Journal of the Grand Vision
Hs’A, Trilarian Sage

Part One

We remember our past, though our memories at times grow dim. It was so long ago, many cycles almost beyond reckoning, that we expanded across the cosmos and clutched the worlds around distant starts within our wise grasp. Our progenitors nurtured and changed entire worlds, crafting them to their vision and making them paradises for our kind. In those times our race even took the lesser races and raised them, taking them from their base state and giving them a Voice – a chorus to add to our own as we cast our gaze to the stars. The stewardship of those ancient High Seers was the beginning of the Grand Vision, strident and noble.

But, it came to naught. The Time of Troubles came, and we were sundered from much that was ours. Other races strove against us, greedy and jealous of our achievements, and many of our watery worlds were reduced and our people enslaved. An ever increasing amount of our labor was dedicated, to our loss, to weapons of war and the High Seers despaired that we would ever achieve our potential and that the Vision would lose its focus or dim with the passage of time. In time we were forced to press these petty wars, and the fleets of death grew. Even as we mourned we persevered, and now ancient wrongs were righted and the ravenous incursions of the lesser races were thrown back. Some of these races we took to our hearts, for we desired to teach them the Grand Vision and take from them the delusions that afflicted their minds. With some we succeeded, and they embraced the Vision. Others, like the Sakkra, rejected our beneficence and made war upon us; their irrational hatred likely remains to this day, even after all the ages have passed and all else has passed to dust and oblivion.

The Time of Troubles did not prepare us for what was to come - the Time of Terror. The evils of the Enemy Tide, the Antarans, the Destroyers, are known to all, as is their rapine and their insatiable need for destruction. They invaded our systems, and those throughout the galaxy. All resisted, and finally when we had grown in strength the strongest attacked them and won. We thought them defeated, but we were wrong; the valiant conquerors had destroyed but one of their strongholds. Their revenge was swift and terrible. They swept across the galaxy, purging all before them. Grand fleets of resistance of all races were destroyed, and although victories were won in the end the war was lost. One by one our brethren races, allies and foes alike, fell as the scourge spread, and at last it came to us. We thought we were prepared, but we were not. The High Seers sought to stem the tide, that in which the Grand Vision flows, but it was too strong. For a while we struggled against the tide but all knew the tide was going out, and it was taking us in it inexorable pull. Worlds fell, and mighty works of defense were swept aside. The Grand Fleets were not where they were needed, and in truth there was never enough, for the Enemy were numerous and growing while we were not. There was no help from the other races; they had their own concerns, and they hoped against hope to ride out the Enemy Tide. Light dimmed on the Grand Vision, for the Enemy Tide had swept to and over us.

At last the Long Night descended upon us, and the light of the Grand Visions was quenched. Almost. The High Seers had known, foreseeing this bleak day, and had prepared. Many secret places, such as our modest Home, had been secured where the best of us could weather the tide, and the hope was that some would survive. Most were lost, or were consumed by the maws of the Tide. Some persevered and these were tasked with preserving and expanding on the Grand Vision, and that is the tale of this Journal.

Even now it is evident that much was lost, and that this Home was but a colony. It is a good world, but it is clear we did not begin here: our history only goes back some centuries, most of which is obscured by darkness and the trials of basic survival. At that time we were few, too few to do much than look at the stars and make feeble efforts. Our High Seers ordained that we much strive for the stars once more, and that the Grand Vision was once more possible. We must shake off our terrors, and learn from them. The works of our peoples have gone beyond mere subsistence and they have created a measure of bounty, and this we used to create the first fragile shells of space ships that once again travelled the stars. These were poor works, but frail shadows of our ancient progenitors, but the Vision must start with a Gaze, as our Sages have said. These ships were our Gaze.

Even then it was clear that although our Home provided for our needs that it would not allow for the expansion of the Grand Vision. We had long known that our august ancestors did not see fit or did not have time to sculpt the five other planets at Home for us. All are nearly uninhabitable, and provided no prospect for aiding us in our reach for the stars. We had to look elsewhere.

Two star lanes, wormholes that lead from Home to the unknown, were here by accident or design. We do not know how or why they exist: that was beyond our understanding. Ancient understanding and legend states that was how our revered ancestors travelled the stars, and they even left us with the knowledge to do so. Until now we did not have the ability to pursue those dreams, but our High Seer is resolved to do it.

Our scouts left Home, and all we saw was a flash of light as the wormholes opened and then closed behind them in a flash of light and gravitation. There was silence, and at first we feared they might be lost, but then we heard their voices. The Elders rejoiced! It would take many cycles to reach their destination, and during this long wait it is our task to build Home into a place that would make our honored progenitors proud.

Read on - Part Two