Law and Order

Imperial and Planetary Law

There are two categories of law in the Imperium, ‘Local’ or ‘Planetary’ Laws and ‘Imperial’ Law.

Local and Planetary Laws are set by the Governments of those worlds and deal with petty and minor crimes, often up to and including murder. The influence a Government has on setting those laws can vary, as can the powers of local law enforcement. The makeup of local police forces varies massively from planet to planet as a result; some are more casual volunteer militias whereas on Duroverum, for example, each noble House has a personal security force responsible for enforcing house and planetary laws within their domain, while on Kuatis enforcement is the business of grim Guild thugs. There is no Imperial-mandated uniformity for these local forces and laws; they can vary from planet to planet, from vaguely sensible consequences for theft and murder, to the frankly bizarre laws governing the presentation of a planetary ruler in artwork.

Imperial Law is the direct opposite. It is immutable; every single line of it laid down in the Lex Imperialis, the Book of Judgement - a text so ancient it can trace its first drafting to the Emperor’s initial subjugation of the warring nations of Holy Terra. It is enforced by the Adeptus Arbites, the Imperial Judiciary and Police force, grim individuals schooled and indoctrinated with Imperial values. Imperial Laws primarily focus upon High Crimes such as treason, and threats to the internal security and stability of the Imperium. However, the Arbites have a vast array of powers and wide jurisdiction and will quickly take over investigations from the local police IF they believe it has a connection to a wider threat.

Unlike local police, Arbites ARE the law in of themselves, they need not bring a suspect to a local magistrate; they are (if needed) responsible for judging and sentencing crimes on the spot. These powers, imbued in individuals who are assigned FAR from their homeworlds as to avoid conflicts of interest, are a potent mix that keeps Planetary Governments in line as much as it does Lowborn citizens. The entire Imperium knows that it is constantly under the stern, vigilant gaze of the Arbites, and that should they stray from compliance with Imperial Law, or fail to deliver what the Imperium desires, it will be the Arbites who will ensure they do not make that mistake twice.

Lex Imperialis

At the heart of Imperial Law is the Lex Imperialis, the great codex of Imperial law, held to be the Word of the Emperor Themself. The Lex itself is vast, containing a huge volume of legal precedent and records of past judgement; for this reason, no single copy of the entire Lex exists anywhere but Holy Terra. But it remains the core book of law used by the Adeptus Arbites.

Abridged versions, codices and exegetical manuscripts of the Lex are used throughout the Imperium in Arbites precinct-fortresses, to provide the Adepti Arbites with a basis for their righteous judgements. The most complex cases, however, must be referred back to the Book of Judgement on Holy Terra, and may be centuries in the adjudication – often coming to a conclusion years after the original victims and perpetrators of the alleged crime are long dead.

Arbites often carry a field summary of the Lex known as the Book of Law – often, incorrectly, referred to as the Lex. An oath on such a book is considered by most in the Imperium as binding and sacred as an oath upon a religious text or the Name of the Emperor.

In cases where local planetary or feudal law and the Lex might seem to contradict each other, the Lex – as interpreted in the unquestionable judgement of a sworn Arbiter – always has primacy. Cases which highlight local law diverging too far from the Lex Imperailis are often considered a warning sign that the planetary government is straying dangerously from Imperial norms, and may even call for an investigation into the Governor themself by the Arbites; no Imperial subject is above the Law.

Sentencing

There is one uniform reality for the legal process in the Imperium: neither Arbites nor local Magistrates have any time for trials. Sentencing is almost always carried out on arrest or as soon as the criminal has been dragged before the appropriate official. Only the most prominent and powerful figures are afforded the dignity of standing trial and even then there are many situations where such things are circumvented, especially in the hands of Arbites.

Although the sentencing guidelines for many crimes does give the option of delivering a death warrant, the Imperium very rarely carries out executions of regular citizens. More often than not they are exclusively reserved for prominent and popular criminals for the purpose of propaganda, and for individuals deemed to be irredeemable by the official sentencing them.

For most petty criminals, fines and punitive punishments are used; for those found guilty of more severe crimes the Imperium has penal duty in military Penal Legions, or labour on various penal worlds, colonies and prison ships or to the flagellant penitents of the Ecclesiarchy. Ultimately a dead body is of less use to the Imperium then a live one, executions waste resources in more than one way and disposing of human remains takes more effort than one realizes. Thanks to advanced technology, those criminals deemed too much of a threat to be assigned to penal duties, or that know too much to be safely left intact are handed over to the Adeptus Mechanicus. These unfortunate souls suffer fates worse than death - lobotomised and modified with bionics and transformed into grotesque cyborg thralls known as ‘Servitors’. Indeed the Imperium does make heavy use of these thralls, not just for their tireless labour, but so that the sight of a former neighbour’s face left vacant and mutilated as they work machine-like is a solid reminder of what happens to those who err.

Death of criminals does of course occur; all Arbites and most local police carry an array of lethal weapons, and many ‘non-lethal’ weapons are often the opposite of that. Should criminals resist arrest or present any kind of threat to an Arbites or police enforcer, many will use lethal force rather than be put at risk. This judgement is backed by the Lex Imperialis, which supports placing the life of a law enforcer before that of a suspect.

There are also situations where mass executions are permitted. Planetary rebellions or mass rioting see Arbites turn from a police force to an elite military force to maintain Imperial control of a world - participating in rebellion is a capital crime and the Lex Imperialis supports the use of lethal force to suppress major unrest. In addition, it is not uncommon for both Arbites and Local Enforcers to engage in ‘Crime Blitzes’ against criminals and cleansing of mutant populations. In both cases hunter-killer teams will bring down the heaviest available equipment and scour the area designated as the target of the operation, brutally suppressing even minor crimes or purging mutants wherever they find them.

The Adeptus Arbites

Any Adeptus Arbites can correctly be addressed as “Arbiter” or “Arbitrator”. Exact designations of rank and status within the Adeptus can vary from Precinct-Fortress to Precinct-Fortress, and it is not uncommon for a particular rank or title to be awarded for the duration of a criminal investigation, to represent the greater autonomy granted to the lead investigative officer. The titles below are the most commonly understood by the Arbites of the Prosperitas Sector.

Even the lowest Arbitrator Minoris is granted an unimaginable level of autonomy by comparison to the ranks of planetary Enforcers, who must answer to byzantine and often corrupt local justice systems. Any Arbiter who wears the badge is entitled by office to carry out summary justice, including execution, upon any wrongdoers they judge guilty of breaching the Lex. Only in the most complex, difficult or politically sensitive cases will an alleged criminal be brought back to the Precinct-Fortress for further investigation and trial before a more senior Arbitrator – whose word will be final.

• Arbitrator Minoris: The lowest rank of Arbiter, one who has successfully completed their training and is considered capable of enacting the judgement of the Lex on wrongdoers.

• Arbitrator Majoris: An Arbiter entrusted with command, often found in command of a riot control squad or leading an investigation.

• Arbitrator Senioris: A senior Arbiter who can be trusted to act alone on sensitive or dangerous cases, or coordinate several squads of Arbiters to deal with major civil unrest.

• Marshal: A Planetary Overprecinct is headed by the planet’s Marshal, responsible for overseeing law and commanding the Arbitrators of the Planet’s Fortress-Precincts. They are assisted by at least one, and often several, Deputy-Marshals. More populous planets will be divided into several regional precincts.

• Nomad Marshals: Also called “Frontier” or “Hunter” Marshals, these Marshals have no fixed Precinct and report directly to the High-Marshal Subsector. They are responsible for bringing the Law to wild frontier worlds with no formal Precinct and the distant reaches of the Sector, hunting down fleeing criminals who cross Overprecinct boundaries and overseeing complex investigations into criminal conspiracies spanning several planets.

• High-Marshal: Usually addressed as Lord-, Lady- or High-Marshal, are responsible for overseeing Subsector Overprecincts.

• The Provost Marshal of the Court or High Chief Justice of the Prosperitas Sector Overprecinct is appointed by the Grand Provost Marshal the Head of the Adeptus Arbites, and one of the High Lords of Terra – this Arbiter is charged with being the final arbiter of law within a given Sector Overprecinct and takes responsibility for law and order – depending on their personal taste they may be addressed by either of their titles.
• In addition to these ranks, some Arbites are also known and addressed by technical specialism – for example:

Verispex– a forensic crime scene investigator specialising in biometric, chem and ballistics analysis. Chastener – an interrogation and debriefing specialist. Detective – an investigative specialist in plain-clothes, agent handling and covert surveillance work.