From the Shadows
A Story
from 
GalCiv2 Forums
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A stale wind whistled through the crumbling remains of the abandoned city that was once the capital of a powerful empire. Pulling his cloak closer around him, the one that others called Eratan, looked solemnly at the sky above. Once, in his youth, it was filled with many bright stars, but now only the dim light of a few distant pinpricks reached his eyes. A tear began to form but the dry air left his eyes and skin parched. He continued on in this fashion, walking down with his cloak pulled tight what may have been a wide boulevard in its past, toward a large palatial building ahead with a dome that had a huge blast hole facing the heavens.
He entered the structure, pulling the creaking metal door behind him to shut out the coldness of the outside. Down a wide hallway he walked, past the fallen statues of what once must have been the great leaders and warriors of this world, to a room where the flickering of light could be seen.
A soft voice of a female broke the silence of the world Eratan was in. "Ah, Master Eratan, my humblest greeting to you." Eratan only nodded at the female, who was also cloaked. The room was dominated by a round table in the center that had a giant crack on its surface. Around this table sat a group of about twenty beings, all cloaked like Eratan, obscuring their features from sight. The female gestured to Eratan and led him to a seat of what was probably the head of the table as the emblem of the former empire was directly in front of it. As Eratan sat, the female cleared her voice and called out in her dulcet tones.
"Hail friends!" and she looked around at the mysterious figures around her. "Our final member, and most important guest, has arrived. It is time we finally discuss the matter that we have been working toward for the better part of the last two years. I shall cede the Floor to Master Eratan." With that, the female sat to what was Eratan’s right and looked toward him. Sighing, Eratan pushed himself away from the table and stood before everyone. He seemed slight and yet had an imposing presence.
"Darkness is all we now know. Some of us are lucky enough to remember a time when there was light, but as every day passes it becomes more and more of a fleeting memory. But today….today we have the chance to change that. It won’t be easy, and there is a good chance we will fail, but if we don’t attempt it, then we are doomed for all eternity. Worst case is that we continue to live in the Shadows, so any outcome would be an improvement. We all are here because we have recognized our common plight, despite past differences, and that this is the galaxy’s only hope. We will change our tomorrow, no matter the cost."
He entered the structure, pulling the creaking metal door behind him to shut out the coldness of the outside. Down a wide hallway he walked, past the fallen statues of what once must have been the great leaders and warriors of this world, to a room where the flickering of light could be seen.
A soft voice of a female broke the silence of the world Eratan was in. "Ah, Master Eratan, my humblest greeting to you." Eratan only nodded at the female, who was also cloaked. The room was dominated by a round table in the center that had a giant crack on its surface. Around this table sat a group of about twenty beings, all cloaked like Eratan, obscuring their features from sight. The female gestured to Eratan and led him to a seat of what was probably the head of the table as the emblem of the former empire was directly in front of it. As Eratan sat, the female cleared her voice and called out in her dulcet tones.
"Hail friends!" and she looked around at the mysterious figures around her. "Our final member, and most important guest, has arrived. It is time we finally discuss the matter that we have been working toward for the better part of the last two years. I shall cede the Floor to Master Eratan." With that, the female sat to what was Eratan’s right and looked toward him. Sighing, Eratan pushed himself away from the table and stood before everyone. He seemed slight and yet had an imposing presence.
"Darkness is all we now know. Some of us are lucky enough to remember a time when there was light, but as every day passes it becomes more and more of a fleeting memory. But today….today we have the chance to change that. It won’t be easy, and there is a good chance we will fail, but if we don’t attempt it, then we are doomed for all eternity. Worst case is that we continue to live in the Shadows, so any outcome would be an improvement. We all are here because we have recognized our common plight, despite past differences, and that this is the galaxy’s only hope. We will change our tomorrow, no matter the cost."
