The Terran Diaspora of the 02400s

While there were indeed representatives of various xenoalien cultures present as well, the Diaspora of the 02400s was primarily known as a Terran event.  Massive numbers of starships fled the devastation of the Core and Frontier worlds left over from the Terran Civil War and the Pauk Invasion that followed, with several fleet groups making long journeys to distant regions of the Galaxy.  One group was made up of Panasian and NorAm colonists and settled in a single massive star system, while another composed of both Kentauran and Terran humans patterned themselves after ancient Greco-Roman culture as they set up their civilization in an uninhabited multi-planet star system they found perfect for their needs.  Still another colony fleet had both Terrans and Promedians working together, along with numerous stowaway Xenoroach Rippers that hatched along the way setting up a three-way battle for supremacy in the galactic spur they ultimately settled.

The various Colony Fleets that set out from the former Federacy territories were composed of both new and old construction starships.  Some of these fleets reached suitable star systems with available worlds to colonize but many were lost or destroyed along their journey.  Some fell into temporal nexuses and were thrust forward or backwards in time, while at least one fleet experienced time dilation effects that caused them to emerge into the 09000s. 

The Terran-Colonial Frontier Civil War (02430s and 02440s)

With the major warfare of the late 02300s the TranStellar Federacy found itself fundamentally weakened.  Following the establishment of a rival confederation of species (the Pauk-Rex-Silicate Enclave-P'Tharan alliance called the Orionis Spur Multistellar Unity, or Orionis Unity for short) the core worlds of the Terran Alliance (which had replaced UECON as the major government for Terra by the mid-02300s) attempted to exercise greater control over all TransFed colonies.  While ostensibly done to greatest a stronger counterbalance to the Orionis Unity, the end result was frustration from the Colonies and the Core Worlds and would lead to a devastating internal conflict between the two major Terran factions.

The new Terran Alliance fleet showcased many of the technological developments of the late 02300s and early 02400s.  While a separate entity from the TranStellar Federacy Vanguard, many Terran Alliance (aka TerraFleet) ships were quite similar in form and function and were even occasionally the exact same designs.

Frontier Colony ships were designed and built by outer fringe shipyards and while lacking the elegance of the Terran Alliance, vessels built for the VanGuard fleet were quite capable in combat.  Shown here is a Frontier battlecruiser.

 The Frontier Colonies prized their independence above all else, with many of its citizens (both Terran human and xenoalien) having been transplants from Free Aries and other Solar Colonies bringing with them a long and storied history of personal freedom.  The new display of attempted centralized control by Terra Central caused great consternation in the Frontier Colonies and despite attempts by the Promedians, Kentaurans and other allied xenoaliens to mediate the disputes, war was inevitable by the late 02430s.

The Frontier Colonies had actually built up a significant fleet of their own by purchasing a large number of older and obsolescent warships from various galactic powers as well as constructing some of their own, but were also able to draw some of the Terran Alliance and VanGuard sub-fleets to fight on their side. 

Several classes of exploration craft were re-tasked for combat roles during the 02430s, both to deal with the situation out in the Frontier worlds and to keep the Orionis Unity from taking advantage of the situation.  This example is a Universe class deep-range exploration vessel modified for military applications. 

Older VanGuard vessels were pressed into use during this conflict, with former members of mothballed fleets turning up throughout the various battles.  The vessel shown here was originally built in the 02370s and was still in service over 60 years later.

The Frontier forces depended heavily on their carrier forces as they had no hope of matching up with the Terran Alliance ships toe-to-toe.  The Frontier starfighter pilots acquitted themselves well, setting the foundation for the proud fighter tradition in place centuries later during the wars with the L'Narans. 

The result of the carnage of the Terran Civil War combined with the intermittent invasions by the Pauk and others was that something of a diaspora occurred, with entire populations of Terran worlds being relocated to far off colonies beyond the known worlds.  Here is one of the "Colony Trains" as they were called headed out to seek for new worlds to settle.  This momentous scattering of Terrans beyond the explored regions of the Mosaic Galaxy would  ultimately have a major impact on future history as it would unfold.

Following the end of the Frontier Revolt the villainous Pauk and some of their allies tried to take advantage of the weakened Terran Alliance resulting in an on-again/off-again conflict that stretched into the 02460s. 

The Second Great Galactic War (02370s)

The threatening presence of the Far Side Imperium (also called the Perseid Rift Empire by military strategists of the time) and its attempts to take advantage of the damage wrought by the Qajari incursions was a bit of a surprise to the TranStellar Federacy.  In many ways the Far Side Imperium was something of an "opposite" to the Federacy being a consortium of worlds held together by force or threat of force.  The Imperium appeared to be a reborn version of a previous empire dating back to ancient times with dreams of bringing the entire Mosaic Galaxy under its domineering control.

Far Side starships were technologically advanced and appeared to share some attributes of the mysterious Gatekeepers so common in Terran space during the early third millennium.  However, whatever connections existed between those two powers was never fully determined, although both may have arisen from a common Precursor culture.

The war itself was one of the most destructive in galactic history to that point despite its relative brevity.  Entire worlds in both galactic arms were devastated, and the fallout of this conflict would ultimately impact the events of the 02400s culminating in the Terran Frontier Insurrection of the 02440s. 

Following the trauma of facing the Qajari a decade before, the attacks of the Imperium were even more detrimental to Federacy morale.  The very alien nature of the Imperium made it impossible to fully contemplate their motives, much less to attempt to broker peace.

The VanGuard commissioned a number of new classes of exploration/combat vessels as a result of their experiences against the Qajari and Far Side Imperium.  Many of these newer vessels would serve for decades and some even fought in the Frontier Insurrection of the 02440s.  Shown here is a Taurus class attack frigate that joined the VanGuard circa 02370.

The hated avian xenoaliens called the Pauk appeared on the scene once again in the late 02370s as allies to the Far Siders.  In the strategic warfare that followed both the homeworld of the Pauk and that of the Promedians were destroyed. 

Qajari Invasions of the late 02300s

It was in the latter part of the 02300s that Terran humanity came face to face with the terrifying presence of the Qajari.  Throughout the expanding sphere of influence of Terra and the TranStellar Federacy the VanGuard began to encounter the vessels of these incomprehensible beings time and again.  Why the Qajari had determined to turn their attention towards the Federacy was unknown, but on three major occasions Qajari warships attempted to attack the heart of the Federacy only to be turned back by the VanGuard.  It would be the resulting weakness of the Federacy following these attacks that would create the opening for the Pauk and their Far Side Imperium allies to attack in the Second Great Galactic War of the 02370s.

The greatest minds of the Federacy had believed that the Qajari had migrated far beyond the worlds of the Terran sphere of influence, but instead the Qajari returned to the scene in explosive fashion.  Three major invasions took place throughout the 02360s and 02370s, causing tremendous damage to both VanGuard vessels and morale. 

The Qajari invasions generated a sense of panic amongst the worlds of the TransFed and led to a massive buildup of forces in terms of both starships and ground forces.  Ultimately, this would prove to be a positive strategic choice with the coming of the Second Great Galactic War in the 02370s.

The VanGuard developed several new classes of military-focused starships in response to the Qajari Invasions.  The primary mission of the VanGuard changed during the 02370s from one of exploration back to the defensive role that had dominated Terran doctrine in the early days of starflight.

The Qajari were a most terrifying foe as they were part of a massive population of the insectoid Qajari spread throughout the Mosaic Galaxy.  The Terrans knew from accounts of other species that the Qajari were much like Terran ants in that if they all ever decided to go on a rampage, it was likely nothing would stand in their way.  And for some unknown reason, in the mid 02260s go on a rampage they did....

The VanGuard called in every unit (shown here are three attack gunboats defending the Free Aries defensive perimeter during the first influx of Qajari forces) that could be fielded to stand against the might of the Qajari.  Each battle in the conflict was for survival, and the VanGuard ships earned a deserved reputation as an effective military fighting force.

 Qajari ships seemed to appear from no where during their intense but brief periods of activities.  Many of the Federacy's greatest minds tried to determine how they were able to transit deep space so quickly, but nothing firm was ever determined other than some probably theories about Qajari vessels using quantum tunneling drives.  Many centuries later, when the Qajari had allied with Terran humanity it was discovered that they indeed were quite adept at navigating the vagaries of deep space quantum tunnels and Qajari pilots were prized during the days of the Technocracy. 

The VanGuard Launches a New Generation of Starship

In the 02350s the VanGuard determined it was time to commission a new generation of exploratory cruiser.  The Vigilant class was the result with the third example of the vessel taking on the storied name of the Venture VI in honor of the previous Terran ships of that name.  The new Vigilants were larger and more capable than any class ever designed by Terran engineers and would serve as the primary military and exploration units during the second half of the 02300s.

The vessels in the Vigilant class became a the widely revered type of starship and served the TransFed for several decades in exploratory and combat capacities.

The Vigilant class was designed by a consortium of Terran and Promedian engineering firms to be the apex combat starship in the known worlds while still retaining exploration capabilities.  The first four to be commissioned were manufactured by the Free Aries Shipyards before all subsequent construction was transferred to the distant Forge Starworks facility for reasons of TransFederacy security.

Federacy starships had established a reputation for exceptional combat prowess and scientific accomplishments, but the new Vigilant series went far beyond even what was expected of them.  They would be the primary line ship for the Federacy until the beginning of the 02400s.

Third Felinoid Campaign-02340s

After two major previous campaigns against Felinoid xenoaliens (the T'Garan conflicts of the early 02200s) a third offshoot of this once widespread species was encountered in the 02340s with similar results.  The P'tharan War was short and violent, with VanGuard forces pushing all the way back to the P'tharan homeworld, which was home to a powerful Cosmic Oracle.  It was discovered that the armored reptilian race called the Rex were trying to occupy the P'tharan homeworld, and as they were allied to the TranStellar Federacy the VanGuard fleet had been drawn into the conflict.  After the war ended an uneasy truce was enforced by the presence of a single VanGuard ship and a corresponding P'tharan vessel patrolling the Armistice Zone at all times. 

The P'Tharans were a significant opponent and despite the brevity of the conflict their forces inflicted major damages against the VanGuard fleet.

The P'Tharans operated numerous types of combat starships, including flotillas of small frigates and destroyers that proved optimal for attacking VanGuard and other allied vessels.  This conflict was to prove to be a foreshadowing event for the major Felinoid wars of the 02600s. 

P'Tharan ships were large and powerful, as this formidable race had acquired various technologies from other galactic powers via a variety of methods.  With their withering attack on the Rex, who were TransFederacy allies at the time, the VanGuard was brought in and a short, but devastating war ensued.

P'Tharans had a practice of acquiring various starships and technologies from other galactic powers and then using these same units against them.  Their smaller warships were often used as raiding vessels operating in the very regions of space were they had originally been manufactured as a ploy to confuse potential victims.

The Terran Age of Discovery-AD 02200s and 02300s

The Terran Age of Discovery, also known as the First Age of Exploration, was a period in history starting in the 02200s and continuing into the mid-02300s during which Terran humanity engaged in extensive exploration of their corner of the Mosaic Galaxy.  In the process they established direct contacts with many xenoalien races, including the ascended Promedians, the birdlike Pauk, the various Felinoid races of the Dispersion, numerous Preservationist-transplanted humans, and others all the while mapping the vast regions they explored. Galactic historians would oftentimes refer to this 'Terran Age of Discovery' as being defined by the efforts of the descendents of mankind and their intensive travels in search of alternative trade routes throughout the Sirius Subsector and beyond, compelled by the various interstellar trade opportunities presented and the chance to make discoveries of ancient technologies that could benefit Terra.

Ships of the VanGuard began to systematically explore the Sirius Subsector in the early 02200s, but those efforts really began bearing fruit a century later.  The first half of the 02300s were a time of relative peace and unbridled passion about voyages of discover.  

The 'Terran Age of Discovery' is seen in Galactic History as a bridge between the time of the ancient Progenitors and the rise of the Galactic era which would over time be dominated by beings descended from the little backwater world of Terra.  Accounts from distant worlds fueled the rise of scientific curiosity and thereby ushered in a new age of scientific and intellectual inquiry. Terran expansion in the 02300s led to the rise of a vast colonial confederation called the TransStellar Federacy, with the contact between the homeworld of Terra and these intriguing new worlds producing the Sirius Exchange: a broad-spectrum economy built upon the transfer of non-sapiant biological lifeforms, exotic foods, xenohuman populations (including slaves), trans-species communicable diseases, and aspects of culture between the Terran and xenoalien spheres of influence. 

A new class of starships began to enter the VanGuard just before 02300.  These vessels were capable replacements for the Venture class and her brethren and served throughout the first half of the century in both scientific and military functions.  

Terran knowledge about other remote sapiant cultures was sourced in reports from allies such as the Promedians or from captured data from species like the Cronans, Pauk, and T'Garans and were often obscured by legends.  Many of these legendary tales dated back from the time of the Great Zetan and his/her/its successors and gave what little was known of the Preservationist account of early Galactic History. Another source were reports from the time pre-dating the Galactic Assembly's founding and that vast organization's oversight of the Sirius Subsector.

These two exploratory cruisers along with their attendant exploration frigate are seen here over Calvin's World, a distant colony from Terra orbiting a strange-acting orange star called Hobbes.  While the derivation of its name is unknown, the fact that Calvin's World was the only world in the valuable Hobbes system made it a source of contention between several of the inhabited worlds.

The prelude to the Terran Age of Exploration was a series of VanGuard expeditions across the Sirius Subsector in the late 02200s.  Although the vile Cronans had threatened many of the inhabited worlds with violence and destruction, the Cronan fleet also indirectly unified much of the Sirius Subsector and with the rise of the influence of Terra and the vaunted VanGuard safe trade routes and lines of communication soon stretched from Rigel to the Antares Maelstrom.

The Zarlacks had not only overthrown the Cronans in the 02260s and 02270s but eventually took the territories of that ancient empire for its own.  They would become a nominal ally during most of the 02300s, but in the later half of the century they would withdraw their cooperative efforts and re-militarize.