Complex sentence: Located in Federation territory, the Briar Patch is a region of space that starships usually avoid; various radiation sources and energy fluctuations impair communications systems, making it difficult for vessels inside the nebula to make contact with those outside the nebula.
Split into simpler sentences: Located in Federation territory, the Briar Patch was a region of space which starships usually avoided. Various radiation sources and energy fluctuations impaired communications systems, making it difficult for vessels inside the nebula to make contact with those outside the nebula.