From the introduction: Servants toiled for forty years to create the Pa Kua, the eight resplendent craft that would be worthy to carry the Emperor’s chosen to the stars, built with a sublime quality, completely unmatched either before or since. The last Solar Emperor was no coward – he honorably stayed in Old Kitay, to guide and comfort his remaining subjects in the final days. And so, upon each of these magnificent vessels, the Emperor placed the imperial seed, so that his line would be forever unending.