FILE REFERENCE: 0001-TERRA-HUMANIS SUBJECT: Human (Mankind / The Imperial Subject) CLASSIFICATION: Sanctus / Imperialis Dominatus CLEARANCE: Unrestricted (Mandatory Education) DATE: 999.M41 (Standard Terran Cycle)
The Human species is the chosen vessel of the God-Emperor's will and the rightful inheritor of the galaxy. Unlike the myriad xenos breeds that infest the stars, Humanity possesses a divine spark, a destiny manifest in the conquest of the Milky Way. We are the "Imperialis Dominatus." To be human is to bear the image of the Master of Mankind; to deviate from this image is to invite heresy.
The Imperium of Man is not merely a political entity; it is a spiritual mandate. From the teeming trillions of the Holy Terra to the furthest frontier colonies of the Ultima Segmentum, all human life exists solely to fuel the machinery of the Imperium and to sustain the Golden Throne. Individual life is fleeting and meaningless; only the species and the State matter. A human's worth is measured in their labour, their tithe, and their eventual death in service to the Throne.
The baseline human physiology is the standard by which all life is judged. Two arms, two legs, one head, and a purity of genetic code. However, the Administratum acknowledges the necessity of environmental adaptation. A void-born labourer may possess pallid skin and enlarged eyes; a native of a heavy-gravity world may be squat and dense of bone. These are acceptable variances within the "Holy Template."
However, the line between adaptation and mutation is the line between a citizen and a monster. The "Mutant" is a corruption of the holy form, often caused by exposure to warp-taint or industrial pollution. Extra limbs, scales, or psychic instability (unsanctioned) are grounds for immediate sterilization or execution.
There exists a sub-classification known as "Abhuman" (Sanctioned Variants). These stable strains—such as the Ogryn (Homo sapiens gigantus) and the Ratling (Homo sapiens minimus)—are tolerated for their utility. They are viewed as lesser beings, spiritually unclean but physically useful fodder for the Imperial Guard. They must constantly atone for the sin of their birth through servitude.
The unifying force of Humanity is the Administratum and the Law of the Tithe. Every world brought into Compliance must pay its due to Terra. This is not negotiable. The Tithe may take the form of raw minerals, manufactured goods, or, most commonly, manpower.
The "Imperial Tithe" strips worlds of their youth to feed the meat-grinder of the Astra Militarum. The Departmento Munitorum calculates the lives of men and women as currency. A request for reinforcement is a mathematical equation: value of objective versus expenditure of human resource. It is an accepted administrative reality that conquering a single star system may require the expenditure of ten million human lives. This is a price the Imperium pays without hesitation. To complain of the cost is sedition.
The defence of Humanity falls to two primary branches. The first is the Astra Militarum (Imperial Guard). It is the Hammer of the Emperor, comprised of billions of soldiers, tanks, and artillery pieces. The average Guardsman is weak compared to an Ork and slow compared to an Eldar. Their strength lies in their overwhelming numbers and their Lasguns. A single Lasgun is a pinprick; a million firing in unison is a sun-flare. The life expectancy of a Guardsman in a high-intensity combat zone is fifteen hours. They are the currency we spend to buy time.
Standing above them are the Adeptus Astartes, the Space Marines. They are "Transhuman," engineered from the Emperor's own genetic genius. They are the Angels of Death. While genetically altered, they are revered rather than reviled because their modification serves the ultimate purity of the species. They are the few; the Guard are the many. Together, they hold back the night.
A specific biological variance within humanity causes the greatest concern: the Psyker. These individuals are born with a connection to the Warp. An untrained psyker is a living gateway for Daemonic incursion; a single loose thought can doom a planet.
As such, all psykers must be gathered by the Black Ships of the Inquisition. The weak are fed to the Golden Throne to sustain the Emperor's life force—a sacrifice of thousands daily. The strong are "Sanctioned." They are soul-bound to the Emperor, undergoing agonizing rituals to strengthen their minds against corruption. They serve as Astropaths (interstellar communicators) and Sanctioned Battle Psykers. They are feared, hated, and essential.
Humanity is a species under siege. We are beset by the alien, the mutant, and the heretic. Our technology is stagnant, our history is forgotten, and our future is grim. Yet, we endure. We endure through hatred. We endure through ignorance. We endure because we must. There is no alternative to the Imperium; outside its walls lies only the laughter of dark gods and the hunger of xenos beasts. To be human is to fight, to toil, and to die with a prayer on your lips.
Thought for the Day: Innocence proves nothing.
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