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The Imperium and Perpetual War
Inquisitor Kolo Valchetti

Index:
Introduction
Chapter I – Perpetual War and Its Effects
Chapter II – The Necessity of Perpetual War in the Imperium
Chapter III –The Maintenance of Perpetual War


Introduction

   This book is not only an examination of the Imperium and its dependence on Perpetual War it is also an explanation for some of my own actions which have been called into question by fellow members of the Most Holy Orders of The Emperor’s Inquisition.

   As such I feel I should start by giving an overview of myself in order that you can see for yourselves the originator of the subsequent facts and observations. First and most importantly I am an Inquisitor and have been for the past one hundred and five years. Kolo Valchetti is not my real name but is the name I am now known by. I am not a member of any of the Ordos within our organisation preferring to operate independent of such ties. It was the completion of my hundredth year of service that prompted me to set down in writing my motivations and beliefs. I am regarded, as you will notice as you read further, as a follower of the Istvaanian philosophy with which I assume you are all familiar. While from the outside this is a fair assumption to make as my methods are undeniably similar to those of the Istvaanian philosophy and I have on occasion worked alongside Istvaanian Inquisitors I do not do it for the same reasons as they do and surely a man’s philosophy is determined by his motives not his actions? I do not, like the Fomenters, encourage civil war to increase the strength and combat ability of the individuals involved for the individual citizens of the Imperium are of little value to me. As an Inquisitor I am tasked with defending the Imperium not its inhabitants. If the Imperium could continue to function effectively without its citizens then I would not hesitate to remove them all. It would make life considerably simpler. I do not, like the Solarians, attempt to put into effect huge crusades to destroy mankind’s enemies. Primarily because this is an impossible task.  Secondly because even if this were achievable it would lead to peace which would in turn lead to the collapse of the Imperium. The Imperium needs war to survive, but this is a point I will return to later. I do not believe even that conflict breeds strength which is a central tenant of Istvaanian philosophy. Indeed there is very little that I ‘believe’. What I know, however, is that in order to continue in its current form, and according to the Amalathians it is currently proceeding as per His divine plan, the Imperium needs to be at war. And not just a small scale conflict. It needs a vast, never ending conflict that consumes the entirety of its man power, production capabilities and economic excess. A perpetual war. As such I like to refer to myself as a Perpetuan.

   Many people see my views as uncouth believing that I am no better than any other Istvaanian causing war for war’s sake. Some have even gone as far to say I am insane. I am not. I underwent a full psychiatric and psychic examination in order to prove my sanity. The psychiatric report suggested that my beliefs stemmed from the violence that formed a large part of my early years. Apparently I see this violence as having shaped me and allowed me to succeed and I attempt to apply this model to the Imperium at large. This is not the case. My reasoning is far more logical as you will see. It is true, however, that violence marked my rise into the Inquisition. I was born on Levilo Clausus a grand name for a glorified hellhole filled with the reeking tide of humanity. Like on every hiveworld gang warfare was rife and you had to fight to survive. This brutal upbringing stood me in good stead when I was recruited into the 98th Levilo Clausun Rifles. After fifteen years of distinguished service I was recruited into the Inquisitorial Stormtroopers following the Ebcom Affair. I was later permanently attached to the staff of an Inquisitor who I shall not name in order to protect him from the shock of realising how one of his pupils has turned out. Once it was realised that I could think as well as kill I was made an acolyte and eventually I received my rosette. Since then I have done my duty to protect the Imperium and maintain it. Unfortunately some do not see that that is what I have been doing.

Kolo Valchetti

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Chapter I
Perpetual War and Its Effects

   As I stated previously Perpetual War is necessary for the Imperium to continue as it does. But what is Perpetual War and what are its effects?

   Put simply a perpetual war is a war without a foreseeable end. This can arise in a number of ways. It can be that both sides are so evenly matched that the war reaches a stalemate. An example of this can be seen in the civil war on Tatton which has now been being fought for nigh on a century. The support for each side (the blacks and the yellows, it continues to astonish me the number of forces that resort to using colours to distinguish themselves from their enemies as opposed to using ideologies or leaders) is split almost exactly in half across the planet and as such neither side has an advantage. The two sides dug in after two years of fighting and have remained in a stalemate which is unlikely to be broken until outside forces intervene. Perpetual War can also arise should the forces involved be too fragmented to pose a serious threat. For example it has often been stated that the number of Orkoids in the galaxy means that should they unite they would be capable of conquering the entire galaxy. The fact that they are fractured means they exist in a state of perpetual war fighting each other as regularly as they fight other races.

   A standard war tends to be of less benefit to a society than peace. The benefits of war are well recorded by Istvaanian Inquisitors: increased technological advancement, survival of the fittest etc. These benefits, however, are usually outweighed by the disadvantages: loss of life, loss of materials and the possibility of a significant military defeat. A perpetual war, however, can provide the benefits without the disadvantages. Firstly the fact there is a war leads the citizens involved to take on a ‘siege mentality’ more prepared to undergo hardship in order for the war effort to succeed. Secondly it permits the ruling class to put into effect legislation which would be seen as unacceptable in peace time. Thirdly the war unites the citizens against a common foe forging stronger bonds and a stronger sense of group identity. These advantages are all present in a normal war but the perpetual war, as well as maintaining these benefits avoids some of the disadvantages. Firstly the fact that for a perpetual war to exist the two sides need to be equally matched reduces the chances of either side suffering a significant military defeat that could crush morale and/or lead to significant loss of life or raw materials. Secondly the perpetual war usually results in a stalemate with fixed boundaries between the two sides. This means that the citizens behind the frontline are rarely affected as much by the war whilst still living with the siege mentality caused by the war.

   To continue with the example of the war on Tatton we can see that the positive effects have far outweighed the negative hence why the war has been allowed to continue without the Imperium stepping in to support one side or another. During the first few years of decisive battles in which the casualty rates where high and damage to the planets primary production plants caused a 62% reduction to the tithe provided the negatives were more obvious and it was only intervention by a high ranking Inquisitor that prevented Imperial forces being sent in to end the conflict. The Inquisitor’s wisdom shone through once the stalemate started. The citizens behind the frontline where now relatively safe and the factories could resume production, siege mentality meant the workers were willing to work longer hours for less pay and each side attempted to outdo the other by providing a higher output towards the tithe this resulted in the planet now providing 7.2% more than its expected tithe in addition to producing all the munitions and equipment being used at the front line. The war also made the citizens willing to accept poorer conditions and hence manpower that would previously have been used to produce consumer goods could be diverted to help with production for the tithe and war effort. In my mind the only way for the situation to be made more advantageous would be if the war was being waged against an external foe so that the entirety of the planets resources could be pooled together but the situation is beneficial enough for the stalemate to be allowed to continue. Further to this I would advocate the establishment of similar stalemates on other planets within the Imperium and indeed have been working towards this aim on a number of planets for a number of years.