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

'Aight, no sense in waiting.

"The costs will-" a voice said. Teeln, Prophet of the Star Child, didn't care to whom this voice belonged. He didn't care to find out either. He stood nonetheless. Silence followed his rise, and all eyes turned to him.

Eyes hardened by combat and drills, knowing the cold calculus of war within the void and on the ground, eyes that had seen the action against the Orks seeking to invade Droma and the fights against the heretics and their missguided protectors on Droma III.

Eyes sharpened by the whispers of the Warp, always ready to see the truth behind the make of things. Eyes which held love for him, but were now hiding the smoldering fury of one who had known these words thrown around within the youth of her life, back when she was tiny and weak and helpless.

Eyes of centuries past stared with carefully feigned indifference. They had seen cruelties and abominations beyond knowing wreak havoc upon the innocent, fought alongside those who gladly gabe their lives to see just one more civilian saved from the cruely of the galaxy.

Eyes of men and women who had risen from their positions on manufactory floors and service stations to sit here and decide the fate of things. Eyes of those who had never known the cruel whips and chants and minds of the Dark Priests. Eyes that looked upon him and saw the idea first, the man second.

But Teeln didn't need them to see the man.

The Prophet of the Star Child commanded them to listen.

"We shall aid these people unto the last," he declared, the specks of gold within his eyes seeming to dance as a feeling of approval coursed through his soul. "The cost to not do so are souls. I refuse to barter with them." He looked into the eyes of every person present. None disagreed, desperate relief within their souls pouring out at the knowledge that they shall be able to act as they yearned to do. "They deserve our aid, for the simple fact that they are wounded. It will require sacrifice, but our people will give, and they will give plenty should we but ask. Load the Taurus with volunteers and what will be needed to build Khara a better future. Their Light Shall Not Die Today." Thus, he spoke, thus, it was.

"Then I see no reason to sit here," Chapter Master Chyron rumbled, straightening from his squatted position. "I will depart with the aid. I have been born to safeguard the innocent. So I shall."

"As will I," Teeln, Prophet of the Star Child, said, turning. He would not be the only one to set out to aid those clawing at the abyss, too broken to save themselves, too broken to let go.

But he would be the one remembered for generations as the first.


You Have 3 [Three] Actions.
[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production V
-[] Civilian Infrastructure -I
-[] Heavy Industry II
-[] Void Industry VI
-[] Medical Services Nulla
-[] Military Industry III
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)

[] [General] Stay The Course (1/7)
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 Two 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: Chosen Military Units/Ships.)

[][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
-[] (1/1) 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
-[] (2/3) 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 - (1.5/3)
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.)

AN: Map of the Sector (previously Places of Importance) Updated.

When one barters and trades in souls, one debases oneself in the lowest form possible. One accepts the premise that souls can be bartered and exchanged, that they can be spent like coins. That one might spend a few souls today, to reap a great profit of souls tomorrow. These souls can be used to acquire things. What great things can we acquire by spending just a few souls? Souls none might miss? Who then shall you spend? Will you go them and justify yourselves to their face? We have elected to spend your lives, rejoice for the many lives your expenditure will save in the future.

It is blasphemous.

Do not trade the lives of the people as if they were mere tokens.

For if one might buy things with souls, then one might divine the value of a soul. We might determine their denomination, for not all souls stand equal. Just as all coins do not stand equal.

Some souls are learned and some are simple.
Some souls are bedecked in finery and some stand plainly dressed.
Some souls are moved to great acts of bravery, and some know many fears.
Some souls are fleet of foot, and some plod along slowly and methodically.
Some souls are strong, and some are not given to brute strength.
Some souls are young, with many years before them, others stoop low with the weight of ages.
Some souls are the souls of simple peasants, and some are freemen, and some are kings.

Are all these souls the same? They are not. If we save one soul will we doom another? Whom then shall we offer salvation, and from whom shall we withdraw it? Whom shall we look upon with favor, and whom shall we turn away our faces and deafen our ears? When they cry out, shall we avert our gaze? Are they unclean? Shall we beg their forgiveness? We could have saved them, but we did not, for we weighed their souls upon a scale and found that others were more deserving, or greater in number. A shame upon any who trade in such a blasphemous way.

These are the three proclamations.

Save the one who is in front of you today.
Do not weigh the value of one soul against another.
All are deserving.

For we are the ones who walk away from Omelas.**

- The Order of The Three Suns*

* The Three Suns are an order of theologian-hermits who contemplate the orbits of the suns of Dromas in order to try to divine the mysteries of the Star Child.

** Omelas is a proverbial city of miracles where all know plenty, all its citizens are happy and are free to spend their days creating great art or uncovering great sciences and secrets of the world. Omelas is all things to all people without fail or contradiction and all who dwell there know peace and contentment, free from war, famine, pestilence, and chaos. The price of Omelas is that all the suffering the people might otherwise know, is magically inflicted upon a child, known as the Child of Omelas. The Child of Omelas dwells within an underground windowless lightless room. Every day the people of Omelas enter the childs room and beat them without exception. They bruise and cut the childs flesh, and say cruel and unkind words to the child. The child is fed a thin gruel that will never sate their hunger, and given a drink that will never quench their thirst. They dwell day and night in their own filth.

This is the first price of Omelas. The second is that all citizens who are old enough to comprehend are taken to see the child. Many recoil in revulsion and pity and wish to help the child. But they are told that the moment a kind word is whispered in to the ears of the Child of Omelas, the moment a gentle hand graces their skin; that very night and that very hour the miracle of the City of Omelas will be undone. Many inevitably choose to rationalize this, to make their peace with the price of Omelas. They say to themselves that the child knows no other way, and to free the child would be a crueler fate, for the child is so broken, how could it handle kindness? How could it handle mercy? Surely it cannot.

Those who cannot say this, without a word and without exception leave. They go to the west and north over the mountains. Wither then we cannot tell. These are the people who walk away from Omelas.