Alpha and Omega: The Shadowstar Emperor (Parts 1 & 2)
12 Dec 2023Argon Shadowstar
Preface: The Duty of TruthIt occurs to me that most of humanity probably has no knowledge of the history of my people, since the superpowers did such a thorough job of erasing them after the Fall. The only surviving records that I know of were in my grandfather's possession and while he did originally have the complete chronicles, decades of running from assassins sent by the superpowers took their toll. By the time I was born, he had only his memory and what tablets, books, and data drives he had managed to maintain to teach me. So, even my own knowledge of my ancestors is sadly incomplete, but as it stands, I am undoubtedly the most comprehensive source of that history that still exists in this galaxy. Of course, I still seek to learn more about them, and fill in the blanks, so I continue to support my archaeologist friends in Vorduli and Acokwus. I also want to send them to Liu Bese, where House Silverlight originally settled, but archaeology is not to be rushed. I must be patient and let them work. Fortunately, there is plenty of work in this violent galaxy for one skilled in the grisly arts, so funding should not be an issue. I now present my history of the Shadowstar Imperium:
Part One: The Alpha
Centuries ago, with the exact date lost to history, a Rani (person from Epsilon Eridani) by the name of Robert Allen proposed a new way of life to his friends, family, and anyone else who would hear him out. Originally from a small town in the mountains of New California, he developed an appreciation for nature as well as a deep respect for it, but always dreamed of finding a new place, one humans had never touched. As he grew older, he spent a lot of time thinking about philosophy and the flaws of human civilization. In time, these ideas became the framework for his new way of life, and became the foundation for a mission. It became clear early on that if he was to succeed in realizing his dream, he would need to seek his fortune on the frontier. Decades of adventure later, he had raised enough money and built a big enough network of contacts to commission a fleet, populated by those who shared his vision. Inspired by the example of Marlin Duval, he decided to leave the bubble and establish a new colony beyond the frontier. With no intended destination in mind, the fleet departed in a direction described as "second star to the right.". When asked how far they should go, Allen simply responded with "I'll know it when I see it.", a phrase which earned him a reputation for being somewhat arbitrary early on. His followers trusted in his vision and he had gone to great lengths to supply the fleet well and ensure that it could resupply in situ, so there was no real danger in a long voyage, other than the time it would take. And so they travelled, far beyond the edge of the frontier and out into the unexplored galaxy. Attempts by frontier pirates to raid the fleet were thwarted by a small host of legendary star pilots who were running escort for the fleet, handpicked heroes chosen by Allen from the ranks of his followers. They were celebrated and beloved by the colonists who owed them their lives, and the pilots responded with immaculate honor, humility, and grace. The generations that followed passed these stories down and made them part of the culture of their nation. This is why selfless acts of heroism and valor are so highly valued by Shadowstar society.
During the voyage, a trend emerged among the colonists to change their names in an act of rebirth. They were leaving their old lives behind, embracing a new way of life and a new future for humanity. They reinvented themselves in a symbolic gesture that represented a new, enlightened future for mankind, but one that took into account the hard lessons learned by human history. Not all changed their names, but most did, and among the most popular schemes were those adapted from old earth native cultures. Name parts were constructed from fundamental concepts, such as color, light, science, nature, artistry, emotion, and celestial bodies. Notable among these were Windsong, Whitestar, Silverlight, and Duskheart. Usually a person would be inspired by something they had experienced and change their name accordingly, though many simply took the new name of their best friends, significant others, or family members. Thus began the tradition of the importance of names, which would later lead to the veneration of ancestors as names bonded people and acted as a declaration of loyalty and friendship. It was also established at this time that one could change names or even give their name away, but the process for doing so was culturally significant, and not to be taken lightly. This practice was also responsible for the emergence of the Nameless, a notorious group who earned much infamy during the latter half of the Imperium's history. While most of his followers changed their names, Robert Allen himself was among those who did not, at least not until later.
The fleet passed many viable worlds and systems on their journey, but Allen was not satisfied. "I'll know it when I see it.", he said time and time again. And so they plodded onward, his followers content to trust in his judgement. In truth, he was wise to be patient and continue his voyage, for if he had established his colony too close to the frontier, his people would not have enough time to establish a unique and truly independent society free from the influence of the rest of humanity. The bubble was ever growing and he knew it would take at least a century for his new nation to establish its own identity. By then, perhaps, trade could be opened with the bubble and his people would remain free and unique. But it all depended upon distance. And so they continued, onward and outward. As they did, the people grew accustomed to living in space, aboard the great colony ships. In time, a need for social order beyond that of a conventional traveling fleet began to emerge. Eschewing the social norms of the civilization they left behind, with recognition of the charismatic and strong heroes whom were responsible for the fleet's safety, and guided by Allen's principles of conduct and responsibility, a rudimentary feudal system was established from the existing chain of command. The lords and ladies of this system were not pampered aristocrats as in other feudal systems, but experienced leaders, already established in their respective roles. They were expected to serve their people with honor and respect, and exercise their great talents for the benefit of their constituents. In reality, while technically a feudal system, it had many similarities to a kind of democracy, with the election system being largely replaced by a more ubiquitous merit score which ranked people by achievements such that the most qualified people should always be the top candidates for any position. A person could have many titles, earned through achievement. A lord was not simply a lord, nor were they lord of a specific land necessarily, but rather the lord of their specialty, or a combination of roles. For instance, the legendary Hammer-Lord Vorduli of Crafts was an influential patriarch during the tumultuous Age of War. And the Gracious Lady Amelie of States and Festivals singlehandedly negotiated the ceasefire between the Purple Hand Gang and the Whitestar Mercenaries during the Time of Troubles. These are two examples of how nobility in the Imperium was tied to service and merit, not simply bestowed but earned through effort and skill. While generally considered to be a more precise and effective means of determining an individual's competency for a job or role than democracy, it was also initially cumbersome and required a great deal of administration. Fortunately, at this point the population of the colony ships was relatively low and that made the system manageable, though still required the creation of a dedicated Ministry of Merit. The original ministries of the Imperium were formed likewise, with many concepts initially based on similar methods inherited from the ancient Chinese Empire. As such, the early days of the Imperium were beset by the complications of developing an effective bureaucracy. Fortunately, however, these issues were not something the colonists would have to struggle with much while still aboard the ships.
Part Two: The Shadowed Star
It was a quiet evening on that fateful day when Robert Allen gave the order to stop the fleet, an order issued from his break room. As he looked out the viewport into space, his aide asked him what he saw. He replied, "I knew it when I saw it.". The aide looked out the window but saw only stars, but a moment later realized that there was one that was different. It was a star with a shadow on it. It was close enough and large enough that the circularity of it could be beheld easily, but indeed, it seemed as if a dark shadow had been cast over much of its surface, thus making it much harder to spot amongst the backdrop of stars beyond it. Following the stop order, Allen said nothing. Many looked out their viewports to see what they could see. Soon, all beheld the Shadowed Star. And then Allen told the fleet: "I now know what I was searching for. I am now Shadowstar, and this will be our home.". With this, celebrations were had and the fleet began charting the system, doing the work needed to build their new civilization. Thus happened the founding of this new nation, and the colonization of the system which would be known as Shadowstar, until the day when the superpowers would steal that name and bury it with the rest of the dead.
Explorers found the system rich and untouched by humanity, a perfect home for their new civilization. Many worlds in the system were easy to mine, with little in the way of gravity or atmosphere, and the process of converting the colony ships into space stations began in earnest. In the early days, it was discovered that the system had an abundance of gold, silver, and chromium. Later on, it was learned that many neighboring systems were also rich in these resources. As civilization spread across Shadowstar, a beautiful aesthetic emerged. The stations of the Imperium were constructed from a marble composite, giving them a pure gleam, with treated silver panelling and polished gold accents. The materials of construction demanded that architecture would favor artistry and elegance, and so every structure was a work of art. In time, the gleaming star stations of Shadowstar rivaled the polished cities of Achenar. As a point of distinction, red chrome accents were used in places of national importance, to distinguish the holdings of House Shadowstar apart from the other founding houses. Shadowstar red was a darker red with a tiny amount of blue added to it, bringing it close to fuschia, but not quite. The way it flashed when the light hit the silvered panels of the Halls of Merit was a source of pride for all who lived on Allentown, the first true space city of the Imperium, converted from the flagship of the fleet. The nature of these buildings also ensured job security for anyone skilled in metalwork and stonework and these skills eventually became part of the mid-level school curriculum. The Imperium boasted some of the most skilled chromesmiths in the galaxy in its heyday. While robots were often used to ease the task, such is the nature of precious metal that there was always a need for supervision and occasional human labor in groundskeeping, and it was considered an honor to work for a great house in such an occupation.
In Shadowstar, and indeed throughout the surrounding systems, there were no planets with human-comfortable environments, and terraforming was too long term a goal during the Imperium's reign. Perhaps if they had survived for longer, such things would have been possible, but they did do research and even prepared two projects that never saw the light of day. And so the majority of the population lived in space, and some lived on airless moons, while only a few lived on the harsher worlds that were used mainly for research or rare materials acquisition. In time, the few habitable worlds in more distant systems would be colonized by homesteaders from the Imperium, but they were outside the jurisdiction of the Shadowstar government. Fortunately, the Imperium produced many valiant and righteous heroes who would travel outside the borders to check on and defend these intrepid pioneers, and so many worlds beyond the borders of the Imperium were inhabited in its time. Many of these worlds became the setting for the incredible tales of adventure and glory that underpinned Imperium culture throughout its ages, and inspired future generations to explore and colonize distant worlds or defend those who did. It was said that Emperor Shadowstar himself visited all of these worlds and lived on each for at least a year, preferring to build his vacation homes in the mountains of any world he lived on.
Among the earliest explorers to leave the Shadowstar system was Kailasa Vorduli, founder of House Vorduli and the first to chart the Vorduli system. Vorduli was rich in many of the same materials that Shadowstar had, but also boasted lovely desert worlds with pink and purple skies, attracting artisans and builders. In time, House Vorduli would become known for its great craftspersons and they adopted the color purple, developing a dark purple chrome which they would use in a similar fashion to Shadowstar Red. Vorduli weapon smiths were legendary, each weapon they designed was a work of art, unique and tailored to a client's specifications. They did not provide military weapons, that was handled by House Gunstar. Vorduli made weapons for heroes, and they were priced accordingly. A hero with Vorduli gear was prestigious and inspired to greatness, so it was said. But Vorduli would not work for just any hero, even one with money, for money was not everything in the Imperium. Money was merely a means to an end, and not the only one either. Merit was the true determiner of worth, and Vorduli would not do business with any hero that had not distinguished themselves through acts of valor and glory.
Inheritance was also tied to merit. A child did not simply inherit their parent's holdings upon death, they would need to earn it. The Ministry of Merit tracked the collected achievements and accomplishments of every citizen, and even those outsiders who had earned Shadowstar merit. Without a suitable score, an heir would not be eligible to receive their inheritance and it might be awarded to someone else - a hero favored by the house or the deceased, who had completed the necessary Trial of Endowment. Because of this, it was customary for every person of the Imperium to embark upon the "proving" when they came of age. The proving was a quest to demonstrate capability. For those who stood to inherit significant properties, this would often be a Trial of Inheritance, similar to a Trial of Endowment in almost every way. For others, it could be any number of tasks, such as a great journey of discovery or adventure, a political tour to spread the influence of one's house, arena competition, or military service. The particulars of the proving were the result of an agreement between the subject, their parents, and a representative of the Ministry of Merit. These services were available in all major stations and settlements. For those who lived in other places, they would have to travel to the nearest merit office for their consultation. In cases where a parent died before their child came of age, the inheritance would be held in escrow or managed by a trusted agent until the heir could have a chance to complete their trial.
To be continued