[jason taylor]

The inspiration for this was twofold. One was that there were a number of similarities between the Principality (as described in the Imperial Encyclopedia) and a non-canon society of my own (founded by Space Cossack sorts from the frontiers of the ISW) near the Spinward Marches that I had to figure out a way for them to have been in contact. This is an elegant solution-they were in contact, the Black Watch was simply ordered in a different direction.

The other is contemplating what would happen to the Terran Fleet campaigning for generations? It would become an ethnicity and sprout sub-ethnicities. And it would be a semi-nomadic one for going back to one's home after tour ended was often impractical. The most logical thing is that the Terrans habitually set up an advance base to support operations in a sector and as that was sufficiently secure dependents were brought up. Each base's inhabitants would identify more with other anchors of the Terran Navy than with the planet it is on.