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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
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A '''η-class (eta class)''' or '''Hive World''' is a category of [[Imperial]] planet distinguished by vast, continent-spanning cities, often built high into the sky and deep beneath the earth. Their populations are enormous, and almost all food needs to be imported. A hive world rendered temporarily inaccessible through warp space will suffer a devastating famine within a very short space of time. It will become a vast catacomb of lunatics driven to excesses of anarchic, urban savagery by starvation and claustrophobia. Hive worlds are dangerous, being too large to monitor safely, and their citizens are typically unbalanced, if not utterly crazed. It has been known for the [[Adeptus Arbites]] to cull these planets in order to bring their populations down to manageable levels.<sup>2</sup>
Billions of people can live crowded together in a single [[Hive|hive-city]]. Each of these hiveworlders is a potential soldier for Imperial forces, including the [[Imperial Guard]] and the [[Space Marine]]s. Hive worlds contribute the vast bulk of the recruits for the Imperial Guard. The violent gangland [[gang]]land lifestyle which most residents are forced to live means they are already hardened and experienced in warfare. Almost every recruit will already know how to handle a gun.
Hive worlds also serve to populate newly discovered planets. Imperial citizens are gathered from various hive worlds (willingly or unwillingly) and shipped off to distant colonies. An example of this would be [[Medusa V]].
