History of the Galaxy, part 1-Story Thread

[Jmenschenfresser]

2413.1
In some ways, I envy Pellwain and probably were it not for my sound knowledge that the Almight leads all to their rightful course, I might have gone with her. I continually receive Messages from her detailing her trip. Despite her prominance as a space explorer and colonizer, she has hardly left the Xiban system. Certainly this is the furthest she's ever been from our cottage by the sea on Xiban I....and from the quaint Temple where we both learned the ancient prayers. She's just about to leave what could be termed Norak space, were the Norak High Counsel ever to develop a system of annexation and territory, and enter the space of the Farzah. Pellwain is not the captain of the ship...that job was given to the military, but once the ship lands in the Knoglam system, Pellwain will take the reigns. Since the world they are bound for is Methane, most of the colonists are Xi'Chung. I've tried to describe under the oppressive rule of language, what it is like to live on world a Methane world and under a dome. You soon begin to miss a natural breeze and smells that accompany the freedom of Nature. She'll soon wish to sell all she has for a cool pond to dip her hands in. Perhaps the Farzah will permit her to frequent one of their oxygen worlds. But so is a life strung from the fixtures of many worlds.

Ever since the Sergetti made their peace with us, Tallik and I have had nothing to do. Now that the Sergetti mine fields no longer bother our ships, we've given up thinking about them. I do think in fact that the Norak are at peace with every known race. The High Counsel has taken the opportunity to update the fleet. After an assesment it was found that fewer than one third of the entire Norak armada had components developed within the Last 5 years. Most had been built when the Amon'krie and the Norak teetered on the brink of all out war. The Templar fleet has hardly left Olontra since it saved the planet from the Amon'krie. Tallik cannot say enough on the topic of our armada. The High Counsel has decided in favor of scrapping the Nevada X, which has been used to create 20 or so worlds. This will free up enough resources to up the strength of the fleet.

I personally have to wonder at the recent obsession with military strength. Never have the Norak needed more than 10 ships at any time in any given system. I suppose the argument is that these 10 ships cannot be in all systems at all times. True. But is not our purpose a peaceful one. Do not grand armadas breed reasons for them to exist? Who shall we fight? Perhaps only the Sallega have the capabilities to threaten our survival, and any war with them will be mutually destructive. The Sallega empire is far more compact than ours. It would be no problem to cut us in two or even three.

No, war contains little wisdom. I say rather, use these resources to improve the conditions of those who suffer. Build infrastructure. The Almighty's blessings can easily rot on the vine if the farmer tends not the fields.

Our grand allies, the Praetorians have given us partial news of some trouble brewing in the northern quadrant between them and the Farzah. Our alliance with the Praetorians has been extremely fruitful over the Last months, and I doubt the High Counsel would let much come between it. There are banners and salutes all over Xiban I tributing the power and respectiblity of the Praetorians. No doubt these banners don't come so much from pro-Praetorian factions, but anti-Farzah Groups. Several members of the High Counsel are taken by this influence, but not enough to threaten the peace. After talking at lenght with Tallik on the subject, I've come to realize, no one within the Norak intelligence community knows what is transpiring between them other than the fact that the Praetorians have destoryed several, what they call, "stray" Farzah ships. Perhaps this speaks to a lack of cooperation between the Farzah leaders. I certainly do not know.

Tallik brought up an interesting development he's heard circulating through the halls of the Continuum. Since the galaxy is filling up quickly, many think it might be wise to define what would be called, Norak Space. The only real empty space left is in the center of the galaxy, where the warring empires of the Sergetti and Xiati once roamed in force. I've read a bit of the history of this long war, and until the entering of the Sallega, who destroyed most of the Sergetti empire in several months, they were quite equal in strenght. The Norak were one of the first to move into Sergetti space, and we did so, without the intentions a conqueror would have. The Sergetti at first tolerated our colonies, of which there were only two. As the first foundations of our proto-colony deep in Sergetti space were being laid, primitive sensors picked up some activity nearby. It was actually a scientist, whose visual telescope array happened to be trained upon the Sergetti homeworld 7 or so sectors away, who first noticed the Xiati fleet. The pictures are famous...one can actually see the napalm explosions. Every Sergetti not living on a colony or a ship was vaporized. Tragic. Ghastly. This war has so weakened the two empires that most of the center of the galaxy is empty. The two empires now probably inhabit no more than 10 worlds combined, with about as many ships between them...most of which are not equipped for war.

I pose the question, how would one define Norak space? We share systems with five different empires and are about to change that to six once Pellwain reaches Knoglam. Tallik thinks me naive..perhaps I am. He says it is not so much saying, "This belongs to us," but rather, "Within these systems our interest lie." I wonder at the implication of this side-ways talk. To me it sounds like a transition from the traditional, co-existence we have promoted. The planets are merely a means to spread the Text...nothing more.

Within the Last month, several covert converts within the Amon'krie empire have warned the High Counsel of ships turning over their reigns to the Farzah. For what reason, we do not know. Certainly the war between the Farzah and the Amon'krie has been a long one. Tallik doubts that these defectors where actually gifts from the Amon'krie. The High Counsel will never stand for this continued action. The Amon'krie/Farzah war has been greatly limited due to the fact that neither has direct access to the other's space. We will not allow this quadrant to be thrust into the mouth of carnivorous War! The Farzah are not attempting to live peacefully as we first thought. Perhaps their only reason for making peace was practical in the light of other, more pressing, wars.

Be as it may, the Continuum continues to grow by the blessed hand of She who clothes the moon flowers of Xiban I.