Cephie looks at you in askance, confused, and you return the look. She smirks, then giggles. She draws four concentric rings in the salty soil in front of her. She draws a dot beside the central ring.
The first ring is the Empyreal, otherwise known as Paradise, or Heaven, or by many other names. Most Spacers call it the Empyreal Core. A vast number of planets in orbit around a massive, man-made blackhole that's used to generate energy. The Nobles control the cost of this energy, and, with it, control the Empyreal Galaxy. Within the core is what can only be described as heaven. Hard light simulations creating anything the Nobles might need or ever want. Through energy manipulation, they can create matter. Nobody besides Nobility and those chosen by them can enter, as a great wall of light envelopes the entirety of it. Around this axis, the galaxy turns.
Around this is the Inner Empyre. The next most advanced empires, nations, and planets. Great planet-wide cities, industrial centers that use entire stars and planets. Gaia worlds. The closest system outside of the Core was settled by exiled Nobles. One Family used the Hard Light technology to create a place where anyone could taste heaven -- for a price. The rich and lucky flocked to it, and one day upon that world was something spoken of for generations to come. It became a mark of success. Paradise Planet Arcadia.
The Outer Empyre is considered by many to be the dregs, but that's not true. The Outer Empyre is a patchwork collection of vessel states, industrial centers, hive worlds, and many more specialized worlds. They do most of their trade with the Inner Empyre. Technology there is advanced but is considered the baseline for the Empyre.
And then you reach The Rim. Seedships settled these worlds the same, but the Empyreal Gates have not yet reached this far in. The Pirate clans from before the Foundation found refuge in this part of the Empyre. It's the most underdeveloped and unexplored part of the entire galaxy. The technology levels here vary massively. Some have colonies from the Outer Empyre, while some have naught but sharpened stones and fire.
Many squiggly lines are drawn, radiating out from the core like spokes in a wheel. These are the Empyreal Gates. Most civilized systems have one, and it is the central source of trade in the system. Some are ancient. Some are brand new. The routes are endless, but organized -- but not even the Nobility have maps for all of it. Depending on the time, they might lead to another system. Or they might be fixed routes. Another piece of the Endless Emperor's technology. The success of travel, you remember, is something like ninety-seven percent. One percent you wind up at a completely different gate. One percent you wind up in some unknown star system that doesn't have a gate. And one percent chance of just completely vanishing. Time dilation when traveling with the gate system is completely nullified -- but there are legends of ancient fleets emerging from the gates, confused as to why thousands of years have passed since they left.
Only the Endless controls the Gates, and they are truly neutral -- Pirates do not destroy them, Nobility do not try to configure the routes, and a blockade of one is considered the best way to get everyone truly pissed at you.
Cephie draws one last dot, on the outside of the Rim's boundary. "[We're here.]"
"[Doing so would violate my contract. I cannot lie to him.]" She raises her brow after a pause, glancing over to you, "[And do you really think that I have -that- much sway with him?]"
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Topic: McCreary's Planet -- (FINISHED) (Read 252255 times)