The WYN Star Cluster stands as a huge (50 parsecs diameter) beacon marking   the point where the Klingon, Lyran, and Kzinti borders meet. The rich planets are   surrounded by a thin shell of intensely radioactive dust.

  More than half of the WYN Cluster's population consists of Kzinti renegades. Most   of the rest are Lyran and Klingon renegades and Orion Pirates.

  The WYN position is perfect for defense for two reasons. First, any ship coming   through the radiation belts would be disoriented for a considerable period. Until   the effects of the radiation wore off, invading ships would suffer continuous   computer and electronic malfunctions that drastically reduced their effectiveness   in combat. The small WYN fleet, which would have been blasted to dust in high   space, could easily handle intruders disoriented by the radiation.

  The second reason for WYN defensive success was that none of the bordering   empires could afford to see the others gain control. The WYN Cluster was richer   by  far in rare minerals and metals than any other region of space. Time and   again, Kzinti ships prevented the Klingo-Lyran alliance from overwhelming the   cluster, and more than once Klingon or Lyran ships helped keep the Kzintis at   bay.

  The richness of the cluster supported a strong and growing economy. Trade with   the Lyrans, Klingons, and Kzintis proceeded actively from Y159 through the   General War. Trade with the WYN was conducted solely on their terms.

  The one thing the WYN lacked was a shipyard capable of actually building ships   (rather than just converting them). In Y160, the Orions constructed one within the   cluster on the condition that it remain under Orion control. The arrangement   involved the gift of a CR and several LR class ships (and a further gift of one LR   per year) to the WYNs, but gave the Orions one shipyard relatively invulnerable to   attack.