Rank 2: The Dangerous Power of Administration: Adeptus Administratum
“The pen is mightier than the sword,” applies to the Adeptus Administratum like it does to no other. Although these scribes and administrators have no combat power of their own, they manage everything that happens in the Imperium.
They can instigate and orchestrate wars or, by merely doing nothing, condemn a world to destruction by purposely (or inadvertently) losing crucial paperwork – causing all supplies to suddenly run out.
Part of the Administratum is, for example, the Departmento Munitorum, which oversees the Imperial Army and the Officio Prefectus. Additionally, the Imperial Navy, the Assassinorum, and even the nearly omnipotent free traders outside the Imperium belong to the Administratum.
In terms of administration, the Administratum is the most important institution by far, but it is also the most inefficient. Work often stretches over centuries or longer, causing most requests to never be processed in time. The organization is dangerous solely because it is the one most likely to bring down the Imperium – but also its enemies.
