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From Warhammer 40k - Lexicanum
→Age of the Imperium
The Squat Homeworlds were almost unique in the Imperium - though they were a part of the Imperium, they were not directly controlled by the Administratum. Instead, they are allowed a certain amount of autonomy, being ruled by their strongholds and [[League]]s just as they were before the Age of Rediscovery. The experiences of the previous millennia has left the Squats with a strong sense of cultural unity and a fiercely independent nature, and instead of rejoining the Imperium as subject worlds, the Homeworlds negotiated a series of treaties which enabled them to keep their independence. The racial character of the Squats - hard-working, tenacious, honourable, and inimical to alien races - was almost perfect from the Imperial point of view, and the Imperium was content to allow them a great degree of self-government.
The Adeptus Mechanicus are highly interested in the Squats and the Homeworlds for several reasons: Squats possess a high level of technical expertise which seems to come naturally to the race. Additionally, the Homeworlds as a whole possess the greatest amount of surviving STC equipment in the Imperium. The Squats are said to allow the Adeptus Mechanicus free access to Squat technology. However it is also said the Squats keep their technology from other races, regarding the Adeptus Mechanicus as little more than sorcerers mired in superstition. During their long isolation the Squats were forced to become self-sufficient in order to survive the barren environments of their Homeworlds. They have also managed to maintain technological knowledge and expertise, which has allowed the race to continue to progress technologically. Accordingly the Squats have developed their own advanced technologies, which not even the most technically-adept of the Techpriests understand. These include the neoplasma reactor powered by a warp-core and held in thrall by a zero-energy containment field. No other race has developed this technology and the Adeptus Mechanicus gave up on their experiments with warp-cores after the infamous Contagion of [[Ganymede]]. Some of the technology developed by the Squat engineers is considered too dangerous and remains unused. Several of the weapons now in regular Imperial service were originally developed by the Squats: this includes the [[Leviathan (Transport)|Leviathan super-heavy assault transport]], [[Thunderfire cannon]] and [[Mole mortar]]. They were also expected to follow Imperial policy of external affairs, which is not a problem as they are a very inward looking society. The Squats do not follow the Imperial Cult, rather they worship their ancestors. When a Squat dies his spirit joins his ancestors. They make sure that their deeds in life give them credit in the afterlife. When the Squats fight alongside the [[Imperial Guard]] they often adopted the Emperor into their beliefs, as a guardian of their ancestors. In war, the Squats used squads of motorcycles supported by massive artillery barrages from juggernaut war machines such as the [[Land Train]], [[Colossus]], [[Cyclops]] and [[Leviathan (Transport)|Leviathan]]. They also used advanced armour, such the heavy [[exo-armour]].
==Extinction==
