Sterbelicht - One Sacrifice At A Time Against The Galaxy (40K)

"CAPT'N!" One of the Orks at a sensor station yelled, trying to be heard over the clamor and shouting on the bridge where hordes of Gretchin were herded around by Meks still hard at work fixing the stuff that got scrapped in their scrap through the weird place. "DA HUMIES SAY YOU'ZE A COWARD, 'N DEY WANNA SCRAP WIV 'YA!" The same Ork continued to yell, with the tiny exception that the entire bridge got dead silent when said Ork spoke the word "Coward" with any connotations toward the Capt'n.

"Wot? WOT?! WOT!!!" Said Ork Capt'n yelled, face contorting into a rictus of Orkish rage and utter fury, his hand already unholstering his favorite dakka-blasta, firing it with mind-rending fury at the Ork that had just reported this vile insult against his person. "FULL SPEED, YA GITZ! READY DE GUNZ AND DA KUSTOM BELCHERZ! AND YOU IZ GONNA TELL DE WURFLESS LOOKITZ TO FIND DA HUMIES, NOW!" The Ork Capt'n bellowed, the bridge transforming into a veritable hive of activity that was perhaps only a little bit less efficient at being chaotic than the previous state of affairs.

However, the sensor station Ork found himself at a loss at how to perform his job, with his station now destroyed, before he shrugged, grabbed a Gretchin currently carrying a toolbox, and threw both in there, electrocuting the first, and scattering the second within the box. Thus sufficiently "fixed," the Ork signaled the Gretchin Lookitz, currently slacking off on the outside of the ship, and screamed at them to do their job. Grumbling, scratching their asses, and in one case blowing their nose, they went to work hefting their large telescopes and went looking for the humies, ignoring both the vastness of space and the fact that they were in vacuum without any void suits.

---

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

"LOAD THE CANNON! GO-GO-GO!" Loading Master Alrita of the Monitor 'Divine Right of Defense' in service to House Schischi shouted through the vox and Laud Hailer that had replaced his mouth, the scratchy tone of his electronic voice cutting through any screams, clamor, explosion, or other distractions that could prevent him from being heard.

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

As one, the chain gangs at the bottom of the catwalks jumped into their harnesses and chains, metal straining as flesh pulled, and the gigantic shell lying in place moved, glacially at first, before picking up speed as human muscles and stubbornness pulled it free from rest, rolling into the correct position.

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

"CHANGE THE HOOKS, TAKE POSITIONS!" Alrita yelled, the buzz of his Laud Hailer heard through the rattling of chains and clang of metal, a dozen tiny forms clambering over the shell, dangling from their tether-harnesses as they released the workers from being chained to the shell below, attaching the cords to a second set of tracks besides the first. As they did so, another shell was slowly pulled out of the munitions depot before another group of children did the same there as the first did before the loading chamber.

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

"RETURN! LOCK! LOAD!" Alrita chanted, the chain gangs below turning in place as one, each racing a different direction, one back into the depot, one to the shell brought out, and another into position as a terrible hiss raced through the chamber, the shell loaded by a fourth gang turning massive wheels connected to cogs turning wheels that placed the giant shell into the chamber. A mighty *THUNK* echoed through the compartment as the cover closed, and a mighty hammer ascended from the ground.

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

"EARS! EARS! EARS!" Loading Master Alrita roared, covering his own as every person within the chamber did the same, the hammer rearing back...and striking.

*EEEEEEH*

Shaking off the physical force of the explosion having happened almost directly in front of himself, Alrita roared once more, though his voice was far quieter after the shot of the Macro Cannon went out. "EJECT! ATTACH! PREPARE!" And like that, the fourth chain gang turned their wheels the other way, mechanisms activated by an acolyte of the Machine God reaching into the now-opened chamber, the spent casing coming out of the hole with a red-hot sizzle. The small figures still descended, attaching cables and detaching clamps with practiced hands as their counterparts did the same with the new shell.

*BWOOP* *BWOOP*

Alrita glanced at the time taken to load and fire this shot, and a halfway praising grunt passed through his Laud Hailer. "LOAD THE CANNON," he shouted and added with some measure of pride: "Fifteen Seconds, keep it up, and you may just get that extra half-ration!" There was a great cheer, and the gangs renewed their efforts to attain that much-desired-after reward.

---

The buzz of the Servo-Skulls zipping around on their pre-programmed routes had faded into the background days after Sigma-DZ-N75, or Deez Nis to her friends had been assigned as a gunner to the Lance, her job dedicated to keeping the great machine running smoothly and prevent the massive amounts of energy channeled within the massive weapon from melting through its components and then exploding, killing herself and a hundred other people. Thankfully, that task was made far more comfortable thanks to the Servo-Skulls with their pict-recorder attachments scanning everything, instead of having their repair units do so personally, even with the buzz of them having been ingrained into her mind so deeply that she had trouble sleeping without any noise around her.

What had not been something she got used to was the heat, not even the massive coolant pipes pumping obscene amounts of cooling fluids through the giant weapon enough to prevent a heat buildup, especially once the thing fired for longer than five minutes.

"FIRING!" A voice shouted through the vox-net, and Deez already felt sweat run down her nacked back, though she would be dead before she complained. At least she got to strip to her skivvies; the repair teams had to wear their thermal-resistant clothes for their entire hour-long shift in the baking heat.

And then there was a piercing sound that she could never accurately describe, the Lance sucking in every drop of energy it could, holding onto it for two seconds like someone trying to hold back an orgasm until the dam broke anyway, and the load was released.

Unfortunately for everyone here, the Lance had fired a concentrated blast of energy at the Orks, taking revenge for two SM-0001s being destroyed and one wounded, rather than come after a pleasant time with a partner of their choice.

Worse for Deez, the heat within the room spiked for several moments, screeching pumps engaging once more to deliver icy-cold gusts into the room, and worse yet, she was underneath one of those pumps, getting blasted with sizzling heat for seventeen seconds and then chilled to the bone for four with each firing-cycle.

Still fucking beat repair duty.

---

Rho-Xi C//d, or Roxi, gently blew onto her hot cup of chocolate, taking a sip when she decided it was cool enough to do so, her eyes still focused on the readouts of her battery. Six shots still cycled through the loaders, the massive warheads being slotted into position by unerring machines as their Machine Spirits were roused by prayer and priests, and she gave them a direction and a cause to die for.

The last six had already crossed through the space between their once-home and the now-foe, her station rendering small little circles when they impacted against the hull of the last remaining Ork ship, taking vengeance for four vessels of theirs destroyed. Three of them, and one of the Dromans.

Smiling with wicked satisfaction, she noted that every single missile of her volley had impacted successfully and wrote to her brother crewing the other missile turret through a hidden sub-section of the ship's Noosphere.

>StarSphinx69: My Salvo got through first; pay up, brother!
>Rho-Xi C//e: I never agreed to bet my chocolate ration. And stop changing your name to that! That is, like, four different kinds of blasphemies!
>StarSphinx69: No. >:3

---

"That could have gone worse," Teeln, Prophet of the Star Child, noted, staring at the losses they had taken due to an unfortunate hidden Ork weapon unleashed in the latter part of the battle, even if it had been too late to change anything. The mines had further damaged the charging Ork ships, while the ambush from behind with a dozen torpedoes had cleaved through the first ship with little difficulty.

"It could have gone better, too," Thule-Omicron 55 muttered, glaring at the years it would take to get the Light Cruiser ready, and the years it would take to replace the losses taken. What she didn't glare at was the performance of the ships and crews, each noted as performing as expected, at least. The coordinated fire against the last ship had popped its shields after only a few minutes of fire, and then it got sliced, hammered, and battered to death with shot, laser, and missile.

Thankfully, no Orks had managed to land on the station, and their mining ships were busy throwing the Ork ship remains into the sun to prevent infection from that vector. Apparently, these Xenos could survive a hard vacuum. Troubling.



You Have 2 [Two] Actions.
[X] Trading With Imperials - (Mandatory)
Weapons, Armor, Munitions, and Equipment from one to the other, IOUs, Currencies, Valuables, and Information from the other to one.
(Cost: Blocks any expansion of your Military at the current level.
Gain: Droma III is much better prepared to resist any Orks that make planetfall. You gain Imperial currencies.)

[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production II
-[] Civilian Infrastructure II
-[] Heavy Industry II
-[] Void Industry IV
-[] Medical Services II
-[] Military Industry III
With much of the station freed up, we can begin filling the empty parts again with industry and things we need, from clinics to starch vats feeding us in the void.
(Gain: A district focusing on the chosen option.)

[] [Military] Raise A Specialised [Light/Medium] [Infantry/Mechanized] Unit - [Choose: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn]
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 their 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.
(Gain: A chosen Specialised Light/Medium Infantry/Mechanized Unit.)

[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer]
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 only monitors, and 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)
-[] Medium Engineering Unit
-[] Medium Assault Unit
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 His Protectorates.
(Gain: Military dispatched to put down opposition violently.
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] Of Saints and Sinners, Miracles and Purposes
The rescue and mending of the Souls of the Star-Born from the predations of the Immaterium and their Maker's malicious hands cannot be called anything other than a Miracle. Yet, what does it make of them? Saints? Or sinners rescued? Have they been endowed with a purpose? Or are they merely saved by the grace of the Star Child being able to save them? What does it mean, and, more importantly, what does the Droma Creed say it means?
(Gain: Nail down the Saint and Miracle aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [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] Preach To We Who Yet Wander
Having been brought under the gentle embrace of the Star Child and giving tribute to those who fight in its name for a better galaxy, the Kil'drabi represent the first among many Xeno species we shall show an existence beyond fighting for only themselves. Already culturally compatible with the ideals and tenets of the Star Child, focusing on community and cohesion against the dangers of the void and long travels, bringing them fully into the fold would be a boon for all. However, that will likely happen naturally over a century or two, just not as thoroughly as some may like, thanks to their small numbers and frequent contact with us.
(Gain: The Kil'drabi are slowly converted to the Cult of the Star Child and given more resistance to the predations of Chaos.)

[] [Faith] Preach to Droma III - Electric Boogaloo: Supreme Edition
Same verse as the second, now to get the third up and running!
(Gain: Deeper entrenchment of the Droman Creed within Droman III society.)

[] [Faith] Preach to Droma VII
The people of this desert and savannah world pray to the guise of the God-Emperor known to them as the "Gulden Lord," a figure that rules by wealth, influence, and trade rather than force, might, and his inexhaustible armies. For the people here, wealth is synonymous with piety, to the point that their preachers are merchants, one and all, and the wealthiest person rules this semi-theocratic semi-plutocratic government. Yet, they cannot go into space and have been delegated by Imperial authorities to pay their tithes in mineral wealth and provide their children for the "Gulden Lord's" armies. Converting them would be more complicated than Droma III, but we will have the time to do so once Droma III is ours.
(Gain: Start converting the people of Droma VII to the Droman Creed.)

[] [Chapter] Keep The New Blood Coming (0.5/4)
Same verse as the first two, and same as those that will come after until all one-thousand places have been filled with Brothers worthy of the title.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain another 80 Neophytes.)

[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)
(Gain: Turn to address the issue.)

AN: The Orks literally only rolled 1s in the entire fight...until they got four exploding 6s when it was far too late. Orks.