I might never see the Empire again. That was a strange thought. I had grown to love it, in its way. For all its faults and failings, it was home. I loved my Empire not for what it was, but for what it should be, what it must be. For whatever it was, it was not Dharan-Tun. It was not Padmurak. It was not Vorgossos. It was a place where humanity might live. Might live . . . and remain human.
