diff --git a/src/test/term_info_queries_test.py b/src/test/term_info_queries_test.py
index 7afd41c..3be3a65 100644
--- a/src/test/term_info_queries_test.py
+++ b/src/test/term_info_queries_test.py
@@ -1,13 +1,13 @@
 import unittest
 import time
 from src.vfbquery.term_info_queries import deserialize_term_info, deserialize_term_info_from_dict, process
-from vfb_connect.cross_server_tools import VfbConnect
+from src.vfbquery.solr_fetcher import SolrTermInfoFetcher
 
 
 class TermInfoQueriesTest(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def setUp(self):
-        self.vc = VfbConnect()
+        self.vc = SolrTermInfoFetcher()
         self.variable = TestVariable("my_id", "my_name")
 
     def test_term_info_deserialization(self):
diff --git a/src/vfbquery/solr_fetcher.py b/src/vfbquery/solr_fetcher.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..82a2f29
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/vfbquery/solr_fetcher.py
@@ -0,0 +1,89 @@
+import requests
+import json
+import logging
+import pandas as pd
+from typing import List, Dict, Any, Optional, Union
+from vfb_connect import vfb
+
+class SolrTermInfoFetcher:
+    """Fetches term information directly from the Solr server instead of using VfbConnect"""
+    
+    def __init__(self, solr_url: str = "https://solr.virtualflybrain.org/solr/vfb_json"):
+        """Initialize with the Solr server URL"""
+        self.solr_url = solr_url
+        self.logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)
+        self.vfb = vfb
+    
+    def get_TermInfo(self, short_forms: List[str], 
+                    return_dataframe: bool = False, 
+                    summary: bool = False) -> Union[List[Dict[str, Any]], pd.DataFrame]:
+        """
+        Fetch term info from Solr directly, mimicking VFBconnect's interface
+        
+        Args:
+            short_forms: List of term IDs to fetch
+            return_dataframe: If True, return as pandas DataFrame
+            summary: If True, return summarized version
+            
+        Returns:
+            List of term info dictionaries or DataFrame
+        """
+        results = []
+        
+        for short_form in short_forms:
+            try:
+                url = f"{self.solr_url}/select"
+                params = {
+                    "indent": "true",
+                    "fl": "term_info",
+                    "q.op": "OR",
+                    "q": f"id:{short_form}"
+                }
+                
+                self.logger.debug(f"Querying Solr for {short_form}")
+                response = requests.get(url, params=params)
+                response.raise_for_status()
+                
+                data = response.json()
+                docs = data.get("response", {}).get("docs", [])
+                
+                if not docs:
+                    self.logger.warning(f"No results found for {short_form}")
+                    continue
+                    
+                if "term_info" not in docs[0] or not docs[0]["term_info"]:
+                    self.logger.warning(f"No term_info found for {short_form}")
+                    continue
+                
+                # Extract and parse the term_info string which is itself JSON
+                term_info_str = docs[0]["term_info"][0]
+                term_info_obj = json.loads(term_info_str)
+                results.append(term_info_obj)
+                
+            except requests.RequestException as e:
+                self.logger.error(f"Error fetching data from Solr: {e}")
+            except json.JSONDecodeError as e:
+                self.logger.error(f"Error decoding JSON for {short_form}: {e}")
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.logger.error(f"Unexpected error for {short_form}: {e}")
+        
+        # Convert to DataFrame if requested
+        if return_dataframe and results:
+            try:
+                return pd.json_normalize(results)
+            except Exception as e:
+                self.logger.error(f"Error converting to DataFrame: {e}")
+                return results
+            
+        return results
+    
+    # Pass through any non-implemented methods to VFBconnect
+    def __getattr__(self, name):
+        """
+        Automatically pass through any non-implemented methods to VFBconnect
+        
+        This allows us to use this class as a drop-in replacement for VfbConnect
+        while only implementing the methods we want to customize.
+        """
+        self.logger.debug(f"Passing through method call: {name}")
+        return getattr(self.vfb, name)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/vfbquery/vfb_queries.py b/src/vfbquery/vfb_queries.py
index 9f0c85a..f21a265 100644
--- a/src/vfbquery/vfb_queries.py
+++ b/src/vfbquery/vfb_queries.py
@@ -1,6 +1,9 @@
 import pysolr
 from .term_info_queries import deserialize_term_info
-from vfb_connect.cross_server_tools import VfbConnect, dict_cursor
+# Replace VfbConnect import with our new SolrTermInfoFetcher
+from .solr_fetcher import SolrTermInfoFetcher
+# Keep dict_cursor if it's used elsewhere
+from vfb_connect.cross_server_tools import dict_cursor
 from marshmallow import Schema, fields, post_load
 from typing import List, Tuple, Dict, Any, Union
 import pandas as pd
@@ -10,8 +13,8 @@
 # Connect to the VFB SOLR server
 vfb_solr = pysolr.Solr('http://solr.virtualflybrain.org/solr/vfb_json/', always_commit=False, timeout=990)
 
-# Create a VFB connection object for retrieving instances
-vc = VfbConnect()
+# Replace VfbConnect with SolrTermInfoFetcher
+vc = SolrTermInfoFetcher()
 
 class Query:
     def __init__(self, query, label, function, takes, preview=0, preview_columns=[], preview_results=[], output_format="table", count=-1):