Operation Vanguard

Operation Vanguard was the operational name for Starfleet's secret investigation of the meta-genome in the Taurus Reach in the 2260s. As part of Operation Vanguard, the Watchtower-class starbase Vanguard was constructed there - with the cover of being a center for colonization efforts of the unclaimed region of space. The true purpose was to provide a fixed location for the Vault and its scientists, and to provide a hub for discovering traces of the meta-genome by Operation Vanguard's attached vessels, the USS Endeavour, USS Sagittarius and the USS Bombay. The operation lasted from circa 2263, when the meta-genome was discovered, until 2268, when Vanguard was destroyed during a conflict with the Tholian Assembly and the Shedai, originators of the meta-genome.