It was an ancient city build on a hill, near an
emerald green lake. The actual time this
place had been inhabited was a matter of
considerable discussion - and to give it
a number was really not all that helpful..

The only thing people new for sure was that
the city had been through many epochs -
enough so that some groups new more of
them and some were aware of less. But
the current inhabitants new the place
as Eskelion and it had been the capital city
of there planet for at least 20 major Epochs.
If it helps at all you could round it out
to about 200,000 years.

Somethings had changed of course during that
time. There had been different kinds of
heating systems and different kinds of sewers,
but all in all the people there lived pretty much
like they always had. There had been different
systems of social life and different Interstellar
alliances. There had been wars of course - not
amongst the inhabitants of there planet of course.
Peace had persisted on there planet for the
entire time that Eskelion had been the capital.

But differences of views on the larger scale
did in fact occur and people were often
traumatized by it - and it did sometimes
involve lose of life. For 14 Epochs the planet
had been deeply connected to the Alterian
Confederation. Mostly people where found
of the situation. The Alterian fleets where
firmly established in several Galaxies and so
differences of opinions where minimized.

But - in reality the Universe - is a very large
place - and if that was not bad enough
there where forces even from other Universes
that would have it's effects.

The planet was called Aperhelion - and it
was renowed for some of the greatest
interstellar navigators that had ever lived.

During the time of this story - in fact -
there where perhaps between 8,000
to maybe 15,000 navigators that served
in the Alterian fleets and in additions
there had been many captians and
fleet commanders from Aperhelion as well.

Non of that made Aperhelion a particularly
popular sort of place - but they where
generally respected and infact - their
views and thoughts where often respected -
because from here had come many great
leaders of exceptional qualities -
Many of them where folks of clear vision
and pragmatic thoughts who where able
to see things beyond the limits of there
peers. And for this had had earned
some reputation. They had been
consiliators and people of diplomacy
and solvers of disputes. And so
there influence had been felt on many
worlds - and many places.

-------- to be continued ---------