/ Chapter 8 /

"Imperium, The. – Summary – The Imperium is a benevolent centrally controlled empire regulating approximately 167000 star systems. It offers a high standard of living to all of its 93 billion citizens. It has a grand history dating back nearly 900 years, beginning with emperor Gonghez Pi The First who defeated the Zorgbhlorp menace and united The Four. Following the find of The Artifact and the resulting Longevity Program in 512, Imperial citizens were able to enjoy increased lifespans and improved health. The technological level of the Imperium is also high, leading to enriched lives, especially in comparison to lesser civilisations such as the Yuyium Rimworlds and the Dhzrell Super-hive, The enemies of the Imperium includes factions such as The Six Conclaves, The Gnunk, Amalgam of Greater Space Amoebas, and as of late – a few insignificant counter-imperial groupings."

"Worker Constructs – While worker constructs may look human in shape they are simple meat machines optimised for monotonous tasks, providing the Imperium with the efficient, high yield, reliable labour that is needed for its daily operation. Worker constructs fortunately require little in the way of stimulation or sustenance, yet they are robust, with long productive life spans. Though they are produced in-vitrio from a base of homogenised genetic material they may still differ somewhat in outward physical appearance. Studies have shown worker constructs can achieve a score of 5.6 on the Grumble scale, which puts them below the level of true sentience."

"Robotics – Though robots are rarely seen in daily life they are still a part of the important operational foundation of the imperium, just like worker constructs. Robots are of course mechanical machines consisting of servos, tensor tubes, and sensors held within a shell casing. Compared to other constructs the are more suitable for prolonged guard duty, hazard operations, and simple logic analysis. They are built in special secret facilities, and the design of their impressive cognitive processor can not be detailed here."

Teu's eyes narrowed, but she continued looking up subjects of interest.

"Artefact, The. – The Artefact was discovered in year 512 when the bicentennial expedition fleet was facing annihilation by a Wumpthi counter force. The Imperial fleet remnants discovered a system situated in what is now called "The Hollow" – a 30 lightyear void with only a dying star at its center. Around this ancient star orbited a lone planet with a crimson ocean, and it's this vast mass of liquid that is known as The Artefact. While the liquid appeared to be deadly, the exploration crew discovered that ingesting miniscule amounts could trigger small but beneficial alterations in their physiology, some were temporary, and some were permanent. It appeared to be effective on all of The Four as well, be it a Human, Duwarf, Meon, or Vynn. The find lead to the Longevity Program, and over the course of just a few years, the red liquid became a mandatory food supplement across the whole of the Imperium. The military benefitted as well, and soon the weak Wumpthi were driven out of the contested sector and can now only be considered a remnant civilization. The Hollow is now host to the most well defended system in the entire Imperium.

"Sustenance Bars, Meal Bars, Food Bars – In early Imperial times food supply was a rather complex matter where the overlapping complexities of agriculture, medicine, and logistics resulted in huge procedural losses. Following the discovery of The Artefact in 512, and the Hyper-grain and Zeta-plankton five decades later, a new type of compact food was introduced. A daily bar just 16 cubic centimetres in volume can now provide a person with everything they need to flourish. They come in many different flavours, and specialised sustenance bars have also been developed to ensure an adaptable Imperial population. "

"Death, Causes of. – While Imperial citizens now enjoy long and healthy lives, death can still occur, the enemies of the Imperium being a notable cause. In some cases where people have been forced or lured into resuming a so called natural diet, they have become bloated and died of either health issues or old age in a few short decades. Needless to say, people also die in accidents, such as falls, but thankfully few citizens die in production environments as the fields of industry and agriculture have been largely automated, excepting the production some luxury goods."

Teu could think of many more causes of death to show the imperial overlords, but maybe that was just her...

"Conservative Policy, The. – A century after old age was eradicated it was finally noticed that certain issues with population control and genetic stability had to be addressed. This lead to The Conservative Policy and the development of sustenance bars controlling fertility. Couples wishing to start a family must comply with Regulation 5, providing genealogical documents which match Imperial records. Regulation 9 addresses offspring limits, and Regulation 10 wartime exceptions."

"Kore's Law – Alyn Kore was a female computer scientist (dead in 481) who predicted somewhat accurately that the kiloHortzoz clockspeed of a 4cm Zed-gate computer processor would roughly match the age of the Imperium."

Teu heard Braids move about and was reminded that it was about time to check that jump countdown timer. She read one last entry.

"S U – Short for Standard Unit, Space Unit, or Syl Unit. Syl was the innermost planet in Primus Zol – the capital system of the Imperium. An S U corresponds to the distance between Syl and its mother star. Though a simple and desolate world, the entire Imperium still mourned its destruction by the Amalgam of Greater Space Amoebas in 610."

Space Amoebas huh? Spooky. Well, that was enough reading for now. She better not miss the jump, again. Braids was dangerously close after all. Suddenly she heard the crinkle of a wrapper. It was... probably Braids eating a meal bar? Teu swung her head out over the bunk edge and saw that Braids had flipped over on her belly and was reading a magazine... and also just about to take a bite out of the remains of Teu's hastily abandoned libido bar. 

/ End of Chapter /