Eternal Empire

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The Eternal Empire is a stratocratic, authoritarian monarchy born out of the few surviving remnants of a number of fallen civilizations, along with anyone else they picked up along the road. It is organized and run as a stratocracy, led by a monarch who appoints an executive, which is then approved by a legislative body made up of a mixture of elected and unelected representatives from every administrative sector that is governed by them.

## Overview

Although a constitutional monarchy, the Eternal Empire maintains a system of tiered citizenship which draws a very clear line between citizens and civilians. Very militaristic and centered around the ideals of meritocracy and discipline, only those who have completed their first two years of military service have the right to vote and slavery is outlawed, being seen as a vice which encourages people to become lazy, by relying on others to do the chores that they should do themselves, as well as robbing people of the potential to become capable soldiers in the Empire’s war machine. Ultimately, fanatics make for better soldiers than slaves.

Culturally, the Eternal Empire would be considered an extremely conservative society which places the wellbeing of the community above that of the individual, which upholds and enforces the values of duty, discipline and self-sacrifice over the pursuit of personal satisfaction and material gain.

The Eternal Empire does not discriminate based on species, although there is a strong pressure for immigrants to integrate into the nation's culture and militaristic lifestyle and the state occasionally institutes crackdowns against those who openly embrace the more Jedi-like pacifistic ideals.
The capital of the Eternal Empire is Arcenon, on the planet of Kalidan, after its exodus from Nelvaan in the wake of the secession from the Confederacy of Independent Systems. Other important settlements and locations include the fortress of Wulfngard and the city of Vengard.

## Government

*See Also:*

* *Storm War*

* *Political Natural Selection*

The government is structured into an executive and legislative branch, with the Emperor having the right to veto any law being passed.

### The Eternal Emperor

The Eternal Emperor is the political leader and head of state of the Eternal Empire. He commands the Eternal Army and Navy and is responsible for acting as mediator between the various political groups within the Assembly, as well as appointing high ranking officials.

### The Joint Chiefs of Staff

Otherwise known as Strategic Command, sometimes abbreviated as STRATCOM, the Joint Chiefs of Staff are the executive branch of the imperial government. Appointed by the Eternal Emperor, they are, as the name suggests, drawn from amongst the upper echelons of the imperial military and aristocracy.

* Overlord: The Overlord takes the role of the Emperor's right hand, effectively functioning as the lieutenant of the monarch and the second in command, acting as regent of the Empire, should the Emperor be incapacitated.

* Overseer of the Armed Forces: The Overseer of the Armed Forces is the official tasked with leading, organizing and outfitting the Eternal Army.

* Overseer of the Office of Finances: Occupying a highly crucial role within Strategic Command, the Overseer of the Office of Finances is responsible for managing the economy and finances of the Eternal Empire.

* Overseer of the Supreme Court: The Overseer of the Supreme Court is tasked with organizing and leading the judicial branch of the Eternal Empire, appointing and dismissing judges and making decisions concerning the judiciary.

* Overseer of the Committee for Public Works: The Overseer of the Commission of Public Works handles education and healthcare within the Empire, along with infrastructure and development, insuring that these departments operate smoothly and efficiently.

* Overseer of the Intelligence Committee: A far less conspicuous, but no less important role, is that of the Overseer of the Intelligence Committee, who is responsible for handling tasks which require discression. The Overseer of the Intelligence Committee is in charge of the Empire's espionage, assassination and propaganda departments.

### The Imperial Assembly

   Composed of a mixture of elected officials, high ranking nobles and representatives of the military, the Imperial Assembly is, effectively, the Senate of the Eternal Empire.

It is a unicameral body representing the various baronies, administrative districts and military governorates of the nation and is the legislative entity within the Eternal Empire. Convening periodically, itt assigns budgets, passes or repeals laws, establishes tax policies throughout the Empire and generally serves as the bureaucracy beneath Strategic Command.

## Tiered Citizenship System

Highly militaristic, the Eternal Empire employs a stratocratic system of tiered citizenship which draws clear lines between military and non-military members of society. Soldiers and veterans hold numerous privileges over civilians and there is a strong social pressure to enlist in the military. Pacifism is deeply frowned upon, as is welfare and each citizen is expected to serve the state and perform his or her duty towards the nation. There are three tiers of citizenship, as explained below.

### Aristocrat

The highest echelon of Eternal Imperial society, aristocrats are elevated from amongst the citizenship as a reward for performing extraordinary acts of service to the nation, usually on the field of battle. Aristocratic titles are hereditary and their holders are the only ones allowed to hold Baronies, or other hereditary fiefdoms. The downside of holding an aristocratic title is that military service compulsory and all aristocrats must serve for a minimum of three years in the Empire's armed forces, or be branded a traitors, stripped of their titles and disgracefully executed.

### Citizen with Voting Rights

The upper tier of citizenship within the Eternal Empire, it consists of several million individuals. Numerous privileges are awarded to this tier, amongst them being the right to vote, the right to run for office in an election, as well as numerous high-paying jobs. In order to ascend into this tier, individuals must complete a two-year military service, although the Eternal Emperor may grant it to civilians directly, under special circumstances.

### Citizen with Civilian Status

The lower tier of citizenship within the Eternal Empire consists of those who have not completed two years of military service. Civilians have less rights that the upper tier of citizens, being prevented from voting or holding office, as well as being locked out of government and management jobs. Civilians are often spoken of in derogatory terms, being labeled as cowards and there is a strong pressure for them to enlist in the military. The word na'varda, a common insult in the High Nelvaanian language, literally means 'civilian trash'.

The three citizenship tiers are often referred to as Nobles, Citizens and Civilians by the vast majority of the population. Due to the nation's militaristic culture and stratocratic society, the last category often face discrimination and derision from the former two. Parents sometimes force their children to enlist upon reaching the age of eighteen and the educational system pushes a heavy pro-military propaganda upon students, from a very young age, emphasizing the virtues of service, duty and loyalty towards the state.

## Culture

(*See Also: Kalidan#Culture Kalidani Culture*)

Imperial culture is highly militaristic and places heavy emphasis on conformity, duty, loyalty and self-sacrifice. A proud people, the Kalidani embrace self-reliance and hardship, adhering strictly to the idea that natural selection is the only truly immovable law which governs all living things. Unlike many other cultures throughout the galaxy, which place the rights of the individual at the forefront of their list of principles, Imperial culture is colectivist in nature, believing that the greater good of the community, of the nation, is far more important than the individual and that sometimes, the few must be sacrificed for the sake of the many, even though the act of doing so is, arguably, evil in nature. Some evils are necessary.

Another important element of Imperial culture, is its rejection of the pursuit of individual success and material gain as the highest priority of one's lifestyle. Cultures which embrace individual pleasure and satisfaction are viewed as hedonistic, short-sighted and weak, as are cultures which engage in lavish celebrations and spend overly much time and resources on celebration, such practices being seen as wasteful if they do not serve any greater purpose than to provide entertainment for attendees. To the Imperials, who have suffered through horrible tragedies and hardship, the concept of celebration and expensive festivals of merriment, seems completely alien and repulsive. On their national holidays, Imperials do not celebrate. They mourn and commemorate, they pay their respects to those who sacrificed so that the nation may endure, they remember the fallen and remind themselves of the harsh realities of a cold and cruel galaxy.

These elements, along with their rejection of the more leisurely lifestyles and cultures of less harsh planets, which they deem as corrupt and soft, as well as the challenges they faced and triumph, challenges which they believe no other nation could have survived, lead to the Imperial people's belief in their superiority over all other cultures in the galaxy, as laid down in their Proclamation of Imperial Exceptionalism, which is part of the Eternal Empire's Articles of Founding, a document which serves the role of constitution and national manifesto.

That is not to say that Imperials do not enjoy a good bit of entertainment every now and then. Imperial society, like every nation, has its own social gatherings, parties and entertainment activities. However, these are always sober and formal events, extremely humble and quiet by the standards of most of the galaxy. Alcohol is consumed, but not excessively, music is played, but it is always tasteful classical music, rather than the more energetic fare that is popular throughout most of the galaxy, dances are slow and formal and attendees are always reserved, quiet and polite. Kalidani exchange gifts, like everyone else, but they are always practical and useful objects. Everything with purpose. Everything in moderation.

Imperial art and architecture does not embrace the concept of beauty as a primary purpose. It is a mixture of practicality and propaganda, monuments to the Empire, to its people, to its accomplishments, monuments to honor its fallen heroes and to commemorate the triumphs of its culture, of its ideology and people.

Kalidani imperial culture also embraces an idea of manifest destiny, a belief that through perseverance, sacrifice, pragmatism and dedication to the greater good of community, their civilization would survive until the end of time and eventually become so advanced, by embracing the concept of political natural selection and war as its mechanism, that they will ascend beyond the current state of the galaxy to become the most advanced, powerful and successful civilization in history, immune to the civilization-ending calamities which have so thoroughly scarred the galaxy, such as the Yuuzhan Vong invasion and the Gulag Plague.

Because of its views in regards to natural selection and pragmatism, Imperial culture despises and rejects charity, seeing it as a waste of resources which would only encourage people to become lazy, selfish and weak. Freedom to pursue the satisfaction of one's personal desires and self-actualization as the driving force of one's life, is seen as a dangerous thing, a shackle of primitive instincts that is holding people back from realizing their true potential by freeing themselves from selfish pursuits and dedicating themselves to order, to greater purpose, to a higher cause.

Due to its history of warfare, Imperial culture places soldiering and the martial values of discipline, courage and loyalty above all other virtues. To serve the nation and do one's duty, is seen as the highest goal in life. To embrace hardship, personal responsibility and challenge, to commit to self-improvement and not cower away from difficult obstacles, is the ideal standard for people to hold themselves up to. To die on the field of battle for the sake of the nation is seen as the highest honor one could achieve. Pacifism is loathed and seen as a cowardly trait, a sign of weak character and will. Civilians, those who have not completed a voluntary two-year term of service in the military, are frowned upon. Peace brings stagnation and corruption, which leads to disaster and as such, it is seen as evil, the 'Great Lie', as Imperials refer to it. Those who refuse to accept this reality are deluded fools and in Imperial culture, the word 'civilian' is an insult.

There are many proverbs and sayings in Imperial Imperial culture, which best personify their beliefs. Proverbs such as 'Struggle is the father of all things', which teaches people to embrace hardship and struggle, while sayings such as 'He who hesitates, is lost', 'The lazy hunter becomes prey', or 'The unsheathed sword grows dull and rusted' serve to remind people of the absolute importance of strength of will.

Unlike other cultures in the galaxy, which believe that all, or some individuals have certain inherent rights, Imperial culture rejects this idea. To them, the only right anyone is born with, is the right to equal opportunity. Nothing else is granted, everything has to be worked for and earned. Nothing worthwhile in life is easy and, as another Kalidani proverb puts it, 'He who is not prepared to die, does not deserve to live'.