The Third Imperium is the greatest interstellar empire in the history of Charted Space. Its Emperors have reigned for a thousand years, building a utopian society based upon the pillars of duty, honour, free trade and a powerful navy that protects its worlds and enforces its laws. Despite all of its grand achievements, the Imperium has a dark side. It has committed genocide on its own worlds. Its leaders have assassinated and murdered each other in battle to obtain the throne. A civil war nearly tore it apart, ending the dream of its visionary first Emperor. Yet with all the Imperium has been through, it has somehow endured. The Third Imperium is at a crossroads, and choices made now will determine whether it survives or crumbles.