Black Zone

The Black Zone is a large area of space located in the Alpha Balran galaxy, which is between HF and CD space.

This area of space takes up roughly 1/100 of the galaxy star count. It is a significant area of space that no known ship has ever been able to leave. Every starship that enters, regardless of allegiance and technology, is lost. Both the HC and CD established exclusion zones, and the 6 remaining intergalactic factions followed them. Many factions, especially the HF, still attempt to find out what causes this, and large stations were set up near the edge of the black zone. However, no feature in space makes the black zone clear, so its exact borders are not known. The HF has tried sending drones into the black zone, with no avail. In some cases, contact was even lost with some drones while they were within HF tachyon radar radius and were thus under constant watch. When a ship is lost, its QEC and radar signature are both reduced to 0 in an instant.

Many theories have been thought as to how this happens. Some theories suggest that it happens because of some exotic weather phenomena that causes the effected ship to both lose its QEC signal and decompose entirely into energy, releasing a massive explosion. However, if this theory was correct then it would surely effect all the planets and stars within the black zone. Instead, it is seen that there are few features determining the beginning and end of the black zone. The most popular theory indicates that this is done by a precursor artifact located possibly within the center of the black zone. This phenomenon could even be the result of a very advanced alien civilization which never ventures out from the black zone. They would need some exceptionally efficient cloaking device technology as to not have a tachyon radar signature.

In reality, none of these theories are correct. Truly, the effect is caused by clusters of nanobots from an older, non-precursor civilization, an AI faction. Upon detecting a starship, the nanobots will jam its QEC reading and dismantle the ship in order to self replicate. Despite this, they have not expanded out of the Black Zone because a specific function strictly prevents them from doing so. Upon leaving the Black Zone, the nanobots will self destruct but they have not been observed by anyone to leave yet. Nanobot clusters have virtually no radar cross section, making them almost indistinguishable from basic space dust. 

There would probably be someone in Fortrais that thought of this, but it would be a less well known theory.