Travelers of The Worlds would be well advised to remember a few important points:
1. Never make a hyperspace jump too close to a major gravity source. A relatively safe distance to hypershunt out of a system is 500 celestial body diameters from an influential gravity well. Note that very dense bodies generate a much more substantial well than the more common less dense bodies.
2. Transmit the proper "passage code" when approaching an inhabited world or Outstation. These codes are standard for each Province, including Imperial territory. The code should include, among other things; the ship's registration, point of origin, and business. Bored and trigger-happy planetary garrisons or police forces get their kicks out of blowing away unidentified ships entering their jurisdictions, rather than waiting around for a trespasser to think up some pitiful excuse for why he is in their space.
3. Always have a good reason for being in a foreign Province. In the politically and economically aggressive society of the Empire, no one trusts anyone if they what to live to see the next eclipse. This is especially true at this time, considering all of the cloning, genetic manipulations, mind control, and cybernizations that are going on. Provincial Troopers would just as soon throw a foreigner into detention and impound his ship than let him go about his business with only a cursory examination.
4. Never leave home without a legitimate Ident Disc. Every citizen of a Province (and the Imperium) carries an identification disc which tells security personnel that they are real people (or whatever). It follows that if a traveller lacks proper identification, he is not a citizen and is more likely an escaped slave or a spy. Protesting this assumption is normally met with a less than sympathetic ear. Escaped slaves and foolish spies seldom receive a preliminary hearing before their summary execution. It is possible however, with a lenient security officer, to be caught without an Ident Disc and merely be handed over to a local biological research group for experimentation.
1. Never make a hyperspace jump too close to a major gravity source. A relatively safe distance to hypershunt out of a system is 500 celestial body diameters from an influential gravity well. Note that very dense bodies generate a much more substantial well than the more common less dense bodies.
2. Transmit the proper "passage code" when approaching an inhabited world or Outstation. These codes are standard for each Province, including Imperial territory. The code should include, among other things; the ship's registration, point of origin, and business. Bored and trigger-happy planetary garrisons or police forces get their kicks out of blowing away unidentified ships entering their jurisdictions, rather than waiting around for a trespasser to think up some pitiful excuse for why he is in their space.
3. Always have a good reason for being in a foreign Province. In the politically and economically aggressive society of the Empire, no one trusts anyone if they what to live to see the next eclipse. This is especially true at this time, considering all of the cloning, genetic manipulations, mind control, and cybernizations that are going on. Provincial Troopers would just as soon throw a foreigner into detention and impound his ship than let him go about his business with only a cursory examination.
4. Never leave home without a legitimate Ident Disc. Every citizen of a Province (and the Imperium) carries an identification disc which tells security personnel that they are real people (or whatever). It follows that if a traveller lacks proper identification, he is not a citizen and is more likely an escaped slave or a spy. Protesting this assumption is normally met with a less than sympathetic ear. Escaped slaves and foolish spies seldom receive a preliminary hearing before their summary execution. It is possible however, with a lenient security officer, to be caught without an Ident Disc and merely be handed over to a local biological research group for experimentation.
After all these millennia it is perhaps fitting that the seat of power in the Terran Empire finds itself on Old Earth, since renamed Jord. Almost all industry has been moved off-world. Only parks, agriculture and administrative centres remain along with the Imperial Palace. However, the fabricated pastoral facade that has been set up there is still hard pressed to cover-up the most wily, clever and treacherous band that the Terran man has ever been subjected to.
Several concessions were made by the Imperium from to in order to expedite the formation of the Empire. The most significant of these was the erection of the Court of Humanity. This court, along with its police arm — Vegapol — operates independently of Imperium and Province alike. It is their function to investigate and adjudicate matters of and criminal dispute between the Empire's territories. It should be noted here that, when possible, most Provinces seek their own "out of court" settlements when inter-family disputes arise. As the name Vegapol suggests, the Galactic Court of Humanity (GCH) and its policing component are located in the Vega system on Vega IV (Valhalla). To facilitate fair decisions on the part of the court (which are often dependent on the adjudications of the not wholly trusted Truthsybils), all evidence to be presented in a given case must be independently confirmed by Vegapol. This is why it is common to find Vegapol detective monitors permanently attached to the security offices of many Empire territories.
The other institutional resident of Vega is the Mercantile League Of Great Houses. This financial regulatory body acts as the Empire's stock monitoring the flow of stock and bond capital between Imperial and Provincial governments and corporations. MERLOGH sets the value of the standard the electronic currency in use throughout the Empire. It also rates each Province's Monit (hard currency) against competing currencies. The GCH, Vegapol, and MERLOGH are mentioned here because although they do not fall under Imperial administrative jurisdiction, Vega is to be found within the boundaries of the Imperium. The Vega system was chosen for these essential services because there are a plethora of natural obstacles within the system, namely asteroids, which make it easily defensible through military force. The asteroid rich system renders large scale naval invasions impractical, and Vegapol has set up an unrivalled defensive network in the system utilizing the abundant natural firing platforms.
As was mentioned in the introduction to this it was the advent of limited range instantaneous interstellar communications which brought together the once isolated bands of humanity (although in a rather violent manner). Such communication is still an integral part of the Imperial means to rulership. Due to the constant expansion of the Empire's boundaries and the proliferation of Frontier Provinces, communication (Tachyon Beam Dictor) relay bases have become more important than ever. Utilizing dead planets and asteroids in stabilized orbits around insignificant primaries, these relay stations have formed the skeleton upon which the flesh of the Empire has grown. Because the practical range of subspace communiqués is only about twenty to thirty light there are thousands of relay stations throughout the Empire. To get a priority message from the Emperor to the most distant Frontier Province only takes about an hour despite the fact that the transmission must be relayed through a web of about one hundred TBD bases. Needless to say, these relay stations are heavily guarded and regularly patrolled.
The penalty for many capitol crimes often includes the forfeiture of hoarded atomics and biotoxins.
Despite the stockpiling and the intention of use that has accompanied these dreaded weapons throughout their long history, the past five centuries have been significant in that there has not been a single utilization of one of these attack delivery systems against a mass civilian target. Although one would suspect that this stunning lack of use was caused by the now famous production ban and the subsequent Hoarding, this is in fact not the case. Many historians trace the non-utilization phenomenon back to the first Truthsybils (often called Truthsayers) of the Galactic Court of Humanity. The order of Truthsybils has been a group of telepathically adept Neo-humans whose primary function has been to determine the truth of statements made under oath at the Court. Faced with such formidable mental opposition, no political entity would dare initiate a holocaustic attack lest a party member be called forth to deny involvement in front of a Truthsybil. There is little doubt that aggressor factions would be discovered by Truthsybil agents which would in turn lead to that faction's summary annihilation by the collected forces of the rest of the Empire
Several concessions were made by the Imperium from to in order to expedite the formation of the Empire. The most significant of these was the erection of the Court of Humanity. This court, along with its police arm — Vegapol — operates independently of Imperium and Province alike. It is their function to investigate and adjudicate matters of and criminal dispute between the Empire's territories. It should be noted here that, when possible, most Provinces seek their own "out of court" settlements when inter-family disputes arise. As the name Vegapol suggests, the Galactic Court of Humanity (GCH) and its policing component are located in the Vega system on Vega IV (Valhalla). To facilitate fair decisions on the part of the court (which are often dependent on the adjudications of the not wholly trusted Truthsybils), all evidence to be presented in a given case must be independently confirmed by Vegapol. This is why it is common to find Vegapol detective monitors permanently attached to the security offices of many Empire territories.
The other institutional resident of Vega is the Mercantile League Of Great Houses. This financial regulatory body acts as the Empire's stock monitoring the flow of stock and bond capital between Imperial and Provincial governments and corporations. MERLOGH sets the value of the standard the electronic currency in use throughout the Empire. It also rates each Province's Monit (hard currency) against competing currencies. The GCH, Vegapol, and MERLOGH are mentioned here because although they do not fall under Imperial administrative jurisdiction, Vega is to be found within the boundaries of the Imperium. The Vega system was chosen for these essential services because there are a plethora of natural obstacles within the system, namely asteroids, which make it easily defensible through military force. The asteroid rich system renders large scale naval invasions impractical, and Vegapol has set up an unrivalled defensive network in the system utilizing the abundant natural firing platforms.
As was mentioned in the introduction to this it was the advent of limited range instantaneous interstellar communications which brought together the once isolated bands of humanity (although in a rather violent manner). Such communication is still an integral part of the Imperial means to rulership. Due to the constant expansion of the Empire's boundaries and the proliferation of Frontier Provinces, communication (Tachyon Beam Dictor) relay bases have become more important than ever. Utilizing dead planets and asteroids in stabilized orbits around insignificant primaries, these relay stations have formed the skeleton upon which the flesh of the Empire has grown. Because the practical range of subspace communiqués is only about twenty to thirty light there are thousands of relay stations throughout the Empire. To get a priority message from the Emperor to the most distant Frontier Province only takes about an hour despite the fact that the transmission must be relayed through a web of about one hundred TBD bases. Needless to say, these relay stations are heavily guarded and regularly patrolled.
The penalty for many capitol crimes often includes the forfeiture of hoarded atomics and biotoxins.
Despite the stockpiling and the intention of use that has accompanied these dreaded weapons throughout their long history, the past five centuries have been significant in that there has not been a single utilization of one of these attack delivery systems against a mass civilian target. Although one would suspect that this stunning lack of use was caused by the now famous production ban and the subsequent Hoarding, this is in fact not the case. Many historians trace the non-utilization phenomenon back to the first Truthsybils (often called Truthsayers) of the Galactic Court of Humanity. The order of Truthsybils has been a group of telepathically adept Neo-humans whose primary function has been to determine the truth of statements made under oath at the Court. Faced with such formidable mental opposition, no political entity would dare initiate a holocaustic attack lest a party member be called forth to deny involvement in front of a Truthsybil. There is little doubt that aggressor factions would be discovered by Truthsybil agents which would in turn lead to that faction's summary annihilation by the collected forces of the rest of the Empire
The League Of Merchants (LOM).
The origins of the LOM lie hidden somewhere in the vast history of the Empire of Sol. When mankind first set out to colonize the stars. The free colonies of Mars, Ganymede and Mercury revolted against earth tyranny as they were being exploited beyond imagination. At the time the empire could not suppress this revolt as it was too tied up with the colonization effort to finance a space army.
However, the treason was never forgotten and by a decade later the Empire of Sol had enough resources to conquer the dissidents. By this time the free colonies had built a fleet of ships to get out of the Sol system, their colonies were abandoned and they fled to the stars. Rather than risk conflict and war the free colonies decided to explore new worlds and reap their rewards. The old colonies in those days were an awful place to live, with constant environmental threats and a vast drainage to the treasuries. The exodus lead the free colonies to the planet Hypatia where their first mutual colonies were erected, from there several expeditions were launched to nearby stars. As much as 7 million colonists joined the expeditions, which resulted in a multitude of new colonies while the remaining 5 million worked on improving their new home planet.
The united companies of the free colonies found that, with proper treatment, their employees yielded a deep loyalty to their employers. The exiles hated the earth government with its multitude of laws, regulations and taxes and the governments that buried its subjects in endless red tape. Since the desire for freedom to work and prosper unhindered by this kind of regulations was in every colonist’s heart, the corporations employed loose laws that would later result in the semi-lawlessness the LOM utilizes today.
Due to the growing production of food, raw materials as well as manufactured goods the free colonies built their increasing fleet of merchant vessels that traded with everyone that was able to pay.
The origins of the LOM lie hidden somewhere in the vast history of the Empire of Sol. When mankind first set out to colonize the stars. The free colonies of Mars, Ganymede and Mercury revolted against earth tyranny as they were being exploited beyond imagination. At the time the empire could not suppress this revolt as it was too tied up with the colonization effort to finance a space army.
However, the treason was never forgotten and by a decade later the Empire of Sol had enough resources to conquer the dissidents. By this time the free colonies had built a fleet of ships to get out of the Sol system, their colonies were abandoned and they fled to the stars. Rather than risk conflict and war the free colonies decided to explore new worlds and reap their rewards. The old colonies in those days were an awful place to live, with constant environmental threats and a vast drainage to the treasuries. The exodus lead the free colonies to the planet Hypatia where their first mutual colonies were erected, from there several expeditions were launched to nearby stars. As much as 7 million colonists joined the expeditions, which resulted in a multitude of new colonies while the remaining 5 million worked on improving their new home planet.
The united companies of the free colonies found that, with proper treatment, their employees yielded a deep loyalty to their employers. The exiles hated the earth government with its multitude of laws, regulations and taxes and the governments that buried its subjects in endless red tape. Since the desire for freedom to work and prosper unhindered by this kind of regulations was in every colonist’s heart, the corporations employed loose laws that would later result in the semi-lawlessness the LOM utilizes today.
Due to the growing production of food, raw materials as well as manufactured goods the free colonies built their increasing fleet of merchant vessels that traded with everyone that was able to pay.
It was inevitable that the free colonies eventually ran afoul with the Empire of Sol. The empire saw the opportunity to gain immense power by incorporating the far-flung star colonies in their fast expanding empire. The politics of the empire were such that they used an unbalanced taxation system in favor of the Sol worlds and led to the passing of the much-hated interstellar trade control act.
The act was a direct attack on the free colonies way of life as it imposed ruinously high import duties on any free colony trader good that landed on solar planets.
In response of this act, the free colonies convened in the congress of Hypatia and declared full independence from any government, vowing to protect their right with their lives if need be. Furthermore the convention resulted in the famous articles of Trade and Conduct, the body of laws and constitution that would govern the new League of Merchants The Lom embarked on what later would be their trademark. The issued intricate smuggling operations in the Empire of Sol, expending funds to bribe the officials to look the other way while vast amounts of contraband were being unloaded by the shipload.
As a result the Empire ordered all it’s ships to fire upon LOM ships whenever they were spotted. At the same time the League embarked upon a building program to upgrade its ships so they would be better fitted to defend their selves from aggressors. The conflict escalated and resulted in the demise of most of the free colonies. And for ages the LOM was forced to drift aimlessly through the galaxies, hunted by their aggressors. Eventually the conflict ended when the first interstellar Twilight War erupted. The LOM agreed reluctantly to a cease-fire with the condition that it no longer could trade on it’s own.
The LOM was thus forced to work with the empire while infernal war rippled throughout the galaxies. However, years of smuggling and illicit trade made the LOM an expert on covert trading operations and they have always continued to do so, while still trading for the Empire, the LOM would secretly smuggle their contraband along it’s legal cargo. This resulted in a vast illicit income and while the officials were too busy with the war, the LOM increased its power. Learning from their mistakes the League decided to keep up the good appearance and was content in their role of kings of the black market. No criminal organization has ever achieved the level of power that the LOM has, and unless something very disastrous happens to them, no one ever will.
The act was a direct attack on the free colonies way of life as it imposed ruinously high import duties on any free colony trader good that landed on solar planets.
In response of this act, the free colonies convened in the congress of Hypatia and declared full independence from any government, vowing to protect their right with their lives if need be. Furthermore the convention resulted in the famous articles of Trade and Conduct, the body of laws and constitution that would govern the new League of Merchants The Lom embarked on what later would be their trademark. The issued intricate smuggling operations in the Empire of Sol, expending funds to bribe the officials to look the other way while vast amounts of contraband were being unloaded by the shipload.
As a result the Empire ordered all it’s ships to fire upon LOM ships whenever they were spotted. At the same time the League embarked upon a building program to upgrade its ships so they would be better fitted to defend their selves from aggressors. The conflict escalated and resulted in the demise of most of the free colonies. And for ages the LOM was forced to drift aimlessly through the galaxies, hunted by their aggressors. Eventually the conflict ended when the first interstellar Twilight War erupted. The LOM agreed reluctantly to a cease-fire with the condition that it no longer could trade on it’s own.
The LOM was thus forced to work with the empire while infernal war rippled throughout the galaxies. However, years of smuggling and illicit trade made the LOM an expert on covert trading operations and they have always continued to do so, while still trading for the Empire, the LOM would secretly smuggle their contraband along it’s legal cargo. This resulted in a vast illicit income and while the officials were too busy with the war, the LOM increased its power. Learning from their mistakes the League decided to keep up the good appearance and was content in their role of kings of the black market. No criminal organization has ever achieved the level of power that the LOM has, and unless something very disastrous happens to them, no one ever will.
The Dia Khovaria (Or Diakhorva)
Otherwise known as The Church of the Word, the Holy Tabernacle of the Word, or simply The Church, the Dia Khovaria is one of the largest independent organization in the Empire, and is officially sanctioned by the Emperor.
The D.K. was at one time a religious organization which, traced its roots to pre-technology Terra. During the dark times before machines (according to the Khovarian claims), humans actually manually copied information from speech, writing with their hands. The houses of the Tabernacle held the only real data archives anywhere, and it was to those libraries that anyone seeking information would go. Even there the prelates of the Church controlled the dispensation of data with an iron fist, and they released only information which would further the power and authority of their religion (and so also, themselves). With the coming of certain technic advancements, though, the usefulness of this aspect of the Church was on the wane. They went through a number of revitalizations, but never enjoyed the political clout they held during the Dark Ages of Terra. One such time was the Universal technological Recession, when D.K. archives were among the few data storehouses to survive.
Within a few hundred years after the development of the Hyperdrive engine, however, the Church had all but collapsed - the victim of humanity's diversity and headlong rush to the stars. In Prelmp 1076 all this changed. The Tachyon Beam Dieter, a nearly instantaneous sublight communications system, was invented. With a range of only about 50 light-years, it required an extensive network in order to be truly effective. The Church was a party to the coalition which developed the device, and recognizing the potential significance of combining an instantaneous communications system with their vast data storehouses, moved quickly to consolidate a leading position. Calling in their debts from the many who depended on D.K. data after the Technological Recessions, they bargained their way to a decisive edge in TBD development. Though they could not secure a monopoly, they had considerable lead time on all competition, and risked all of their resources to set up the most complete Datanet possible.
The hierarchy of the Tabernacle was ambitious, and more clever than most would have thought. For several hundred years they played one faction off of another, regaining power and authority. Now they have evolved into a virtually secular group, dealing in information as a religion and commodity, while developing their own massive database.
To this day Accctss Tachyon Technology- a division of the sprawling Church organization - is recognized as the leader in communications and data commodities. The Imperial Executive Division uses them exclusively. The judicial branch utilizes local groups and independents in what some consider a calculated snub of the D.K. This isn't surprising considering the cool relationship between the Truthsibyls and the Church.
The organization is also frightfully efficient and politically powerful. Their "research" agents regularly make fools of Provincial and Imperial operatives by their expertise. The D.K. denies fervently that they even have an intelligence arm, or that the fabled "Tabernacle Police" really exist.
DIVISIONS
The Church is divided into several components, all controlled by the Khovarian Curia.
Curia Headquarters: located on Hanaan IV, it is the home of His Holiness the Reidyr (the Chairman of the parent company and supreme head of the Church). It is also the meeting place of the Cardinals (company presidents and directors).
Access Tachyon Technology (ATT): The group responsible for operation of the Tabernacle Datanet, the Imperial Tachyon Beam relay installations which connect the Empire in a faster-than-light communications system. They also operate the related courier/paging system which allows TBD messages be carried from terminal to final destination. The acronym was deliberately chosen in tribute to a semimythical group which reputedly pioneered the tenets of the D. K. in the Dawn ages of Technology. Tabernacle Central Archives: The branch which administrates the databases and "libraries" of information, found on all Provincial Homeworlds. Usually supervised by a Bishop or Archbishop in conjunction with a Church Diocese.
Tabernacle Police: This group really does exist, though it is not the terror it is made out to be. Tabernacle Police spend most of their time investigating TBD interference and other attempts to defraud or defame the O.K. Their enforcement powers are very limited, but they are said to work in cooperation with the liD. They do not get along well with VegaPol at all.
Tabernacle Research Agency: A much more secretive and formidable group than the Tabernacle Police, TARA is ostensibly a benign investigative division, their sole purpose -the acquisition of new data for the Church files. Strictly speaking, this is true. However, TARA operatives are the most highly trained and best equipped intelligence agents in the Empire. Many are Telepaths, and all are trained in such unusual skills as unarmed combat, trickery, and propaganda. Their purpose is indeed to gather information of all kinds, although sometimes the desired information- as well as the gathering method - is highly unusual.
Church Diocese: The Church has divided Human Space into administrative areas (often corresponding to current political units such as Provinces) which it calls diocese; larger or more important ones are archdiocese. Diocese Chapterhouses are regional headquarters which frequently house databases and TBD relay administration as well. A Bishop controls the database and all O.K. operations within his diocese, and has free access to the ATT network. No Provincial Lord has turned down a Church request to place a Chapterhouse on their Homeworld, though some barely conceal their dislike for the powerful organization. Some Provinces- and of course the Emperor - work closely with the Church and have benefited from O.K. information-gathering facilities.
Otherwise known as The Church of the Word, the Holy Tabernacle of the Word, or simply The Church, the Dia Khovaria is one of the largest independent organization in the Empire, and is officially sanctioned by the Emperor.
The D.K. was at one time a religious organization which, traced its roots to pre-technology Terra. During the dark times before machines (according to the Khovarian claims), humans actually manually copied information from speech, writing with their hands. The houses of the Tabernacle held the only real data archives anywhere, and it was to those libraries that anyone seeking information would go. Even there the prelates of the Church controlled the dispensation of data with an iron fist, and they released only information which would further the power and authority of their religion (and so also, themselves). With the coming of certain technic advancements, though, the usefulness of this aspect of the Church was on the wane. They went through a number of revitalizations, but never enjoyed the political clout they held during the Dark Ages of Terra. One such time was the Universal technological Recession, when D.K. archives were among the few data storehouses to survive.
Within a few hundred years after the development of the Hyperdrive engine, however, the Church had all but collapsed - the victim of humanity's diversity and headlong rush to the stars. In Prelmp 1076 all this changed. The Tachyon Beam Dieter, a nearly instantaneous sublight communications system, was invented. With a range of only about 50 light-years, it required an extensive network in order to be truly effective. The Church was a party to the coalition which developed the device, and recognizing the potential significance of combining an instantaneous communications system with their vast data storehouses, moved quickly to consolidate a leading position. Calling in their debts from the many who depended on D.K. data after the Technological Recessions, they bargained their way to a decisive edge in TBD development. Though they could not secure a monopoly, they had considerable lead time on all competition, and risked all of their resources to set up the most complete Datanet possible.
The hierarchy of the Tabernacle was ambitious, and more clever than most would have thought. For several hundred years they played one faction off of another, regaining power and authority. Now they have evolved into a virtually secular group, dealing in information as a religion and commodity, while developing their own massive database.
To this day Accctss Tachyon Technology- a division of the sprawling Church organization - is recognized as the leader in communications and data commodities. The Imperial Executive Division uses them exclusively. The judicial branch utilizes local groups and independents in what some consider a calculated snub of the D.K. This isn't surprising considering the cool relationship between the Truthsibyls and the Church.
The organization is also frightfully efficient and politically powerful. Their "research" agents regularly make fools of Provincial and Imperial operatives by their expertise. The D.K. denies fervently that they even have an intelligence arm, or that the fabled "Tabernacle Police" really exist.
DIVISIONS
The Church is divided into several components, all controlled by the Khovarian Curia.
Curia Headquarters: located on Hanaan IV, it is the home of His Holiness the Reidyr (the Chairman of the parent company and supreme head of the Church). It is also the meeting place of the Cardinals (company presidents and directors).
Access Tachyon Technology (ATT): The group responsible for operation of the Tabernacle Datanet, the Imperial Tachyon Beam relay installations which connect the Empire in a faster-than-light communications system. They also operate the related courier/paging system which allows TBD messages be carried from terminal to final destination. The acronym was deliberately chosen in tribute to a semimythical group which reputedly pioneered the tenets of the D. K. in the Dawn ages of Technology. Tabernacle Central Archives: The branch which administrates the databases and "libraries" of information, found on all Provincial Homeworlds. Usually supervised by a Bishop or Archbishop in conjunction with a Church Diocese.
Tabernacle Police: This group really does exist, though it is not the terror it is made out to be. Tabernacle Police spend most of their time investigating TBD interference and other attempts to defraud or defame the O.K. Their enforcement powers are very limited, but they are said to work in cooperation with the liD. They do not get along well with VegaPol at all.
Tabernacle Research Agency: A much more secretive and formidable group than the Tabernacle Police, TARA is ostensibly a benign investigative division, their sole purpose -the acquisition of new data for the Church files. Strictly speaking, this is true. However, TARA operatives are the most highly trained and best equipped intelligence agents in the Empire. Many are Telepaths, and all are trained in such unusual skills as unarmed combat, trickery, and propaganda. Their purpose is indeed to gather information of all kinds, although sometimes the desired information- as well as the gathering method - is highly unusual.
Church Diocese: The Church has divided Human Space into administrative areas (often corresponding to current political units such as Provinces) which it calls diocese; larger or more important ones are archdiocese. Diocese Chapterhouses are regional headquarters which frequently house databases and TBD relay administration as well. A Bishop controls the database and all O.K. operations within his diocese, and has free access to the ATT network. No Provincial Lord has turned down a Church request to place a Chapterhouse on their Homeworld, though some barely conceal their dislike for the powerful organization. Some Provinces- and of course the Emperor - work closely with the Church and have benefited from O.K. information-gathering facilities.