Billmen

*"Others build their walls out of stone, brick or iron. The men and women of the Eternal Empire are our walls and as long as they stand tall and strong, no invader will ever set foot on our homes"*

-Part of the speech made by the Voice of the Empress, 2269-

   Despite not being technicall part of theHM Imperial Army , the **Billmen** are still a powerful force under the command of the Empress. Made out of the citizenry of The Eternal Empire, these men and women seldom have military training or are equiped to the standard of those regular forces serving the empress. Still, their devotion to the cause and (more importantly) their large numbers make them a foe no enemy general should ever underestimate.

First used during the darkest times of the Great Northern War, the billmen are quite similar to the militia and defensive armies deployed by other nations and realms such as the Commonwealth in their role of protecting their homeworlds from invasions from enemy forces. Lead by a mixture of ambitious high-class citizens, old retired veterans from past wars and wounded soldiers unable to return to the front lines, the billmen lack the training to execute the complex maneuvers and tactics seen in the soldiers of the HM Imperial Army. Due to this, more often than not, their role is mostly defensive, with many soldiers turning their own houses and flats into little castles they will defend to their last breath.

## History

### The Great War

As the Bloody Push was stopped by the armed forces of the Dyss, it became increasingly difficult for the Eternal Empire  to find replacements for the millions dying in the fields across the frontier worlds. Never having faced such a strong foe before, even the marshalls in High Command did not know how to answer to the wave of enemy forces coming their way.

The answer came from a rather unexpected source. William Longshanks, a man who some rumors said was a distant grand-nephew of the Empress herself, proposed a plan to arm and equip all possible citizens of the Eternal Empire, as a way to at least slow down the invader and give the regular army the time it needed to recover. Many of the marshalls liked the idea, yet showed their doubts about how it could be executed. Much equipment had been lost during the push, with a high number of factories in the frontier worlds already being taken by the Dyss. Even if they focused all their efforts in arming just this milita, only 1 in every 100 would be properly ready for war.

William wasted no time offering the solution to this new problem. Despite lacking any experience in the field of warfare, he himself was a prominent businessman who had been able to meet any request made by the HM Imperial Army  when it came to clothing, weapons and more. To produce equipment of this quality, his workers and machines needed time. As many civilians would not even know how to wield the weaponry of a regular soldier, the best thing to do would be to hand the "billmen" simpler and cheaper equipment, one they could be trained to use in little time and which would take the imperial factories no time to produce.

### Will and courage

   One-on-one against the veteran warriors of the Dyss, the billmen stood no chance. However, the newly-appointed Marshall William did not allow such encounters to happen, making sure instead that, whenever Dyss armies fought the billmen, they did so outnumbered by at least 3 to 1. More often than not fighting in their own homes, these militia forces managed to slow down and even stop and push back invading armies despite great losses. A number of the survivors, showing great promise, even became a part of the regular army.

Many agents of the Eternal Empire make sure to hide were a good part of the extra equipment and material came from. Knowing full well the factories could not equip everyone at once, William Longshanks made secret deals with other powers outside the Empire, including the Thadrakos Families. Thanks to this, and despite the high number of workers leaving the factories and fields to fight at the front lines, the billmen seldom had need of equipment to fight.

As the war ended, the billmen became heroic figures in the minds and hearts of the citizens of the Eternal Empire. Reports of fleeing regiments and traitors trying to go to the Dyss in exchange of their lives being spared were hidden to praise those few heroic forces who had held their ground despite all odds.

Longshanks, the brain behind the billmen, did not survive to see the "end" of the war. Far too ambitious, some whispered he had made shadowy deals with important alien warlords so they would support him taking the throne as the new emperor. He dissapeared several days before the end of the war was declared. His body was never found.

## Equipment

As a way to make sure as many soldiers as possible are equiped for war, the armor and weaponry of a normal billmen will never reach the standard of those soldiers seen in the HM Imperial Army. Still, their equipment is easy to produce in huge amounts by the factories, using little precious resources.

**MK-3 "Sterling" combat rifle:**While its appearance is that of a weapon a pre-exodus soldier would wield, the "Sterling" combat rifle is up to the basic standards of weapons used by other races across the galaxy. Of lower rate of fire and range compared to the modern weaponry wielded by the regular soldiers, the Sterling's main advantages are its reliability, toughness and ease to produce. Indeed, factories can produce these weapons so quickly and with so little materials, some commanders just order more Sterlings rather than repair those who might be broken during combat.

**A8 "Dover" body armor:**Crafted to protect vital areas of a billman's body, this armor lacks many of the systems and extra protection of those suits worn by regulars. Its plate however is more than sturdy enough to deflect and stop both stray shots and shrapnel. Many a billman also is grateful for the protection this armor brings against blades and clubs, something quite helpful when facing a Dyss Berserk in close combat.