We Die Standing: The Imperial Army

The Imperial Army is the largest planetary military branch in the galaxy, unless non-human forces are counted. While the Imperial Navy is the sword of the Emperor, the Imperial Army is the shield; Imperial law cannot be enforced without boots on the ground. Thus, while the Imperial Army does engage in offensives during times of war, its primary task is the defense of the Empire from threats arising from within and without.

The Imperial Army's ranks are without number, but estimates place it in the low quadrillions. Should the Empire enter a state of total war, and all of the Empire's levies are placed under Army command, this number could easily triple in an instant. However, given the Empire's size, most of the Imperial Army is not directed at the Empire's external enemies, and must instead be used to ensure the loyalty of various worlds and systems. Indeed, most Imperial stormtroopers will never set foot outside the Empire or see an enemy soldier; most wars the Empire fights are against nobles who refuse to pay taxes or are engaging in some other form of rebellion.

Most Imperial Army personnel are peasants, although a few serf regiments exist. While admission into the Imperial Navy is considered an honor, admission into the Imperial Army is considered a punishment. Absolutely no skills, including literacy, are necessary to become a private in the Army. Life in the Army is tough: newly-minted stormtroopers are not statistically likely to survive their first few engagements, and the new Army commanders leading them are unlikely to help that statistic. Thus, joining the Army is largely a desperate move made by men who have nothing else. Because of the unpopularity of Army life, there are conscription laws in the books, but the difficulty of galaxy-wide conscription means that they have never been used since the end of the Federation War.

Of course, some peasants join out of ambition. The Imperial Army is the easiest way to climb the social ranks, particularly if the peasant participates in the capture of a planet. By Imperial law, every world captured by the Army must have its land allocated among the men who captured it, noble and peasant alike. At worst, a peasant would get a plot of land to call his own, and at best a peasant can be come a lord in his own right. Peasants who demonstrate enough skill to be promoted to an officer commission are immediately ennobled, commonly through knighthood. They receive all of the legal rights and privileges of any other noble, but whether they are accepted into high society is another matter entirely.

The average Imperial stormtrooper is armed with a blaster rifle, a couple of thermal detonators, and a blaster pistol. Imperial weapons are notoriously cheap and unreliable, and the standard KF7 blaster of the Imperial Army is infamous for its accuracy issues. The stormtrooper is also issued a full set of plasteel armor, including a helmet. This helmet covers the face of the stormtrooper, and is designed to resemble a human skull in order to strike fear into the hearts of the Emperor's enemies. While the standard color of this uniform is green, they exist in a variety of camouflage colors. This armor does a good job protecting from most civilian firearms, including most forms of stubbers, but will do little to protect a stormtrooper from military-grade weapons.

A stormtrooper can learn many useful skills in the Army. Walker drivers receive a license at the end of their duty, which they can show to future employers to prove they can operate heavy machinery. Combat engineers and combat medics can receive a scholarship to technical and medical schools once they reenter civilian life. Many a rich peasant began their careers in the military, careers they would not have otherwise been able to start. The Army also affords peasants the chance to travel around the galaxy.

However, Army life is tough. Stormtroopers are expected to do backbreaking labor throughout most of the day, and often put themselves at mortal danger when going on patrol. Food is often bland and, because of Imperial standardization practices, every meal is identical to the last. Supplies often run low when patrolling in the more remote portions of the Empire. Locals are often distrustful of Imperial Army, and may not even speak an intelligible dialect of Traditional Standard Imperial. This does not even get to battlefield conditions, particularly against well-armed foes. Fortunately, most stormtroopers will never meet combat with an equal or superior foe.

As with the rest of the Empire, the Imperial Army's leadership is made up of nobility. Service in the Army is actually a duty for Imperial nobles of System Lord and below; they receive land from the Emperor in exchange for service in the Army. As with the peasantry, Army service is seen poorly, and is a duty that a noble must carry out if his family is to retain title. Every male of age in a noble family must serve at least ten years in the Army, but their position may be taken by another noble in the same family. Once in the service of the Army, the noble is knighted, and is given an officer commission.

While knights from richer families can expect to join the administrative officials immediately, most other knights have to fight alongside their peasant counterparts. These knights serve as field officers for their stormtroopers, taking the place of the sergeant in most other galactic militaries. As nobles from poorer families can expect to serve in combat, they train their entire lives for war. Many nobles enter the knightly ranks as proficient killers, with a strict sense of duty and honor. Should he survive his tour of duty, the knight is released from all obligations to the Empire (unless they are called back into action during emergencies), and is free to live a life in leisure.

While on duty, knights are given some leeway to express their more basic urges upon civilians, but they are forbidden from mistreating stormtroopers. Knights are expected to keep their stormtroopers in line, and have the duty to execute deserters, particularly in the heat of battle. During a frenzied charge against the enemy, knights are expected to lead the charge, to inspire the stormtroopers to follow. As knights live and fight alongside their stormtroopers, camaraderie between noble and peasant can grow in the Army where they can nowhere else in Imperial society. Growing reluctance among knights to carry out their duties against men they consider their brothers is a growing problem for the Empire, which has led to Imperial Intelligence sending their own agents to enforce Imperial will on the battlefield.

Imperial knights are issued far better equipment than their stormtrooper counterparts, and are allowed to purchase even better equipment. Their blaster rifles are more accurate and more powerful, and their armor is powered and shielded. Among the more prestigious families, sets of powered armor are owned by the family and passed down from generation to generation. A knight from one of these families is expected to serve as well as his ancestors did, and so are often highly pressured to be the best soldiers they could be.

Among the top leadership, there is a strong rivalry with the Imperial Navy. The Army (rightly) sees the Navy as overly privileged and pampered, not knowing the hard life of planetary engagements. The Navy, on the other hand, sees the Army as inferior and, to a certain extent, obsolete. Imperial policy has not helped matters, as policy is to defer to the Navy whenever a dispute arises. Indeed, many joint actions have an Army general being placed under the direct command of a Navy admiral, or even a battlestar captain. This has led to a lot of resentment among Imperial Army officers for their Navy counterparts.