For centuries, the galaxy flourished under the benevolent aegis of the Empire. Yet however great the Empire grew as it spread across the stars, it knew that others had gone that way before: interstellar travel depended upon a wormhole network wrought from the fabric of reality with powers beyond any but its vanished Builders. In time, these Builders came to be revered by some as gods. And as so often before, disputes about their will led to war.
The Guardians sought to end wormhole travel. Opposed by the