Blood Ties: Inside the Grandfather's House (short story)

Blood Ties: Inside the Grandfather's House was a Faction Paradox short story released exclusively on the Faction Paradox website under the banner of The Spiral Politic Database on 14 September 2002. It was written by Lawrence Miles.

Publisher's summary
Although it's well-known that Faction Paradox is organised as a "family", there's some debate about why this might be the case. All the Great Houses are to some degree over-extended families (even if they don't generally reproduce through natural childbirth), but the Faction attaches far more importance to family titles than any of the other bloodlines. It's been noted that in this respect it's got something else in common with the voodoo-cults of the Caribbean, and as both voodoo and the Eleven-Day Empire have their roots on eighteenth-century Earth this might not be a coincidence. The way the voodoun describe the loa -spirits is remarkably similar to the way the Faction describes entities like the Grandfather of House Paradox, and indeed, for the voodoun the loa are often perceived as the founders of a spiritual "family".

However, as with many of the voodoo-cults, Faction Paradox is a political organisation above all else. A cynic might point out that for all its ritual and technology, at heart the Faction's no different from any other cult… and the best way for a cult to ensure the loyalty of its members is to forge "family ties" between them. Furthermore, Faction Paradox is a House that's constantly preparing for war: the military wing might be relatively small, but it's notable that when a new member is indoctrinated into the "family" he or she is equipped with a weapon as part of the initiation process. So although the titles given to Faction agents might suggest family relationships, in practice they're closer to being positions in an army.

The ranks and orders are as follows...

Little Brother/ Little Sister
Little Brothers and Sisters serve as apprentices for the Faction before progressing forwards. If they fail to advance forwards they're simply returned to the time they came from. If their knowledge of the Faction and its methods causes issues, well, that's not something the Faction concerns itself with.

Cousin
The Cousins are the rank and file of the family, running most of the Faction's various interests outside of the Empire. Most aren't Homeworlders, but from the lesser races, and this group will make up the bulk of their forces in any conflict.

Father/ Mother
The majority of the seats in the parliament of the Eleven-Day Empire are held by the Fathers and Mothers, these are the true rulers of the Faction, often former members of the Great Houses who oversee Faction operations.

Godfather/ Godmother
The Godfathers and Godmothers preside over the various wings and departments within the Faction, rarely leaving the Empire.

The Grandfather
The Grandfather never existed and has never existed for at least two hundred years.

Worldbuilding
to be added

Continuity
to be added