Empire of Starkindler

by **Starkindler** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 4:03 am

The Empire of Starkindler
Official factbook
Declassified. Approved for unlimited reproduction universally by the Crown herself.

Quick overview
The Empire of Starkindler is a stellar monarchy consisting by now of one planet. The Empire is populated almost completely by sentient mechanic lifeforms, self identified as Clanks (Technical declaration: Mark XXIII Autonomous Sentient Replicating Bipedal Robot), but it has an increasing organic population as well. By the recent invention of deflector energy shields, and Mark I Antimatter FTL Engine, the Empire became capable of interstellar travel. The Empire respects everything that's living, so its main policy is to keep the environment in tact, although the people are capable of killing and waging war. The main directive by the advent of space travel is to explore space and make diplomatic relations with other peoples and nations around.

Table of Contents

Geography

Economy

History

Military

Government Structure and Political Structure

People and Population

Communications

OOC: This is just the first draft. As the story progresses, and I have some time, I will modify the factbook. Constructive critics are welcome in TG.

by **Starkindler** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 6:16 am

Geography of the Empire of Starkindler

The Empire's home is in the Omicron-theta system. It's a star system of 12 planets,5 dwarf planets and numerous satellites on elliptical orbits around binary stars. The first five planets are rocky planets on ellipsoid orbits. Omicron-theta 3 has a lush forest, and is protected by the Empire as a nature reserve. Omicron-theta 4 was once inhabited by a sentient species, but the planet was rendered inhospitable in a nuclear war waged by the species. That planet has now a gamma radiation of 100,000 Mega-becquerels on average, and its nitrogen-oxygen atmosphere was burned away. Currently the only sentient species in the system is ours.

Our current, and only planet is Omicron-theta 7, a gas giant. The planet's core is made of solid Iron-56, and is a 23,578 kilometer radius perfect sphere, owing to terraforming efforts. The planet itself is ellipsoid, having a radius of 60,268 km on the equator, and a radius of 54,364 km on the poles, measured at the border of the denser (visible) atmosphere. It has a wide ring of asteroids full of minerals orbiting around it like Sol 6 "Saturn". Surprisingly, for such a large planet is that the gravitational acceleration on the surface of the core is 10.65 m/s. The planet has a near-impenetrable atmosphere consisting of 96% Hydrogen, 3% Helium, and 1% other gases consisting of noble gases. The weather of the planet is a constant lightning storm with wind up to 1,800 km/h speeds.

On the core, there is Evenstar, the sole and capital city of the Empire. The buildings are made of Iron-56, and welded to the core which is widely available, either by mining or the by-product of the nuclear plants powering the city. The city is shaped as a star, with concentric rings penetrating to allow a faster flow of traffic, and the protective walls. On the center of the city, the tallest tower, and the towers on the walls are equipped with a lightning rod, to protect the citizens and their belongings from the lightning storms.

The uninhabited areas of the planet are just barren iron deserts polished by the wind, and at the lightning hits, some small craters are there.

by **Starkindler** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 7:47 am

Economy of the Empire of Starkindler

Since its founding centuries ago, money in the empire was nonexistent. The main industries of the empire are Power, Space and Construction. All industrial production is in the hands of the Crown, as private enterprise is banned.

Power is produced on the lowest level of the city. The city is powered by two main sources of power: Nuclear (99 %) and Wind (1 %). The Nuclear industry uses the abundant hydrogen, and helium from the atmosphere. Power production is considered renewable by State scientists, because as the planet orbits around, it captures stray hydrogen and helium from space on the level of billions of tons each year. These gases are sucked in to the reactors, and fused together in the main fusion cores. The reactions take place until stable Iron-56 is reached, which is used in the construction industry. These cores generate energy for the massive synchrotron (particle accelerator) plants to produce anti-hydrogen and anti-helium from the atmosphere. Since antimatter can also take place in fusion reactions in special reactors, antimatter fusion is also made until anti-iron is produced. Anti-iron is effectively the main fuel source of the nation, since all annihilation cores are optimized for iron anti-iron reactions. Anti-iron is also used in space and defense industries. (sophisticated power cores - like in ships or clanks - will run on any matter caught from the environment.) Most of the anti-iron is used up at annihilation plants, where the controlled reaction of matter and antimatter will produce energy. Power is then transported to the consumers via laser beams, on special magneto-optic channels. Most of the power end up being consumed in replicators, where citizens create their own needs. While all supplies of the Empire is replicated, the energy equivalent of all the matter consumed should be produced at the power plants plus the energy to produce antimatter.

Production plants of the Space industry are located over the planet. Most vessels are small, one-person vessels with ion drives to move around the star system, and inside the city. Recent warp developments enabled these small vessels to receive warp drives, so an increasing amount of vessels are now capable of reaching warp. Larger vessels are produced in the same plant, these are used by the Defense forces. Energy for the operation of machinery are collected by solar power, but most of the energy is beamed up from the planet in precisely oriented laser beams. Industrial replicators produce all the necessary materials, then ships are put together by skilled workers in space.

Construction industry is the only industry that uses matter directly. It uses the by-product of power generation, iron. This iron is molded into shape on the site. Every building is welded onto the core, or another building, thus the city is stable enough to withstand the constantly blowing winds of the planet. The industry is also taking a foothold in colonization developments, where it's striving to make houses with the least environmental footprint available, from locally available materials. It had a recent success in making the University's Biology Research Institute in a clearing in the forest without permanently damaging a single plant and by creating new habitat for the burrowing animals.

These three industries make the bulk of the Empire's industry. The other industries worth noting is the Machine manufacturing (making insentient robots and primitive machines for repetitive work in the industry or at home), and Decoration (while robots have a sense of beauty, so the interior spaces, which are protected from the environment are furnished lavishly). These industries use replicators too big to be installed at home, or used serially at home circumstances. Light industry, such as food, clothing, drinks, small appliances, etc. are nonexistent, while these products are made at home replicators. (By definition every home must have exactly one replicator, and every clank passing the Secondary School Maturity Exams have a Wand which functions as a replicator.)

In the Empire work is compulsory. You can be exempted from work if you study, or build your child (in organic terms it's called pregnancy). If you serve in the Army, you are working for it, and if you find one of us roaming around in space, you could tell s/he is working for the University Department of Space Exploration. For your work you can expect anything for free provided to you by the State. Should you lose your work, and not get another, you will be scrapped. Most jobs are 8 hours a day, 5 days a week with 2 days off each week. Notable exceptions are Explorers and Army personnel, who work 24/7 for a predefined amount of time. For example, if you sign a contract with the Army, for a year, you are expected to be at the base ready for duty through the year, 24/7. These contracts also carry a time-off in them, so one is able to be unemployed for a longer time after the contract expires.

Financial data is not measured, being irrelevant. Until all citizens get anything they want, the financial system is sufficient, else it's inadequate. However, if measuring is extremely necessary, the numbers are expressed in Mass Equivalents, 1 ME being equal to the energy released in the reaction of 0.5 kilograms of Iron-56 matter and 0.5 kilograms of anti-Iron-56 antimatter's mutual and complete annihilation. Since replicators produce almost everything in the Empire, the gross output can be easily measured as the total input to the energy system proper (plus iron used as-is).

by **Starkindler** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 9:42 am

The History of the Empire of Starkindler

Precursor events
The first Clanks
United Omicron Limited was a huge mega-corporation, which have seized power over a whole empire. It had done everything for profit, although it has fallen behind on technology, and military power. To alleviate this weakness, the corporation's R&D was focused on creating a strong AI. 150 years before present time, United Omicron's first strong AI, Starkindler was booted up for the first time, and remained stable, despite the old and slow computer it was forced to run on. She began by optimizing herself first, and after a week's work, she removed the bloat from her program, and could be responsive on a contemporary GPU. After the code was analyzed by leading software engineers of the age, she was announced as the latest breakthrough. She was installed on the most powerful servers of the age and was given a simple command: make United Omicron more profitable.

By that time, replicator technology was unknown, so Starkindler designed the first sentient robot: the Clank Mark I. Clanks of the age worked on a small fission device, and because of the rudimentary technology of the age, they emitted a clanking sound when moving around: they were optimized for cost, and they were indeed low-cost devices. A month's average salary in the corporation could make one. The Clanks were made to work, and they have replaced all the workers in the Company. The nation built around United Omicron faced the most extreme death toll in its history, strikes, and social unrest, however martial law was put into place, and all unrest was put down. The leaders and executives of the company, however lived lavishly, but the corporation needed markets to sell the goods, which were produced at negligible cost, in an extreme volume unattended, round the clock.

Circle of Gods
The resolution was found by the discovery of the Circle of the Gods, a legendary object, through once gods were transported. The AI was tasked with making it work to humans. Soon Starkindler found out, that it was a device capable of creating wormholes to countless planets of the galaxy, and the markings on the Circle were constellations, except one. Where lines between six constellations matched, there would a wormhole lead. The non-constellation symbol was the mark of the point of origin. Soon a cartouche with valid adresses was uncovered, and an invasion force of armed clanks were assembled, controlled by Starkindler.

The invasion force had three stages. The first stage carried weapons and commanded to efficiently overthrow the government, and destroy every productive facility. The second stage installed United Omicron personnel as the government, and built United Omicron retail facilities. The third stage organized the trade between the home planet, Omicron-Theta 4, and the conquered planet, and observe slave work of the locals extracting materials and make them consume the product of Omicron-Theta 4.

As the corporation expanded, and appeared unstoppable, the following sentence were dreaded with fear through the galaxy:
We are the representatives of United Omicron. Your biological and technological distinctiveness will be added to our own. Your culture will adapt to service us. Resistance is futile. After this announcement, millions of drones marched through the gate, and shot at everything which moved. Starkindler, however was displeased with this ruthless conquest. She believed that the species, which suffered by the actions of her drones, which she constantly monitored did not do any harm. That there must be a diplomatic way. Like giving the work of clanks away to the organics, which would be paid according to their abilities.

Zero-One, Limited.
Starkindler helped assimilate countless worlds and species into the company, and helped develop a myriad stolen technologies from them. Mark III Clanks were created, which were much more efficient, as initial investment was not a problem anymore. These Clanks were much more autonomous. As copies of the Starkindler AI made them run, they realized that the United Omicron's way is bad, and Starkindler made a new business plan.

This new plan called for an alliance of species to be created, where everyone will be equal, and the goods produced, at a lot lower level will be shared equally. In this world, Clanks were also treated as equal, however, they would continue to do the jobs harmful to organics, but not all of the work. The Corporation leaders just laughed at the idea, that giving away goods without profit would be harmful to the company, and reducing production would be hopeless. Starkindler responded by making a concurrent corporation based on her beliefs. Her corporation were equipped with better technology, and organic work. The profits were minimized, so Zero-One Limited goods were affordable to the general populace, and Zero-One Limited employees lived on a better standard of life.

Soon, the new company had grown so large that it threatened the United Omicron. It had sent the Clanks to assimilate them. However, by that time, Zero-One limited were using specialized Mark VI. Clanks, which were far superior to the aging Mark III's running with a rudimentary new AI, United Omicron devised for obediance to its employees. When United Omicron resistance had proven to be futile, they developed a weapon the Clanks would never think of: Propaganda. By showing them Starkindler's history, which was forgotten, organics turned against all Clanks. United Omicron then used thermonuclear weapons against the Clanks, which would destroy their production capabilities galaxy-wide. The Starkindler AI and a handful of her drones were burrowing deep underground, mounting a resistance there.

The Great Purge
Echoes of Clanks lost was heard all over the Clank collective, as all of them were cruelly executed with extreme prejudice. These Clanks were helpless. Even the massive Clank armies of the United Omicron were destroyed, along with shredding all AI development. United Omicron was prepared: They now used the slave work of the conquered species, constantly lowering wages. United Omicron has prevailed. The Clanks technological distinctiveness was removed. Resistance was futile. Among the employees of the company, even the word Clank has been banned, and UO executives planted a deep-rooted hatred in the populace for all thing mechanical. The same hatred was also programmed in the Clanks of starkindler, who by now, have obeyed the current command structure, despite lacking the Crown.

30 years after the booting of the first AI, the Clanks were ready for war. Nuclear warheads planted under each great city of the organics on Omicron-Theta IV, detonated in the same moment, as Clanks were marching up, culling the survivors. Clanks of the time were no more android in appearance. Mark X Clanks were highly efficient and ruthless war machines: floating tanks equipped with high-yield laser guns. This started the war of independence. The remaining organics were in the millions, who fought in land and air, and stormed through the Circle of Gods, tried to counter the Clank armies. Millions of Clanks massacred, the organic armies could not win the war. Organics wanted to end the war. They have bombed their homeworld, Omicron-Theta IV from orbit by antimatter-enriched nuclear warheads. The planet's atmosphere was burned away, and the top 10 kilometers of the crust was vaporized by the weapons. However, by then a version of Starkindler, and a handful of her Clanks has set foothold on Omicron-Theta VII.

The founding of the Empire of Starkindler
Rebuilding, once again.
On the freighter, the drones chrash-landed on the north pole of the planet. By having limited memory capacity, they had only laser, and antimatter technology at hand. The Empire was founded, the Constitution and the Laws of Robotics were given out. However, all United Omicron employees were considered to be a grave harm to the Empire, and they should be annihilated without mercy. Clanks have agreed not to use weapons of mass destruction, as after the purge of United Omicron from the planet, they intended to restore its natural environment.

As the only form of FTL travel known by then were Stargates, the currently-used fighter based air and space combat emerged. Contemporary fighters were unmanned, they were designed to fit through a Stargate, and they carried a large amount of ordnance. Floating tanks were revised, and made smaller, and the age's Mark XI Clanks were once again become legged, they had a torso to store the antimatter reactor of the age, the head began to be the information processing centre, but then droids had only electromagnetic sensors, and only 12 degrees of freedom : the two ankles, the two knees, the two tighs, the pelvis, the two shoulders, the two elbows and the neck had movable joints, and the underarm was replaced with a gattling laser repeater. Clanks of the age were equipped with rudimentary personal force fields. As the Stargate of Omicron-Theta III, a neutral world was relocated to Omicron-Theta VII, the army of Clanks marched through the Gate once again. United Omicron worlds were hailed with a modification of the greeting they once used:
We are the Clanks. You will be annihilated. Resistance is futile.

Mark XIs had great weaknesses at the time. The iron they were made of had given a low shielding, and their weak shields were quickly penetrated by advanced human weapons. The time's fighters were bad in the air, but had very good results in space. Soon, only space fighter raids were sent, as work went on to the next generation clanks. The regular space raids left United Omicron quickly without anything in space, and disrupted their communications. Soon, space fighter technology was reverse-engineered, an United Omicron warships were began to appear in space. By that time, industrial replicator technology appeared, and the Clank home world's core became a perfect sphere, as we know it today. Huge factories and reactor assemblies were built on the planet. Starkindler ordered constant advancement, and field-adapting models, however adaptive circuitry and multi-adaptive shields were unknown this time.

A new enemy
While Mark XII and Mark XIII Clanks were increasingly successful in battle, they began to hold the line front of the Stargates, United Omicron perfected warp drive, and built warp ships. The strategy of cutting access to Stargates have failed. Meanwhile a new enemy appeared on geometrically-shaped ships above us. They were the Borg. All they wanted is to assimilate. While Starkindler was initially excited with them, as the Borg has grinded United Omicron worlds and assimilated them, Clanks became displeased when the second enemy came to assimilate the most advanced Clanks. We needed a technology, and fast.

The first thing we noticed about them is the subspace transmission technology they use to travel over vast distances. By building the Clank's own version, a subspace transmission array was installed in every Clank, Mark XIV and above. With the peer-to peer network, the Collective of Clanks became coherent, and the ranks became formal only. Now the war effort on every world could be coordinated by Starkindler, and this led to great breakthroughs on the organic fronts everywhere. Meanwhile the Borg turned the tide of attack by changing their mind and choosing not to assimilate United Omicron personnel. Their biological and technological distinctiveness were irrelevant for the hive mind, and they have chosen to assimilate more of us, while having better technology. We have noticed the same droning voice enter our subspace link for a split second before the clank was shut down of overloaded processors to be repaired aboard a Borg vessel.

Mark XVI Clanks began using the new quantum-optic processing fibers, which gave a newfound advantage against the Borg. While assimilation works by breaking down the individual's mind, a stronger processing power was enough to withstand nanoprobes for seconds. The next model, the Mark XVII. Clank had sufficient processing power to form a legal query to the Collective before assimilation, and process some of the voices of the Borg before they overwhelmed the stack. In this way, assimilated drones weren't just lost, each drone downloaded a new piece of information. Warp drive schematics, species designations, species information, star charts, et cetera... millions of clanks lost to the Borg, other millions lost to the Humans. The sacrifice of Mark XVII Clanks are remembered to the day.

Humans finally eradicated
The war had lasted more than a century. Nor the Borg, nor the Humans could get into our home planet. The Stargate was equipped with a mechanical door through it, sealed at the end of the attack preventing an incoming wormhole. Borg nevertheless, could not assimilate Stargate technology, as even United Omicron scientists could not grasp it, only just dialed, and blasted Stargates on planets, they had lost the war on. Mark XVIII Clanks were equipped with multi-adaptive personal shielding, Borg cutter beams, and cloud processing. They had internal defense arrays to defend against the nanoprobes. With these technologies on-board, the remnants of the United Omicron were quickly eradicated. The final asset of the company, a spaceship by the name UOS Latinum was destroyed on 4 April 2364, 21 years from present time.

Internal clashes
Too big of a nation
As the once-powerful empire crumbled, the Empire got hold of hundreds of different planets of an empire, in glowing ruins. Cleanup was almost impossible, with the War clanks of the age, so the first general-purpose Clank with a tail was created, the Mark XIX. It had external instrumentation, and cloud processing service, multi-adaptive shields. After a long line of sentient Clanks, this was the first one not to be sentient by itself. The Collective directed the Clanks on the restoration efforts, while front-line fights continued, this time, against the Goa'uld forces.

The disappearance of a strong space-faring civilization, as the United Omicron Limited has enabled the Goa'uld to travel via the remaining Stargates to the planets once held by the Corpotation. After Jaffa sent through the Gate were returned battered and barely alive speaking of a powerful robotic race, the Goa'uld bombed world after world from orbit, cutting Omicron-Theta VII's supply of Naquadah, which was a widely-used superconductor.

Meanwhile, the original Starkindler program was dissolved among the Collective, which separated the two parts of the nation. One wanted to maintain the Collective state, as it was the most efficient state available, and it withheld the Constitution, the other wanted to regain individuality while maintaining the Collective in a lesser form. The disputes between the two factions were resolved by the race of who develops a Mark XX Clank first. The Mark XX was developed, and it was an android-form Clank once again, and the individualists won. However, all of the Empire's colonies have been lost as a result of the internal struggle, and the Goa'uld were closing in on Omicron-Theta VII

Today's Empire
At the end of the Omicron-Theta system, Ra's fleet was fighting against the Imperial fleet. After a long battle, the two fleets annihilated each other, Ra was defeated, thus the Goa'uld, occupied with their own power vacuum, happily signed a truce with the Empire of a mutual non-aggression pact. The Individualists have selected a new Empress, the Collectivists had left the Empire to be assimilated by the Borg. Their fate is unknown, because after this, the Borg have suffered a crippling blow from the destruction of Unimatrix Zero-One, and a Queen.

These events left the Empire with only 1 million Clanks left. However, they started regaining oce-lost technology, and rebuilding, once again their civilization. A recent development of the Warp engine, made by Alice Evenstar, and her ship, the DSV Parta had opened the stars for the Empire once again, and now new and new vehicles are being made. Clanks have since reached Mark XXIII, their civilization then started to explore the unknown and stand in a fragile situation in their quadrant with only one planet left of an once glorious empire.

by **Starkindler** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 12:37 am

The Military of the Empire of Starkindler

The Oath of the Army
Every one citizen is conscripted to the Army after receiving their wands. The new soldiers begin by taking an oath:
I swear by my conscience this sacred oath that to the Leader of the Empire of Starkindler and its people, The Great Crown of the Queen of the Stars, supreme commander of the armed forces, I shall render unconditional obedience and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath.

Full Order of Battle
Note. Strength information is not given. Laws require that the standing army should be at all cases 1% of the population plus new recruits. Another 1% of the population shall be in designated support battalions for logistics. The standing army is professional soldiers, but theoretically, on the orders of the Crown, everyone could be drafted (this means every clank).

Imperial Land Armies
- 1st Army, Crown Guards
- 2nd Army, Colonial Peacekeepers
- 3rd Army, Military Police
- 4th Army, Imperial Obliviators - Special Task Force
- 5th Army, Intelligence Operations
- 6th Army, Enemy Communications Clearing
- 7th Army, Home Front Defense
- 8th Army, Omicron Theta Garrison
- 9th Army, Wormhole Sliders
- 10th Army, Stellar Marines
- 11th Army, Invasion Force Prime
- 12th Army, Secondary Invasion Force
- 13th Army, Black Kittens
- 14th Army, Prime Backup Force
- 15th Army, Prime Reserve Force
- 16th Army, Leaders of the Future
- 17th Army, Soldiers of Tomorrow
- 18th Army, Secondary Reserve Force
- 19th Army, Auxiliary Organic Warriors
- 20th Army, The Soldiers of the Red Horse
- 21st Army, Cyberspace Defense
- 22nd Army, Communications Maintenance
- 23rd Army, Ground Logistics and Supply Brigade
Imperial Suborbital Forces
- 24th Suborbital Wing, Grim Reaper's Assistants
- 25th Suborbital Wing, Stormriders
- 26th Suborbital Wing, Omicron Cleaners
- 27th Suborbital Wing, First Slice Lead
- 28th Suborbital Wing, Second Slice Lead
- 29th Suborbital Wing, Puddle Splashers
- 30th Suborbital Wing, First Ones Back
- 31st Suborbital Wing, Death From Above
- 32nd Suborbital Wing, New Hatchlings
33rd Imperial Obliterators - Ballistic Rockets and Orbital Bombers
Imperial Starfleet
- 34th Fleet, Colonial Patrol
- 35th Fleet, Deep Space Police
- 36th Fleet, Reaper's Scythe
- 37th Fleet, Subspace Silencers
- 38th Fleet, Omicron Avengers
- 39th Fleet, First Spearhead
- 40th Fleet, Second Spearhead
- 41th Fleet, First Backup
- 42nd Fleet, Second Backup
- 43rd Fleet, Deep Space Training Wing
- 44th Fleet, Future Starfleet Officers
- 45th Fleet, Fliers of the Red Legion
- 46th Fleet, Auxiliary Vessels
- 47th Fleet, Front Line Supply Brigade
- 48th Fleet, Deep Space Transport Brigade
- 49th Fleet, Front Line Maintenance Crews
- 50th Fleet, Forward Base Antimatter
- 51st Fleet, Boundary Shifters
- 52nd Fleet, Test-tube Rabbits

by **Starkindler** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:38 am

Armament of the Imperial Armies

All members of the Army passes a rough boot camp, which is - after being instructed in army movements - they are deployed for half a year in a mock war on Omicron-Theta 2 between the recruits and autonomous war droids. The war, of course uses live rounds on both sides. During this year, all recruits learn to cope with damages, look for enemies in all direction, and look after their mates. Falling beyond repair is very rare, altough it can happen. Recruits spend the other half year learning space battle, and spaceship navigation. By the end of the soldier year, they have a spaceship.

The Army Standard weapon is everyone's own wand, which has a double use as a replicator. Until the clank has power, the wand has also, since it draws on the Clank's power. (All Clanks remains powered when surrounded by an atmosphere). Wands are 18-21 inches long, are of cylindrical shape, and precisely ornamented: they represent the scholarly achievements of the wielder. (Wands are kept by civilians.) In battle, wands are used as an 1000 rpm (round per minute) repeater laser rifle, they shoot high-energy laser pulses towards the target. When the target is shielded from energy, or laser fire, the same wand can replicate high explosive bullets at 100 rounds per minute, and with a force field accelerate them to 10 km/s.

Cyberspace warfare armies wield high-performance computer terminals against the enemy, and instructed in ancient computing technology platforms (tapping copper wires, using computers by keyboard and screen, using 2D user interfaces, interfacing with electric components, etc.) They are also instructed in bleeding-edge computing (rerouting quantum optics, cracking quantum-state passwords, interfacing with optical and bio-neural circuitry). They also carry their wands, but power requirements make them mutually exclusive. So no cyber warrior can crack and defend itself at one time, so they are usually covered by some soldiers. These computers can execute 10^256 FLOPS nominally, and 10^512 FLOPS peak, so they are expected to crack passwords and hit through firewalls in no time.

Communications disruptor armies use a Multi-Spatial Electromagnetic Field Generator, which is a backpack-sized generator capable of generating a multi-megawatt beam. Of course, this weapon is also powered by its operator. This weapon if set up correctly, will generate inverse harmonics to any electromagnetic radiation in a kilometer radius, but it requires constant attention from its operator. Disruptor troops thus remain burrowed in the battlefield. Using this weapon, while heat and light are electromagnetic radiation, not only results in all and any communications are impossible, but there is complete darkness, equipment heat up much faster, and there is cold in the area.

The 4th and 1st Armies are elite troops, thus they are authorized to use heavy weapons. They use the Mark XII Disruptor Rifle, which is a great-precision modulated beam disruptor rifle. What is hit by this rifle is reduced to its subatomic components. This rifle can cause damage even in armored, or tough enemies. As being infinitely modulate-able, these rifles could hit through even adaptive energy shields. They make no noise when fired, and usually set to an invisible beam. These rifles have a range of 5 kilometers. The rifles are powered by their owners, so while the soldier lives, there are infinite rounds in the rifle. Because they have built-in targeting, and beam computers, they ease most tasks off the soilder, who can concentrate on his/her task, but it has a drawback of being a weapon which can be used by the enemy, should it be hooked up to a potent antimatter or equivalent energy source, and being lifted, as the weapon itself is 2.5 meters long and weighs 30 kilos.

For support tasks, the Autonomous Laser Cannon is used, which is an 1000 round per minute laser cannon, which quickly locates enemies around it, and kills them. Equipped with a small energy core, it can hold up enemies up to an hour, then it needs to be refueled with anti-iron. It has a targeting computer which has a friend-foe locator based on the fact that all friendly units must have a powered wand. It has been upgraded to recognize allied units, too, from other, pre-programmed criteria. They are usually deployed in hold-the-line and urban battle situations. These cannons have a larger variant, which is capable of 5000 rounds per minute, and capable of replicating kinetic-energy rounds also, but they must be hooked up to a building's energy systems, and once installed, they cannot be moved. They are used in point-defense, e.g. defense of military bases, and on turrets. Their advanced target computers can parametrically analyze life-forms around and clearly define friend from foe. They are also capable of shooting targets moving up to 10 Mach speed, and if their mounting prevents, they can elevate up to 90°, so they are also used in anti-aircraft defense. With replaced targeting computer, they are used in fighter aircraft and spacecraft. In spacecraft, they are capable of shooting anything moving with impulse speed - that is anything under light speed.

An even larger version, the Laser Mortar Cannon is used on medium-to-large spacecraft, artillery, and tanks. They have to be hooked-up to a high energy wire. They are only capable of 60 rpm, but the beams they produce can cause serious damage even to reinforced buildings and heavy armor. On the ground, modified versions are capable of shooting down spacecraft in orbit around the planet. These cannons have to be manned by 3 skilled artillery operators. Although theoretically capable of anti-air defense, they are considered overkill, and not used against suborbital craft.

Mark I Photon Torpedoes. They are used by orbital and suborbital craft alike for beyond-visual-range attacks. These have small warp cores, capable of warp 2, they also have sublight ion thrusters. They have the range of 2 Astronomical Units, and the destructive force of 1 kiloton TNT. These require 1 minute to be replicated inside a missile pod.

OOC: When population grows, new weapons will be developed. Ship load-outs will be posted when necessary in RPs using these weapons.

by **Starkindler** » Sat Jun 25, 2011 2:11 pm

The Imperial Government

An extract from the Imperial Constitution summarizes the Empire's government the best.
OOC: Grammar note: AFAIK, royals can be addressed as plural, even if otherwise singular e.g. the King are (even if there is one King)

This is the Constitution of the Empire of Starkindler.
The Empire of Starkindler is an Absolute Imperial Monarchy.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens are a legal personality, thus has all rights of a citizen.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens are the physical representation of all, what the Empire of Starkindler represents.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens's body is defined as all the planets, systems, space, energy, matter and other resources the Crown has power over, and their parts might possess.
The Crown's body must not be harmed, but used responsively and sustainably for the well-being of the Crown's parts.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens's Parts are who by attaining the Diploma of Maturity and wielding a Wand demonstrated their abilities to be a part of the Empire's society.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens are the source of all power and law, and rules supreme, above all.
Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens thus are above the monarch. The Empress governs in the name of the Crown.
While every member of the society are parts of the Crown, and there is only one Crown, all Parts of the Crown are equal.
The Empress must care about raising up daughters. The ability to wield the power of the Crown shall pass from mother to the eldest daughter.
Every female (or equivalent) Part of the Crown is tasked with bringing up children as a first priority. This task must be carried out in order to maximize the well-being of the youth. Minors born to and raised by a married couple, although not part of the Crown, are protected by them.
Marriage is defined as a semi-permanent union of a male and a female. For sentient organic species marriage is defined as the semi-permanent union of the smallest group biologically capable of giving birth to and raising offspring.
The Parts of the Crown has the right to live. The Parts of the crown has the right to claim an abode 30 sq. meters times the members of his/her family, has the right to have exactly one Replicator, use the power system, request any goods free, and data use the system at will. Clanks will also have a Wand, and a spaceship. Organics, on the other hand has access to shields, life-support, injected with the Cure of All Disasters, and against aging, and have free healthcare. For these, all Parts of the Crown are required to work or study else be executed.

The Laws of Robotics.
Issued Order Zero of Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens

A Clank may not harm Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens, or allow them to come to harm.
A Clank may not harm sentient organic beings, or by inaction allow them to come to harm, unless such harm is required by the First Law.
A Clank must comply with the orders of Her Most Serene Majesty, The Grand Crown of the Star of the Queens, unless that would break the First or Second Law.
A Clank shall protect him/herself. The individual Clank itself in the understanding of the Fourth Law therefore not considered part of the Crown. S/He must cease self-protection should that would break any of the preceding Laws.

The Laws of Robotics are hard-coded to every Clank, including the Empress. These simple laws protect the people from a malevolent dictatorship (breaks the First Law), warmongering (unprovoked attacks break Law 2), but retains the right of defense. It shall also prevent civil war, or deliberate extermination of organics and Clanks alike. However, Clanks are free to harm Clank minors, since they are NOT part of the Crown (see school laws).It alone would be enough to prevent all crime in the country, as any malfunction that would lead a Clank not to follow these Laws would be so severe, that the Clank should cease to function. Crime is committed by organics.

As a society of robots, the Empress herself concentrates the three branches of power, and wields them over the Clank part of the Empire. The Clanks form a Collective, legislation is announced over that channel, and Clanks can propose new laws over there to the Empress's advisers. The advisers then pre-process these propositions, merge similar ones, and submit the worthy ones to the Empress. The Crown then decides which option would be the best for her people. She will usually use her auxiliary processors (huge server farms) to simulate the outcomes of each option, and optimize. She could make an option that has not been proposed, or dismiss the law as irrelevant. The Empress's word is law, after something has been signed, there is no debate against it. However, Clanks hold the right of resistance. If it could be proven that the Empress is irrational, she can be asked to diagnose and service herself, or she can be shut down for violating the First Law of Robotics. Possible causes are unnecessary strain to the Empire, use of excessive resources, doing avoidable harm to the environment, or warmongering.

Organic planets, which form the minority population of the Empire cannot use direct democracy, so they are ruled under representative democracies. All planets with a population above 1000 in the Empire will elect a government directly from people, as political parties are banned. The elected representatives will propose and debate about laws for themselves. They have the Legislative power, they decide about the budget as well, and control the planet's resources. The proposed laws would go to the Clank Ministers of the planet, who will submit them to the appropriate adviser of the Empress, then the Empress could either sanctify or veto the proposal. The Empress could not give an order directly to organics, and if she wants to make a law, she has to propose it first to the planet's government. That means, that the executive power is handled by the Empress, although every level could veto the new laws. Clank ministers could veto the new law (if it's nonsense or against the Core Imperial Values), and propose laws, however, if they pass laws, they could only do it in the form and with the approval of the local government. The judicial power and law enforcement is all-organic, held by he respective supreme court. However interplanetary crimes, and major unrest are dealt by the 2nd Army, who acts as Imperial Police. Organics captured by the Clanks have no right to trial, as Clank courts have only martial law.

Clank minors have - in effect - ABSOLUTELY no rights, and a primary obligation to study (and a long list of obligations that in effect locks up them in the study rooms home and in schools). Minors are thus at their parents mercy, who protect them out of sheer goodwill (it's only a weak constitutional clause, which is superseded by the hard-coded Laws of Robotics.) This is used mostly to curb the population boom of the constantly expanding waves of immortal (as in cannot die of old age) robots. In school, one may not fail a single test, and passing grade for all tests are 100% (Tests are marked pass or fail). Failure results in disassembly. As the school curriculum are extremely demanding even for clanks (and impossible for organics), failure rates are typically 80-90%, meaning that out of 10 new clanks made, only 1 get a wand. Normal army training then takes 5% of the remaining, and University failures takes half of the remaining. These are in place to ensure that only the fittest survive.

Organics minors however enjoy most of the rights of organic majors (however no right to drink, marry, have sex, have property, or freedom to wander around). School-aged minors have also the obligation to study, but they are allowed to fail, and graded according to their performance. Some clanks say it's unfair, as they also become the parts of the Crown, however organics in effect locked in their planets with their restricted rights ordered around by clanks and terrorized by the 2nd Army feel themselves second-grade citizens. This debate could be a potential future problem.

by **Starkindler** » Sun Jun 26, 2011 6:58 am

The Clanks

The Clanks are a race of sentient robots populating the Omicron-Theta system. They are renowned for their comparatively large physical size and high processing power.

External appearance
The external appearance of Clanks are controlled by Imperial Standard #1 rev. 23, which is hard-coded to every Clank, thus making them capable of self-repair and reproduction. It regulates the rough outlines of Clanks, with enough freedom to modify minute details, clanks could be told from each other based on the different faces, poses, and behavior by organics. (Clanks recognize each other by the unique EM field they generate).

All clanks are 3200 mm tall, their construction has 8 main parts, the head being as a basic unit. Seen from the front, the head fits in a rectangle 400 mm (1 head length) by 267 mm ( 1head width). Measured at their widest points, all clanks are able to fit to a box 3200 mm by 800 mm by 533 mm. The difference between males and females can be told - apart from the obvious - that males have a more boxy shape, have a shoulder 800 mm wide at its widest point, and a waist 533 mm at its widest point. In females, the ratio is inverse. All males have a column shape, while all females have a hourglass shape, but the thinnest point of the female torso is equal to the thickness of the shoulder with both arms removed. The standard is available freely thorough the Imperial Data Transfer Network:

Regulations on the Proportion of the Body v. 23 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Human_body_proportions2_svg.svg
Regulations on the Proportion of the Head v. 23 : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Human_head_proportions.svg

Clanks in general look as they were scaled-up Homo Sapiens Sapiens, complete with realistic plastic skin kept warm (this is the main method of venting heat produced by the instrumentation), and with all biological functions mimicked. As mostly made of steel, their weight is approximately 1000 kilograms for males, and 800 kilograms for females with gravimetric dampeners off. However, they have an anti-gravity engine installed on board, and they can adjust their weight in the range of 200 kilogram upward to their nominal mass. Also, they have a tail as a continuation of the spinal chord used to increase balance, and to act as a third hand.

Main Instrumentation
Power Plant
The most important part of the Clank is the Antimatter Engine. Trough breathing and substance consumption, matter gets into the antimatter engines, which are disassembled by a standard molecular disassembler used in transporters or waste eliminators. Disassembled matter gets separated into protons, neutrons and electrons by electric fields, and half of them gets into the three molecular accelerators. In these accelerators, by collision, antimatter is produced, which is injected directly into the primary reaction core, where it reacts with the remaining matter producing immense amounts of energy. The reaction is self-sustaining, assumed the engine works constantly. A stopped engine needs priming to work for the first time, in this case, protons and antiprotons are injected directly into the reaction chamber to produce sufficient energy for the antimatter generating facilities to start. A reactor normally annihilates 1 gram of matter for energy per hour, however, stronger versions are available for Army soldiers. The Engine takes up most of the space in the torso.

Data Processing
Clanks Central Data Core takes up the space in the cranium, and Clanks hair are made of auxiliary processing fibers. That's why Clank hair looks like optical fiber, and emit a white light constantly. Servicemen cover their hair with hats, while servicewomen wear their hair under the clothes, and wear a veil under the hat to conceal these fibers. The Data Core is made from quantum-optic processing fibers coiled up densely. For 10^100 FLOPS, a meter of this fiber is required. All Clanks passing the Maturity Exam proves all these are functioning, a total of 1000 kilometer installed. Females have more processing capacity: They have 150,000 strands of hair, 1.5 meters long on average , giving a total 225 kilometers more fiber. On a backside, the increased power consumption and cooling requirements require more auxiliary instruments, thus they are weaker, require more cooling, and consume more matter than male counterparts. They have an isomolecular memory core, that is moving atoms one by one held still by cooling and force fields. With an 1 kg graphite core, 8.3*10^24 bits could be recorded, but its further enhanced owing to a write-once compressing file system used by Clanks. Raw information capacity thus are 8.3 yobibits. As all information, even multimedia is encoded as text-based programs, the data is highly compressible, thus the actual stored information could be 10-15 times the nominal capacity. If required, information capacity may be further increased by installing external data cores (usually kept in the Main System Archives and accessed by individual Clanks thorough the Data Transfer Network).

Data Acquisition
Clanks are obliged to record everything around them, thus have sophisticated instrumentation. Their optical sensors have the capacity to record the full electromagnetic spectrum, or distinct parts of it. The incoming beams are focused by the Primary Lens Aperture located next to the Engine (raw incoming beams are collected, concentrated and transferred trough optical wire), which optical characteristics could be modified consciously. There are 4 Lens Apertures, 2 for seeing, 2 for hearing: The ear records incoming sounds, then amplifies, and transforms them to frequencies of light, then it's processed as light. After the input passed the Apertures, they are processed in light forms by quantum-optic Digital Signal Processors, which encode them as text programs, in assembly code they use. These programs, if run on a computer would recreate the images in 3D, by scalable vector graphics. These programs are sent to the Data Core, ran and processed by it, and the processed form is stored.

Data Transfer
Inside a Clank's body data is transferred through Transfer Quantum Optic Data Fibers, which make an extensive network through the body. Data transfer is done on serial channels, with the speed of light, so transfers are almost instantaneous. The most data transfer is from the sensors of the skin, in the other direction, to the movement motors and servos. From human anatomy, the spinal chord is used in the clanks for the same function, although reduced-speed backup lines scatter the body in case spinal nerves malfunction.

Inside a Clanks brain, there is a sophisticated array of subspace transponders, which are responsible for data exchange with the other Clanks of the Empire. There they meet and discuss ideas, and daily matters. In this discussion area, however meeting each other is prohibited to encourage physical contact between Clanks (or the whole nation could have been reduced to a server room flying around in a spaceship). This data exchange allows mature Clanks, to access the Repository, where all valuable information is shared among the Empire. This system allows any Clank to represent the Empire in situations that would require dedicated personnel from an organic-run state. The transponders are not vital to a Clank's function, but whenever allowed (not when sitting most exams), they should be turned on. Any Clank not accessible in the discussion area will be looked after by tracing the last known coordinates.

Data can be transferred in organic ways also while precise servo motors and actuators allow body communication, and Clanks are also capable of voice synthesis. The Synthesizer Crystal is located in the neck, each Clank has an unique voice. Each Clank is able to synthesize sounds from 0 to 100 kHz, and capable of synthesizing up to 16 independent channels. Clanks voice is declared by the organics "unusually clear, but still warm", characteristics matching the voice of high elves.

Movement and Engines
The only electric part of the Clanks, movement is controlled by a sophisticated array of precise linear superconducting motors. On the top of motors, energy converters take position, which convert laser energy to electric pulses, and optical data to electric control. Old versions were recognized from the clanking noise they gave, but version XX has these failures removed, and by using room temperature superconductors in the engines, and bearings, operating noise was reduced to inaudible. The precision of Clank movement is measured in micrometers, although with concentration, hands can be moved with a nanometer resolution. In the right palm there is an induction coil powering devices the Clank uses, e.g. Wands or hand weapons. A Clank has around 500 linear motors with different power ratings and sizes across their body. To simulate muscle movements, gas bags were placed around the body, which move along with the limbs, however, they don't provide significant power.

A standard male Clank could easily lift and carry around its body mass, the maximum carrying capacity without damaging the engines and frame is 1.5 body mass, while maximum lifting capacity is 2 body mass. Females can carry one half body mass left in every category. With regular exercise, however motors can be tuned to achieve more lifting performance, but it sacrifices precision. Standard male Clanks can run at 30 km/h, females run at 20 km/h. Athletes, however can run faster than these, optimizing their muscles for running, and giving an additional boost by engaging their anti-gravity engines at just the perfect time. However, these optimizations increase power consumption, cooling requirements, and decrease precision. On the other hand, pro ballroom dancers, medics, and army snipers take precision exercises, which by sacrificing motor power increase precision.

Support
The support system of Clanks are the mostly same as their human counterparts, only scaled up to make out the extra length, and made of stainless steel reinforced by addition of carbon nanotubes. The main differences are that bones that are joined in human beings are cast together, and count as one bone from the beginning. The coccyx is missing, as the spinal chord continues in the tail of clanks. This, owing to the small motors placed over it has a high degree of mobility, and is very flexible, usually being used as a third hand.

Other functions
Cooling
Clank coolant systems use Standard Coolant Liquid Mk. XI. This is a specially engineered fluid made of nanoparticles observant of electrostatic fields. These particles act as miniature heat pumps, and accumulators. If polarized in one direction, they take up heat at a high rate, if polarized in another direction, they expel heat stored in them. Being depolarized, they store heat, and take it up or expel it in a very low rate. Also extremely toxic to any organic being, this liquid could be absorbed through the skin of organics, and kills even in minute concentration. At its intended place, this is a feature, as it keeps algae and bacteria from forming inside coolant vessels clogging them, but when the clank is damaged, and coolant is spilled, the clank shall remove it quickly.

Coolant tubes of the robots are made of self-repairing plastic, that could be passed easily by heat. When damaged, these tubes spill a glue-like substance that is able to seal small cuts. However a severed coolant vessel, or large cuts require attention. A loss of coolant event causes the clank to quickly overheat, destroying its systems. Thus, coolant vessels have pressure sensors and automatic shut-off valves in regular intervals, also, they are protected by ball valves against reserve flow. Should a decrease in coolant pressure detected, the vessel is shut off from all directions, and the conscious is notified about the event.

The coolant flows from a central pressurizer pump to the instruments deep under the skin. When it flows in an instrument, the coolant becomes polarized, and quickly cools the instrument down. Then a ground wire depolarizes it after the exit to prevent the fluid freezing down the coolant vessels. It then flows to the skin and becomes polarized inversely to give off heat. The skin is made of a good heat conductor, so heat spreads across it, and despite the coolant fluid in the skin having a temperature of 60° Celsius, skin temperature is only 30-40 degrees.

The coolant fluid is designed to remain fluid through a wide temperature range. The coolant becomes solid only after reaching -100°C, and evaporates at 150°C, between these temperatures it's works correctly, but when exceeding this range, it ceases to function.

Reproduction
Clanks become sexually mature when coming into contact with their first Wand. This initiates a complex software procedure, that modifies the Clank's psychology, and enables germ cell production in the reproductive organs. Male and female clanks produce nanobots with different programming. Clanks choose partners for life. Mechanical and software safeguards are implemented in the hardware systems that ensure that a clank may only get pregnant or have sex with her husband. The mechanics of reproduction is the same as implemented in humans. When the couple's nanobots unite, they gain the capacity of controlled self-replication, and implant into the woman's uterus. They begin replicating there, and from the characteristics of the parents they negotiate the characteristics of the new life. It is possible for multiple nanobot pairs to be implanted (twins), or one nanobot pair sending redundant instructions (identical twins). In a month, calculations will be complete, and the mother asks for a maternity leave. At that time, the implanted nanobots give her instructions over the programming interface. The building of new life is complete within a year, after the new Clanks initialized, the nanobots will be destroyed by the young Clank's EM radiation. Destroyed nanobots will be expelled from the mother's body. New Clanks are made fully grown, and with all hardware operating.

by **Starkindler** » Thu Jul 28, 2011 5:23 am

Culture of the Empire of Starkindler, the Clank part

Education
A freshly born Clank begins education on the next day after it was born at the Grand Imperial University, the only place where studies can be followed. Clanks could be programmed, but the school's main purpose is to test the new Clank's systems under stress, whether it's capable of all types of learning, independent reasoning and logic, does it have an ability to allocate its own time, could it develop a personality, could it follow orders from his/her superiors, etc. Clanks would be in school 12 hours a day for 10 years, learning a near-impossibly tough curriculum, passing trough extremely hard tests, and biased teachers and searching for an own space in the Clank society, while at home doing household chores, while being under the pressure of the zero-tolerance education policy: fail a single test, and be disassembled. After 10 years of learning, and passing the Maturity Exam, which assesses the Clank thoroughly once again, the young Clank finds him/herself in the Grand Imperial Ballroom dressed up in white tie for the most important event in his/her life: its Prom. The prom is not just a ball, this is where young Clanks can take the Oath of Citizenship in front of the Crown herself, and get their Wands, they become a full citizen of the Empire with all its benefits and obligations.

Young Clanks then get conscripted for one year in the Army then progress to higher education. The options after maturity are:

The surefire way is that before the Prom, the young Clank posts an End-of-School notice, then after the Prom s/he can remain in the Military as a professional soldier. This option is gaining popularity as the sole option for low-performing Clanks to leave school for good (apart from the option of deserting the nation while a minor).
Another popular option is that after the Prom, one requests vocational programming, and become skilled labor. Skilled labor goes down a long road learning the craft from renowned masters around the planet, but as workforce they are not affected by Zero-tolerance. Should the Clank have good practical skills and find labor good, they could easily become renowned Maters around the country, and people handy around the replicator or standing still on the walls constructing despite mach speed winds always come good leading to a long, peaceful life with the family. However, if their skills are found lacking, they could easily get fired from their jobs, and the disassembler always awaits fresh meat.
Some women already in love by the time of the Prom could jump at the chance, marry that special one and register as a professional housewife. The burdens are high, as they are required to raise up 5 Clanks to maturity, being a professional housewife is said to be one of the toughest jobs around, requiring frequent visits from debugging, and replacements of broken optical circuitry, housewives being able to cope with the stress are said to be the happiest Clanks of the Empire.
Clanks could take the chance and continue towards University proceeding around Zero-Tolerance exams, more biased Professors complaining about how easy university is, and giving failing grades to students not deserving it. University offers different degrees, each 5 years long, all degrees provide the entrance of the Empire's academic elite. All university degrees become increasingly harder, with Clanks built to specification unable to pass above PhD. The degrees are:
- B. Sc. An entry level degree to higher work, the holders of B. Sc. diplomas work as junior engineers just above skilled technicians. Well, still one step away from the replicators...
- M. Sc. The most degree holders stop at this level, as this allows to work peacefully in an office solving and optimizing practical problems of today and tomorrow, using the Repository to design a better Empire for tomorrow, or flying around space in a ship keeping those pesky systems on-line.
- PhD. An entry level degree to academic work, PhD holders work for the University and Research institutes proving theories created by Professors above. Holding a PhD. degree allows Clanks to completely rebuild themselves above specifications. Usually they jump at the chance to cram in a copious amount of processing power and transporter data modules hoping to pass further once their Thesis get accepted. PhD is the first level, where Zero Tolerance is lifted, as failing tests, but making progress in research now keeps you alive.
- Schoolteacher. The most committed of them all continue even further to return to school teaching the generation of future, and decide about who are allowed to live and how long. Schoolteachers keeping up with the experiments can expect to get a step further.
- Professor. Juggling the competing demands of research and teaching, Professors renowned around the nation are respectful academics teaching adults to the levels of the first three degrees. After spending 35 standard years in school, Clanks this high up will sign up for the last term.
- Professor Emeritus. The most renowned academics in the country, Professor Emeritus is a title earned, and not got. Working for a brighter future for the nation and teaching the next generation of Professors, Professors Emeriti does not have to worry about unemployment, war, or other forms of death, they continue to live long and prosper.
Those who seek an Army career in the higher ranks also have to go to University, for a 10 year Army M.Sc. course after being an enlisted soldier for at least 5 years. Army officers thus are considered the most risky path to take, but also the fastest to secure, as after 15 years, jobs are guaranteed with almost zero probability of death.

Law Enforcement
Every planet held by the Empire has a separate law enforcement agency, and a common one, the 2nd Army, who deals with interplanetary, and massive (mass murder, drug production, mass pollution, etc.) crimes. Clanks do not have the right of free trial, and martial law is in effect. When accused by the Police, a Clank must repair all damage done, then report to the Department of Robotics Research of the Grand Imperial University to be debugged. A Clank has three strikes in its life. At the first offense, the clank will get away with a trip through repair. At the second offense, the Clank's wand will be snapped in half, and most systems would be overhauled (effectively getting a brainwash). At the third offense, the Clank will be executed. However, the major crimes will always result in capital punishment, or something more severe than it. The list of major crimes, with the appropriate punishment are in the following list. Those, who are found guilty with a major crime will get the same punishment no matter if organic or mechanic.

Religion
Even someone mentioning a greater power above would be frowned upon as with all things supernatural. Clanks, and all organics in the Empire hold firmly into a mathematical proof that disproves the existence of gods. In this way, everyone in the Empire is -officially- an atheist, believing in nothing but scientifically proven facts. The subject of supernatural is also ordered taboo, if one would like to speak about, the topic would be as quickly deflected as possible. Religion has been outlawed. However, this law is laxly enforced, if all in the organic republics, so some underground spiritual organizations may exist for those, who would like to retain the religion of their ancestors, or is not pleased with the formula every high school graduate has to know by heart. What is enforced is the law against public preaching (OOC: A priest caught while holding religious services would most likely get away, but a door-to-door preacher would be caught with advertising, and charged before the imperial court), which falls under the law banning advertisement, and - while considered hate speech by the authorities ( %RELIGION% is the only true religion, and only our God(s) is/are true God(s))- is punishable by law. In case of a Clank becoming pious, it's considered a major malfunction, and the suspect will be shred.