Word returned to Droma about the results of the attack against the Orks, with the sent Taurus arriving accompanied by two Aries as its escorts, their vox-operators loudly proclaiming victory within the void. "The righteous have won the day; the fury of faith has won over the baseless savagery of the vile and debased! The ramshackle dens of monsters seeking to corrupt Khara burn as we speak; half the planet has been cleansed by our heroes, and a full liberation remains merely a question of time!" They spoke, their voices bounding within the system as millions upon millions began to celebrate, the anxiety and worry of decades of uncertainty flowing off of their souls in momentous relief. Impromptu parties and festivals began to take place wherever people could spend time and food. Laughter and toasts were raised in honor of the heroes fighting the good fight, with prayers directed to the martyrs whose watch had ended in the materium, now defending the Star Child by the Emperor's and Omnissiah's side.
Parties which were oft frequented by people wearing yellow vests, straight from their shifts, and straight from an initiative of the Candle Keeper's government to reduce waste and industrial slowdowns caused by accidents. Given the power to identify and correct problems with production processes and general safety, these Wussies seem almost wholly made up of those people gleeful at any chance to nag and demean any fault they could find. Yet, it was hard to remain angry at their interference once someone witnessed a life saved by their enforced changes.
Yet, away from these parties, the Central Council of the Candle Keepers was given a slightly different report. Still the same in spirit, but subtly changed in the message conveyed, for it contained a request, ugly truth, and a word of warning and wisdom given by the Eldar Farseer Farruin upon his departure.
The request came from Admiral K-529, the military leader of the attack, for a resupply of Units and possibly the emergency deployment of a Defense Station Network within Ubraka or another duo of Aries to bolster local defense. As for the ground campaign, things are progressing smoothly. While the Medium Assault Unit #001 has been ground down in combat to below combat effectiveness due to casualties, permanent and otherwise, the other deployed assets remain capable of pushing the extermination of the local Orks, if necessary, on their own. Still, he would rather have another set of fresh boots on the ground to maintain momentum and keep casualties as low as possible. Perhaps the Space Marine Scouts could be dispatched to gain experience?
The ugly truth being told was of the survivors of the native population. K-529 had decided to attempt to rescue those people alive, but the costs were rising. Not in money, but in morale and faith.
Suicide rates of the survivors freed start at 3% on the first day of liberation from the breeding/feedstock pens, rising sharply to about 47% within the week before falling to 23% thereafter. Primarily due to the fact that troops have been ordered to watch over the liberated people, but partly also because these people had their teeth, finger-, and toe-nails removed, forcing those seeking a Free Death to get creative or try and wrestle a gun from a soldier. Both do not end pretty. Likewise, infanticide had steadily remained at 97% within the first hour of liberation before general orders were given to seize all infants and children found, reducing it to a mere 6%. This can be wholly attributed to these people thinking that liberation is not permanent but a short glimpse of hope soon to be crushed. The seized children have been placed into creches and are being watched over by a combination of soldiers and locals being vouched for after observation and long-term behavior. Violent crimes, physical and sexual, from both sides of the equation, have also sharply risen among populations after four months of liberation in an effort by the perpetrators to feel control by any means necessary, leading to a projected population growth of 18.9% within the next decade.
The required industrial aid to get the system back running without starting with a blank slate has also come back fully accounted for, and the costs are staggering. Admiral K-529 is officially asking if he should stay the course or evacuate the liberated people to Droma, estimated to be about 27.3% of the projected native population still in captivity, and give the rest (the adults) a choice between a Free Death or resettlement whenever they are freed.
Thirdly, Farseer Farruin has sent a written message to the Council, which shall be read now as per his request:
A hand extended to help everyone is a hand able to raise none. How many are you willing to sacrifice for so little? Are these millions worth the billions which shall suffer now? The galaxy is a dark place, and sacrifices must be made by all. Pray this one will be worth its weight in lives.
That was the message.
You Have 3 [Three] Actions.
[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production V
-[] Civilian Infrastructure -II
-[] Heavy Industry II
-[] Void Industry VI
-[] Medical Services -I
-[] Military Industry III
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)
[] [General] Stay The Course (0/7)
Yes, the cost is steep, but it is the correct thing to do, no matter what the Farseer may think. These people deserve our aid, and they deserve a better outcome than a bullet to the head. If we will not extend a hand to those sinking into the abyss...who will?
(Warning! Not taking this option at any point until completion will force an abandonment of Khara. This reverses the loss of 3 Medical Services, 2 Civilian Infrastructure, and 1 Heavy Industry. After 3 Actions, abandoning will leave behind a Feral World filled with a Hostile Population.
Gain: Khara becomes a functional part of the Candle Keepers. +2 Medical Services and +1 Civilian Infrastructure.)
[] [General] A Ship Worth The Name (0/4)
The Kil'drabi Battlecolony is a marvel of ingenious and studious engineering, something that all who worked on it can be proud of and remember for their lives, handing down the pride and accomplishment for generations to be drawn upon for strength and hope in bleak days and bleaker moments. Yet, for the Candle Keepers, it is a waste of effort, a massive ship barely scratching upon what it could be, scarcely able to give what it was designed to do, and better off rebuilt at once. The Kil'drabi are heralds of what those who bend to the will of the Star Child could gain, and to let them fly in such a ship is an insult to Their Majesty. Rip out the sub-par and replace it all.
(Gain: The Kil'drabi Pact of Our New Path Battlecolony is retrofitted to adhere to the technological standards of the Candle Keepers.)
[] [Military] Raise A Specialised [Light/Medium/Heavy] [Infantry/Mechanized] Unit - [Choose: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn]/ Construct A Warp Ship - [Choose a Design]
With a chosen direction, your Military can now focus on giving the Units you will raise the proper training for the right job. Sabotage Units will focus on raiding and disrupting the enemy with lighting raids and plundering logistics; Assault Units will punch through the enemy in weak points and sow confusion with overwhelming firepower; Engineering Units will focus on creating fortifications and using turrets, mines, and barricades; Demolition Units will be comprised out of heavy weaponry squads with plenty of explosives, from mines to rockets; and Ogryn Units will be Ogryns armored in heavy metals and armed with shields and Beatin' Sticks led by men and women with spiffy hats that will not be disobeyed. Infantry Units consist mainly of boots on the ground, while Mechanized Units are equipped with vehicles that increase mobility and durability at the cost of logistics and all-terrain capability. Light Units are better for Low-Logistic scenarios, while Medium Units rely more on regular shipments yet strike a good balance between supply consumption and effectiveness. Ships are produced at these rates: Two Destroyers or One Frigate per decade.
(Gain: A chosen Military Unit/Ship.)
[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer, Frigate]
From what we can tell, thanks to our history, what information we have available, and what the Kil'drabi and the Governor of Droma III tell us, the difference between a prosperous interstellar polity and one naught but ash is the strength of their navy. At the moment, we have the beginning of a nascent Void Fleet, yet purely defending against our enemies is a great way to get ground down into dust over time; we need to be able to bring the fight to them.
(Gain: A newly designed and built Ship Class.)
[] [Military] A Task For Specialists (Assign Unit/s) (Choose Location/s) (Designate Objective/s)
-[] (1/1) Medium Engineering Unit
-[] (0/1) Medium Assault Unit
-[] (3/3) Droman Coral Assault Regiments
-[] (1/1) Droman Tideswarm Heavy Demolition Regiment
-[] (1/1) Lamenters Space Marine Squad
-[] (1/1) Lamenters Space Marine Scout Platoon
-[] (1/2) Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(7x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Taurus-Class Troopship (0/4 Capacity))
-[] Kil'drabi Auxiliary Fleet
(1x Pact of Our New Path Battlecolony)
There is war to be had and battle to be made. Send troops to resolve issues and squash opposition to the Star Child and Humanity and all Their Protectorates. Or send ships to scout neighboring systems to understand what is happening there.
(Gain: Military dispatched to put down opposition violently. Scouts are dispatched to look at other systems.
Scouting Range: 1 System from Droma.
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)
[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.)
The Celestial Choir has been given the means; with time, they shall conduct their songs. They will listen to the Warp and filter out the false whispers from the slumbering guidance of the Star Child. In halting prayer and stumbling humming, the truth will be stripped until nothing but it remains in the hands of those who shall make it anew into power to be wielded by the Choirs to come.
(Secret: Slumber, Silence, and Perception.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity, Song, Mercy, Creativity, Health, Unity, Innovation, Machinery, Logic, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun, The Home, Death, Ruthlessness, Brutality, and Fire II.
Kil'drabi: Paths, The Void, Struggle, Community, and Family.
Gain: A Melody newly Conducted.)
[] [Psykana] Sing a Song (Choose at least Three below.)
Mere Melodies are not the end of the journey, nor should they be the start. They are the middle, from which all things shall grow and wither.
(Available: Protection I, Fire I.
Gain: A Song.)
[] [Faith] Nursery-Temples Beyond The Cradles
Droma has been liberated from the tyranny of an Imperium that cares not to defend those loyal for eons nor even to send a hand to help them flee the devastation to come. And with liberation comes the need to have faith in a new system, one brought by the heralds of a better age, an Age of Understanding and Progress! Let us create those temples where the young shall learn of better days and where the old will dream of the galaxy to come. Let us march hand in hand, share the power that gives strength and pride to every woman and man under our protection, let those new faithful lend a hand, and build that very Age we shall all create for future generations!
(Gain: Nursery-Temples are constructed within Droma, aiding the population in staving off Chaos Influence and strengthening their belief in the Droman Creed.)
[] [Faith] Souls Artificial and Minds Constructed
With five of the Psykana Experiments revealed to be not ravening monsters that wish to kill all soul-bearing life to devour, but wounded, terrified, and faithful beings seeking aid from the only source of comfort they had ever gained (the Star Child), questions have come up from various corners. Did they have souls? They should; the Celestial Choir said they felt a Song of Mercy sung by the Five-One for their wounds and minds. And yet, what nature does a soul constructed by malevolent monsters into crafted flesh-psykana automata take?
(Gain: Nail down the soul-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)
[] [Faith] Technology Given Or Earned
Technology is the most fundamental aspect of creation in the name of the Omnissiah, a motion of worship and change that defies the base existence of nature by pulling everything back until only the cosmic machine remains. Technology is holy; it is worship and an act of pure faith. Yet, what of technology made by the Xenos? We know they will bend to the Star Child and become more than they thought they'd be in Their service, but what of their, and our, technology? Will we make use of what machines they use, and will we allow them to make use of ours? Or will lines be drawn never to be crossed upon pain of punishment? Maybe we will dictate tests and demand proof to give what we have gained in freedom and worship.
(Gain: Nail down the Xeno Uplift-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)
[] [Chapter] A Fleet Worthy Of The Name - (1/3)
Space Marines are the ultimate answer of humanity against the myriad dangers and monsters lurking within the dark of the galaxy, yet what worth are they if they are stuck on a single planet or in a single system, without any way to travel to where they are needed? With our aid, or simply by letting the Lamenters and their Chapter Serfs work independently, a nascent fleet of three Frigates will be created to suit the specific needs of a Space Marine Chapter.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain 3 Frigates.)
[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)
The Sagitarrius was close, but still suffered from trying to make use of a macroweapon. Trading the macrocannon for two Light Missile Batteries would give us significant anti-group applications while not compromising on its ability to cause Problems to heavier craft
