Intergalactic expeditions
Voyages beyond the confines of our Milky Way galaxy, intergalactic expeditions (also occasionally referred to as extragalactic expeditions or traveling beyond the Rim) are the latest stage of development in space-faring. Due to the immense distances between galactic objects, special methods of travel such as wormholes are usually employed in these endeavors.
Historical expeditions
Perhaps the most well known historical intergalactic expedition is the arrival of the Bacterians into our galaxy from the neighboring Large Magellanic Cloud. Initially thought to have developed in the Milky Way, the extragalactic nature of the Bacterian species was revealed only relatively recently. It should also be noted here that the Bacterians are believed to maintain a signifant presence in the nearby Sagittarius Dwarf Elliptical Galaxy. The codename BlackHole Dimensional PropSys is often used to describe this Bacterian method of intergalactic travel.
Even further in murky galactic prehistory are the expeditions of the Ancients; the Great Lightness, the T-Race, and the Gorgs, to name a few. They developed spacefaring capabilities before the modern galactic civilizations had even evolved into sentience, and for unknown reasons many of these Old Ones departed this galaxy altogether, migrating into such places as the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy.
Modern expeditions
During the First Bacterian War, a massive colonyship called the UOSF HemmoCruiser III was constructed by the United Orcs to escape beyond the galactic Rim and avoid extermination in the hands of the Bacterian Empire. Most of the crew was to remain in cryogenically induced "hypersleep" for the duration of the trip. Luckily, the war ended before the ship could truly begin this journey.
Later, special wormholes referred to as Inter-Galactic Gates (IGG) were discovered in the Alpha and Beta Quadrants, leading far beyond the main galactic disk. The first one was used by the elusive Namguroon Federation, possibly maintaining its power base in one of the Milky Way's globular clusters. The first IGG was discovered by Hemmoian scientists but quickly claimed by the Gigerdi Alliance, as it was closer to their territories. Due to failed diplomacy, a brief conflict flared between Gigerdian and Namguroon forces, and the wormhole collapsed soon afterwards. Contact with the Namguroon has not been re-established.
A second Gate, larger and more stable, was discovered by the Gigerdi Alliance in the Beta Quadrant. This gate is the most distant-reaching wormhole found to date, extending all the way to the Canis Major Dwarf Galaxy. Currently, the Gigerdi Alliance, the Interplanetary Alliance, and the Hemmoian Federation all have expeditionary forces exploring the new galaxy's Omega Quadrant, and have already discovered several new civilizations. One of the extragalactics, the aggressive and ancient La'fin, even used the Gate to attack Gigerdian colonies in our galaxy during what is now called the La'fin Conflict.
Current status
Extragalactic exploration has only recently begun and only the tiniest fraction of Canis Major has been explored. Likewise, many of our own globular clusters and dwarf companion galaxies, as well as the galactic tidal streams, remain unexplored.
To date, the Hemmoian Federation's semi-automated explorer vessel IHSF Baasegnar has established one colony in Canis Major, known as Kekkoslovakia. Likewise, the Gigerdi Alliance has established several starbases and allied itself with a local primitive civilization, the Braccatian Kingdom. Meanwhile, the starships GAS Exploreison and the IPAS Valiant of the joint GA/IPA expeditionary force are pushing the boundaries of explored space even further. Although rhetorically the starpowers involved are working together for scientific purposes, it is clear they all have their own vested interests.
