Editing Rogue Trader (Warhammer 40,000) (section)

== The Warrant Of Trade ==
[[image:Eriegun1.jpg|200px|thumb|left|[[Bolter Cane]], because why the fuck not?]]
This being the grimdark far-future and all, not EVERYBODY can have "rights" or be given "freedoms". As such, the only thing separating a Rogue Trader from a plain ole' rogue is the '''Warrant Of Trade''', a document written by the Emperor himself that gives the holder of the document the very rare liberty to travel outside of Imperial space, trade with xenos, and even set up their own pocket-empire, as long as they officially remain a part of the Imperium and pay their taxes. Warrants Of Trade are also hereditary, meaning the scion of a Rogue Trader will inherit that power and so forth, creating a Rogue Trader dynasty - some of them dating back to the Great Crusade. In modern 40k, such Warrants of Trade are frequently seen as holy relics by the Ecclesiarchy (seeing as they are signed or even blood marked by the Emperor himself). This tends to cause problems when a greedy Ecclesiarch tries to stake a claim on possession of the Warrant as an artifact (something they are normally allowed to do), even if it would technically be going against the Emperor's wishes for the trader to continue their work in perpetuity. Then again, rational consistency is not a strong commodity in the Imperium. The question also remains, with a Warrant of Trade could you fuck a xeno? Could you, somehow by the grace of the God-Emperor, get into the bed of an Eldar and not have your insides turned into your outsides? (depending on the Eldar in question, maybe if you keep quiet) And could you somehow PROFIT from the experience, you daring capitalist?

The granting of a Warrant usually includes one or two conditions, such as visiting some backwater rock in the vast emptiness of space or lending aid to one of the countless wars the Imperium got itself caught up in. If a Warrant is granted without any conditions, that means the High Lords of Terra hope the Rogue Trader will travel far from Segmentum Solar and get himself killed ignominiously on some planet that nobody's ever heard of.

Conversely, as mentioned above, issuing a new Warrant of Trade is a good way for the High Lords to make a short cut around their own bureaucracy. If some planet somewhere really needs conquering ASAP, it may be easier to make a newly-invested Trader do it than to go through the process of mobilizing the Imperial Guard. Similarly, more than one High Lord has gotten rid of a rival by having him awarded a Warrant of Trade that sends him to the ass end of the galaxy. This can be faster (and safer) than organising and rigging a trial to justify his execution.