Today, all the known spacefaring races in the galaxy are held together by a government known as the Intergalactic Confederation of Planets.

Built on the old government of the Forerunners and the Great Institutes set up by the Progenitors, the Galactic Council oversees all intergalactic affairs, from trade routes to wars.

However, life does exist outside the galaxy... and it occasionally causes problems.

Shortly after the first 4 Yuuzhan Vong incursions, another extragalactic threat revealed itself in the form of a simultaneous invasion on several planets in the galaxy's outer rim.

The invaders were strange, dissimilar beings which autopsies showed belonged to three different species. However, as the situation on other planets progressed, two other forms were observed.

It is believed these beings are meant to act as a sort of "vanguard" for the actual invasion force, with the 5 species observed thus far being their client races.

All the species encountered thus far metabolize biomatter (usually in the form of live prey) in order to grow larger and stronger, progressing through three stages of growth

Goliath

Believed to be the basic "foot soldier" of the invaders, the Goliath is an extremely strong and violent predator that uses an array of close-quarter attacks and gap-closing abilities, relying on hurled rocks for ranged damage. While mobile enough to get around, the Goliath excels in close-quarters combat and is at its strongest when it is in a direct fight.

The Goliath is a large saurian monster with a thick hide, covered in spikes and barbs that increase in size with each successive stage of its growth. It is bipedal and stands on its hind legs when fighting, but is capable of running at great speed on all fours.

Additionally, the Goliath is capable of breathing fire.

Wraith

In comparison to the brutish Goliath, the Wraith specializes in stealth and assassination maneuvers, flitting across the battlefield to focus down targets while mitigating damage through speed and cunning.

Perhaps the most psychically-inclined of the five species, the Wraith moves around by floating just above the ground in a serpentine motion, making very little noise, and can even travel via a short omnidirectional warp, allowing it to achieve some amount of airborne presence.

Additionally, the Wraith is capable of projecting psychic copies in order to confuse attackers.

Kraken

The only monster capable of continuous flight, the Kraken specializes in long ranged combat, bombarding its enemies from the skies as it uses its abilities to control the battlefield.

Kraken can generate electricity from the two tentacle-like appendages on its back, and uses these for combat and flight. When gliding, it spreads its wings and creates an electrical field that keeps it buoyant. When attacking, the Kraken is capable of generating lightning bolts, as well as ball lightning

Behemoth

Only appearing in a Stage 2 invasion of a planet (once sufficient numbers of Goliaths, Wraiths, and Krakens have built up), these powerhouses are the largest of the invading races. In addition to pure brute strength, the Behemoth also possesses an incredibly long, barbed tongue that can be shot from it's mouth with whip-like speed to drag unfortunate victims within range of its attacks.

Additionally, the Behemoth is capable of spewing a substance similar to molten rock from its jaws, and can excrete a similar substance from its skin. This latter example hardens quickly, and is used by the beast to form into a boulder-like state which it uses to travel at quick speed.

Gorgon

Another "Stage 2" invader, information is scanty, but the Gorgon seemingly focuses on individuals while the Behemoth takes on groups, using spider-like webs in order to capture targets, as well as possessing an ability to spit acid.