Ordo Imperiale Decimae
(Imperial order of divine Decima) | |
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| Active: | 1554.3623 AN.ASC - Present |
| In use by: | Imperial Forces |
| Allegiance: | Shireroth |
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| Type: | Applied Eschatology |
| Size: | 59,540 |
| Nickname: | Decimators |
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| Current Commander: | Palatine Legate Fra Alfarr bi Uïhsberht |
Contents
History
The origins of the Imperial Order lie with the Ly'Technomaezji, a college of Technomages associated with the Imperial Government since the foundation of the Imperial Republic. It maintained a monopoly on advanced technologies within what was still a regressive and feudal society in the wake of the destruction of Khaz Modan. As a repository of knowledge the Ly'Technomaezji were able to assist the Kaisers in facing down the threats posed by far superior technological civilisations such as those found in the islands of Jasonia.
The Ly'Technomaezji, over time, divested themselves of the trappings of arcane lore, which became more the preserve of the Vigiles Arcani and instead cultivated an interest in the application of eschatology and its related sciences as an influencing factor in political decision making.
After a long internal debate, the order was renamed the Ordo Imperii Decimæ Divæ (Imperial order of divine Decima) in 1651 to better reflect its mission to watch over what remained of humankind's allotted span. It is often now known more simply as the Order of Decima.
In 1664, Michael Verion, commissioner of the OID, was the victim of an attempted assassination attempt Ayreonist radicals. In the aftermath of this attack the Order was placed in the custodianship of Fra Alfarr bi Uïhsberht.
Organisation
| Cohort | Status | Station | Assigned Role |
|---|---|---|---|
Directors
- 1643–1664: Michael Verion, as Magister
- 1664– Fra Alfarr bi Uïhsberht, as Legate
Strategic Defence Initiative Organisation
Main Article: Strategic Defence Initiative
Novaya Sorensk SDI Facility
Alloys Research Establishment
Nuclear Deterrent
Operation Tymarian Sun (1641) was the first publicly noted atomic weapons test conducted by the Imperial Republic. Comprised of twin detonations carried out over the island of Ura'Bos the tests sparked panic in the Empire of the Alexandrians and prompted international condemnation, whilst at the same time providing evidence of the Imperial Republic's deterrent capabilities in the face of a belligerent and nuclear armed Jingdao.
The precise details of the Shirerithian nuclear deterrent remain a closely guarded state secret. Statistics provided by the Decimæ are deliberately vague.
- Fission devices: approx. 300
- Fusion devices: approx. 200
- Matter-antimatter collision devices: Two known
The thermonuclear warheads of the Decimæ are believed to have been adapted to fit within the multiple independently targetable reentry vehicles (MIRV) of the Imperial Navy's ballistic missile submarine.
The matter-antimatter collision devices are both reported to be on loan from the Natopian Aerospace Command under the auspices of the SANE Pact for research purposes. Their use accordingly is prohibited without the permission of the Joint Military Council.
Chemical, Biological and Radiological Programmes
The Imperial Republic's biological warfare programme was scrapped in 1658 following the decision to adhere to the Zaele Protocol on the prohibition of such weapons, as a gesture of good faith to Caputia and the Non-Aligned Movement during the period of heightened global tension occasioned by the War of Lost Brothers. Nonetheless, it remains that the OID continues to operate the Microbiological Research Establishment (MRE) for the purpose of developing countermeasures to the biological toxins and infectious agents developed by the Kalgachi and Nova English alliance as well as a contingency against the future re-emergence of a pandemic on the scale of the so-called Alexandrian Flu.
The MRE is also reported to be working on mapping the genome of the notorious "deathnettle", an invasive and - as the name suggests - lethal weed first propagated by the reckless Deep Singer geneticists of the Empire of Minarboria, in an effort to develop a fast acting antidote to the "blood-crystallisation" effect occasioned by even the most fleeting contact by the victim's skin with the trichomes found on the plant's vivid red leaves.
