“Approach Sato.” The young student did as he was commanded. Calm on the outside, nervous to the extreme on the inside, he walked across the Great Hall. Some three hundred Shadow Walkers stood on both sides leaving open a wide passage that lead straight towards the Master of Ceremony and the other Elders who stood beside him.

Sato did his best to appear relaxed. It took him no more than half a minute to get across the room, but to him it appeared as if the time slowed down to snail’s pace. Hundreds of eyes followed him. The temptation to look around was immense, but he managed to keep it under control. Not that quick looks here and there were forbidden, but it was believed that students should show dignity by looking straight at the Master of Ceremony. The problem was that few recruits could stare into his eyes for long. Sato used the good old trick that was given to him by one of his trainers. He located an imaginary spot on the wall just above the Master’s head and never took his eyes from it. This way, it appeared as if he was looking at the Master of Ceremony, without actually doing so. “I’m smart,” he thought to himself.

Finally, after walking for what felt like hours, even if in reality it took no more than some thirty seconds, Sato stopped within a step or two of the Master of Ceremony. He dropped to his knees and bowed so low that his head touched the floor.

“Why are you here Sato?” asked the Master of Ceremony.

For a frightening fraction of a second, his mind was completely empty. Then, the carefully memorized words of the pledge returned to him.

“I, Sato, humbly ask you, the Master of Ceremony who represents the will of the Shadow Walkers, to be accepted in the ranks off my older brothers and sisters.”
“Why should I grant you this honor?”
“Because I swear to serve the Shadow Walkers unto my death and give myself to them fully with my body and my soul. My life is their life and obeying them is the sole purpose of my existence. I shall know no fear of death and pain as long as I serve my brothers and sisters. Should it ever prove necessary, I will sacrifice my life for their good without hesitation. This, I swear.”
“Sato, do you swear to follow our laws?”
“I do so swear.”
“Sato, do you swear to fight for our ideology and to uphold our ideals?”
“I do so swear.”
“Sato, do you swear to obey us without question?”
“I do so swear.”
“On what do you swear Sato?”
“I swear on my life. May it end should I ever break my word. I also swear on my immortal soul. May the Great Karmic Circle cast it out to be eaten by the Darkness should I ever die as a traitor.”
“Who do you take as a witness to your oath?”
“I take all my brothers and sisters present in this room. I ask them to remember my oath and to slay me the moment I break it.”
“So be it Sato. From this moment your life will belong to the Shadow Walkers. I, Master of Ceremony, with the power given to me by all our brothers and sisters, accept you among us. Rise, Sato of the Shadow Walkers.”

Sato did so. Three young recruits approached the Elder. Two of them held a pillow each. There was a pistol on one, and a kunji on the other one. The third recruits carried a large metal cauldron.

The three young recruits brought bitter memories to Sato’s mind. He knew their names and age. They were eight-years-old. He could see pride in their eyes. The Ceremony of Acceptance took place once per year. Each year three recruits were chosen to take part in it. Only once could a recruit take part in it. It was immense honor to be chosen. Sato remembered that eight years ago when he was their age, that honor was not granted to him. However, it was given to Yoshi. Sato could have easily accept his rejection, but the fact that that asshole Yoshi was picked instead of him, or that he was picked at all, really hurt him.

The Master of Ceremony took both weapons. “Sato, these are the tools that you will use in your service to us. Never forget that you yourself are our instrument as well.”
Sato stretched his hand. His first intention was to take the sword. “No you idiot! The gun comes first,” his inner voice screamed inside his head. The soon-to-be Shadow Walker redirected his hand that was about to grab the kunji and took the pistol instead. “I hope that no one noticed,” he said in his thoughts.
Sato put the gun in the holster that was attached to his uniform. He then took the sword.
“Sato, one more proof of your sincerity is required,” said the Master of Ceremony.

The recruit with the cauldron brought it closer. Sato cut the palm of his left hand and put it over the vessel. There was silence as everybody stared at the blood that was slowly entering the cauldron. Finally, Sato could not say how long it lasted, the Master of Ceremony took a small roll of bandage and put it on Sato’s healthy hand.

“Bind your wound my brother.” This was the very first time in Sato’s life that an adult Shadow Walker called him a brother. And it was an Elder. He felt… strange. It now only donned on him that he just crossed into another stage of his life. A chapter just ended and new one began. This realization paralyzed him.
“Rejoin your young brothers and sisters.”

Sato looked to his left where stood all the students, ex-students actually, who already passed the ceremony. Seeing them, his former childhood comrades and now adults, only aggravated his condition. He felt his heart pounding so fast that it risked tearing itself out of his chest. He felt emotions overcoming him. Then, when he was about to give up his fight against the rush of emotions, he felt Master’s hand on his shoulder. The old man smiled. There was understanding in his eyes. This gesture had the effect of a cold shower. Sato shook his head and rejoined the others, bandaging his hand on the way. He was still affected by what was happening, but his reason was now firmly in control of his feelings.

There were four more students waiting. One by one, the Master of Ceremony called them and the whole thing repeated itself. Finally, when the last student finished giving his blood, the second and the last part of the Ceremony of Acceptance could begin.

“Brothers and sisters!” This time the Master of Ceremony addressed the other Shadow Walkers in the Great Hall. “Today we welcome new members among us. Let’s share our blood with them.”

Twenty people came forward; five Shadow Walkers, five Deathbringers, five Elders and five Technomancers. All chosen at random few hours before the ceremony. Each one cut his own hand and added some of his blooded to the cauldron. The Master of Ceremony did so as well. Once the bloodsheding was over, the Master of Ceremony took a small golden cup and filled it with blood. He took a sip and passed it to the person closest to him. The cup began its journey from one person to another. It had to be refilled several more times before everyone had his taste of that warm, red liquid.

When Sato’s turn came, he drank with indifference. In his life he was wounded many times while training. Taste of blood was no stranger to him.

It took a couple of minutes, but eventually everyone had his share of blood. The Master of Ceremony smiled. He was visibly happy. The old man turned to the rest of the room.

“Blood was shed and shared! Now, we are truly all brothers and sisters. The Ceremony of Acceptance is over. I’m sure that everyone is hungry by now. I am told that there is a great feast ready for us in the Dinning Hall.” Sato could swear that some three hundred of faces smiled in anticipation of Elder’s next words. “Lets go there and party!”

* * *

Sato was sitting next to one of the ponds in the garden. It was night outside. He could tell because the lights in the garden followed the movement of the sun. However, the lights were almost never turned completely off. They gave out just enough light to allow for some limited vision. He was once told that outsiders would be completely blind with such a tiny amount of illumination. But he was a Shadow Walker. His eyes were designed to see, barely, in darkness.

Yes, he was a Shadow Walker. He was no longer a child. He was now an adult. This morning he felt excited. His life was about to change for better. And then, during the feast he began to have doubts. Yes, his life was going to change, but is it going to change for better, or worse? His small and secure world of childhood was about to collapse. He was going to leave the monastery, and many years would pass before he was going to see its wall again, or walls of any monastery for that matter.

He never ventured further from his monastery than four days of travel. Back then he was taken to see the closest village. What he saw didn’t impress him. Dirty people living in filth and poverty. And now, he was going to leave his beautiful home and go to live in a city. Cities were so much larger than villages, and so much uglier. He had seen pictures and movies. Dirt, vermin, pollution, crime, poverty; all of them were everywhere, and all those crowds of people. They scared him more than anything else. There were some four hundred people in the monastery at any given moment. A short walk on any major street in any large city would result in him meeting far more people than that. Strange faces everywhere. People passing other people. No one knowing each other, or caring for each other. This whole notion was bewildering… and scary.

He put his hand on the ground and started searching in darkness. His eyes might have been good enough to see large objects and landmarks, but small things were invisible to him. Soon his fingers located that a small pebble – exactly what he was looking for. He threw it into the darkness before him where the pond was. He was rewarded with a splash of water, and a couple of seconds later a frog was heard. A second one answered in another pond. Sato let out a sigh. It was funny. He always disliked this garden for its artificial beauty. Now, he was willing to spend an eternity here rather than leave and face the outside world.

“Sato, is that you?”

He turned around. In the darkness he could make out only a vague silhouette. But he was not in need of eyes to know who was it. He knew that voice all too well – the sweetest voice in the whole world.

“Yes Katsumi. It is me.”
“I was looking for you. The celebration is just beginning for good. A couple of Elders got together and sang a song. It was very funny. I have never seen Elders do such thing.”
“I’m glad that you’re having fun. But I, personally, am not in the mood for celebration. There are things about which I must think, in solitude.”
“This is not the time to think, much less to think in solitude. Tonight is the time to have fun. You will have the rest of your life to think in solitude. But there will be no other night like this one.”
“I guess you’re right.” He did know that she was right, but it was of no help. His anxiety persisted.
“Anyway, I was looking for you because I have wonderful news.”
“Yoshi is dead?”

She laughed. It was such beautiful laughter.

“I’m afraid that it is not that good. Do you know where you are assigned?”
“A city.”

She laughed again. Her laughter brightened Sato’s mood a little bit, but not enough to chase sadness out of his heart.

“Yes stupid. But do you know which city?”
“No.”
“Fukido!”

He knew where Fukido was, but the fact that he was going there had absolutely no meaning to him. A city was a city no matter its location or name. He gave no answer. For the first time Katsumi noticed his mood.

“What’s wrong Sato? Aren’t you happy?”
“To be honest, no. I’m not.”
“Is there a problem?” Her voice was full of concern.
“I’m just sad that I will have to leave this place. This is my home. It’s the only place I know.”
“I can understand. I will miss this place too. But think about the future. As much as I love this place, I must say that it is boring. Cities are so exciting. I just can’t wait to see one.”
“I don’t share your enthusiasm. I don’t think that you are aware how cities really look like. Sure, they might appear nice and pretty, but it’s just a thin layer of disguise. If you scratch it off, you will see a world of suffering and evil.”
“How can you know how cities are really like? You’ve never been to one. The only thing you have ever seen were movies and pictures. I think that cities are both good and bad. You are looking at them only from one perspective. Pain and evil are everywhere. Even here.”
That last remark startled him. “What do you mean.”
She didn’t answer, at least not immediately. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He sensed terrible tension in the air. Should he keep questioning her or give up? He didn’t know.
“Hey!” Her voice sounded joyful again. “Lets not talk about sad things.” She put her arm on his shoulder. “I said myself that this is the night to celebrate, and now I almost ruined the mood. I came to tell you that I have an excellent news.”
“You already did. I’m going to Fukido.”
“Actually…” she paused. Sato couldn’t see her eyes, but he sensed that there was pure joy burning in them. “It’s an excellent news because…”
“Because?” Her girlish excitement began to infect him.
“Because I’m coming with you!”
It took him a second to fully realize what she just said. “Really!? But how can you know?”
“I spoke with the Elder who is in charge of our assignments.”

Sato felt rejoiced. A terrible weight was lifted from his troubled soul. With Katsumi at his side he was ready to face all the cities of the world with all their corruption. Heck! He was even fully willing to fight Dark Legion.

“That is indeed a great news.”
“Yes,” Katsumi continued. “And not only we are going together, we are going to Fukido.”
“What’s so great about Fukido? It’s just a city.” “No. It’s not just a city. It’s the second most cosmopolitan city in the entire Solar System. There are so many foreigners there. I want to see if it’s true that Imperials suffer from addiction to tea, or if every single Bauhaus woman is wearing fur. And I also heard that Capitolians chew that thing they call “bubble gum” all the time. I want to chew some bubble gum too.”

Sato laughed. It brought him so much joy to see her so happy. And just to think that less than a minute ago he was miserable.

“Slow down. There will be plenty of time to see and try all that.”
“I know. But I just can’t wait to see this new world with my very own eyes. And you know what. I’m especially excited about Cybers. I heard that there are some in Fukido.”
“Why Cybers?”
“Oh, I don’t know. I guess that I just find the whole idea of people with chunks of metal stuck in their flesh interesting.”
“I must tell you that I’m very glad as well. I guess that it will be wonderful to see all these things, especially because you’re going to be at my side.”
“Sato! You are such a charmer.”
“I guess I am. Say, is there any food left?”
“Barely enough to feed a small army.”
“Then lets go back. I want to celebrate. I want to have fun.”
“That’s the spirit.”

She wrapped her arm around his and they went to rejoin the others.

(1)	Kunji is a special type of short sword used by the Shadow Walkers. It is their favored tool of assassination.

The name “Shadow Walkers” can be misleading because it implies that the members of this organization are all equal. This is not the case. Like any other organization, Shadow Walkers have their hierarchy and there are different groups among them, each bearing a different name. While it is true that when one talks about all the members of this organization he will call them Shadow Walkers, in reality, the true Shadow Walkers are just one, although the most numerous, of the groups that make up the organization. This can sometimes lead to confusion. When saying “Shadow Walker” is not always clear whether it applies to all the members of this organization, or just the group that is called Shadow Walkers. Well, feel free to stop me and ask to clarify this if you ever get confused. And now, allow me to present all the groups one by one.

Shadow Walkers are recruited as infants no older than two or three months. Adult Shadow Walkers themselves have no children because they are permanently sterilized just after recruitment. I will explain a little bit later why this is done. Please, just wait few minutes.

I will start by telling you how the new recruits are obtained. Then I will tell you about their training and finish by describing what kind of life they live.

Since Shadow Walkers can’t have children, they must look for fresh blood outside of the organization. The recruitment process is actually quite easy. Shadow Walkers obtain new members from orphans and unwanted infants from poor families. They never have problems with finding such unfortunate children. Sadly, Mishiman commoners live in extreme poverty. Their economic situation forces them quite often to abandon their babies or give them up for adoption. Infanticide is frightfully common and finding infants with “Please take care of my child” note attached to them is not a rare thing.

Those babies who are not killed or die abandoned in some garbage pile end up one way or another in an orphanage. I would tend to say that seventy percent of recruits come from orphanages. In every major city (at least every Mishiman major city) there is one Shadow Walker who bears the title of “Recruiter.” Most of the Recruiters are women. They visit from time to time every orphanage in their city and look around for infants that would make good Shadow Walkers (i.e. infants that are healthier and stronger than others).

Because Mishiman orphanages are always overcrowded to the extreme, adoption is free and very fast. Normally, only few days are taken to check the background of the new parents. These rules don’t apply to Recruiters. All orphanage employees know the local Recruiter and know better than to ask questions. Recruiters are feared people. They arrive, examine the children, and if a baby is spotted that looks promising, it is taken immediately. There is no background check and no official adoption. The employees usually later write that the child died, or even destroy its file, erasing all traces of its existence. It’s not as if anyone cares about those children anyway.

Although adoption is free in Mishima, the Recruiter always gives a very generous donation to the orphanage, for all practical reasons buying the child. Since orphanages tend to be inadequately funded all the time and must rely on charity anyway, such donations are very welcome.

Recruiters don’t limit their activities to orphanages, however. They also visit poor families, both in the cities and countryside, and buy children directly from them. It is made clear to the parents that they will never see their child again, and all such recruits are bought with the permission of their caretakers. There are some legends about Shadow Walkers stealing babies, but these are just scary stories told to children. You know what I’m talking about. The “Eat your breakfast or the Shadow Walkers are going to come and take you away” kind of stories. As far as I know no child was ever stolen by the Shadow Walkers. In fact, they consider it to be immoral.

An average Recruiter procures somewhere around a hundred children per year. Thirty percent of them are girls. Shadow Walkers are not sexist. They do recognize that women make good assassins. They are rarely suspected and they can go to places where a man can’t even show his face. However, men are better suited for combat. They also seem to be more aggressive. That’s why the majority of Shadow Walkers are men.

Of course, this little statistic I just gave you represents the typical situation. Sometimes, due to all sorts of circumstances, Recruiters can be ordered to either increase or decrease recruitment, to take more girls, or less girls, or something else. They might even stop working temporarily if there is no demand for new recruits. It all depends on the situation in the region.

I must also inform you, and this will certainly shock you, that the recruitment is not limited to Orientals. Foreign children are also recruited. Shadow Walkers sometimes perform missions deep inside the territory of other megacorporations. In certain places Orientals would just draw too much attention to themselves. For this reason Whites, Blacks, Latinos and other races are also in demand. Of course, once those foreigners are recruited, they are not treated as foreigners anymore. Shadow Walkers consider themselves to be one happy family where race or corponality have no importance whatsoever.

The non-Orientals make up somewhere around fifteen percent of all Shadow Walkers. Most of them are found outside of Mercury. They are recruited the same way that Mishiman recruits are. Other megacorporations have their own share of poverty and child abandoning.

I talked in detail about Recruiters, but now we should move on to the recruits themselves. Let’s begin discussing their life from the very moment of recruitment. All Recruiters have medical training. They examine infants for signs of disease and, if the test is passed, they take them to the local Technomancer who performs a complete, detailed medical exam. This is necessary because most children come from places where hygiene is lacking, or non-existent. Disease and malnutrition are common. Still, Technomancers can usually cure such things. If the child is diagnosed with something incurable, or if the treatment would take too much time, the Recruitor takes the child back. But he never asks for the money to be returned. It just leads to too much trouble. The organization if filthy rich anyway.

Those babies that pass all the medical exams are taken to a monastery and put in a nursery. The monastery where they are taken is usually the closest one to the city, but it is not always so. If the demand in other monasteries is strong, then the fresh recruits end up there.

Immediately after reaching a monastery, recruits start receiving drugs and eat a special diet. This treatment accelerates their growth, sharpens their sense and makes them much more stronger and quicker than normal children of their age. The treatment continues until they reach adulthood. It is also at this point that the Technomancers sterilize them and install the enzymes that will dissolve their body after death. This enzyme is the only biotechnological enhancement put in recruits. All others must be earned after reaching adulthood.

At the age of four recruits begin their training. The nature of the training changes with their age. Usually it begins with martial arts practice, physical exercises and games that are aimed at sharpening their assassination skills. An example of such games could be sneaking on friends while they guard some place, or trying to hit something by throwing stones, which develops hand-eye coordination. There are many more such examples.

As the recruits grow stronger and smarter, they start training with more dangerous things – such as weapons, (both melee and firearms) poisons, explosives, etc. When they reach the age of seven, they are introduced to such academic fields of knowledge as philosophy, mathematics, history, art and other things.

Starting from the age of twelve, recruits go through a very important exercise, probably the most important, that is simply called “hunting.” The name is adequate since the exercise is about hunting. However, the prey is not an animal, but a human being. Once per month, Shadow Walkers capture someone, let him loose in the wilderness surrounding the monastery, and then send recruits after him. The fugitives are generally criminals, although soldiers, Freelance mercenaries and even samurais are used. Civilians (i.e. people with no combat experience) are not used because they have little training value and are considered as innocents.

The rules of the hunt are simple. The fugitive must reach some landmark to be considered safe. He is told that once he gets there, he will receive a large sum of money and be allowed to leave. That’s a lie. The fugitive is always killed even if he manages to elude recruits. It is a sad necessity. The hunt always takes place in the proximity of a monastery. Should the fugitive be allowed to live, he could start talking about what happened. The information about large number of Shadow Walkers being present in a certain area could bring Demon Hunters or Inquisition to the region. And this in turn could lead to the discovery of the monastery. The risk is just too great. Besides, it’s not as if those men (and occasionally women) were innocent virgins or something like that. They tend to be people who have a lot of blood on their hands.

Of course, it sometimes happens, although extremely rarely, that the prey manages to escape despite all these Shadow Walkers on its trail. Such a lucky person is marked for assassination. She must remain in hiding for the rest of her life.

This exercise has two goals. The first one is obvious. It is the practice and improvement of tracking and assassination skills. The second goal is much more important. It aims at making recruits comfortable with killing. It is of critical importance. You can be trained to be the best assassin the whole Solar System, but when the time comes to actually kill someone, it is at this point that you might fail. Shadow Walkers can’t allow such a thing to happen during a real mission. They must prepare their younger members for taking human life. And this is the main purpose of this exercise.

Hunting becomes more and more difficult as the recruits grow older. The first victims are common thugs taken from the street. Slowly, the prey is picked from more dangerous people. The last targets are usually from special forces, or battle hardened samurais with Ki. They are even given weapons, but never any firearms. You probably wonder how can children, even if trained in combat, hope to survive this. Don’t forget that those children are enhanced by Technomacers. By the age of twelve they are almost as big as adults, and equally strong and fast. Plus, their combat training does wonders. Believe me, they can handle themselves. At least most can.

Hunting has another purpose – one that is hidden and sinister. The exercise is a wonderful way of detecting and eliminating weak individuals. I mean weak both in physical and psychological sense. Physical because it does sometimes happen that a recruit gets killed. This is sad, but also good. Those who are not good enough to do their job are eliminated through the old process of survival of the fittest. Also, other recruits see their comrades die and get used to it. They won’t be shocked if their friends die on a real mission. It strengthens them psychologically. And since we are talking about psychology, there are also those recruits that are classified as psychologically weak. These are the people who have problems with killing. They are regarded as even more dangerous than the ones who are physically weak. Physical weaklings can improve themselves, and they can still get the job done if they are lucky. Pacifists can seriously screw things up and endanger their brothers and sisters if they hesitate even for a second to eliminate the target.

During the hunt, adult Shadow Walkers follow the situation from the hiding. Their job is to observe and nothing more. They are not to interfere no matter what, not even to save the life of a recruit. If the prey happens to slaughter all the recruits, so be it. They are there only to watch and evaluate the performance of recruits. However, if the prey reaches the landmark that marks the boundaries of the hunt, they will step in and finish the job. The recruits are not allowed to pursue the fugitive once he reaches safety.

Later, the observers evaluate each recruit individually to see what are his strengths and weaknesses. Depending on their conclusions, they focus the training of that recruit on improving him in the areas where he or she is weak. Those who have problems with killing are tutored by the Elders who try to break their apprehensions against taking human life. The recruits who are classified as hopeless cases are sent to become Technomancers or, in truly hopeless situations, eliminated.

Well, so much about their training. Why don’t we talk now about the life of an average recruit? Recruits are treated harshly, but fairly. This is done on purpose in order to harden them. They spent most of their time training, learning academic things and doing all sorts of chores. Indeed, they are sent to do small things in the monastery. Things like washing the floors, helping in the kitchen or doing the laundry. As their grow older, their tasks become more and more important. Recruits that are close to adulthood work side by side with adults helping them train younger recruits, repair equipment or even assist in the guard duty.

Recruits, at least the youngest ones, are at the bottom of the social ladder. They keep their first name, but their last name if forever forgotten after being brought to a monastery. Despite having a name, they are usually addressed as “hey boy, you there, young one, recruit” and other such terms. The recruits themselves are not allowed to address anyone unless spoken to. And even then, they are expected to show great respect and say only as much as is required of them. The only exceptions to this are the trainers. You see, trainers are much more than simple instructors. They are also the caretakers of all recruits. In a way they are their parents. They take care of them and are responsible for them.

Trainers are expected to behave like severe, but loving parents. Obviously, like it is with all parents, some don’t live up to the ideal. There are both lenient and tyrannical trainers, with the majority stuck somewhere between these two extremes.

The trainers have the authority to punish and award their students. It is their responsibility to take care of small transgressions. Should a recruit commit some major crime, he has the right to ask one of his trainers to represent him before the Elder Council.

I don’t want you to think that the life of a recruit is bleak and dark, however. They are given some free time to relax and their treatment improves with age. They are given more respect as they approach adulthood. For example, instead of being called recruits all the time, they begin to be addressed as “students.” Being called a student marks the unofficial passage from childhood to adolescence. Students, although in theory equal to recruits, are treated with more respect and leniency. They can address adults without first being spoken to (but they still must show respect) and a lot of other types of behavior that is unacceptable in recruits is tolerated in case of students. In fact, in private, many adult Shadow Walkers treat adolescent recruits as equals. In fact, calling a student a recruit in public is insulting.

Recruits have their sufferings rewarded at the age of sixteen. It is at this time that they are accepted officially as adults at what is called “Ceremony of Acceptance.” Although sixteen is the default age at which recruits become Shadow Walkers, should the trainers judge it necessary, a recruit can be made to wait another year or even more. Needless to say, having to wait is a great source of shame for a recruit.

(2)	That’s how Asians are called.
(3)	Corponality means basically the same thing as “nationality,” except that it applies to those born in a corporation. The word “nationality” is not used anymore since there are no nations anymore.

The true and proper Shadow Walkers are the footsoldiers of the organization. They are the ones who do all the dirty work. Without them, the organization couldn’t exist. Shadow Walkers make up the majority of the members, and yet, not much can be said about them.

Usually, a couple of days after the Ceremony of Acceptance the new Shadow Walkers are sent to a city. They spent few years there before being allowed to return to a monastery. The life of an average Shadow Walker is spent on following orders. Just like soldiers, they are sent wherever and whenever they are needed. No one cares about their personal opinion. In general, their assignments tend to rotate between cities and monasteries. They start by spending few years in a city, then they move to a monastery, go back to a city, return to a monastery, etc. Of course, all of this can change if the circumstances demand it.

This rotation system exists so that the Shadow Walkers remain under control. They are not allowed to spend too much time in the city because it is believed that cities have corrupting effect on the soul. People get accustomed to the city pleasures and grow soft. Also, life in a city can be stressful. It is important to bring Shadow Walkers back to a monastery from time to time to give them a chance to relax and get in touch with the Shadow Philosophy again. But after few years of rest, Shadow Walkers are sent to a city again, so that they might fulfil their duty to the organization.

The life of an average Shadow Walker depends on whether he is in a city or a monastery. I will talk about monasteries and cities a little bit later. So for now I will just say few words.

In the cities, Shadow Walkers must divide their time between participating in missions, training and having good time. Cities are liked because they offer a lot of interesting and exciting options for wasting one’s free time. Shadow Walkers living in cities have a lot of freedom and receive enough “pocket money” to live a relatively pleasant life. They are not millionaires, but they don’t starve either. They always have some cash to go to a cinema, have a dinner in a decent restaurant, or afford some other simple pleasures.

On the other hand, as long as they stay in a city, Shadow Walkers must take part in dangerous missions. Contrary to what you might think, they are not action addicts who revel in battle and bloodshed, although such individuals do exist. Most of them approach their missions with neutrality. “It’s a job that has to be done,” they say. Yet, Shadow Walkers, with some exceptions, are not happy risking their life. They are willing to fight and die for the organization, but that does not mean that they welcome death with open arms. Risking your life is stressful, and many Shadow Walkers are happy to get some rest and peace far away from all this fighting and killing.

Such peace and tranquility can be enjoyed in monasteries. That’s the good part. The bad part is that those living in monasteries have their freedom severely restricted. Shadow Walkers stationed at monasteries have all sorts of duties assigned to them and are obliged to train regularly, and a lot (although not as much as recruits). As you can imagine, they have much less free time than in a city. Still, lack of free time is not that bad because there is not much to do with it in a monastery. Most of it is spent on meditation, reading in the library, socializing with other Shadow Walkers, or, if someone is really bored, more training. Many Shadow Walkers get used to the city life with all its richness and excitement. They find monastic life dull. But there are also those who love it and who hate the cities. It all depends on individual taste.

Technomancers are a truly interesting case. They are outsiders forming a little, separate organization within a larger organization. Contrary to other Shadow Walkers, they don’t fight and have no combat experience. This means that both groups have difficulty finding common ground. Technomancers are the ones who build weapons. Shadow Walkers are the ones using them. This is pretty much the only thing they have in common.

So, if Technomancers don’t fight, then what do they do? I think you know. They are the ones responsible for building, maintaining and repairing any and all equipment used by the Shadow Walkers. They also serve as doctors, providing medical assistance to the needy.

Just like heretic Technomancers, Shadow Walker Technomancers are familiar with Bio-Technology. However, this is the only Dark Legion science they know. For some unknown reason, Bio-Technology is the only dark science that does not cause corruption. Black and Necro Technology are just too dangerous because they tend to turn those who use them into heretics. That’s why Shadow Walkers don’t have any Dark Legion equipment, except Bio-Technological Gifts.

Impossibility of using Dark Legion’s weapons forces Shadow Walkers to rely on human science and technology. The task of creating combat equipment falls in the hands of Technomancers. To do their job, they must have knowledge of many fields of science, like engineering, medicine, chemistry, electronics and anything else that could be useful. I don’t want you to think that they are all super geniuses who have mastery over all these fields of science. Although a couple of such super geniuses do exist, the rest of the Technomancers tends to specialize. They excel in one thing, and have a good understanding of the rest.

There is one more difference between them and the heretic Technomancers. Heretics tend to be loners. They lock themselves in their workshops and work alone on their secret projects with only their apprentices, who are more like slaves and errand boys, to assist them. Shadow Walker Technomancers resemble normal scientists. They work in groups, with individuals cooperating together and exchanging information. There are two reasons for this. The first one is that Technomancers’ tendency to specialize makes doing everything all by yourself impossible. Technomancers simply must work together in order to succeed. The second reason is that Shadow Walker culture and philosophy encourages cooperation instead of competition.

Let me now tell you how Technomancers become Technomancers. They are taken from regular recruits. When trainers notice that one of the children is poor in combat or has strong pacifistic tendencies, they send it away to be trained as a Technomancer. But not all of them are rejects, however. Recruits are taught basic science, and if it turns out that some of them like it and/or have a talent for it, they are reassigned for Technomancer training. Technomancer recruits range in age from seven to fourteen. Those who are younger or older than that are not accepted.

Technomancers in training are called “apprentices.” Apprentices have much easier life than recruits. They are not treated harshly because such treatment is not regarded as necessary. However, their education is intensive and they must absorb large amounts of knowledge. After a year or two they pick one discipline in which to specialize and are assigned to a Technomancer most skilled in that area for personal tutelage. Traditionally, they address their personal instructor as “mentor.” Mentors, just like trainers, are responsible for their apprentices and serve as their guardians. The relations between mentors and apprentices range from deep affection to hatred and contempt. Fortunately, most tend to fall much closer to the love and affection side.

Technomancers have no such thing as Ceremony of Acceptance. It would have been impossible to organize such a ceremony because, contrary to Shadow Walkers, apprentices do not have equal skills at the same age. Think about it. Someone who was brought in for Technomancer training at the age of fourteen will know much less by the time he reaches sixteen than someone who was studying Technomancer profession since the age of seven.

Admittance to the ranks of Technomancers is very personal. It depends on the skill of the apprentice, not his age. Still, there is this unofficial rule that eighteen is the youngest age at which someone can become a full Technomancer. When the mentor thinks that his pupil is ready for full membership in the Technomancer order, he says so to the Technomancer Elders. They in turn ask the apprentice to pass through a series of tests. Tests usually involve building some complicated device, disarming a bomb, analyzing chemical composition of some poison and recreating it, and other equally difficult things. The tests are difficult and meant to challenge all of apprentice’s skills. If the apprentice fails, he can try again next year. If successful, a ceremony is hastily organized to welcome the apprentice among the adult Technomancers.

Actually, it’s not really a ceremony. It is more like a small, private party attended only by Technomancers (both adults and apprentices) and few selected guests. At the party, the newly recognized Technomancer must go through initiation ritual that is pointless, ridiculous and stupid. Examples might include getting the apprentice drunk and asking him to sing some silly song or stripping him naked and forcing to run through the central courtyard to the amusement of all those present there. As you can see, the only point to these rituals is to make others laugh at the expense of the poor apprentice.

Contrary to Shadow Walkers, new Technomancers are not sent to a city immediately. They are kept for few years in their monastery until their skills are judged good enough to risk service in a city. It is important for Technomancers working in the cities to be highly trained. They are the ones who prepare equipment that is being used in real missions. A single malfunctioning piece of equipment can lead to the death of its user and even cause the mission to end in failure. This is not the type of work than can be left to amateurs.

Technomancers, just like Shadow Walkers, are rotated between cities and monasteries, but they tend to spend more time in cities. They are not considered as important as Shadow Walkers, so there is less concern that the city life will corrupt their soul. They are already perceived as spiritually weaker than the rest. Yet, even if less important, they still matter and they are brought to a monastery from time to time to purge their soul of corruption and train young Technomancers.

So, how does an average Technomancer live? The answer depends on whether he is in a city or a monastery. Urban Technomancers are very busy people. They spend many hours in their workshops preparing whatever equipment is necessary at the moment. In general, there are only few Technomancers in any given city, which is barely enough to meet the demand for their services. Once out of the workshop, they are free to enjoy all the pleasures that only a city can offer.

In monasteries, they work less and have much more free time. Unfortunately, for them, they are forced to spend some of this time on basic combat training. They are trained in combat for two reasons. First, so that they can offer some resistance if attacked. Monasteries can be assaulted, and in the cities danger comes from Demon Hunters, Inquisitors and heretics. Technomancers must be prepared to face danger just like all other members of the organization. Shadow Walkers do have their enemies. Secondly, Technomancers are responsible for creating equipment that is used in combat. They should have at least rudimentary understanding of combat in order to do their job better.

As you can imagine, most Technomancers don’t like their combat training. Yet, exceptions exist everywhere. Some of them do like it and practice just for fun. There is also the fact that that the Shadow Philosophy encourages physical exercise. I even heard stories about Technomancers who became so good that they could beat a Shadow Walker in combat.

Let me just finish with few words about the relations between Technomancers and the other groups. As I mentioned at the beginning, Technomancers are unofficially regarded as outsiders. When a Shadow Walker and a Technomancer talk to each other, they tend to be polite, but it is clear that there is an invisible barrier between them. Shadow Walkers tend to talk to each other, even if they just met, as friends. With Technomancers, they talk as if they were strangers.

Both groups are also quite arrogant in respect to each other. Technomancers believe that without them Shadow Walkers wouldn’t have any tools to do their job, which is true, while Shadow Walkers complain that they are the ones risking their life to support Technomancers who see combat only on TV, which too is true. Both groups give each other degrading nicknames. Technomancers are known as “lab rats” and “eggheads.” Shadow Walkers are on their part called “muscles” or “action boys.” However, these nicknames are for private, in-group use only. They are almost never used within the earshot of the other group, unless someone wants to insult someone. Despite all of this, both groups remain on civilized terms. Although no group would ever say it aloud, they recognize that they need each other.

Don’t forget that all I just said applies to groups. Individuals can and do act against the norm. I have seen with my very own eyes some Technomancers and Shadow Walkers being the best of friends.

If Shadow Walkers are the footsoldiers, then Deathbringers are the commanding officers. They are the elite. Their job is to make contact with employers and obtain contracts. Once a contract is obtained, Deathbringers are the ones preparing the mission. They are involved and responsible for all stages of planning and execution, starting from the initial intelligence gathering up to the assassination itself. Their job is not limited to supervision of missions, however.

In every city where there are Shadow Walkers, there is at least one Deathbringer in charge of them all. If there is more than one Deathbringer, then one of them is the supreme leader appointed by the Elders. Deathbringers are responsible for all the Shadow Walkers and Technomancers present in the city. They must provide them with false identity, some place to live and enough money to survive. If someone gets into trouble, that person’s commanding Deathbringer must take care of the situation. Deathbringers are also responsible for administration of justice and communication with the monastery that is in charge of their city. If there are few Deathbringers in the same city, as it usually is with major Mishiman cities, they divide all the Shadow Walkers and Technomancers between themselves and each one takes care of his small group only. They all report to the one Deathbringer who is in charge of the entire city. This supreme Deathbringer has no special title. In general, he is called “Commander” or “High Deathbringer,” or something similar.

I don’t want you to think that Deathbringers have desk jobs only; that they organize the mission, send Shadow Walkers, sit back, drink coffee and ask “How did it go?” once the mission is over. True, they are administrators, but they are also the elite soldiers of the organization. Their place is as much in the field as behind a desk. If any larger number of Shadow Walkers is involved in the mission, they are almost always led by a Deathbringer. If not, then they are in radio contact with one. In really large operations, it is not uncommon for Shadow Walkers to be split into smaller squads, each one commanded by a Deathbringer who in turn is in radio contact with the Commander. Sometimes, although this is rare, a mission can be so difficult that a team composed only of Deathbringers is sent to do the job.

In monasteries, Deathbringers enjoy much less power since they live with Elders who can and do give them orders. In general, they are in charge of the day to day affairs of their monastery. They assign duties to all those beneath them and supervise their execution. Some are assigned to train recruits.

As a rule, Deathbringers are kept in monasteries only for short time. At least short comparing to other Shadow Walkers. Their experience is needed in the field. They are after all the elite soldiers and officers. Living in a monastery is a waste of their valuable skills. Also they are considered to be veteran members of the organization. Their loyalty is proved beyond doubt and as a result, they are regarded as immune to the corrupting influence of city life – almost.

So how does one become a Deathbringer? There are two ways. A Shadow Walker (Technomancers can’t become Deathbringers) must approach a Deathbringer and ask him to propose his candidature before the Elder Council. Alternatively, if a Deathbringer thinks that one of his men deserves a promotion and is ready for it, he can talk to that Shadow Walker and ask him if he’s interested. The candidate must be willing. The position of a Deathbringer is never imposed on someone without that person’s approval. The responsibilities that come with the job are just too great to be entrusted to someone who is not willing to carry them out.

Theoretically, any Shadow Walker, even a freshly promoted recruit, can ask any Deathbringer to propose his candidature. However, there is a huge difference between theory and real life. Over the past centuries certain unofficial rules developed concerning promotion. To begin, young Shadow Walkers can only dream about becoming Deathbringers. A candidature coming from someone who does not have years of experience is not taken seriously. The youngest Deathbringers are well into their thirties. And forget the part about asking a Deathbringer who does not know you to represent you. No self-respecting Deathbringer will even think about asking the Elder Council to promote a man he does not know. Deathbringers, like all people, have different personalities, but they all realize that a position of such responsibility can’t be given to someone who can’t handle the job. That’s why they must know the Shadow Walker and what he is capable of before deciding if he is worthy of becoming a Deathbringer. Aside from great performance in combat, mastery over Ki is also an unofficial requirement. I never heard about a Deathbringer who did not wielded Ki.

I must also inform you that there is a certain sexist tendency as far as Deathbringers are concerned. Do you remember when I told you that women make up thirty percent of the Shadow walkers? So, logically thinking, on ten Deathbringers, three should be women. Right? No. Actually, when it comes to Deathbringers, women compose only ten percent. So, on ten Deathbringers, only one is a woman. I already told you that women are valued as assassins. However, there is a belief that in combat they are not as effective as men. Also, female Shadow Walkers tend to receive less dangerous and daring roles on missions. This means that they have less opportunity to prove themselves in the eyes of their superiors.

Once a candidature is proposed, the Elder Council creates a special committee composed of both Deathbringers and Elders. It is their job to evaluate the candidate. Meantime, the candidate travels to a monastery (assuming that he wasn’t there already) where he spends three months in preparation. Believe me, he needs that time. The exam he is about to pass is very hard and merciless. Many complain that three months is not enough.

The candidate is tested on his combat abilities, intelligence and loyalty to the organization – all in that order. The evaluation begins with physical tests. The candidate must first demonstrate his mastery over all forms of combat. He must also go through a series of physical challenges, such as running some distance in very short time, scaling a wall without any climbing equipment or standing motionless in one place for few days without food and water. Once his muscles are tested, it is his brain’s turn. The candidate is asked to solve a number of difficult puzzles. He is also presented with hypothetical assassination targets and asked to prepare mission plans in just few hours. Finally, if he succeeds that far, the candidate faces a group of Elders who challenge him with difficult questions concerning the Shadow Philosophy.

After this is over, the committee meets and decides whether the candidate is acceptable as a Deathbringer or not. If the answer is no, then the candidate can try again in two years. Otherwise, he is officially recognized as a Deathbringer, but must wait just few more days before receiving his promotion. During that time, a ceremony is prepared. It is called “Passage of Trials.” The name is adequate because it involves the candidate going through few creative physical trials. I don’t know how this ceremony looks like because I never had the privilege of attending it. It is open only to Deathbringers and Elders. I heard rumors that it involves such cute things as telling the candidate to put his hand in fire and keep it there for some time, or making him walk barefooted on broken glass. Anyway, I think that you get the idea.

In the normal army there is a barrier between common soldiers and officers. The same applies to Shadow Walkers and Deathbringers. Shadow Walkers recognize that Deathbringers are their superiors and they take care to show them respect which they deserve, at least in public. For example, Shadow Walkers address each other as “brother” or “sister.” Yet, when speaking to a Deathbringer, they will say “older brother” or “older sister.” On a mission, they will call them “sir” or simply “Deathbringer.” Even Technomancers, who show some arrogance towards Shadow Walkers, show great politeness and respect. They know that in the secured walls of a monastery Deathbringers can do little to them, but in a city Technomancers must answer to them just like anyone else. Still, no matter how much respect is shown to Deathbringers, Elders always receive more.

Just as a side note, Deathbringers distinguish themselves from ordinary Shadow Walkers not only in their duties, but also in their uniform. Shadow Walkers wear a black costume. Deathbringers, on the other hand, like to wear blood red robes covering equally red armor decorated with nasty spikes. The only exception is their facemask, which is black. They also like to leave their eyes exposed, contrary to Shadow Walkers who must wear goggles.

All of this, the bloody color of the armor, spikes and savage eyes, often glowing from bioenhancements, serve as a psychological weapon. Few men can look at the imposing figure of a Deathbringer, especially in the middle of combat, and not feel fear. Of course, Deathbringers are not stupid. They love their red costume and wear it whenever they can, but if a mission calls for camouflage, (That’s right. Shadow Walkers use camouflage) they will change their costume. It’s better to live wearing something you don’t like than to die in your favorite uniform.

No discussion about Deathbringers could be complete without mentioning Executors. Executors are Deathbringers who serve as internal police. They are a secret group that works either for one of the four Great Elder Councils or the Supreme Elder Council. Their job is to conduct investigations and perform assassinations within the organization itself.

Executors are a secret group. The members of this group are normal Deathbringers who attract the attention of the leaders of the organization and are offered a special kind of employment. If they accept, they are secretly promoted to Executors. Except for a small group of individuals, no one knows about their new job. They pretend to be normal Deathbringers. In fact, in a way they still are. Most of them continue their work as before, except that from time to time they are sent on a very special mission.

The group is so secret that even its own members don’t know each other. An average Executor knows only a handful of other Executors, and that is only because he worked with them in the past. If an Executor was never asked to work with another Executor, then he knows no one. So you see, they are not an organization in the true sense of that word. Rather than that, they are just a pool of Deathbringers from which trusted individuals can be selected and sent on very special missions ordered by the leaders.

Executors have a sort of semi official uniform. It looks just like an ordinary Deathbringer costume, except that it is all black with the facemask being red – a direct reverse of traditional Deathbringer costume. However, this uniform is put on only during assassination.

I want to make an important distinction between Executors and ordinary Deathbringer assassins. You see, Elders, at least those that are politically active, play political games all the time. Sometimes, an Elder can ask a trusted Deathbringer to kill someone. Such a murderer is not an Executor. In fact, he is a criminal. Executors are those Deathbringers who work for the leadership of the organization and not for corrupt individuals. They carry out legal orders and not private wishes. Of course, the line can sometimes be blurred. No all leaders are above promoting their personal agenda, and an Executor who thinks that he’s carrying out the will of his superiors might in reality work for in the interest of a single person.

Ah yes. We finally arrived at the top of the Shadow Walker hierarchy, which is occupied by the Elders. As the name suggests, Elders are the oldest members of the organization. They are also the ones giving orders to the rest.

The wonderful thing about Elders is that anyone can become an Elder. In fact, eventually everyone becomes one. All he has to do is to survive to the old age. When someone reaches the point when his age does not allow him to perform his duties anymore, he is offered the position of an Elder. Old age is the only requirement. All those who live that long become Elders, no matter whether they are feared Deathbringers or humble Technomancers.

Of course, old age is a rather vague term. There is no specific age at which someone can become an Elder. It all depends on how long he can remain in good shape. For example, if someone can still do his job reasonably well at the age of seventy, then he will continue to attend to his duties as long as he can. On the other hand, if someone else succumbs to old age already at fifty, then he becomes an Elder at fifty. Performance is all that matters. Still, from what I could observe, very few Elders are below sixty.

This is probably very surprising to you. People remaining in excellent physical shape after sixty are extremely rare in those days. You must understand that Shadow Walkers don’t fall prey to the old age as fast as the common people do. From the earliest age, they eat a very healthy diet and exercise all the time. It takes more time for them to grow weak. Also, they are enhanced by Technomancers. Thanks to the dark science of Bio-Technology, they are superior to ordinary people even at the old age. Many Elders are stronger and faster than an adult man in his prime age. All thanks to the Bio-Technological Gifts installed in them. In some cases, Technomancers go as far as to slow down natural aging process. Some Shadow Walkers live as long as two hundred years. Still, Shadow Walkers are not immortal. Sooner or later, old age catches up to all of them.

So, lets talk about this power that Elders have. They are the most powerful and respected members of the organization. They can give orders to all those who are beneath them, even Deathbringers. Their commands must be obeyed, unless they violate one of the laws or the Elder giving the orders is clearly insane.

Theoretically, all Elders are equal in power and authority. In reality, they are equal in power only. Their authority depends on the amount of respect they receive. Respect in turn depends on their background and the past achievements. An Elder who was once a Deathbringer and who distinguished himself in the field will command more respect than a Technomancer Elder. Yet, don’t forget that the amount of respect does not depend only on the one receiving it, but also on the one giving it. A Shadow Walker might prefer the Elder who was once a Deathbringer, but a Technomancer will look up to the Technomancer Elder.

Background aside, one more factor is very important when determining Elder’s authority. This factor is the level of political activity of the Elder in question. There are two kinds of Elders – those that are politically active, and those who are not.

Politically inactive Elders spend their time teaching academic subjects to recruits (they are too old to teach physically demanding things) and pursuing other things. These things can be all sorts of occupations that have some benefit to the monastery and/or the organization. For example, Elders can serve as librarians or gardeners, or they can spend their time writing philosophical treaties for the benefit of the future generations of the Shadow Walkers. Technomancer Elders continue to work on their projects and for all practical reasons, they are still regular Technomancers, except that they can boss others around if they feel like it. Still, other Elders spend their “retirement” on things that have little value, at least to the other members of the organization. I once knew a certain Elder who was building model airplanes. He had a very beautiful collection, but it was all thrown away after his death. It’s a pity. Those airplanes were real works of art.

As you can imagine, politically active Elders are occupied mainly with politics. They fight with each other for power like a pack of starved wolfs over a piece of meat. This struggle can take many forms. Ranging from perfectly legal actions to secret plots and assassinations.

Elder’s past and political power determine his position in the unofficial Elder hierarchy. A Shadow Walker who happens to find himself as a pawn in a game of two or more Elders can pick the Elder he wants to support by asking two questions. “Who was this Elder before he was an Elder?” and “How much political power he has right now?”

There are legal ways of gaining power in the organization. And I think that this is the good time to give you an overview of the way Shadow Walkers govern themselves. They do so through a council system. Each monastery is in theory run by all the Elders residing in it. However, since most of them are not interested in administrative work, every monastery is run only by a handful of Elders who make up what is called the Elder Council. This council represents the will of all the Elders from the monastery. The exact number of councilors varies from one monastery to another. However, nine is the smallest number allowed by the law. The largest councils have no more than twenty members. A small number is always preferred because it is easier and faster to reach the decision that way. The number, whatever it is, is always odd. Decisions are taken by voting, and this prevents a tie from occurring.

Membership in the Elder Council is limited to five years. After that time, elections are held. Anyone, with the exception of recruits, can vote, but only Elders can run for a seat in the Elder Council. If not enough candidates present themselves to fill all the seats, as it happens sometimes, the council can force other Elders to become candidates. That’s why certain councilors are completely unwilling to sit on the Elder Council and consider it extremely boring. There is no limited amount of times someone can hold a seat in the Elder Council. Some councilors keep their title for twenty, thirty, even forty years.

Each Elder Council rules its own monastery and nothing more. Its decisions can’t be overturned by anyone, not even another Elder. If a matter of extreme importance must be discussed, the council can call the Great Assembly, which is a general gathering of all Elders. Decisions taken at the Great Assembly carry supreme authority and even the Elder Council does not have the power to act against them. The only way to change such decisions is to call another Great Assembly.

Elder councilors have tremendous power, but their power rests on the law and they can’t act like dictators. If an Elder or a Deathbringer wants to propose something to the Elder Council, or address some issue, then he has the right to do so. The council cannot decide not to hear him out. An ordinary Shadow Walker or a Technomancer does not have the right to appear directly before his Elder Council, but he can always try to convince some Elder or Deathbringer to represent him. As you can see, there is some direct communication between the people and their Elder Council.

If some Elder thinks that the council is acting unjustly, and the council itself is not interested in changing its ways, then he can send an official complaint to the Great Elder Council.

What is that? The Great Elder Council is the ruling body that is in charge of all Shadow Walkers on a single planet. There are four Great Elder Councils – one for each of the three planets of the Inner Solar System and Luna. There is only one, at least to my knowledge, small monastery hidden in the Asteroid Belt, but it falls under Martian jurisdiction.

Great Elder Councils are run by “Great Councilors” who come from ordinary Elder Councils. Each monastery has to select one Elder who holds a seat on the monastery’s Elder Council and send him to represent his home on the Great Elder Council. The position of a Great Councilor is permanent, although it is possible to resign or be removed if the Great Elder Council votes that one of its members is no longer fit for his duties.

Luna is a special case. I want to say few words about her. Mishima has a small presence there. And where Mishima has small presence, so do Shadow Walkers. There is only one monastery there. It is ruled by an Elder Council. The curious thing is that this Elder Council is also the Great Elder Council of Luna. The reason for this is simple. Luna is just too far away from other planets to be ruled efficiently by a foreign council. That’s why Lunar Shadow Walkers have their own Great Elder Council. I must tell you that the Lunar Great Councilors are considered something like a joke on other planets. They do not have the same respect as other Great Elder Councils do. I’m not sure why. I guess that’s because Luna is not considered as important as other planets.

Finally, there is the one and only Supreme Elder Council. Those men and women are in charge of the entire organization. It was the Supreme Elder Council that ordered the Fifty Heads Campaign against Cybertronic.

This council has only ten members, who enjoy the title of “Supreme Councilors.’ Each Great Elder Council provides three Supreme Councilors, except for Luna, who sends only one representative. Membership in the Supreme Elder Council follows the same rules as in the case of the Great Elder Council. Many centuries ago, the Supreme Elder Council was headed by a single man who bore the title of “Grand Patriarch.” (Women who occupied this position were called Grand Matriarchs.) The last man to hold this office was Hertui, and he committed ritual suicide after the episode known in history books as Kori’s Madness. After his death, it was decided that he should be the last Grand Patriarch. The position offered too much power and temptation to exploit this power was just too great. From this day onward, the Supreme Elder Council was truly the supreme power in the organization.

Right now, this council resides somewhere on Venus. Originally, they were operating from Mercury, but they moved to the Green Planet three hundred years ago. Venus is in the center of the Inner Solar System. It is easier and faster to govern the entire organization from there.

Under normal circumstances, the Supreme Elder Council cannot be approached by individuals. They receive delegations only from Elder Councils. However, an Elder who wants to address the Supreme Elder Council with some private matter can go to his Elder Council and ask them for a permission to go to the Grand Elder Council, who in turn hears him out and decides on whether to allow him to see the Supreme Elder Council or not. I must tell you that few people try to address the Supreme Elder Council. Private matters are very rarely judged important enough to occupy the precious time of the Supreme Elder Council. If someone is lucky and persuasive enough to receive all the permissions necessary, he goes immediately to see the Supreme Elder Council. The Supreme Elder Council, just like all the councils, can’t choose not to see and hear the supplicant. Once he obtains the necessary permissions, he must be received.