trope-a-day
Semper Fi: The Imperial Legions – while obviously there is no direct causal connection – do have many things in common with the Marines. (Apart from the obvious troperiffic ones – yes, we all know they’re a Proud Soldier Race all their own, commanded by Colonel Badasses, the truest devotees of The
Moments in History
The greatest period of growth of cryonics came about in 1793, with the tragic death of Empress Emeritus Octavia I Cyprium (reigned 1425-1644) in a laboratory accident. In accordance with her previously stated wishes, her body was preserved in liquid nitrogen and immured in a specially constructed capsule in the
meta
No, not that destiny. This Destiny. Specifically, the Books of Sorrow, the history of the Hive, which you can read on this page here (OBVIOUS WARNING: HORRIFIC SPOILERS LIE THERE.), and in particular VI, XI, XV, XVII, XIX, XXXII, and XLVII seem highly relevant to Flamic theology. Or anti-theology, rather.
trope-a-day
Secret Police: In the Imperial context – and under the “even free countries have these, albeit without the order of fear that the authoritarian kind cultivate” clause – this would be the Counterespionage and Counterasymmetrism Directorate (“One”) and the Internal Security and Surveillance Directorate (“Four”), which despite the sinister-sounding name is essentially
barbarian
“The fundamental question we must answer before operating is this: are they barbarians because they want to control each other; are they barbarians because they’ve been conditioned to someone’s ownership; or are they barbarians because they have to be controlled? Different diseases have different cures…” – Cordane Viriaz, External
trope-a-day
Scry vs. Scry: Why so many of the games (see: The Chessmaster) of the temporally-transcendent weakly godlike superintelligences stay locked in a kind of stalemate, despite all the Xanatos Gambits and, indeed, Xanatos Speed Chess.
mentalics
“Leaving aside all the sophisticated techniques that are the domain of professional assassins, there are _two_ commonly discussed ways to kill someone with your brain – with, of course, the aid of its associated kinesis effectors: “First, take hold of a blood vessel, preferably an important and large one, and then
trope-a-day
Script Reading Doors: Played oddly straight – the ability of people’s neural laces and muses to override local hardware, if they think of so doing, can create some of these effects – the ones involving staying open for longing looks, or operating stealthily, or while people are conversing through it, or
Darkness Within
MET 184-12+34 Got out of my pod. Expenditures: one podful of soured air, and a can of Quicksilver Quaff I’d forgotten which didn’t take well to depressurization. That’s not going to be viable in the long run, especially since it’ll be fresh air unless I
trope-a-day
Screw The Rules, I’m Doing What’s Right!: Subverted inasmuch as, except for the most important of the rules, there is almost always a rule telling you explicitly that while you are expected to follow the rules, the rules are not there to substitute for thought, and they most
Darkness Within
Flight data logs, CS Gutpunch, MET 184-11+04:17: Text entry, Capt. Isif Alclair This is Acting Captain Isif Alclair, CS Gutpunch, two hours after regaining consciousness and approximately eleven hours after the kinetic impact that destroyed the ship. Herewith an asset/liability analysis while I devise some sort of
trope-a-day
Screw The Rules, I Make Them!: Averted inasmuch as while an Enabling Act, in the Imperial context, permits one to violate any law that isn’t actually part of the Fundamental Contract or the Imperial Charter, it is itself a legislative instrument – i.e., The Rules – and subject to all