• The Court And The Ministries
– The Ministry For Colonization And Development
– The Ministry Of The Treasury
– Consorts
• Senatorial Authority And Responsibilities
• The Imperial Security Police
• The Imperial Military Academy
The Terran Empire contains more than a thousand inhabited worlds and a trillion inhabitants. It rules almost 20% of the Milky ay Galaxy (though as with every other interstellar state, it hasn't necessarily explored every system under its control — space is very, very big). Humans (or variant subspecies) constitute just under half the population of the Empire (460 billion). Another 480 billion come from 51 intelligent species native to Imperial space, and 60 billion emigrated into the Empire.
The Empire has three main regions. In the region nearest the rim are the old Human colony worlds within 5,000 light-years of Earth — the Heartworlds (or "Imperial core worlds"), the richest and most developed part of the Empire. At the antispinward end is territory formerly belonging to the Xenovores and Mandaarians — the Frontier region, an important trade corridor with Mon'dabi space and under threat from the Ackálians and Thorgons. Although prone to instability and rebellion, the Frontier is the fastest-growing part of the Empire.
Between the Heartworlds and the Frontier, and to spinward of the Heartworlds, lies the Outer Core, a relatively stable region home to both Terran colonies and other species absorbed into or conquered by the Empire. The Outer Core region saw heavy fighting in both the Galactic War and the Civil War, which retarded development on many worlds. The region serves as an important link between the Heartworlds and the Frontier, and also spans the trade routes to the Perseids and Conjoined Civilizations.
There are three versions of the Galactic Map available for download:
Full colour, approx. 115k
Basic colour, approx. 45k
Monochrome, approx. 43k
As shown by the accompanying map (pdf, approx. 115k), the Empire has mostly expanded coreward and antispinward. It has refrained from pushing too far rimward or spinward for fear of antagonizing the Perseids, CCR, and Thorgons. Some factions within the military and Exploration Service object to this, and want to push further rimward into the old Hzeel-controlled regions, but so far Empress Marissa has not agreed.
Here's a quick-reference guide to the acronyms used for the various agencies of the Imperial government.
IPF: Imperial Psionics Foundation
ISP: Imperial Security Police
MCD: Ministry for Colonization and Development
SOD: Special Operations Division (a department of the Mind Police)
TDC: Terran Diplomatic Corps
TES: Terran Exploration Service
TIC: Terran Intelligence Command
TSS: Terran Security Service
Other important abbreviations:
CCC: The Central Command Council, the Thorgon governing body.
CCR: The Conjoined Civilizations Republic
Fl: Federated Intelligence, the Mon'dabi espionage agency
The Empire is governed from Earth, specifically from the cities of Lyons, Brussels, and Lagos. Brussels is the seat of the Terran Senate, Lagos the home of the Imperial bureaucracy, and Lyons the site of the main Imperial palace and the court of the Empress. The Imperial family has dozens of other palaces scattered across Earth and other worlds — the Summer Palace in North America, the Winter Palace in Africa, the Water Palace on the coast of Australia, and many others. But Lyons was the home of the first Empress Marissa, and during the centuries of Imperial rule the palace complex has sprawled for miles east of the city. By imperial decree the population of Lyons remains fixed at the level it was when Marissa I established her headquarters there, and the region's vineyards likewise enjoy the protection of Imperial law. As a result, Lyons real estate has become staggeringly expensive; a small apartment in the capital rents for approximately 100,000 credits a month.
Marissa III DeValiere is the absolute ruler of a thousand planets and a trillion beings. Her main tool of government is hyperactivity — she maintains a breakneck pace of activity twenty hours a day, wearing down opponents and overcoming problems by sheer exhaustion.
As a girl, Marissa was ignored by her father the Emperor Feodor and her mother, the media star Sankara Singh. An odd assortment of tutors, servants, bodyguards, and bureaucrats handled her upbringing. She spent most of her childhood at the Summer Palace at Yellowstone in North America. She revealed a precocious intelligence early in life, and soon took charge of her own education, studying widely and unsystematically.
At age 16 Marissa entered the Imperial Military Academy; she spent four years there. Bored by the assigned curriculum, she barely graduated (no professor wanted to fail a potential future Empress). At her request she took her cadet cruise aboard an Exploration Service vessel rather than a Navy ship. Thereafter she lived on Earth, developing a keen interest in security and intelligence operations. She spent much of her free time visiting the headquarters of the Terran Security Service and Terran Intelligence Command. At first she was a tolerated nuisance, then an interested observer, and finally a respected advisor. She began spending time with the Emperor, lobbying him (and the advisors who actually made policy) to increase the resources devoted to foreign and internal information-gathering.
When Feodor died, Marissa was not the only possible heir: the Emperor had 11 other children. Most of them, typical idle young nobles of the court, partied constantly and showed little interest in government. But several had patrons in the Navy and Army who hoped to play kingmaker in the style of General Feng. Determined to avoid the chaos of another civil war, Marissa, with the help of the TIC and TSS, neutralized or removed her potential rivals. Five of her half-siblings who showed signs of desiring power suffered sudden fatal accidents, overdoses of recreational drugs, or bouts of rare and swift-acting diseases. The military leaders who had attached themselves to the younger claimants experienced a similar epidemic of weapon malfunctions, vehicle crashes, and apparent suicides.
The Senate confirmed Marissa as Empress in 2633. She immediately unleashed a whirlwind of administrative reforms and new policies to correct the drift and rot of her father's reign. Many saw this as the natural flurry of change at the start of a new reign and waited for things to calm down. They're still waiting.
A small, slender woman, Marissa uses longevity treatments and high-tech body modifications to remain youthful-looking and attractive (right up to her death in 2651). Curious about nearly everything, she devours all the reports from the TIC, TSS, and TES. She hates boredom, so she spends her time "multitasking" — conducting Imperial business while enjoying herself. Her favourite activities include mountaineering, riding, and painting. One often finds the Empress simultaneously exercising with a Perseid athlete, listening to an Exploration Service captain's report on stellar anomalies in the galactic halo, arguing with a Varanyi ambassador, and bombarding her team of secretaries with orders for action and requests for information.
The Empress enjoys an equally active personal life. She has no permanent partner, but instead cycles among a group of lovers. To win her favour, one must be interesting and able to keep up with her hectic pace. She likes lovers with opinions and ideas, but any hint of trying to meddle in Imperial business is the surest way to lose her favour permanently.
Marissa loves novelty and information, and people with interesting experiences or new discoveries to report may find themselves summoned to an audience with Her Majesty. Since the Empress is always on the lookout for talented help, an audience can lead to a sudden appointment to an important post — governor of a new colony, envoy to an alien civilization, or commander of an exploration mission. Usually these appointments work out well, since Marissa is a shrewd judge of people. But when she errs, she does so spectacularly, as when she put the pacifist Exploration captain Vima Pinel in charge of an anti-piracy campaign in the Paragon system. Pinel attempted to solve the problem by offering the pirates amnesty and an Imperial pension; soon, all the pirates in the Galaxy were flocking to Paragon.
The Empress's court consists of high-level ministers and military commanders, distant DeValiere relatives, some favoured Senators, and a varied group of people the Empress finds interesting. Marissa's eleven ministers handle most of the details of government. Each heads an Imperial department:
Colonization and Development
Evolution
Exploration
Intelligence
Interstellar Affairs
Justice
Security
Trade
Treasury
Unity
War
Past Emperors have had a Prime Minister, but Marissa acts as her own executive. The Ministry for Exploration runs the Exploration Service. The Minister for Intelligence is in charge of the Terran Intelligence Command. The Minister for Interstellar Affairs leads the Terran Diplomatic Corps. The Minister for Security controls both the Terran Security Service and the Mind Police. The Minister for War commands the Imperial armed forces. All of those services and the Ministry of justice (which runs the Imperial Security Police) are described later in this chapter.
The Minister for Colonization and Development oversees the settlement of new planets, promotes growth and development on existing worlds, and assists poor worlds with grants of aid. The MCD's power varies considerably depending on the mood of the current Emperor. Some sovereigns view it as an important investment in the future, others as a useless waste of resources. Marissa favours new colonization, and during her reign the Minister of Colonization and Development is a prize position. The Minister from 2635 to 2644 is Dr. Walden Durham (some attribute the growth of the Ministry to the personal relationship between the Empress and Dr. Durham); Scylla Rodos serves as Minister after 2644.
The MCD works closely with the Exploration Service, although they sometimes come into conflict when the Explorers want to preserve a world for study but the MCD wants to open it to settlement. Under Marissa, the colonists usually win. Colonization and Development has a small space fleet of its own — six giant "colony transports" and a few dozen civilian freighters used as support ships for new colonies. The Ministry usually hires crews from among merchant crewmembers or Exploration Service veterans.
The Minister for Evolution, a new position, resulted from Marissa's interest in improving the Human genome and exploring the potential of psionic powers. The Ministry absorbed the old Ministry of Health, and remains responsible for preventing the spread of disease and dangerous organisms from planet to planet. The Ministry for Evolution also controls Imperial genetic engineering research and administers the Imperial Psionics Foundation, which conducts research into psionics, evaluates potential psis, and trains them in the use of their powers. The Ministry for Evolution has a large "black budget" for secret research projects, and works closely with the TIC and the Mind Police on biological warfare and psi-technology development. Liberals in the Senate refer to the Ministry for Evolution as the "Ministry of Mad Science." During the reign of Marissa III Dr. Constanz Moro, a scientist noted both for brilliance in the field of Human genetic engineering and for complete disregard of ethical matters, serves as Minister for Evolution.
The Minister for Trade regulates and promotes trade among Imperial worlds and beyond the borders. The Ministry licenses all spacecraft and enforces strict standards for operating safety. It maintains navigation beacons, often cooperating with the Exploration Service's Astrogation department. The MfT sets standards for planetary spaceports and operates spaceports on worlds too poor or primitive to run their own. The Ministry protects its turf jealously; it's notorious for its lack of cooperation with the Exploration Service, Ministry of Colonization and Development, and Ministry of the Treasury.
The Minister for Trade from 2630 to 2640 is Nawar Boron, a career bureaucrat who started as a spaceport landing-control officer. From 2640 to 2646 Lady Salissa Varam, whose family is majority shareholder in the starline company InStarCo, holds the position. In 2647, Admiral Berool Orati, a Navy officer brought in to fight corruption and tighten standards on starship licensing, replaces her and serves until the end of Marissa's reign.
The Ministry of the Treasury gathers taxes and prepares the Imperial budget. The Empress draws money from a variety of sources: direct taxes on planets (usually 1% of gross planetary product); tariffs on goods entering Imperial space; voluntary contributions by Senate worlds; a direct tax on interplanetary businesses; and a large number of user fees for Imperial services. The total Imperial budget equals about 300 trillion credits per year. The Ministry of the Treasury also mints the Imperial Credit, the official currency of the Empire.
During the first half of Marissa's reign, Serge Madoc, a colourful shipping tycoon, serves as Minister of the Treasury. Though the ISP never proved any wrongdoing against him, he increased his personal fortune more than a hundredfold while in office, and the Empress finally had him assassinated. His successor is the Se'ecra economist N'Hrnvn, whose theories of Trans-Chaotic Modeling allow for very subtle long-range manipulation of the Galactic economy.
The Ministry for Unity dates back to the time of Marissa I's coup against the Terran Union government. Originally it was supposed to integrate all the worlds of Human space into a single community, resolve disputes among them, and encourage common standards and cooperation. But it became the Empire's chief propaganda agency, endlessly reminding citizens about Imperial peace and prosperity, the threats lurking just beyond the Imperial borders, and the wickedness of dissent and rebellion. The Ministry concentrates most of its efforts on worlds populated by non-Humans, persuading the aliens they're better off under Human rule.
For generations the Ministry for Unity has functioned as an appendage of the Security Ministry, and often the same individual occupies both positions in the cabinet. During Marissa's reign the Minister for Unity is Jetow Glinnar, a successful creator of children's media. In her first year as Minister she created the wildly popular vidshow Imperial Star Base 5, shown on every world in the Empire. It even has fans in Thorgon space.
The Imperial aristocracy, including the farflung DeValiere clan, are almost as important as the ministers. While most aristocrats hold some position in the government, their ties of blood to the Empress are what really give them power. Each of them is a potential Imperial heir (since the Empress, at least in theory, chooses who succeeds her), and nobody can ignore the chance that today's young upper-class twit might become absolute ruler tomorrow. In addition, many of the other major powers in the Galaxy are monarchies, and protocol often demands that envoys or negotiators be of noble birth. The most ambitious or paranoid aristocrats maintain residences around Lyons, so they can constantly attend on the Empress. Those who can't afford to buy a chateau or a vineyard near the Palace content themselves with elegant old homes in Paris or Marseilles. Masters of social warfare, nobles receive schooling from birth in protocol and manners. When an Imperial noble does something rude, it's on purpose.
Imperial nobles come in three varieties: old families; new families; and the Imperial house. The old families descend from the wealthy and powerful people who first supported Marissa I and formed the nucleus of her court. This group includes some aristocrats who can trace their ancestry back to pre-Imperial royal families on Earth — Windsor, Hapsburg, and Yamato, for example. Old families pride themselves on being "real nobles" and sometimes even look down on the Empress if they think she's not watching. She keeps them under control with the possibility of marrying into the Imperial house and the threat of banishment from court.
The Imperial house includes DeValiere relatives and the descendants of Marissa I's officers during her campaigns as admiral. They are probably the busiest aristocrats, since many of them want to gain experience in government on the off-chance the crown might land in their laps. Marissa keeps her DeValiere relatives in line by working them hard — they often serve as her personal representatives, and she doesn't tolerate inefficiency.
The new families include those ennobled in the past couple of centuries — mostly military officers or the heads of interstellar corporations granted noble title by grateful or manipulative emperors. Old families look down on them, but they have more money and often more ability.
Marissa controls the new families with promises of better titles, threats of being busted back to the middle class, and appointments to difficult frontier jobs.
The Empress's romantic partners form a select group at court. At any given time about half a dozen are on "active duty," with about twice that many former paramours honourably retired from service. Another dozen made the mistake of lobbying the Empress, for which she exiled them to distant frontier posts. At least one met with a sudden accident that had "Terran Security Service" written all over it. Her current lovers include Count Francisco Tarascon, Dr. Walden Durham, Robin Udelle, Dr. Li Fu, and Commodore Chain Men. Marissa doesn't mind if her partners disagree with her — her arguments with Walden Durham often become loud enough to wake the whole Palace — but they mustn't bore her and should never try to tell her what to do.
Marissa cloned her child, the Prince Stephen, in 2635. Marissa planned Stephen's education with the help of experts from all over the Empire, with the goal of preparing him perfectly to take the throne when she decides to retire. Using Imperial bio-engineering she had him aged artificially, making him 12 in 2640.
As the designated heir, Stephen attracts a small court of his own when he reaches his teens. His set of hangers-on consists mostly of youthful members of new noble families angling to improve their social position by getting on good terms with the next sovereign. Stephen has next to no interest in politics, preferring to focus on the perks of being heir.
Political parties as such don't exist in the Empire. Within the Senate and the court some rough groupings exist based on common interest. The most important factions at present include the liberals (who favour civil rights, more democracy in government, equality for all species, and galactic peace), the conservatives (who support business, trade, a stronger Senate, and imperial expansion), the expansionists, and the aristocrats. Marissa balances the factions against each other; she has some basis for agreement with all of them. Like the liberals she wants to integrate non-Humans into the mainstream of Imperial society and prefers peace to war. Like the conservatives she wants a healthy economy and an expanding empire. She favours expansion like the expansionists (but prefers to do it by colonization and voluntary annexation of inhabited worlds rather than conquest). The aristocrats share her interest in maintaining the status quo and the power of the Imperial house.
A special division of Earth's planetary defense militia, the Senatorial Guards, protects the Senators and Senate chamber. The Guards tends to attract highly skilled security officers considered politically unreliable by Imperial standards. Senatorial Guards also act as bodyguards to Senators traveling off Earth, and the Senate sometimes sends them on missions. Often this brings them into conflict with Imperial forces, and certain agencies (like the TSS) aren't above arranging a "tragic fatal accident" for a Senatorial Guardsman getting too close to something the TSS doesn't want to become public knowledge. Senatorial Guards wear several different uniforms. On ceremonial duty in Brussels they wear a white tunic, white jodhpurs, and a white peaked cap. For field duty they wear a more practical gray armoured bodysuit based on Imperial Army gear. Guards also wear civilian clothing when undercover or when it's best to blend in.
The role of the Senate in the Empire depends on who you ask. Imperial officials consider the Senate a relic which does nothing but interfere in the administration of the Empire and meddle in affairs it doesn't understand. Reformers see the Senate as the only way to restrain the Empress's absolute power and protect the liberties of citizens. Radicals dismiss the Senate as puppets and yes-men of the Empress herself. Nobles treat the Senate as a glorified social club. Ordinary citizens don't quite know what the Senate does. The Security Service considers the Senate a focus for dissent. The Empress Marissa thinks of the Senate as useful when its members agree with her and support her policies, and maddening when they don't.
The Imperial Senate has 98 members, each representing one star system. The systems with Senators are mostly the old Terran Union member systems, with a few exceptions: Emperor Gregorio shifted nine systems from Imperial to Senate administration; and under Feodor II twelve systems whose Senators proclaimed a republic during the Civil War were deprived of their seats and placed back under Imperial rule.
The Senatorial systems have many privileges denied the rest of the Empire. They can maintain their own ground forces (though not space fleets) and Imperial Army or Marine units must get the permission of the planetary government to operate there. Senatorial systems pay no direct taxes to the Imperial administration; instead the worlds make voluntary contributions to the Imperial budget (typically a fixed percentage of gross planetary product). This means most of the Empire's large corporations choose to headquarter themselves on Senatorial worlds, since doing so decreases their tax burden. Systems under Senate control are not subject to Imperial conscription in wartime (though they may have their own draft). They can charge customs duties on imported goods. Finally, Senatorial worlds have their own courts, and participants in a lawsuit cannot appeal the decisions of judges on those worlds to a higher Imperial court.
Despite this, in practice little difference exists between Senatorial worlds and Imperial ones. Senate planets usually adopt laws and regulations compatible with the Imperial code, and honour "requests" of the Empress as quickly as Imperial planets obey her commands. The Empress can influence Senate planets in a variety of ways — rewarding them with lucrative Imperial projects and financial aid, or punishing them by withholding money and business. The TSS often takes a short cut past questions of jurisdiction by abducting or assassinating dissidents on Senatorial worlds, and few local law enforcement agencies dare to interfere.
Senatorial planets choose their Senators in various ways. Just under half are directly elected by the citizens, planetary governments select a roughly equal number, and about a dozen get their job in other ways (hereditary position, purchase, appointment by predecessor, lottery, and so forth). Elected Senators serve a ten-year term (with no term limits); the others typically remain in office for life. By custom the Empress grants all Senators the title of Count, but occasionally she can express her disapproval of a newly-elected or appointed Senator by refusing to do so.
The Senate has little actual authority. Senators can decide how to spend the voluntary contributions of their planets — a considerable sum, but only 12 percent of the total Imperial revenue. In most years the Senate simply votes it to the Empress in a lump sum, but when relations with the Crown worsen, the Senate can try to micromanage how she spends it. The Senate invites alien civilizations to send ambassadors to Earth (but cannot break off relations), and makes laws affecting the Senatorial planets themselves. In theory, the Senate appoints the Emperor; but has always done so simply by voting to confirm whoever the previous Emperor designated as heir. During the Civil War the Senate showed some courage by refusing to confirm Ivan, but since then has allowed kingmakers like General Feng to dictate who it should pick.
While the Senate cannot directly make Imperial policy, it can (and does) vote on memoranda to the Empress offering Senatorial advice and suggestions. She can (and does) ignore these freely when she wants to. But Senate votes and resolutions affect public opinion, and can bring matters to the attention of the Empress she might not otherwise hear about.
Senators themselves have certain interesting privileges. They can speak in the Senate chamber on any subject at any length. Only the Senate itself can order their arrest (though the TSS has its own ideas on that score), and no Imperial authority can prevent them from traveling to Earth to attend the Senate or from entering the Senate chamber in Brussels. A Senator has the right to meet in person with the Empress on no more than 24 hours' notice — and in practice Senators can usually get in to see the Empress right away; whether she ignores it or not, Marissa likes to maintain at least the appearance of cordial relations with the Senate.
Since the Terran Empire contains a thousand planets and dozens of intelligent species, Marissa I and her successors wisely decided to leave much of the legal system in the hands of planetary governments. Each world has its own legal system and courts, and laws vary considerably from planet to planet.
To keep this from turning into complete chaos, the Empire has adopted two important legal principles. The first is the right of Imperial appeal and review — citizens can appeal the decisions of planetary courts to the Imperial district courts, whose decisions override planetary law. (This does not apply to Senatorial worlds.) Over time this tends to make laws and legal systems more uniform across the Empire. Planetary laws vary the most in areas Imperial judges consider unimportant — social laws, "victimless" or "lifestyle" crimes, religious law, and respect for individual rights. Laws are most uniform in matters the Empire considers important — tax law, business and trade regulations, and so forth.
The highest court in the Empire is the Imperial Court of Supreme justice, located in Boswash on Earth. The 21 High Justices of the Court have the power to make decisions and issue rulings only the Empress herself can overrule — something she rarely does.
If criminals flee to space or to another world, the authorities extradite them if their crime is against the law in the place where they seek refuge. A murderer always gets sent home for trial (every planet considers murder a crime), but a religious dissident who violates the strict code of conduct on New Canaan would not be extradited from an Imperial space station or a planet like Emerald which emphasizes religious tolerance.
The other important principle of Imperial justice is Imperial space. Everything beyond the limits of planetary atmospheres (or an altitude of 20 kilometers for airless worlds) is Imperial territory and subject to Imperial law. All spacecraft must meet Imperial licensing requirements and obey Imperial operating rules. Almost all space stations qualify as Imperial territory. Even in Senatorial star systems, the planets (and some space stations) are planetary territory but the vacuum between them belongs to the Empire.
As a result, the "rules of the road" for interstellar travelers and merchants remain the same throughout Imperial territory, and the laws governing interaction, with customers and suppliers are much the same on very planet. On the other hand, when the deal is done and the spacers go out for entertainment, local customs and laws can be shockingly different.
The Ministry of Justice, as the Imperial body most closely associated with the law and law enforcement, sometimes finds itself embroiled in civil rights issues. The Empire has a mixed record on the subject. During the reign of Marissa III (and her predecessors), Imperial citizens enjoy many legally-protected rights, including the rights of free speech, press, assembly, religion, and jury duty. (They do not have the right of legal representation — they can only have an attorney if they hire him themselves — or of freedom from cruel and unusual punishments.)
However, the principle of "reasonableness" governs all these rights — and only the Empire and its courts interpret what's "reasonable" and what's not. In practice, for example, "reasonable free press" means "you can print whatever you want... but if it really angers some Imperial official, you'll end up in prison." Most officials apply the reasonableness — requirement with a fairly liberal hand, since they know cracking down too hard can cause significant unrest, but anyone who openly and sharply criticizes high government officials risks serious punishment.
Alien citizens of, or visitors to, the Empire enjoy slightly less protection than Humans, though no law or legal precedent specifically says so. The simple fact of the matter is that Imperial officials don't take complaints from non-Humans as seriously, don't investigate their complaints as stringently, almost always take Humans' side in Human-versus-alien disputes, and in other ways favour Humanity over other sentient species. Although not as severe on native alien worlds, such as Fexao, this problem still exists there.
Sentient machines have no rights whatsoever. As discussed in Terran Empire (page 97), Imperial law regards them as property. While a vocal "Machine Rights" lobby protests this, in the many years of its existence its demonstrations and petitions have accomplished nothing.
Civil rights become even weaker during the reign of Marissa III's successors, who slowly but surely strip away the peoples' rights in an effort to "maintain order" and shore up their own regimes. For example, by Sigismund's time, anyone who openly criticizes the government in print or at a public assembly is arrested... if not simply shot on the spot while "resisting arrest"
From highest to lowest, the ranks in the Imperial Security Police are:
Naturally, someone has to enforce all these laws. Planetary police forces handle most law enforcement, and the Imperial Navy enforces the rules of spacecraft operation and trade. But that leaves a lot of gaps in the law enforcement net. That's where the Imperial Security Police (ISP) come in.
The ISP, a small interstellar police force under the Justice Ministry, has an unusual jurisdiction. Most of its officers do little but paper-pushing — they coordinate the efforts of planetary law enforcement agencies and track the movements of fugitives. They also provide a variety of other services, such as a top-notch forensics labouratory, to Imperial worlds.
The ISP gets directly involved with investigations only in certain circumstances, such as (a) when the criminals are too dangerous or powerful for planetary authorities, (b) when a criminal operation spans multiple planets or star systems, or (c) when a crime takes place on or involves Imperial property or territory (including most space station). In those situations, the ISP may, if it wishes, take complete control of the investigation — and in that case, its powers are broad and far-reaching. For example, it can, if necessary, take command of any Imperial military unit and use it to assist in an arrest or investigation (though the military often responds to ISP officers' orders with aggravating slowness). However, in most cases, ISP officers prefer to tackle the Galaxy's most dangerous criminals on their own. They have a reputation for hardnosed efficiency and "always getting their man" (or Toractan, Osathri, Ackálian...).
During the reign of Marissa III, Baron Franz von Zach, a former Imperial judge, serves as the Director of the Imperial Security Police. A stiff, elderly man, Baron von Zach struggles constantly to keep his agency independent of the Terran Security Service. The Empress openly favours the TSS, and has adopted the rather cruel tactic of starving the ISP of the money and resources it needs to accomplish its mission, then using its failures as an excuse to shift more of the responsibility for interstellar law enforcement to the TSS. Baron von Zach and his cops have responded with increased dedication, working miracles on a shoestring.
The ISP uniform is dark grey and dark red — dark red undertunic, and dark grey tunic-jacket, pants, and boots with dark red piping, plus an equipment belt worn outside the tunic-jacket. The uniform also provides some protection to officers in the field (Armour (2 PD/2 ED; OIF, Activation Roll 14-, Real Armour). When entering a dangerous situation, ISP officers wear heavier body armours.
The Terran Diplomatic Corps maintains or establishes relations with other Galactic powers. Cynics say that fact alone explains the level of conflict and hostility in the Galaxy.
The Diplomatic Corps trains consuls and ambassadors for service on sovereign neutral worlds and small empires beyond Imperial space. Diplomatic Corps personnel staff the embassies on the capital worlds and other important planets of major Galactic powers. Significantly, the Imperial ambassadors to major powers tend to be personal appointees of the Empress, not Diplomatic Corps professionals.
The Diplomatic Corps long ago gained a reputation as a bunch of unimaginative, protocol-obsessed drones who prefer endless negotiations to action. Defenders of the Corps point out that when one deals with alien civilizations, strict adherence to rules is often the only way to avoid misunderstanding — better lengthy negotiations than war.
Most Diplomatic Corps professionals come from the Imperial nobility — both because many alien cultures refuse to deal with low-status individuals and because it gives the nobles something to do. The best professional diplomats have a good grounding in xenology and Galactic history, and adapt quickly to unusual societies and situations. The worst view all aliens as "xeno-scum" they can bully and overawe. Sadly, the ongoing hostility between the TES and the TDC means the worst diplomats are a growing majority in the Corps, while the good ones gradually shift over to Exploration or retire.
There is a third type of diplomat whose numbers are also increasing: the Terran Intelligence Command agent with a Diplomatic Corps cover identity. The Empress Marissa has made it clear to Lord Deng Zhu, the Minister of Interstellar Affairs, that diplomats should consider themselves subordinate to Intelligence agents in all matters. On most worlds that don't have one of Marissa's personal appointees as ambassador, the TIC station chief holds at least as much power within the embassy as the ambassador, and often functions as the de facto head of the mission.
During Marissa III's reign, the following state of affairs generally prevails in Terran intergalactic politics:
The Terran Empire treats both the Ackálian Empire and the Thorgon Hegemony warily. Eyeing these potential enemies cautiously across the respective neutral zones, the Empire hopes to keep the peace but prepares for armed conflict. A few expansionistic or militaristic officials would rather solve the problem by invading and conquering these states, but so far calmer heads (including the Empress's) prevail.
Relations with the Mon'dabi Federation remain good, particularly in the area of trade. Humanity remembers the help the Mon'dabi provided during the Galactic War, and the Mon'dabi undoubtedly expect to establish a firm military alliance with the Terran Empire if they get involved in another war with the hated Ackálians. The two governments have conducted several joint military exercises.
The Terran Empire maintains diplomatic relations with the Perseid Empire, as well as extensive trade. Some tension exists due to the fact that each empire has found its ambitions to expand thwarted by the other, but no serious incidents have occurred since the 2604 "Perseid War," when the Perseids attempted to "restore order" to the Terran Empire during the post-Civil War period. The Imperial Army and Navy well remember that short-lived conflict, and have developed numerous strategies and tactics to cope with the Perseid military if another war breaks out.
The Terran Empire and the Conjoined Civilizations Republic trade with each other. While they have exchanged ambassadors and remain courteous to one another, they do not have close ties — the CCR remains suspicious and wary of Imperial ambitions, while Marissa doesn't trust the CCRs supposed "beneficence" toward other civilizations.
The Terran Republic does not have anything more than token diplomatic relations with the Velarian Confederation and the Varanyi Empire, since they're tens of thousands of light-years from the nearest Imperial border.
The fastest-growing department of the Imperial bureaucracy under Marissa III, the Terran Security Service (TSS) was established by Emperor Esteban as a simple bodyguard service for the Imperial family. Until the start of the Galactic War, the TSS had only a few dozen operatives. The war changed that — the Ackálians employed a large number of assassins, saboteurs, and infiltration teams, and local authorities in the Empire couldn't find or stop them. To fill the void, Empress Feodora used her trusted bodyguards as field agents, granting them broad powers to investigate and arrest threats to the Empire.
The TSS remained a relatively small but important agency until the Civil War, when Marissa II, Antonio, and finally Regent Feng used it extensively to root out dissidents and conspirators. During this era the TSS organized its Psi Division, which later became the Mind Police.
Empress Marissa III uses the Terran Security Service as her private espionage and covert-operations agency to suppress dissent and neutralize opposition within the Empire. With her support the TSS has more than doubled its size and expanded its operations to every inhabited world. The Empress has enough sense to keep her security force on a tight leash, but she considers their sinister and frightening reputation an asset.
The Terran Security Service has a fairly simple and flexible organizational structure. Each world has a field office (heavily-populated or unrest-prone planets may have more) which acts as a center for investigations and information-gathering. Offices have about one agent for every million inhabitants of a planet, though worlds with a history of dissent may have as many as one agent per ten thousand citizens. No one except Marissa and a few top agents know the full strength of the agency; most people believe it includes at least a million agents, if not more.
TSS officers gather information by sifting through media reports and public information, collating reports from other offices, eavesdropping on communications, and listening to informants. Field agents usually have a dozen or more informants feeding them reports on dissident activity. When the TSS decides someones either actively planning overt criminal acts or is in contact with others who are, they bring him in for an interview.
TSS interviews have two purposes: the security agents hope to gain more useful information from the citizen; and the whole process provides an intimidating reminder that the TSS is watching. Unless the TSS believes the subject has knowledge of a serious or violent action, the interview remains polite and peaceful, though still somewhat harrowing. Interviewees spend several hours in a windowless room answering questions from TSS agents, all the while being scanned by hidden cameras and sensors.
About half the time an interviewed citizen has no further contact with the TSS — the agents determine he poses no threat or has no information of value. Of the remainder, the TSS offers about half the chance to become regular informants by passing reports back to the TSS for a small fee. The others it subjects to heightened surveillance, "coercive interviews" or arrest. "Coercive interviews" is the TSS euphemism for harsh interrogation. Agents use truth drugs, psis on loan from the Mind Police, or hypnotic brainwashing. During the reign of Empress Marissa, the TSS does not use torture.
The TSS can hold persons it arrests indefinitely without trial. Many Imperial planetary governments protest this, to no avail. The Empress Marissa prefers to have public trials of dissidents her prosecutors can prove are involved in dangerous terrorist activities. If the Justice Ministry can't arrange a showy trial and certain conviction, the TSS releases (and then closely monitors) a dissident, or sends him to one of its prison planets (such as Tartarus). However, prison is for opponents of the regime the TSS considers basically harmless; it kills anyone regarded as a serious threat.
The current director of the TSS is Jaime Angelo, a quiet little man who wears drab suits and speaks in whispers. Intensely loyal to the Empress, he views everyone else at court as a possible threat to her (a not entirely unreasonable perspective). Terran Security's duty uniform is a black armour bodysuit similar to the Army's (see page 66), usually worn with a black cap. Officers wear a long overcoat of the same material over civilian clothing. On formal occasions TSS personnel wear a black tunic in the Army design. Both uniforms provide the same protection as ISP uniforms.
The Mind Police are a new service, created by the Empress Marissa from the former Psi Division of the TSS. She did this for two reasons: to allow the psionics to concentrate on the Varanyi threat; and to create a counterbalance to the excessive power of the TSS.
The Mind Police has several components. The Intelligence Division cooperates with Terran Intelligence Command to provide psionic support for espionage operations. The Protection Division works to uncover alien psi-agents within the Empire and to guard the Empress and other high officials against psionic espionage. The Recruitment Division seeks out new psis for the organization (often when they're just children), and trains them to become agents; it often works with the IPF. The Enforcement Division uses psionic agents to uncover criminals and rebels within the Empire; although it's independent of the ISP, the two often work closely together. The Special Operations Division deals with unusual psionic phenomena, powerful rogue psis, and any other tasks the Empress assigns it. Popular rumor claims the SOD has a team of high-powered "Omega Agents" who deal with threats even the Navy can't handle.
With the tacit encouragement of the Empress, the Mind Police have an arm's-length relationship with the TSS. The two agencies don't cooperate unless directly ordered to do so. The Mind Police works closely with the Ministry for Evolution; and has surprisingly good ties with the military — most Army and Navy officers prefer even creepy Mind Cops to those greasy TSS meddlers. Relations with the Terran Intelligence Command are wary, as the TIC resents the semi-independent status of the Mind Police intelligence arm, and TIC analysts remain skeptical of information gained by psionic espionage.
According to the best estimates, the Mind Police contains approximately 100,000 agents, all psionics rated Gamma or higher (SOD agents must be at least Epsilons). Unlike the TSS, the Mind Police accepts non-Human agents if they have the necessary psionic power level. The Mind Police don't maintain offices on every world; instead they have district headquarters in key sectors and dispatch agents as required. The Mind Police has its headquarters on Charon, at the edge of the Solar System. The exact location and extent of the complex are top secret.
Doctor Li Fu, one of the most powerful clairvoyants known in the Empire, serves as Director of the Mind Police during Marissa's reign. Dr. Li insists on rigorous training for all Mind Police recruits, and requires new agents to undergo careful mental screening by a high-rated telepath. Gossip hints that the telepaths test agents more for loyalty to Dr. Li and the Mind Police than to the Empire or the Empress.
The Mind Police has a simple rank structure. From highest to lowest, the ranks are: Director, Assistant Director, Commander, Special Agent, Agent. All members of the organization wear a uniform similar in style to the ISP, but in black and gold instead of dark grey and dark red, with rank indicated by a cluster of one to five Greek letters psi on the collar. The uniform provides the same protection as ISP uniforms.
The Empire does not allow its subject worlds to make war on each other, nor does it permit private citizens to raise armies. Nevertheless, situations arise where Imperial authorities at least tacitly ignore the use of armed force by private interests.
For example, even civilian starships can carry weapons for protection against piracy, and when Imperial forces don't want to take down a pirate base, merchant leagues sometimes hire "security firms" to do the job. Similarly, colonies without an Army garrison may need some extra protection from raiders - although on a few worlds the mercenary guards turn out to be just as bad as the pirates the colony hired them to fight. Traders operating outside Imperial space sometimes take along guards.
Mercenaries in the Empire come in two sorts. The most reliable work for large security firms like Guardian Services or Fousheng Security. These companies have well-paid and well-trained troops, hire out as guards for interstellar corporations, protect colonies, and occasionally go on offensive missions against pirates and bandits in lawless areas. Slightly shadier outfits sometimes work as company goons in labour disputes. The other kind of mercenaries hire themselves out individually or in small bands; many people have difficulty distinguishing some of these groups from pirates or bandits. Most are Imperial military veterans bored by civilian life and willing to take no-questions-asked jobs.
When all is said and done, it's force — sheer military might — that keeps the Empire's worlds safe (and, where necessary, prevents them from breaking away). The Imperial Navy, Marines, and Army supply that force; the Terran Exploration Service supports and assists them.
The Empire trains its soldiers, crewmembers, and explorers at the Imperial Military Academy, which has four branches — one for each branch of the military. Each has a four-year program that begins with basic training and physical fitness and progresses up to advanced training in various fields.
The Imperial Star Academy, a large space habitat orbiting Proxima Centauri, graduates thousands of Naval cadets a year. However, it supplies only the advanced training crewmembers receive during their final two years; cadets get their basic training at a dozen different camps and schools around the Empire.
Marine recruits get their basic training on Mars, at Hellas Planitia Marine Base. Soldiers destined to become officers also attend the Navy's Star Academy and then the Marine Officer School in Rio-Buenos on Earth. Since the Marines are a smaller force than the Army they can recruit more selectively and devote more time to training. The Marines have a fairly high proportion of officers drawn from the enlisted ranks compared with other services, and also a large number of "old families" with generations in uniform. The Marines encourage this; unlike all other Imperial services the Marines allow close relatives to serve in the same unit. Additionally, the average Marine tends to serve longer than other military personnel — he's seen ten years of active duty.
The Imperial Army provides all training for its enlisted men and officers on Bragg's World, a planet devoted to nothing but Army training, logistics, and supply. The harsh environment of Bragg's World toughens soldiers and provides plenty of opportunities for them to practice small unit tactics and enemy suppression strategies.
Unlike the strictly military branches, the Exploration Service actively recruits skilled civilians, especially veteran merchant crewmembers and scientists. This means Exploration personnel tend to be older and better-educated than comparable Army or Navy ranks. It also means they take the whole business of ranks and authority less seriously; they think experience and scientific publications tell them more about a person's qualifications than the metal doohickey on his collar. The Exploration Service has a small academy on Mars for training new recruits, but no separate schooling for officers — Exploration Service personnel must rise through the ranks (although skilled applicants often start above basic Crewmember rank as Specialists or Petty Officers).
The ships of the Imperial Space Navy are the Empire's shield and mighty fist. Ever since Marissa I made herself President-for-Life of the Terran Union, the rule of the Emperors has depended on the strength of the fleet. The Imperial battlefleet is a very economical weapon — ships can remain in service up to a century with appropriate upgrades, and squadrons can easily move about to project force, patrol borders, intimidate restive worlds, suppress pirates, and repel invaders.
The Navy has several important duties. It maintains battle fleets to deter aggression and attack whoever the Empress wants attacked. It supplies and supports those fleets. It escorts merchant shipping in pirate-infested regions. It "shows the flag" beyond the imperial borders. It gathers intelligence on potential enemies. Through its research division, it develops and tests new space weapon systems. Naval security troops and Imperial Marines keep order on some frontier worlds.
Politically, the Navy's sheer size and importance actually hinders it in many ways. Navy Grand Admirals seldom present a united front in political battles, which means the Marshal of Marines, the Army's Grand Marshals, and the Director of Exploration can often outmaneuver them.
The Navy organizes all of its personnel, regardless of Fleet or posting, into seven branches:
Command: Responsible for administration, leadership, and related duties. Members of the Command branch often ascend the ranks relatively quickly; it's regarded as a route to political power as well.
Flight: Pilots, helmsmen, and the like. Flight branch personnel navigate and steer ships.
Lifesystems: Personnel responsible for maintaining life support systems, overseeing the ship's personnel needs (food, entertainment, waste disposal), and keeping morale high. The Medical service belongs to this branch as well.
Propulsion: Also known as Engineering or Maintenance, the Propulsion branch sees to the maintenance and proper functioning of starship systems not cared for by some other branch. It also ensures the ship has enough power and allocates it as efficiently as possible.
Science & Sensors: "S&S" officers operate a ship's sensors and communications systems, conduct experiments, and apply their scientific expertise to problems confronting their vessel.
Security: Security personnel maintain security aboard ship. They escort visitors (particularly those regarded as a potential threat), repel boarders, and so forth.
Tactical: Responsible for operating a ship's weapons and defensive systems during battle, Tactical personnel also plan strategies and tactics for future conflicts, help develop and test new weapons, and perform similar duties.
For more information about the branches, see the Imperial Navy Package Deals
The Empire divides the Imperial Navy into five Fleet commands, each under the direction of a Grand Admiral. (The Empress, as Supreme Admiral, commands the Grand Admirals.) Each Fleet command operates with complete independence from the others — it has its own logistic support and bases (though all Fleets use the same spare parts, weapon systems, and so forth). In wartime they can each function on their own, even if the enemy breaks their lines of communication with Earth.
The Frontier Fleet occupies most of the Frontier region, including the borders closest to Mon'dabi space and some parts of the Thorgon Neutral Zone (the Ackálian border is the responsibility of the Core Fleet). It maintains its headquarters in Triumph, one of the first Xenovore systems conquered by Humanity centuries ago.
During the reign of Marissa III the commander of the Frontier Fleet is Duke Ernesto Calderano, an elderly officer who requires the assistance of a large corp of aides and adjutants. His chief concerns are maintenance of order in the sometimes-chaotic Frontier and suppression of piracy. To these ends his Fleet has a larger than usual complement of light warships for escort and patrol duty. The Frontier Fleet includes approximately five super-dreadnoughts; 50 battleships, 100 heavy cruisers, ten heavy carriers, 200 light cruisers, 50 light carriers, 400 destroyers, 1,000 frigates, and 500 patrol craft. Support ships include approximately 20 assault transports, ten tenders, 50 supply ships, five hospital ships, 90 couriers, and ten special operations and intelligence vessels.
The Rimward Fleet commands most of the Thorgon border, and has its headquarters at the planet Angenar (Rohendra III). The Grand Admiral, Theodora Campbell, has so many cybernetic replacements and augmentations that people sometimes call her the Robot Admiral (but not to her face). A straightforward officer and a bit of a martinet, Admiral Campbell remains content to build up her forces and respond to incursions. Her Fleet includes a large number of carriers, including approximately eight super-dreadnoughts, 56 battleships, 96 heavy cruisers, 24 heavy carriers, 128 light cruisers, 64 light carriers, 320 destroyers, 240 frigates, and 80 patrol craft. Support vessels consist of approximately 32 assault transports, 16 tenders, 40 supply ships, eight hospital ships, 80 couriers, and 16 special operations ships.
The Core Fleet patrols both the Ackálian border, and the antispinward Outer Core in general; since the latter stays peaceful most of the time, the bulk of the Fleet remains on the border, poised to counter Ackálian aggression. It's headquartered well back from the edge of Imperial space at the Adamant system. The commander, Vraor, is one of the few Fex senior officers in Imperial service and a staunch proponent of bringing more non-Humans up through the ranks. Renowned as a shrewd and canny commander, he came up through the Navy's intelligence arm and so tends to prefer espionage and covert operations (like the Empress herself). The Ackálian border is a continual chess-game of spying, political maneuvering, and bluff. To back up his bluffs, Grand Admiral Vraor has a strong force emphasizing heavy units, including approximately eight super-dreadnoughts, 64 battleships, 128 heavy cruisers, eight heavy carriers, 128 light cruisers, 16 light carriers, 160 destroyers, 160 frigates, and 240 patrol craft. The support elements include approximately eight assault transports, 40 tenders, 48 supply ships, eight hospital ships, 96 couriers, and 40 special operations and intelligence ships.
The Home Fleet is one of two fleets headquartered at Earth itself. It's responsible not only for the defense of Earth itself, but the Heartworlds, the spinward Outer Core, and the frontiers along the Spinward Territories. Officers consider command of the Home Fleet a plum position, since the duties are relatively light and the commander can enjoy society in the Solar System.
During Marissa's reign, Duke Wu Feng, a distant relative of General Feng the Regent, serves as Grand Admiral of the Home Fleet. Duke Wu is politically adept, but his colleagues have a low opinion of his military skills. He does whatever he thinks pleases the Empress and improves his social position.
Small and oddly organized, the Home Fleet has lots of glamorous ship types and a dire lack of workhorse units. It consists of approximately eight super-dreadnoughts, 42 battleships, 90 heavy cruisers, ten heavy carriers, 150 light cruisers, 20 light carriers, 300 destroyers, 180 frigates, and 300 patrol vessels. Support craft include approximately five assault transports, five tenders, eight hospital ships, ten supply ships, and 50 couriers.
The Empire's main expeditionary force is the Battle Fleet, also headquartered at Earth. The Battle Fleet reinforces other Fleets when necessary and acts as a mobile strike force against the Empire's enemies. Its Grand Admiral, Earl George Drax, is a complex man — an innovator who has bucked naval tradition in the past and relies on his close personal ties to the Empress for support. (Some have hinted he and she are romantically involved.) This often puts him at odds with Duke Wu. Admiral Drax is a strong proponent of force concentration, and his fleet consists of approximately 12 super-dreadnoughts, 60 battleships, 24 heavy carriers, 24 light cruisers, 120 destroyers, and 60 frigates. Support ships include approximately 12 assault transports, ten hospital ships, 60 supply ships, and 60 couriers.
Below the fleet level, the Navy organizes itself into temporary squadrons and task forces, commanded by Admirals and Fleet Admirals. Some squadrons are little more than administrative fictions — ships like cruisers or frigates which perform solo independent missions may spend years without ever meeting another ship in the same squadron.
The Imperial Marines are actually an older service than the Army. Elements of several forces from Earth and well-established colony worlds comprised Earth's first spaceborne infantry force, and during the Xenovore Wars became the fast-reaction elite units. Marines specialize in space combat, orbit-to-surface assaults, and commando missions. In action on planetary surfaces they need the support of ships in orbit for heavy firepower — though they hate to admit it, a force of Marines can't really stand up against a well-equipped Army unit of comparable size. On the other hand, the Army can't field special operations elite squads as skilled and effective as the Marines: And because the Empire uses the Marines more often in peacetime operations, they have more actual combat experience as well. (There's an old joke among Imperial Marines: "What's the difference between war and peace? If the Marines are fighting, it's peacetime." The Army takes the same view: a conflict isn't a real war unless it's involved.)
Unlike Army soldiers, who wear standard military protective gear but have access to powerful military vehicles, Marines fight as battlesuited infantry. Since the Navy covers their transport and logistical needs, Marine units consist entirely of combat troops. All Marines get extensive zerogravity combat training, and are the acknowledged masters of ship assaults, space station boarding actions, and orbit-to-surface drop assaults.
On paper, the Imperial Marines consist of one corps of 250 divisions. In practice, the basic unit of Marine organization is the company, of 100 soldiers. Most large Navy ships carry a Marine company, and ad hoc Marine battalions or regiments guard Navy bases. Super-dreadnoughts and assault transports carry a full regiment each; smaller vessels like destroyers and frigates carry one or two 20-man platoons. The Marines garrison some regiments on frontier worlds under direct Navy administration; the service uses garrison duty as a working-up period for new units or as recovery periods for battle-mauled troops.
A Marshal who answers directly to the Supreme Admiral (i.e., the Empress) commands the Marines. Even before General Feng played kingmaker and acted as Regent to the young Emperor Feodor, the Marshal of Marines was a major player in the highest levels of Imperial politics. To balance rivalries between the Army and Navy, Emperors often chose the Marshal of Marines as Supreme General or Minister of War. Sir Charles Kenet, a well-respected officer who started as a private and earned a field commission during the Perseid War, serves as Marissa's Marshal during her entire reign. Sir Charles wants to restore the prestige and influence of the Marines, but his lack of experience in political maneuvering and subtle social intrigues handicaps him.
The Imperial Army is less glamorous than the Navy, but no less important. Where the Navy's strength lies in offense and strategic range, the Army's metier is planetary defense and small-scale operations. A Navy task force can sterilize a planet, but it takes an Army division to occupy a world and keep it loyal.
Some types of Imperial Army divisions include:
Armour Division (garrison on a contested border world)
Imperial Guard Division (garrison on Earth)
Infantry Division (garrison on an ordinary world)
Ranger Division (garrison on a frontier world)
Sea Force Division (garrison on a water world)
The basic unit of the Imperial Army is the division, commanded by a Lieutenant-General. The Army has many divisions — at least 5,000 in service during the Empress Marissa III's reign. The bulk of Army divisions perform garrison duty; most planets outside the Senatorial worlds have at least one Imperial division present. In some frontier regions a single division may cover a dozen sparsely-populated worlds, while troublesome planets get more troops to maintain order. An Army division usually has 10,000-20,000 troops in 5 regiments, plus headquarters and support personnel. The exact composition of a division depends on what kind of planet it garrisons and the conditions there. See the accompanying sidebar for a list of Imperial Army division types.
Soldiers in each division belong to one of seven branches:
Air Forces (piloting aerospace fighters, ground attack planes, or hoppers)
Armour (driving hovertanks or juggernauts)
Artillery
Infantry
Medical
Sea Forces (both surface and submarine crews)
Special Forces (elite troops and unconventional warfare)
Imperial divisions don't move around much. Many divisions are based on the same worlds they garrisoned under previous Emperors. For offensive operations, the Empire usually draws only a brigade or two from a given world, grouping them into ad hoc formations in the field. Veterans often settle on the world where they served, but the Empire has a policy of not assigning recruits from a given planet to that world's garrison. This tends to encourage an Imperial identity and discourage "nativist" feelings among Army personnel.
The Army organizes its divisions into Corps (under a full General), Armies (under a Marshal), and Army Groups (under a Grand Marshal). There are 11 Army Groups, denoted by letters. Spread through the Empire, each Army Group has the responsibility for defense of about 90 planets. (The worlds under Senate control in the core of the Empire have their own planetary defenses rather than Imperial garrisons; in wartime those forces form a 12th Army Group.)
The chief of the Army is the Supreme Marshal (unlike the Navy, the Empress does not take the supreme position for herself). Under Marissa the Supreme Marshal is Count Horst Weidenheig, an old-fashioned officer who distrusts technology. He pays great attention to training and doctrine, but cares little about weapon development. Under his direction the Army has soldiers who are often highly skilled in the use of weapons a generation out of date. The Supreme Marshal believes Navy and Intelligence Command estimates of the threat from the Thorgons and Ackálians are nothing but justifications for increased budgets; he considers the Empire's main threat to be from within. Count Weidenheig cooperates closely with Director Angelo of the TSS to suppress rebellion and root out dissent.
The Army performs numerous missions, but the most important include peacekeeping, suppressing unrest, and planetary defense. In wartime the Army conducts ground operations on contested worlds, arriving in force after the Imperial Marines have secured a landing zone. For peacekeeping and monitoring rebellious worlds, the Army uses light, mobile forces like rangers or infantry, with some armour for support. On worlds where the main threat is attack from space, the Army stations heavy armour divisions and builds hardened defenses — bunkers, underground surface-to-orbit weapon emplacements, and submarines.
One Imperial Army unit of particular importance is the Imperial Guard, the Emperor's personal bodyguard and the Army's most prestigious unit. It's the only Imperial military force allowed on the surface of Earth itself. Each division in the Army sends four soldiers to the Imperial Guard for a two-year hitch; service in the Guard indicates a soldier is either very good at soldiering or very well-connected politically. The Army also attaches senior staff officers and the Empress's military advisors to the Guard division.
The Terran Exploration Service predates the Empire, and proudly traces its organizational history back to the old national space agencies of pre-starflight Earth. Although technically a part of the Imperial military, it often doesn't act much like a military organization, and sometimes even clashes with the other three branches of service.
People often refer to members of the TES as "scouts" regardless of their actual duties.
Over the centuries, the Service has acquired several areas of responsibility, some of which conflict with each other. The oldest and most glamourous job of the Exploration Service is, unsurprisingly, exploration — venturing beyond charted space to explore new planets, encounter new species and cultures, and bravely go where no Human has gone before. All Exploration Service officers want to serve on the long-range scout and expedition ships that range across the Galaxy.
Equally old and almost as exciting is the Service's science mission, which generations of Service chiefs have preserved against the inroads of budget-cutting governments. Exploration Service research vessels study stars and astrophysical phenomena, watch planets form, and sample and investigate life forms on thousands of worlds.
The Contact section studies intelligent species, including how alien societies evolve and how best to establish peaceful relations between Humans and other species. After years of turf battles and arguments, the Exploration Service and the Diplomatic Corps have worked out a rough division of labour — the TES handles contact with pre-spaceflight cultures, while spacefaring societies become the responsibility of the TDC. The diplomats frequently ignore TES advice about alien societies and thought processes, and often complain that Exploration Service contact missions disregard Galactic political realities and strategic concerns.
The least exciting task of the Exploration Service is to maintain accurate and up-to-date navigation charts of Imperial space and neigh boring regions of the Galaxy. Astrogation Survey officers travel from system to system, making careful measurements of stellar positions and planetary motions. Most of the job consists of simply collecting, organizing, and interpreting information provided by planetary governments. The Exploration Service has traditionally been a hotbed of anti-Imperial sentiment. Outsiders who mistakenly refer to it as the Imperial Exploration Service risk either a disdainful snort, a lengthy explanation, or a brawl. Talented but politically unreliable officers whose Navy careers have stalled often transfer to the Exploration Service instead. The Empress tolerates this as a "safety valve" for discontented personnel. (During the final phase of the Empire, under the Emperors Sandor and Sigismund, loyalty investigations and purges virtually gut the Service; most of the Exploration Service defects to the Rebellion by 2700.)
Ranks in the Exploration Service are the same as those in the Navy up to Commodore. The Exploration Service has no Admirals; the equivalent positions are called Directors. The Minister of Exploration heads the entire service.
Under the Empress Marissa Dr. Suleiman Pemba serves as Minister of Exploration from 2633 to 2639, followed by Commodore Joanna Walker from 2639 to 2651. Doctor Pemba, a close friend of the Empress, began his career as a linguist with the TIC. As Minister of Exploration he encourages cooperation between the Exploration Service and Intelligence Command — a move that provoked some opposition from veteran explorers. Having Intelligence officers riding shotgun aboard exploration missions yielded a generous harvest of data on alien civilizations, but many personality clashes arose, and both sides complained that the other withheld information. After taking over, Commodore Walker calmed much of this strife by scaling back the program and arranging for Exploration Service crews to get Intelligence cross-training so they could do the job themselves.
In 2640 the Exploration Service operates approximately 4,000 starships. The backbone of the fleet includes approximately 3,000 light utility starships, used for scouting, courier duty, shortrange exploration, small scientific missions, transport, and survey. Larger ships include five special interstellar explorers, 12 long-range exploration cruisers, 12 large exploration support vessels, 153 research ships, 158 planetary expedition ships, 211 medium scouts, 25 supply ships, and 11 cultural observation and contact ships. The Exploration Service arms its vessels, especially long-range explorers that operate beyond the protection of the Imperial fleet.
In wartime the TES struggles to preserve itself in the face of demands from other Imperial services — the Navy wants ships and bases, the TIC wants the Service's alien contact data and translation experts, and so on. Traditionally the TES takes on much of the Navy's internal law-enforcement and patrol function during major wars, which means scientists and explorers can suddenly find themselves serving as "cops on the beat" in pirate-infested systems.
The Emperor Gregorio standardized Imperial military uniforms; they change in only minor details until the fall of the Empire.
The Imperial Army standard duty uniform consists of a rugged camouflage jumpsuit made of light carbon-fiber armour, plus a beret in different colours depending on the wearer's unit: green for infantry, blue for sea forces, red for armour, white for medical, black for special forces, brown for artillery, gold for air forces, and purple for the Imperial Guard division. Non-Human troops wear clothing tailored to their anatomy. Commanders issue troops on active battlefield duty heavier personal armour and helmets.
Imperial Army Uniform: Armour (4 PD14 ED) (12 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4), Real Armour (-1/4). Total cost: 6 points.
The Army dress uniform is a high-collared gray tunic worn over black trousers and high boots. Officers in full dress have silver epaulettes and a sash in their unit colour.
Exploration Service personnel wear a simple and practical outfit much' like the standard garb of merchant starship crews: brown trousers and utility vest with a white shirt. When planetside, scouts add a cap and a lightly-armoured jacket. Most commanders are not very particular about regulation uniforms; crews often wear what they please.
TES Scout Jacket: Armour (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Activation Roll 11- (1), Real Armour (-1/4). Total cost: 3 points.
The Exploration Service's rarely-seen dress uniform is a variant on Navy dress: a light blue coat and trousers with a peaked cap and a gold cravat.
The Imperial Marines wear a duty uniform similar to the Army's, the chief difference being that Marines all wear grey berets. The Marine dress uniform is a variant on the Navy's: a grey coat and trousers with a peaked cap and a brown cravat. The Marine dress uniform is the only one which specifically includes a sidearm, so even high-ranking Marine officers at social events may carry a pistol.
The Imperial Navy's duty uniform consists of a white, open-collared, short-sleeved coverall worn over a long-sleeved turtleneck shirt coloured according to the wearer's duty specialization: red for propulsion; bronze for science and sensors; burnt orange for weapons; green for lifesystems; blue for command; grey for security; and black for flight. Naval dress uniform is a blue coat and trousers with a peaked cap, worn with a cravat in the branch colour. Officers have a longer coat with sleeve stripes in the branch colour. Planetary defense and customs patrol personnel wear uniforms closely resembling the Naval pattern.
The TIC — the Empire's intelligence, counterintelligence, and covert operations service — predates the Empire itself the original Terran Intelligence Command combined all the various competing intelligence services under one directorate during the Xenovore Wars. The TIC's primary task is to gather information about other Galactic powers and potentially hostile civilizations; its covert operations wing undertakes secret missions outside Imperial space.
During Marissa's reign the TIC has grown in power and influence, but many old intelligence hands are disturbed by the way the Empress keeps blurring the service's mission. Increasingly, Marissa uses TIC assets for domestic spying and "dirty tricks" against her enemies.
The basic mission of the TIC is gathering information. It does this in four main ways.
The first is simply research — TIC analysts study alien news media and public information, analyzing it to figure out what's true, what's disin formation, and what conceals a secret. Although the most boring of TIC's duties, it's also by far the most fruitful.
The second method is observation. Specially equipped starships monitor alien communications, spy on planets from orbit, and track ship movements. In these two tasks the TIC works closely and relatively smoothly with the Exploration Service. The third method of information-gathering is "Alien Source Intelligence" — hiring spies. Most Terran embassies, trade missions, and consulates have an Intelligence Liaison Officer who pays local agents for information. Although often wrong or garbled, "aliet" is sometimes the only way to collect genuinely secret material alien governments try to keep quiet.
The most exciting and dangerous form of intelligence gathering, "direct retrieval," requires Terran agents to penetrate foreign security and steal information. The Empire doesn't do this nearly as often as shown in vids, and only the failures ever reach the ears of the public. TIC often conducts direct retrieval operations in cooperation with the Imperial Navy and Marines, using stealthy Special Operations ships and highly-trained commandos. TIC leaders only authorize direct retrieval in situations involving (a) high demand for the information, and (b) little or no chance of tracing the operation back to the Empire. One unusual form of direct retrieval, the salvaging of ancient alien technology from abandoned worlds, usually requires the cooperation of the Exploration Service.
The TIC employs many of the same assets used for direct retrieval in covert operations. The Empire uses such operations to destabilize planetary governments, either to install a more friendly regime or to prepare a world for conquest or annexation by the Empire. Other covert ops include economic sabotage against alien business interests operating in the Terran sphere of influence, direct action against alien espionage operations, and strikes against criminals or rebels who have found sanctuary outside Imperial territory.
The Empire deliberately keeps the command structure of the TIC secret. A committee of five, the Directorate, advises the Empress on intelligence mat ters and runs the agency. The Empire does not make the names of the Directors public; word only gets out when a Director dies. Directors use their titles rather than personal names on all internal communications and orders.
While nobody knows the precise size of the TIC, it's small compared to the military services or the TSS. The best estimate is approximately 50,000 employees, mostly analysts, technicians, and field liaison officers. The covert operations wing includes no more than a few hundred agents. The agency has a small fleet of ships, mostly merchant vessels converted for eavesdropping and covert operations.
The TIC has no official duty uniform, although dark-coloured civilian suits in fashions ten years out of date might qualify. When Marissa III took the throne she assigned Intelligence a dress uniform so people wouldn't mistake high-ranking TIC officials for waiters at official functions. The TIC dress uniform derives from the Navy's, but it's black instead of dark blue and has no insignia.