The Will of Order
The following address was delivered by the Voice-Prime Goras Tyndelion of the Iron Dominion in the 8285th Galactic Standard Year.
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The Will of Order – r2
Nature
Nature and natural processes are sacred ones. The evolutionary process must not be interrupted, or the species is made weaker. This is why we say:
“To shield the weak from consequence is to blaspheme against nature.”
Civilization and technology are merely outgrowths of nature.
Law of the Strong
The Iron Dominion follows the principle of the Law of the Strong.
What is strength? As the Master said:
“That which evolution demands of the individual: to be ready for any challenge circumstances choose.”
A weak state invites chaos and does not even deserve to exist.
Thus, we say,
“The iron dominion of the Archon is law, unless the Archon is found to be too weak to rule.”
Aether
Like nature, the Aether is likewise sacred. Its true aspect is that of Shadow and discord. Discord is the pulse of creation, the blood of the universe; so-called harmony is death. The path of harmony and radiance is a falsehood, since peace can only come by power in nature. It is one distraction, among many others, the Aether rightfully allows the foolish to follow, so that their lives may be ruled by the strong.
The Rite of Challenge
The Archon may be challenged to a fight to the death at any time. Refusal for any reason is an admission of weakness and constitutes abdication. The weak and fearful must not rule the strong.
According to the ancient custom of the naïve but foundational Dread, the challenger may choose the location, the only constraint being that it is publicly observable.
The defender may choose the weapons, which must be equal, and the time, up to one month.
If the bout results in incapacitation rather than death, the victor may choose to spare the loser.
Drugs and Alcohol
If drugs or alcohol make someone stronger, they may freely choose to take these substances, in accordance with the Law of the Strong.
If they make someone weaker, they may freely choose to take them, but their sickness or death are no one’s fault but their own, and they deserve assistance from no one, state or private.
Galactic Institutions
Some may think the Iron Dominion hypocritical for adopting certain institutional standards of the Commonwealth, such as acceptance of the Commonwealth Credit or the use of mutually standardized astrogation protocols. They are fools and fail to see that these are simply the evolutionary process in action at the galactic level. The Iron Dominion is strong because it can evolve to match the conditions it must to survive.
Dread
Some may compare the Iron Dominion and its philosophy to that of the Dread. There is some surface-level merit to this, but two critical differences remain.
First, the Iron Dominion rules not by means of fear, but by the principle that strength is honor and honor is strength. Fear may be a tool necessary under certain conditions, but it is the lesser path of power.
Second, the Iron Dominion allows a certain basic measure of freedom in the lives of its subjects. This is necessary, since evolution cannot proceed inside an energy cage.
The Iron Inquisition
Paramount to assuring the Law of the Strong within our society is the institution of the Iron Inquisition. Inquisitors possess broad powers to interrupt, root out, and destroy any unnatural or unholy forces that violate the principles of our Empire.
Unlike the Dread Inquisition of days past, we do not arbitrarily limit its ranks to those attuned to the Aether, though the recruitment of such individuals is heavily pursued.
Know this, Concord interlopers and Commonwealth spies: you face fierce resistance to your cancerous ideologies and foul plotting.
The Eternal Conquest
Since nature by right favors our cause, and all sentient beings are born of nature, our society bears the duty to extend its authority over the stars, as a parent does over their children.
No system shall forever remain beyond our grasp. Until the stars themselves burn out, our cause shall grow ever stronger through the admittance, voluntary or otherwise, of new disciples, new worlds, and new sectors.
If you seek honor, if you would prove your worth to your home and your people, the Dominion calls upon you: enlist in our Army, our Fleet, or our Marines. Should you possess the courage and vigor to become an Assault Trooper, do not waste your potential in idleness. Prove your strength to the galaxy, and perhaps one day you may claim the Archon’s mantle.
Author’s Note
The Will of Order is a fictional in-universe document from the Aether Galaxy setting. It portrays the ideology of a fictional civilization, the Iron Dominion, and is presented solely for creative and worldbuilding purposes.
The ideas, language, and philosophy depicted in this text are part of the fictional context of the Aether Galaxy and do not constitute a real-world endorsement of any kind.
This work is released under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0).
Reminder: Under CC BY, reusers must not imply the author’s endorsement of derivative works or interpretations. For general project reuse information, see the Attribution Guide.
No canon; only coherence.