I decided on 'Shades' partially since it is already used as a term for 'ghost' in common mythology. 'Valdari' is a bit more ambiguous. Is it their homeworld? Their leader? Some kind of hivemnind they are all a part of? No one knows. The only thing which is certain is that is the name they call themselves by... At least, on the rare occasion one meets a Shade.

My initial ideas for this faction initially composed of an organic shape-shifting mass which could mimic the appearance of any other faction in order to fool them in combat or slip past their borders to commit sabotage from within. Since the community has voted for a gaseous entity instead, my thoughts now shift toward a species which have a natural cloaking ability. As a gas, they should easily be able to turn into a clear gas which is both colorless and odorless. From there they can float around and observe, or even change into a hostile gas to choke out the occupants of a room, for example. To anyone else observing, the occupants would appear to be affected by an unseen force: a Shade.

Their ships would likely be little more than a grouping of Shades. As gaseous beings, they would likely have very little mass, allowing them to get much closer to supervelocities unaided. Or perhaps they rely on others for travel. They stow away onboard passing ships, masking themselves by matching the breathable atmosphere on the ship. To counter this lack of independant travel, perhaps the Shades start with the entire galaxy explored, perhaps even with multiple Shade 'fleets' dotting the map, waiting for unlucky explorers to come around.

As a gaseous being, they likely would have no need for food. As an anciet race, their technology could well be advanced already. The only resources they might be insterested in could be industry, Dust, and influence.

These are just my thoughts. I realize this contest is purely for picking a name, but I felt my name choice required some background to understand my reasoning.