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.