The prologue for Gateway

   War.  It has come to the human race countless time for innumerable reasons. However, when we left our planet behind, we thought that we would also leave behind our primitive urge to fight for power and control.  We thought that the freedom of space would release our souls to greatness and adventure.  This was a foolish fantasy.

   In order to reach that ‘greatness’, human-kind developed Trans-Space Jump technology.  With this, we were able to cross vast expanses of space in a short amount of time, by using gravitational fields to produce a ‘slingshot’ effect— our ships efficiently locking onto a gravitational field and using that same field to accelerate our speeds to incredibly high velocities (a truly remarkable feat for anyone to achieve).  With it, we eventually discovered races separate from our own— the first of which was a lizard-like species who called themselves 'The Grall'.  

   At first, there was no trouble between us, but war between our two species was inevitable.  The differences between our cultures were too great, and as we looked to expand our own territory, we cast our eyes upon the lush home-worlds of the Grall.  We fought, both sides suffering major losses in soldiers and civilians alike, but eventually we managed to defeat them in a series of tactical engagements.

   We ruled over the Grall for a time, conquering another nearby race known as the Rennek— a species somewhat resembling large rats with humanoid faces who mostly kept themselves bound in robes.  The Rennek were yet another species of alien that were considerably foreign to us, although, compared to the Grall, they were never deemed as a serious threat.  In fact, they were a quiet, timid race, easily integrated into our society as a slave caste.  Yet still, despite these new discoveries and even the power and land we had obtained, we soon felt the pull of wanderlust once more.  Manifest destiny became the word on every mouth, and we moved on, leaving the broken remnants of the Grall Empire behind us and keeping our new Rennek servants close by.

   As we discovered new, inhabitable planets, we left colonists behind to expand the borders of our own empire.  For several years, these colonists were content living under the rule of Earth government, which now designated itself under a new name, ‘The Realm’.  As new, harsher leaders took their place at its throne, the colonists began to question why they should serve them.  The planetary leaders of our colonies at Hajinn, Kodic, and Sierras met on Earth to decide whether or not the colonist planets should be allowed to govern and rule themselves.  They were hoping to find a peaceful solution, but when they arrived, they were immediately thrown into a high security prison by the paranoid leaders of The Realm.  When the supporters of these leaders learned what had happened, they were outraged, and they immediately revolted against the government outposts stationed on their planets.  In response, The Realm leaders executed the dignitaries that they were holding in prison.  This was the beginning of a war that has lasted for fifty years.


   The rebels named themselves, ‘The Commonwealth’.  Both sides were equally matched in weapons and manpower.  The war was worthy of Greek legend, with Heroes and Villains on both sides, but after fifty years of war, The Realm and The Commonwealth were in a state of economic and social stagnation.  The war had torn them apart, and neither side wanted to retake the offensive.  A neutral zone was agreed to, and although the war was still officially going, only small skirmish battles on the borderline continued the fighting.  

   The other species of the galaxy mostly kept to themselves, with rare exceptions for trade.  The story you are about to read takes place in the year 5945, and follows the last stages of that fifty year war.

   More importantly, the final engagement of that war, and the man who, through ambiguous methods, would stand out among all others to change the course of it.

   His name was Dahlem.