 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Pilots in the Empire
As can be understood from the 11th declaration of Senate, the Empire is spread over a number of parallel universes. Such an Empire would under normal circumstances be impractical, due to the simple impossibility for the residents of any particular universe to travel outside of that universe. However, thanks to the ability of Pilots, that kind of travel is possible, and thus the Empire exists, and functions. A Pilot is a person who has undergone a special process of initiation, and has been granted the ability to reach out to any place in existence which he clearly knows, and drag himself and a weight of material which he is touching to that location, within a short instant. The administration of this ability is performed through the Guild of Pilots, who in turn are controlled by the Divine Alastyr. He is responsible for all Pilot activity in the Empire, and also within the Kingdom of Aequor and the host of Caelum. Pilots exist outside of normal Imperial Law, and are subject only to the Word of Alastyr. One side effect of the nature of the transits that Pilots make is that non-Pilots are very unlikely to survive such transits unless they travel in shielded carriages or vehicles. The Guild of Pilots therefore use specially made carriages, train cars and ships for the transport of paying customers. Pilots are accorded a rank which is based on the degree of their initiation, which translates in general terms to how much weight they can carry. The Courier Pilot is the most commonly achieved rank, being able to carry about 10 tons of material. This is sufficient for a shielded carriage, able to transport about 12 people and a reasonable quantity of luggage, or a shielded freight car with about 5 tons of freight. The Master Pilot is able to carry about 5000 tons, which is sufficient to move a fully loaded train of about 10 railway carriages. This means that a Master Pilot's train can carry about 1000 people. The Grand Pilot (signified by the diamond in the centre of the rose) can move up to the region of 100,000 tons. This means in practice that they can move a fully loaded freight ship, or a passenger liner. However, Grand Pilots are incredibly rare - there are only 20 in civilian employment within the Guild, and a further 50 in the Imperial Military. © Tim Hart 2004 |
