Captain:Blademaster Hel'Bre'K/Reflections

"I am no Praetorian, and yet my mind bears the history of my people as surely as any of my honoured Kin. Perhaps, one day, these humble writings will find willing eyes seeking the reflections contained within."

- Hel'Bre'K Ce'So'Va

On the Fordanta
''For centuries now I have watched my Kin. I, as all others, breathe the very essence of our people, it fills our souls and lifts our hearts with the surety of our joined purpose. Everywhere I look I see my Kin, working hard at their suited task, for the glory of Kin and Empire. Warriors drill to sharpen their skills, Craftsmen raise great structures of marvellous humility and functionality. Herders coax greatness from the beasts on which we feed, just as Teachers coax greatness from the Hatchlings at class. I see not a race of individuals, but the individual cells of a great organism, all striving for the greater good of the whole. I remember the many races we left behind, the anarchy they sowed as they strove for individual fame and glory. I disdain them. They scrabble over scraps and petty favours, while we, the For'Dan'Ta, bask in the glory of unison, in which all are one and yet unique. Perhaps, one day, we shall give this gift to the galaxy.''

On Vanity and Pride
''Once, we were vain. We were proud. We thought ourselves invincible. We believed that the stars were ours to take, and that none could stand before us. With every victory, every fresh conquest, our self-image grew. The Myth we wove of the Empire's invincibility strengthened and reached out its tentacles. Like some great unforeseen sin, it clung to our hearts and drove us from the true path we once trod. And yet, we saw it not. It fed on our vanity, and lurked in the dark depths of our psyche. It grew like a cancer, until it ate away at the very foundations of our Empire. We lost sight of our duty, our purpose, and we were punished for it.''

''We had our great cities destroyed, our people were slaughtered. The great Myth was shattered, and we were lost. Cast adrift on this sea of nothingness, with only a tempest-wracked sky to haunt the night. And still, we learnt nothing. A mere decade had passed, and we were once again vain. A century, and we thought ourselves perfect. All these Kin, many of whom saw with their own eyes the falsity of our belief, had fallen into the same lethal trap. It has been four hundred and twenty years since the opening of the Void, and yet we have learnt nothing. My attempts to ground the Warriors in hard reason have failed, and ever more of my beloved Kin have become firm-set in their ways. I fear that if the Craftsmen do not come through soon, we may lose these brothers and sisters entirely to the madness that sweeps through our people.''