Editing Hive Blues No 5 (section)

=== The noble houses ===
The noble houses run all larger businesses, from food growing in special green houses to manufacturing weapons and ammunition for the armies of Guytoga and the Imperial Army.  A council of the six largest, mightiest and most influential houses exists that watches over all houses and regulates commercial affairs. This council is in constant contact with (and controlled by) the government.

There exist 15 noble houses (by bloodline) but a large gap exists in power and influence between the top six and the other nine

The most powerful six houses are (in order of power and their main field of commerce): 

- '''Atras''' (small arms and ammunition), head is Aleon Atras

- '''Kellorn''' (integrated circuits, range finders etc.), head is Ralph Kellorn

- '''Maderno''' (ammunition), head is Katra Maderno

- '''Dragkon''' (heavy arms), head is Ron Dragkon

- '''Parsic''' (food), head is Lydia Parsic

- '''Lagos''' (health care), head is Jon Lagos

All houses cower before the mighty Overseer and are constantly out to please the dictator and earn the favour of the government. Each house has a standing and well-trained militia and occasional fights erupt over different matters from time to time. As long as production volumes and security of the hive are not in danger, the government turns a blind eye on such affairs. The loser of such a fight must either pay large sums of money (reparations) but can live on albeit with a much lower standing, or the whole house and its holdings are destroyed and its members are exiled (or better flee) to the lower levels of the hive.