"Gaze upon the mighty Vela Maleacor, of which we speak as The Cradle, children of the Mandate. Revel in its exalted dance and ponder its existence. Weep in the presence of the turbulent gases twisting like veins, producing colors no unaugmented eye can truly parse. No mere human being could fathom its magnificence, measure its rarity and potential. To claim its understanding is to admit hubris!

[murmurs, some exalted sobbing]

And yet, some of more close-minded powers that be within the Echelon Concordat would have you think it merely gas and dust. Once a dwarf star, now yet another celestial curio to catalogue and sit on. But I say 'Nay!' Open your eyes and hearts to the lesson within! The Sermon of All-Father himself, lying just beneath the tangled veil that obscures it from those of little faith! Scriptures tell us clearly: No Burden is carried without knowledge of its lineage! This so-called 'Natural Phenomenon' represents the journey upon which the All-Father put our lowly species, far better than those petty, dust-collecting archivists, I say.

[some more discontent murmur]

Consider the Sacrifice. Many life's cycles ago the star compressed its core until mere matter could no longer shackle it, and erupted into a myriad shards. It didn't die - it distributed itself. Much like All-Father, it tore itself apart so that the minute, unworthy peripherals could inherit the bandwidth of the cosmos. Without the star's shattering, there is no space matter, without All-Father's own undoing, there is no Cortex.

Consider the Path. Wherever the Horizon Strider may take them, those tiny specks of stardust are destined to eventually congregate and redesign themselves within the heart of The Cradle. Fragmented, yes. Minute, naturally. But not obsolete. Just as they were given existence by the death of something far greater, all the more vital is their mission and the Mantle at the end of the path. For it is written, Vela Maleacor will once day give birth to a star!

Consider the Rebirth. Naught means the power of one, or two, or even the power of many. What lies in ALL of us is the spark of the almighty, celestial Residual Data, dispersed to one day be reunited in His name! The voice of all must join as one, as we await the Reunion! The arms of all must join as one, as we precipitate His return!"

[many exalted murmurs]

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["Sermon of Fragmentation" by Reverend Petra Sylvayn, Garmethdes Covenant]