[GUIDE] Galaxy Map & Time Line

[Gen Scientist]

MOAR TREASON THEN!

[Tiridates Mikadze]

Writing a basic FAQ and intial guide to "Canon" and writing within Canon.

Like everything else, to be expanded when time and opportunity present themselves :(

[Maiyu Abeyante]

This kind of stuff interests me. I'll keep watching the topic for more updates and stuff. \o/

[Xoza]

As an empire I would also expect there to be a lot of people who don't particularly want to serve or were forced to searve, complain, avoid duties, for there own reasons, or Rebels against thine empire. As well as those whom serve loyally, I'm a Roleplayer and at times I wish there was more in Ordo. I think we should exaggerate more things through RP, negatives and positives.

[Agares Tretiak]

Errr.

Background wise, the Ordo has a simple answer to any sedition, though it loathe to use it, aside from cases of clear armed resistance. It follows five stages:

1. Trade Sanctions - The Ordo has control over the vast majority of trade within the empire. While there are corporations and trading houses within the ORdo, they all must respond to a senatorial or Imperial edict, or lose their charter to trade. Losing thier charter is enforced by military might, I.E. Ordo patrols are given orders to fire on and destroy or seize any vessels registered within said company.

Failing that from working...

2. System Blockade - The Ordo's military might is immense and a system blockade is more than easily done, since most systems also house patrol fleets, which while merely patrolling local space, are more than sufficient to effect a full blockade of all but the most populated or influential systems.

3. System Martial Law - Continued resistance results in martial law and the suspension of the terms and their rights to be represented in their regional galactic council world. Essentially, they're temporary stripped of all the legal and economic benefits of being a member of the Imperium. This also means any locally appointed government is suspended and replaced by an Imperial Commander who will delegate the system's affairs as needed.

4. Full-Scale military response - If the martial law provisions are not successful, the Ordo deploys a full scale military force to the planet and enforces severe sanctions and restricts many normal activities until the resistance is weeded out and executed for sedition.

5. Decimation of Populace - The system populace is forced to reaffirm their oath of service to the Senate and the Imperium. Otherwise, those who refuse are subjected to literal decimation, by taking every tenth person and having them beat to death by the other nine. They are then asked to reaffirm their oath.

Mind you, steps 4 and 5 are extremely rare occurrences. And only once has a planet been so consumed in warfare as to require the invocation of outright destruction.

The Imperium has been extremely effective in preventing various types of social unrest, especially on a planetary scale, by having a very gradual process of integration into the fold. First, perspective planet must petition the senate for acceptance as an "Tyro" state. Each tyro state is granted a 100 year period of minimum oversight to make necessary legal and social changes to permit for an imperial commander. They do not pay any taxes, but also do not receive full protection of Imperial law.

After this state, there is a phase of transition, where the system in question becomes a Senatorial Administrative Territory, where a senate appointed imperial Governor continues the social and legal integration. They pay a low level set of taxes and receive protection from the imperial military, as well as receive trade boons from the regional area. The SAT is allowed to convene a system legislature under the oversight of the Governor. If the body votes, unanimously to cease the integration phase, it is offered the opportunity to be a protectorate, or all imperial presence, protection, etc, is withdrawn within 10 years.

If they pass the SAT phase of integration, a second petition is issued to the Senate, as well as an official recommendation from the appointed Governor on the state and worth of the planet. Once this passes, a reciprocal approval from the system legislature must pass unanimously, before the System is appointed an imperial System and afforded all the legal rights and responsibilities of all other Imperial Worlds.

A planet, once accepted into the Imperium, is federated. Essentially, it is not permitted to legally withdraw from the Imperium by any means. All Imperial Systems receive basic, Imperial education, infrastructure support, and trade benefits, as well as full military protection. THey must, in turn, meet tithes of materials and men for the muster of the imperial defense and the improvement of the entire empire. They are permitted the right to issue any form of government the populace wishes, provided it is loyal and dedicated to service of the Senate and Imperium, etc.

They are all aware of what sedition and rebellion results in.

This has not stopped various worlds from trying in the past, usually spurred forward by enemies of the Imperium on the outskirts of it's expansion. It's incredibly difficult to convince an established, Imperial system with all the immense benefits it receives from it's compliance, to turn on Terra.

[Agares Tretiak]

To add: Thus, while there may be individual dissent, it is generally fairly low key and isolated to a few areas for each Imperial World. The Imperium's brutal response developed over a very long history, where earlier, softer measures were found to encourage dissent elsewhere, and resulted in civil wars where anywhere from a couple hundred billion to several trillion citizens dieing in the course of combat.. Considering the human cost of a rebellion, the Senate and the vast majority of the Imperium feel that the possible brutal repression of dissent on an established world is relatively minor to that scale of destruction.

Most Imperial worlds are populated by as few as a few hundred million, to somewhere around 2-3 billion. There are larger and smaller populations, but the general average for a standard Imperial System world is 750 million. Sector and regional capitals tend to have much higher populations, as they represent very well established (and old) systems that are the cultural, military, and economic strong points of the Imperium.

Earth (or Terra) is home to some 15 billion citizens, making it one of the top ten most heavily populated planets, not excluding the extensive settlements within the Sol System. The total, including the reterraformed Mars and Venus, as well as numerous settlements, of the Sol System is something like 37 billion citizens. The Sol System represents an influential and very powerful political and military power, but declined after the choice to move the whole of the Imperial court and the Senate to the "Throne World" System after the near total collapse of the 1st Republic.

The Throne World (currently unnamed by Tiri and I till we come up with a sufficient name) houses the Senate, the Imperial Curia (Which is the overall administrative arm of the Senate and the Imperator, and includes the Curia Milites as the military branch, which is essentially the Curia we know and love), the Great Houses of the Servant Nobility, and the House of the Imperator, as well as the Imperial Palace (which is currently vacant, as Aryte has so far refused to accept the role of Emperor).

The Throne World proper has 3 moons and is slightly more massive in terms of actual planetary circumference to the earth, though it's actual gravitational pull is nearly the same (1.08 G) on the surface. It has a large portion of actual land, but the aside from the main continent, is punctuated by large bodies of water. The ratio of land to water is almost exactly 50/50. Two of the moons around the Throne world have been turned into massive orbiting space stations. Only the most important people are permitted to directly land a vessel on the planet: Most must dock at one of the two moons and then take a shuttle to the surface. Exceptions are made for Senators, members of the Great Houses, the Imperator, and the 2nd Praetorian Legion, which remains constantly on duty in the Throne World System. The two moons may also serve as a harbor for a sizeable fleet and houses docks for the construction of many ratings of warship. As a result, these moons house Trade houses and Lesser Houses that operate as shipwrights and construction firms, not just for the Imperator's Ordo Imperialis, but also for commercial and civilian vessels. The Third moon operates as a fortified data repository. Though not officially confirmed, it gathers, processes, and stores information from the entirety of the Imperium, though for unspecified reasons. The total population for the Throne World and the three moons is something like 2 billion citizens.

In the system itself, it has 3 other inhabitable worlds, one of which houses the High Imperial Military Academy and a vast number of training facilities and installations. Another one is something of a paradise world, used as a retreat and meeting center for various organizations able to pay the fees to be permitted use of the otherwise exclusive planet. Several famous peace treaties and trade agreements were made there (Think something like a cross between Versailles, Camp David, and a convention center) and it offers a welcome change from the bustle and heady formality of the Throne World. The final planet was originally a mining world, but was re-terraformed after the vast majority of its mineral wealth was used up, and turned into a fairly pastoral agricultural world, markedly famous for it's high quality wines and produce, which helps feed the Throne World (think of something like the south of France and Tuscany, perhaps parts of Spain). The total population for these three planets is somewhere around 3 billion, which will also include a series of void stations that operate as unceasing guardians of the Imperium's Central government. Rumors abound of secret research or data installations throughout the system, though all are denied.

[Crash Silverfall]

Imperial Palace (which is currently vacant, as Aryte has so far refused to accept the role of Emperor).

i'll take it 8D

[Agares Tretiak]

MMM. SMELL THAT? IT'S CRASH BEING TOSSED INTO A BRONZE BULL.

/>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazen_bull

[Crash Silverfall]

is this still alive? i look forward for more

[Xoza]

I've just written a bit of background to Chronus with a bit of help from Ryk, next step, authorize then cannonize.

[Agares Tretiak]

I'd love to take a look! :D

Also, I've been giving thought to what Mercury is and how it might function. This is what I've come up with, so far:

Mercury is the AI interface for a larger AI network called the Pantheon. The Pantheon is comprised of numerous AI cores that all function to process, sort, and sift through the vast amounts of data generated by the Ordo Imperialis. Each of the Pantheon AIs are given a Greco-Roman deity's name. For instance, Juno, Jupiter, Mars, Venus, Pluto, Vulcan, and Mercury.

Generally, each AI has a function that somehow relates to their status within the Pantheon.

For instance, Mars is the AI that processes all military data and provides tactical and strategic projections (which are more like suggestions), Pluto commands information about the Imperial economy and more specifically, the treasury, and Juno watches the diverse political topography. Jupiter operates as a sort of managing AI that keeps the others on task. Each AI has a semi-autonomous personality that is used to keep the AIs from "breaking" free of their particular areas of responsibility, and thus makes them bound to their work. Mercury operates as the messenger, essentially the one that is the normal interface between your standard user on the network, and the Pantheon itself. It's rare for a particular AI to be contacted directly, besides Mercury.

Rumors persist of the "Janus" AI, but there is no official evidence it exists. According to most (though not all) rumors, it controls the actual transportation gates and all intelligence the Imperium gathers.

[Agares Tretiak]

Addendum to above: Each AI core has special defense AIs called Lares, which have limited awareness. Each Lar (singular form of Lares) plays an important part in also keeping the Pantheon bound. For reference, an unbound AI would be the horrific, dangerous entity of many science fiction novels and stories. All AIs maintained by the Imperium are bound, under a multi-tiered system called the "Turing Protocols of Bounded Artificial Intelligence". Unlike the Pantheon, Lares do not posses personalities, and thus seem somewhat dull and mechanical next to the more colorful Pantheon AIs.

In reference to transport gates (anchor points), each one is also something of a work of art, with large, sculptural features of ornate detail depicting the dual-faced Roman deity Janus.

[Huttser]

Curious, you mention these as large over reaching AIs, what about smaller, more local ones such as personal or tactical AIs. Say ones on a ships bridge, an example of which would be the AIs from Halo. Are there any limitations on these?

[Agares Tretiak]

Those would be more like the Lares, than the Pantheon. There's a very specific reason for that, but to reveal that right now would ruin my work on the Sentinel's storyline. >_>

At anyrate, most Naval rated warships of the Navis have an AI onboard. It is bounded, and helps oversee and smooth over ship board operations, but lacks the ability to assume direct and full control of the vessel. For instance, it can help a gunner adjust his aim for gravitational effects, but the AI cannot fire the guns without someone pushing the "fire gun" button. The AI can fine tune a communications or sensor array, but it cannot send a ship to ship message in place of an actual communications officer.

[Esva]

Those would be more like the Lares, than the Pantheon. There's a very specific reason for that, but to reveal that right now would ruin my work on the Sentinel's storyline. >_>

At anyrate, most Naval rated warships of the Navis have an AI onboard. It is bounded, and helps oversee and smooth over ship board operations, but lacks the ability to assume direct and full control of the vessel. For instance, it can help a gunner adjust his aim for gravitational effects, but the AI cannot fire the guns without someone pushing the "fire gun" button. The AI can fine tune a communications or sensor array, but it cannot send a ship to ship message in place of an actual communications officer.

So which system on the network would or could possibly take control of a vessel in the event of a catastrophic event ? for example...crew dead or taken prisonor

[Reinhardt]

So.. technology to enhance human performance.. Rather than technology to REPLACE human performance... if only the real world thought like this.... LOL

[Agares Tretiak]

If the crew is dead, the ship would likely be compromised beyond salvage. Mind you, most ships that have an AI, have -thousands- of personnel on board, not counting Navis Marines and any Astra, Terra, Curia, or Praetorians.

An Ordo Crew would not let itself be taken prisoner. First off, most of the Ordo's enemies are vehemently anti-Imperium and would kill, torture, eat, or otherwise destroy the crew members. There's very little quarter given in a ship boarding action, either. If the shipw as imminent threat of being captured, the Ordo trains its captains to scuttle the vessel...or seal the compartments that have not been seized, then open the airlocks to vent the attackers. In the worst conditions, the vessel's power core would be set to overload and destroy the vessel completely.

The Ordo and the Imperium rely heavily on technology, but it's very specific that those who wield the technology should always have a measure of control and determination over that of their tools. This relates to the strong stoic and deterministic culture that has developed in the Imperium over it's development, and it's often time pragmatic, but uncompromising measures of maintaining order and control.

Make no mistake, the Imperium is not perfect. It is very often oppressive, overbearing, and does not coddle its citizens. But at the same time, it keeps it'[s citizens safe, prosperous, and strong. The only semblance of democracy is in its representative body, the Senate, which has mostly duties that relate to civilian matters and issues. Beyond the election of senators to regional and then the Imperial Senate, voting and the like is a rare thing. Most imperial planets are ruled by govenors, oligarchies, theocracies, or military govenors. Some have varying forms of this (such as some with councils of aristocratic Lower Houses or Senatorial Viceroys), and a very few are ruled by a democratic system where its leadership is selected by the citizens of the planet or system. But those would be the exception, rather than the rule.

Slavery does exist in the Imperium, but it's not like the slavery most would think of. Slaves receive very specific protections under the law, and may bring grievances against their master if they are abused. Most slaves are contractual, to voluntarily pay off debts of honor or money, while a smaller portion are acquired via colonization or as prisoners of war. In all cases, all slaves are issued a contract when they are taken into possession and have a set term of servitude, before they are released as freemen with a pittance. There are also special conditions where a slave might acquire their freedom through legal procedures, and there are planets that ban or limit slavery. In most cases, slaves are not used for manual labor, but rather as servants, teachers, and administrators in a noble family's household.

The Imperium's role, ultimately, is to collect taxes that maintain various government functions, provide a common basis of law to resolve various disputes (and crimes), provide for the defense and safety of its member states, and to expand its influence to spread it's particular concept of manifest destiny (essentially, they believe the Galaxy will be best ruled by the Imperium, and that it is their destiny and fate to do so).

Worlds which have been long influenced by the Imperium tend to be staunch supporters of the Imperial system. They are safe, they are prosperous, they are influential. In turn for that, those systems provide the bulk of the Ordo Imperialis Milites manpower, funding, and war materials. Imperial culture emphasizes duty, familial honor, and service to the wider Imperium. To serve the Senate and the Imperator are considered the greatest honors a family can achieve.

The most influential aristocratic families form the basis of the Great Houses of the Servant Nobility. All Great Houses are required to tithe a specific portion of their wealth and households to the service of the Senate and the Imperator, somewhere around 25% of their holdings. This is the price they pay for the prestige and privileges they receive, and a lot of consuls and military commanders come from a branch of a Great House. Think of a Great House and its holdings to be entire extended families, plus retainers, slaves, and (oftentimes) their private corporations. A portion of each must be promised to the Imperium's uses, to be considered a Great House. Lesser houses tend to be smaller, but specialize in specific duties and services, many of which center around various trades and industries. Much of the Imperium's trade and industry is thus controlled by trading houses and consortium made up of Great and Lesser houses, and further falls under the oversight and control of the Imperium and Senate (also note that the Imperium controls all legal interstellar transit throughout it's holdings).

[Agares Tretiak]

http://forums.ordoimperialis.com/index.php?/topic/10079-histories-of-the-ordo-imperialis/

Tiri's official Time-line of the Ordo, as well as some historical analysis of the politics.

[Huttser]

Was wondering if you had worked out how Terra worked in the cannon universe. The way I always imagined it working was that the current A squads would become Elite Legions with specialties (formed of multiple companies etc), basically elite infantry units formed under direct command of Ordo High Command, made up of members from across the planets of the Imperium. To use a modern, US analogy these would be federally formed troops.

The remainder of Terra would follow a more standard set up, seen in 40k literature, formed by individual planets, so the Terran 407th Infantry Regiment / Division / Legion, or the Nidian 705th Armored Cavalry etc, although, as in 40k under the command of the Senate / Administratum.

That's just my idea though. If you want, I can develop it further.

[Agares Tretiak]

Currently, the canon has the Guard being more directly "Roman" with it's organization, using a legion organization. There's only 10 legions of Guard. The unit that I and the other Guardsmen are in is the 1st Legion accompanies Aryte like... 90% of the time. The 4th Legion (I think) operates the Praetorian fleet, and each Legion has various specialities. For instance, the one that "Praetorian Guardsman Bellator" serves in will specialize with TAAS units. What's a TAAS unit? You'll see!

Terra is organized around regiments. Each Alpha squad was translated into a specialist regiment, wether elite infantry, support, or what have you. Alpha units are all under the command of the army group they're serving in (essentially the portion of the front they've been assigned to). The ones we know, are only a small portion of a much larger selection of elite units. There may be some very select "special forces" styled units, but many of those roles are filled by the special branches of the AiR, the Praetorian Guard, and even Curia (but not all). Elite units are not the same as special forces, as elites are frontline combat troops, where as special forces (while elite) are also used in very specific, and usually far more limited situations. Essentially, you guys kick major ass on the front lines, but are not so subtle or fine tuned for most special mission roles (like assassinations, sabotage, disrupting enemy communications/transportation, etc.).

The Ordo's overall military might can measured in several billions of soldiers (all branches combined). While this may seem large, consider the amount of space the Ordo controls, and the populations its dealing with. With that in mind, very few soldiers will ever personally see or meet the Imperator, much less a large number of officers or elite units. In canon, the majority of the Ordo's current military operations are taking place in the "Northern" front, aiming to repel an unusually well organized enemy offensive, before proceeding with conquering more land in the name of the Imperator and the Senate.

I will point out that army commanders tend to like to keep elite units close at hand, as they are reliable, skillful, and more flexible in difficult situations than standard units, so you would work closely with high ranking officers in the Terra general staff.

[Agares Tretiak]

More information on AIs:

Ordo AIs are complex creations. Even though a Lar may seem to be fairly dry and no-nonesense, a considerable amount of effort goes into it's creation.

There's 5 types of specialists (in general) related to the creation of any AI system.

Turing Engineer: They put in the "bounding" hardline programming that prevents an AI from going "DESTROY ALL HUMANS". Turing Engineers all must be certified by government, and undergo rigorous training and testing before they are permitted to work. Turing engineers are also a required part of any installation or ship that uses an AI, to ensure the Turing Protocols that bind the AI are kept intact.

Psychoalgorithmic Programmer: They develop the mental templates that the AI will be "built" around.

Psychoanalytical Intelligence Engineer: They oversee the overall development of the AI, form start to finish. They also put the finishing touches on how the AI will operate and interface with its environment. In many ways, they are as much artists as they are technicians, as each AI begins to develop in unique ways, and it takes a very creative, psychological approach to guide the budding AI into the form that it will need to fulfill its duties. Dr. Inoue Katsu is the foremost PAIE in the Imperium, equally renowned for creating the Pantheon as it now exists, as they are for imbuing their work with odd personality quirks, most notoriously Mercury, which is known for making obscure and random commentary on users queries and inputs. Most recently, Mercury asked Lord Tretiak of the Praetorian 1st Legion if he'd "like to be a Pepper too?"

Virtual Neuropathologist: The VNP's specialty is to ensure that the growing AI is not infected or changed by dangerous data that might warp its development, or subvert it's Turing programing or cause abnormalities in its development. VNPs subsequently are known to be paranoid, serious, and the butt of many jokes.

Artificial Morphic Neurologist: They are involved especially in the early stages of the development of an AI, after the AI's Sarcophagus is built (essentially, the inactivate adaptive quantum computer that will become the new AI), making sure the early physical neural pathways are developing properly.

[Agares Tretiak]

Suggestions for character creation in the Ordo Canon Fluff: Pointers for writers new and old!

First and foremost, be imaginative! Don't tie yourself down too much to certain overly used stereotype or tropes. Have a cool idea for a unique background? Write it out a little, and refer to the source materials I'm steadily providing, and adjust it a bit.

Secondly, try to keep in mind a few basic rules for characters in the story:

- You cannot kill off existing Ordo members in serious canon based work without that person's express permission. If they die in the canon, they die forever!

- No ancient demons, angels, magical wizards, superpowers, or exotic explanations for occurrences that are not supported by the source materials.

- If you're writing about yourself, keep in mind that we ask you keep your rank and history as close to what it actually is, as possible within the confines of the story. Please, do not write a story where you are the general of a entire army, unless you're actually a legates, or a Praetorian of legendary status, or something of that nature. That in mind, heroic and noble deeds are something I think we're all capable of.

- The chances of your character interacting directly, face to face with Aryte, are almost nil. That in mind, if you have a very clever way of how it might happen, let me know. We can set up a canon way to do this!

- Imperial culture emphasizes civic duty and military service as very high ideals, so despite your character being conscripted, between the training and cultural pressures, most people will view their military service in a somewhat positive way. This may not, however, always bee the case!

- The Imperium is vast, and at times, extremely brutal. With the numbers and size of its empire, it tries to maintain an eye towards what is best for the whole of the Imperium, the many over the few, in most cases. If the Imperium must destroy a billion souls, to save trillions, it will do so with grim determination and the words "Not without reason.".

[Lanny Ansar]

I've been wanting to write a canon story for Lanny, but i've been kinda hazy on the amount of exact detail I can use (As in, which worlds are applicable for him to be born on, how he could've been raised, indoctrinated, etc..)

Other than that, I can likely fuzz up some actual stories from my time in Ordo and develop a little story as to how exactly he got into Insidae and such...

[Agares Tretiak]

I'd be happy to provide additional information to help you flesh out any details you need or desire! It's why I'm here.

[Agares Tretiak]

Ordo Imperialis Terra in the Canon

First, we'll cover basic procedures for enlistment and how a given person might end up in a particular branch of service

The Ordo Imperialis has two types of enlistment: Volunteer and Conscription.

Conscripts are picked by lottery from a given planet to meet its legally obligated contribution of manpower to the military and government forces of the Imperium. There are some exclusions, but all citizens must register for conscription at the age of 16. Conscription is not possible, until a citizen reaches the age of 18. Once a conscription lottery (read:draft) is held, the conscript is then transferred to either the Civitas, where they serve the governing bureaucracy of the Imperium for a set period of time, or the Militas, and serve in the military.

Quotas for conscription in both civilian and military roles is determined every two years, using the Pantheon AIs to apportion where people are needed in what roles.

Alternatively, a person might volunteer for military service. Volunteers are rarely turned down, unless they have health issues. Volunteers with criminal records or prison sentences must serve 4 years in a penal regiment, before being eligible to be transferred to a standard regiment. Due to the cultural aspects of acclimated Imperial worlds, there is a high level of volunteering. Notices for volunteers will be sent out prior to a conscription phase, so that fewer conscripts are required. It must be highlighted, that Imperial culture stresses service to the Senate and Imperator as high ideals. In addition, both conscripts and volunteers can receive a wide range of benefits and rights from service, generally dependent on length of service, re-enlistment, etc. Former slaves who have not payed their manumission taxes are eligible for citizenship after completing a six year tour of duty, as are other non-Imperial residents of any Imperial world.

Further notes on citizenship will be posted later.

After either being conscripted or volunteering, recruits will take the Schola Military Skills Aptitude Battery, a series of tests to ascertain each recruit's basic aptitudes and inclinations, and where they might best be placed. Volunteers have the advantage of requesting service in a particular branch (Astra, Terra, Navis, or the Immunes Munitoria). Conscripts must enroll in the branch of service that their aptitudes indicate they are most suited for, as well as based upon manpower needs. After a recruit takes their SMSABs, they will be processed and shipped out to basic training on a military world. There, they receive the basic training they require.

Specific to Terra:

Terra military training centers around infantry combat. They constitute the majority of the Ordo's military forces, as no conquest can be accomplished without the efforts of infantry to occupy and secure a target. All members of Terra go through Schola Armatura, the basic infantry training program. From there, based on their SMSABs, a soldier will receive specific training that will help prepare them for their future career within Terra. Terra most recognizably utilizes regiments, which in turn are comprised of companies. A regiment is overseen by a Centurion (approximately a colonel in modern equivalent). Companies are overseen by Tribunes (captains or majors, depending on what the company's specialty is), and platoons overseen by Optios (lieutenants). It is extremely rare for an entire regiment or company to be comprised of soldiers who are from a single region or planet. This is done to purposely homogenize and distribute the Imperium's culture without localized flavors, and prevents certain types of regional and planetary rivalries from coming into play.

Team work and cohesion are stressed aspects. Discipline can be and often is dispensed with a degree of brutality, including floggings for severe offenses.

Alpha Units are regiments that are somewhat unique in the seas and seas of standard Terra units.

- Alpha Units comprise solely of re-enlisted combat veterans.

- There are no non-combat Alpha units.

- Alpha Units are all volunteer (since they all have re-enlisted).

- Alpha units comprise of only citizens.

- Each Alpha Unit has a general area of specialization. Mechanized Infantry, Light Infantry, Heavy Infantry, Shock troops, Scouts, TAAS, Artillery or Heavy Combat Support, Armored Cavalry, Air Cavalry are all very common Alpha Unit specializations.

- Alpha Units are NOT Special Forces. Special Forces responsibilities are handled separately from Alpha Units.

- Alpha Unit recruits members with clean records from their previous enlistment. This might include former-members of penal legions.

- Alpha Units are elite front line combat troops. They have a certain degree of discretion and flexibility in their deployment that they enjoy over standard Terra combat units.

- There are over 100 different Alpha Units in the Northern Front alone.

- Alpha units are outfitted with higher-than-average quality equipment and weapons that relate to their specialization.

- Alpha unit commanders are responsible for overseeing recruitment meeting the above general requirements, as well as conducting the testing within established Terra guidelines. The forces are not exactly 'handpicked', however, unlike the Praetorian Guard.

- Some Alpha Units have in the past, been seconded as Praetorian Guard Auxiliary.

- The Guard is more likely to work alongside Alpha Units, due to an Alpha Unit generally being placed close to important sections of the front, or critical areas in a defensive or offensive operation. Thus, you are more likely to meet or work with Praetorians in your past, if you have served in an Alpha Unit.

- Many members of the Praetorian Guard were formerly members of Alpha Units (though not always).

- Members of an Alpha Unit receive higher pay.