Heaven's Gate — Chris Blake

Heaven’s Gate was the entry to Angelus, a planet in another dimension, in a system centred on a dying sun in its red giant phase. It is where the Seraphim were homed, the judicial deterrent of the Institute, and the executioners of the Forfeit. The Summoning Gate on Citadel, the planetary headquarters of the Institute, was the most well-known method of entry and exit, although of course only Summoners and Seraphim could use it. The public were never allowed in its proximity. The seraphim themselves were artificial creations that were manufactured and powered by an advanced technology long lost. They represented the most progressive science at the very zenith of the Creators’ civilisation. It is said that they were powered by singularities, black holes in miniature, and shielded by containment fields, but this is supposition only, for the science of this is forgotten. However, if they were attacked and injured or ‘killed’, their containment fields would collapse, causing all space around them to implode. Thus, the saying, “if you slay an angel, you destroy a world.”The seraphim want B’lanche to appear before them, but others are also after her, including an invasion fleet that has a mandate to pacify the Cradle. The Acolyte is terrified of losing everything. The planet needs B’lanche to defend it, but whose interests does she serve?