations between the Rheuysian Reich, Eifie Republic, and United Federation of Planets. Additionally, the station would be used as a listening post to monitor Klingon activity in the sector, and would be the first to raise the alarm if Bra'Khis made a bid to invade the Federation side of the sector.
Commodore Charles Foy of the USS Alliance (NCC-1010) was appointed as head of Sector Operations, from the transfer and reassembly of Deep Space K-9 in the Capricorn Zeta system, to the construction of a more permanent Starbase in the Algonquin System, and even setting up smaller mining operations in and around the region. Command of Deep Space K-9 would be awarded to Commander Irene Vincent, who would be tasked with coordinating diplomatic efforts between the Eifie and Rheuysians, as well as monitoring Klingon activity in the sector; as an additional layer of protection, the Lancaster-Class USS Tigerfish (NCC-1509) would be pulled out of mothballs and assigned to Deep Space K-9 as a garrison vessel, with Commander Louise De La Valiere assigned as Commanding Officer.