n Cortin's fear. He admitted to
being a priest, once DeLayne asked about some of his insigne, but was
reluctant to go beyond that, and said most of their Founders' records
had been destroyed in the Final War. He couldn't provide the
historical background Medart would have liked, then, so the Ranger
decided to see what he could find from the Imperial side.

After several days' research, he studied what he'd been able to put
together from obscure and also incomplete records--not typical of the
time, and he found himself wondering if that could be deliberate.
Sabotage, maybe, by some who had stayed behind, to protect those who
had left?

The group that founded the Kingdom Systems had begun as a large Roman
Catholic parish in the Southwestern United States, conventional except
that it was allowed to use the Latin Mass. In 2148, however, they were
assigned a new priest. Until his arrival there, he had seemed equally
conventional, though he had already gained a reputation for great
charisma and persuasiveness. When he became parish priest, however, he
began preaching about the Final Coming--not of Christ, but of a Third
Aspect of God he called the Protector. This Aspect would appear after
Satan had been released from Hell and allowed to wreak his will for a
hundred years. He also called for the ordination of women, a
priesthood allowed to marry, and numerous other changes.

To the Vatican's dismay, he attracted a large number of followers from
all over the world. Many moved to his parish, while those who
disagreed with him moved out. The entire group was excommunicated in
2156, branded a heretic cult, and generally scorned by outsiders. At
this point, it began implementing the priest's suggested changes,
including new terms for Satan and Jesus--now Shayan and Jeshua.

All this got them greater notoriety and contempt. To escape that, the
priest persuaded his followers that it would be best to flee this
persecution and the Empire that permitted it--though in fact the Empire
was simply maintaining its strict neutrality regarding religious
matters--and, in 2158, the group left Terra, fleeing in three
surprisingly large and well-equipped ships. Nothing had been heard of
them since, and apparently no one had particularly cared; there had
been no investigation or follow-up of any kind.

Another deliberately self-"lost" colony, Medart thought. At least this
one wasn't fighting them, and from Odeon's medical records