Imperial Senate

# Senatus Imperium (Imperial Senate)

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> “This building is the life blood of our government, the embodiment of Rome’s desire to be ruled by the people... It is here that our empire shines. and here that our soldiers will defend to the very last man…” - Leonis Knight. Grand Prefect of the Armorium
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The Imperial Senate is responsible for making decisions that tend to affect the entire Imperium. The governmental body makes up one of the four major pillars of the government, the others being the Imperial Military, The Ministerium's, and the Emperor's Throne. Of those pillars its power in the government is second only to that of the emperor, and ahead of the ministerium. Like those pillars it is located on humanity's home world of Terra in the city of Rome.

The Imperial Senate building is massive, nearly 80 stories tall and shaped in the facsimile of a futuristic colosseum, and is located near the center of the sprawling Terran capital Rome. A massive 10 lane traffic circle circles the building, Within a hundred kilometer exclusion zone of the senate, there are no buildings that may rise above fifteen stories in height. Which originates from a law passed in 3251 AD, the only exception being the Emperor's palace, located fifty kilometers from the senate building, and standing 20 stories higher than it. The law has primarily a security purpose, but also a further ideological purpose suggesting that no one save the emperor themself stands above the senate in power.

Senators who serve in the senate hail from every sector of the empire, and are responsible for the representation of their attached sector within the senate. While the emperor has the ability to veto the decisions of the senate, precedent is set that this only occur during times of crisis. In peace time the emperor is expected to allow the senate to make decisions itself and only intervenes in instances of stalemate, which cannot be resolved even after multiple rounds of voting. normally this precedent is followed, as failure to do so is considered highly dishonorable to the position of emperor.

As of the current 4th millennia the Senate is comprised of 450 senators representing hundreds of habitable worlds throughout imperial space. every day at 12:00PM (Terran Time) with the exception of weekends, the senate normally convenes for six hours to carry out hearings on any number of issues or motions. During the lead up hour to the daily senate hearing, all traffic within this hundred kilometer exclusion zone is stopped by police, with the intention of providing senators easy access to the building for the hearing. The six hour hearings are divided into two blocks. the first three hours are used for voting on issues or bills, and the second block delegated to being used to discuss or present new issues. In rare instances the senate may be convened for emergency meetings or urgent hearings. Though instances of these are rare and only held during times of crisis.

At the end of each month of the Terran year the Senate also holds a special long term hearing where for three days the senate remains in a constant state of hearings. This tradition was established to ensure that all issues have at least some amount of time to be heard regardless of their perceived importance... opposite from regular hearings attendance to this hearing is optional for senators and they can choose to not attend should they not desire to.

### Senators and Seats

Imperium Senators are chosen to represent their sector by popular vote within their assigned sector, and once voted into office serve for a term of 16 years. After which additional votes are held to determine if the incumbent will be replaced or continue to serve as the sector's representative. There are no term limits on senators, and they can serve in the position for life, should their sector continue to vote for them. The longest serving senator hails from the Zanquix species with senator: "Tiberius Vanora" serving for nearly 145 years before finally passing from natural causes.

When not attending hearings, senators spend their time in many ways, often political in nature. Many for example spend their time making new connections within the imperial government, nobility, or with other senators through a variety of means. Politics within the senate while seemingly benign on the surface can be surprisingly cut throat underneath. back room alliances, and deals are frequent, and while not all senators follow these methods there are some who will find any way to achieve their ends, often only stopping short of criminal activity, and sometimes not even there.

Senators are not the only individuals who hold seats within the senate. Each Grand Prefect within the ministerium, as well as the grand prefect of the Astorum Military also hold a seat within the senate. Just as with other senators they can vote on given issues in the senate and present new bills or issues to vote on. However, unlike senators, these official's are not required to attend regular hearings, and can choose to attend them at their own leisure or availability.

### Defense And Security

The Senate building is defended internally by a special Legion of praetorians the: "Custodes Senatu", as well as externally, by three full legions from the SOL Legion's ranks who patrol the exterior with infantry and their legion's vehicles. This ultimately makes up a total force of 80,000 men and women, armed and equipped with the bleeding edge technology available to the Astorum military. These already formidable defenses are further supplemented by local roman police, the enormous imperial garrison on Terra, along with the massive fleet of warships that stand sentry in orbit. All of these military and local forces make the imperial senate easily the most heavily defended building in the imperium, a status that even the emperor's palace does not enjoy.

In addition to sheer manpower and military force, the Senate is also protected by dozens of security measures, both procedural and autonomous, which make any form of attack or interruption of senate activity effectively impossible. person's entering the senate are required to be unarmed as a rule with few exceptions, and entrants are carefully screened both by security personnel, and by hidden body penetrating scanning systems, sensitive to any irregularities. The building's internal computers are also completely separated from external networks, and incoming information or data transfers have to be made by hand within the building itself, making wireless intrusion impossible.

Security forces within and around the senate, treat almost any irregularity with extreme seriousness, as is demanded by the nature of what they protect. Disturbances are often dealt with quickly and when possible quietly. Every soldier defending the Senate and in particular the Custodes Senatu are hand picked by officers to serve in its defensive legions, with emphasis placed on extreme battle skill, and undying loyalty to the empire and the senate. Making virtually every soldier on its premises the equivalent of a hyper zealous spec ops soldier, well suited to defeating any conceivable threat.