A
Message from the Vedran Empress
The
Long Loneliness
The
stars. Nearly every species has looked to them in the night
sky and wondered if they were alone in the universe.
But now that your world has put its domestic affairs in
order and made its first tentative steps toward those stars,
you have made a wonderful discovery. The distant points
of light in the heavens do not burn in isolation, they are
actually knit together by the greatest civilization the
universe has ever known: The Systems Commonwealth.
And the time has come to take your place in that Commonwealth,
as a new member world. Spanning six galaxies, counting nearly
12 trillion beings from 5,000 intelligent species on a million
worlds as its citizens, for millennia the Commonwealth has
united known space under its enlightened reign of freedom,
peace and prosperity. To a world like yours newly inducted
into this titanic and ancient institution, the Commonwealth
can seem a frightening place, where older, more experienced
races, with our strange customs and near godlike technologies
threaten to overwhelm a fledgling species such as yours.
But fear not - far from silencing the voice of the individual
and ignoring the wisdom of traditional cultures, we of the
Commonwealth delight in our diversity and value equally
the lives of all our citizens, from the newest to the most
venerable. So, as you enjoy the benefits and opportunities
that come with citizenship in the Systems Commonwealth,
remember that we are as blessed by your inclusion as you
are by joining us. The long loneliness is over, and the
stars are now yours.
Her
Most Benevolent Majesty
Empress Sucharitkul XII
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