God came to Ourano-Kal'es as he rested under his pavilion, and God said:
"Ourano-Kal'es, rise, what do you see?"
Ourano-Kal'es rose quickly from his rest and gazed up at the sky.
"I see the stars and ever-moving planets, my Lord."
"I have given the universe to you and your kin. Go, you shall have dominion over every star and every planet; every nebula is yours to explore and every arm of the galaxy is yours to inhabit. So long as you and your sons keep my Word, it shall be so."
"As You say, so shall it be." Ourano-Kal'es replied, "I and my sons shall keep your Word, as You know we do, but how will we reach out and touch the stars?"
And God said, "Build a boat not of wood, but of metal and stone and fire and you and your kin will reach the distant stars. But I warn you, do not stray into the heart of the galaxy, for there things dwell that are not meant for you. The rest of the galaxy is yours to seed. Fill it with your descendants and seed life where you please."
Ourano-Kal'es promised he would do as God has said and bowed his head in thanks. And so it was that Ourano-Kal'es and his sons and his sons' sons and all their people built a vessel not to ply waters, but the speckled void between the stars. They spread out from their homeworld in every direction, settling on any world that pleased them; every nebula to them was as a wall of mist, every planet and solar system were but islands, and the stars were like grains of sand to them. The galaxy was theirs to steward over, and all life was theirs to guard and shape in their own image. Yet in all this, Ourano-Kal'es and his and his sons' sons kept their word with God and never strayed into the heart of the galaxy, where it was not safe for their kind.
But the time came when Saturos-Más gathered together all his kin and all the races of the worlds before him and said, "All power has been given to us so we may steward over the universe. We have become like gods. God told our forefathers never to stray into the heart of the universe; but that was ages past. Now we are stronger than they and more numerous than the stars with the strength to reshape worlds. So come, let us gather our strength-every vessel and ship, every man and soldier–and gain even the very core of the universe."
And so all the strength of man flew in the murky core of the galaxy and uncovered the secrets that lay there. Saturos-Más and all the powers of men gathered there partook of the knowledge found there, and they realized that they were naked in spirit and the truths of the heavens and all the worlds fell before them. Man turned on man as all the powers of men tried to destroy each other in their madness. Worlds were put to flame and solar systems were rent to pieces in the destruction a great force was unleashed upon man: the C'gha.
They fed on stars and nebulae, devouring anything in their path. Man fought against them in desperate battles; the very stars were quenched with the blood spilled by the sons of men and planets were cracked open as if they were eggs. The strength of men found too late how to imprison the C'gha under more than rock and metal. The universe was choked by the ash of a hundred thousand worlds and man retreated to whence he came, broken and devoid of knowledge, not being able to tell his left hand from his right. And there man stayed, the C'gha a forgotten nightmare sealed away beyond the stars.
"Ourano-Kal'es, rise, what do you see?"
Ourano-Kal'es rose quickly from his rest and gazed up at the sky.
"I see the stars and ever-moving planets, my Lord."
"I have given the universe to you and your kin. Go, you shall have dominion over every star and every planet; every nebula is yours to explore and every arm of the galaxy is yours to inhabit. So long as you and your sons keep my Word, it shall be so."
"As You say, so shall it be." Ourano-Kal'es replied, "I and my sons shall keep your Word, as You know we do, but how will we reach out and touch the stars?"
And God said, "Build a boat not of wood, but of metal and stone and fire and you and your kin will reach the distant stars. But I warn you, do not stray into the heart of the galaxy, for there things dwell that are not meant for you. The rest of the galaxy is yours to seed. Fill it with your descendants and seed life where you please."
Ourano-Kal'es promised he would do as God has said and bowed his head in thanks. And so it was that Ourano-Kal'es and his sons and his sons' sons and all their people built a vessel not to ply waters, but the speckled void between the stars. They spread out from their homeworld in every direction, settling on any world that pleased them; every nebula to them was as a wall of mist, every planet and solar system were but islands, and the stars were like grains of sand to them. The galaxy was theirs to steward over, and all life was theirs to guard and shape in their own image. Yet in all this, Ourano-Kal'es and his and his sons' sons kept their word with God and never strayed into the heart of the galaxy, where it was not safe for their kind.
But the time came when Saturos-Más gathered together all his kin and all the races of the worlds before him and said, "All power has been given to us so we may steward over the universe. We have become like gods. God told our forefathers never to stray into the heart of the universe; but that was ages past. Now we are stronger than they and more numerous than the stars with the strength to reshape worlds. So come, let us gather our strength-every vessel and ship, every man and soldier–and gain even the very core of the universe."
And so all the strength of man flew in the murky core of the galaxy and uncovered the secrets that lay there. Saturos-Más and all the powers of men gathered there partook of the knowledge found there, and they realized that they were naked in spirit and the truths of the heavens and all the worlds fell before them. Man turned on man as all the powers of men tried to destroy each other in their madness. Worlds were put to flame and solar systems were rent to pieces in the destruction a great force was unleashed upon man: the C'gha.
They fed on stars and nebulae, devouring anything in their path. Man fought against them in desperate battles; the very stars were quenched with the blood spilled by the sons of men and planets were cracked open as if they were eggs. The strength of men found too late how to imprison the C'gha under more than rock and metal. The universe was choked by the ash of a hundred thousand worlds and man retreated to whence he came, broken and devoid of knowledge, not being able to tell his left hand from his right. And there man stayed, the C'gha a forgotten nightmare sealed away beyond the stars.
