A Soldier in a Wartorn Galaxy - A Warhammer 40k X Supreme Commander Quest

3851.04.15 (Incident-Day)

Via unknown means Lieutenant General Rebecca Shepard is intercepted during a quantum gate jump and arrives in another, unfamiliar universe. Within hours an unknown force, later identified as a tendril of the Tyranid hive fleet Moloch, assaulting the planet mounts a concentrated attack against her. Heavy fighting ensues.

3851.05.04 (I+20)

Upon initial suspicion of human presence on the planet, General Shepard makes contact with the remaining defenders of the world. Due to unsolved language differences, communication cannot be established at that time.

3851.5.10 (I+26)

After successfully compiling a translation matrix, first contact with the locals is established. They claim they and the planet, Epstost Major, belong to a galactic polity calling itself the Imperium of Man. A tenuous alliance is established to combat the Tyranid menace.

3851.05.24 (I+40)

Through covert scouring of Imperial data networks, the assistive QAI Luna discovers evidence of a QAI node on Epstost Major.

3851.06.02 (I+49)

After weeks of intense conflict, the Tyranids retreat from the planet with Imperial forces and General Shepard unable to pursue, leaving large swaths of it behind lifeless and barren of life due to their harvesting efforts.

3851.06 (I+(49-77))

General Shepard establishes proper diplomatic contact with local authorities, notable efforts include: the negotiation of a preliminary non-aggression and political immunity agreement, participation in Imperial victory celebrations and meeting with the planetary ruler, Chapter Master Ambros of the Halo Sword space marine chapter, and local religious authorities.

3851.07 (I+(78-108))

General Shepard agrees to assist the Halo Swords in combating the assault of the Moloch upon the critically strategically important forge world of Atraxis, promising to follow Imperial forces at the end of the month. Further diplomatic efforts bring an alliance with House Harkon, a minor noble house of Epstost Major for the purpose of assisting in the UEF's diplomatic efforts with the Imperium and serving as a middleman for many transactions. Eliza Harkon joins General Shepard as a political liaison, and Sister Kathrisa Sena as a High Gothic teacher, courtesy of the Ecclesiarchy. The local leader of the Mechanicus, Magos Clad, is confronted over the QAI node, but knows little about it, aside from it being here since the Dark Age of Mankind more than ten thousand years ago. Magos Clad and General Shepard come to an agreement that the node be dismantled and copies of all relevant data be transferred into UEF custody. Initial discussions with the Navigator guild, crucial for Imperial space travel, and the Adeptus Astra Telepathica, who regulate interstellar communication via astropaths, regarding granting the Imperium access to UEF quantum gate technology turn sour. Both sides threaten to wield their political influence to damage UEF's ties with the Imperium unless General Shepard vows never to share gate tech with any Imperial faction. Reluctantly, General Shepard agrees.

3851.08.02 (I+110)

Using a Line Layer, General Shepard makes way for the Atraxis system. The gate jump is instant, but the randomness inherent to this form of travel results in the position being weeks out of the inner system. A long voyage through dark space begins.

3851.09.03 (I+142)

General Shepard completes the voyage and joins the battered Imperial forces in the system. Using the ACU's gate jump capabilities, she joins the forge world's defenders, capable of bypassing the unbreakable blockade of the Tyranid fleet orbiting the planet. In coordination with the Halo Swords, she begins a series of raids on Genestealer cult held territory and reinforcement ops to hold the forge city walls.

3851.09.026 (I+165)

Following a tense, accusatory argument between the General and Archmagos Clerina over Shepard's utilization of anti-orbital weaponry against the hive fleet, the Mechanicus barres her from further participating in the battle on their domain.

3851.10 (I+(170-200))

Shepard awaits Imperial Navy reinforcements on Epstost Major to break the void stalemate at Atraxis. During this time, she strikes a deal with Magos Clad: limited access to lab-grade omni-scanners and proto-fabricators to gather knowledge on and reverse engineer Imperial archeotech knowledge, in return for aid to Shepard in various ways.

3851.11.03 (I+203)

Having escaped the tendril of the Moloch choking the Meidibrorn system, the rest of Battlefleet Pandora arrives in the Atraxis system. Assembled like this, the Imperium and General Shepard, who has been allowed to participate in this decisive engagement, prepares for a cumulative battle over the Forgeworld.

3851.11.05 (I+205)

After a decisive victory at the battle of Atraxis, where the combined void forces of the Battlefleet Pandora, the Mechanicus, and Halo Sword defeated the Devourers fleet both in space and on the ground, brutal fighting continues, as the forge city is retaken from the remaining Tyranids. With an estimated 150 billion casualties, the planet's workforce is reduced by half, but Atraxis' industrial infrastructure survives, albeit damaged. During these events, General Shepard is gravely injured but manages to recall her ACU. While receiving treatment from the emergency autodoc system, Sister Sena undergoes a divine miracle – the God Emperor of Mankind heals her severed spine and entrusts her with a sacred mission: Safeguarding the General at any cost.

3851.11.17 (I+217)

Lieutenant General Shepard reawakens from her coma.

3851.11.24 (I+224)

Despite her bad physical state, the General participates in the Strategic Council following the Battle of Atraxis. Over the following days, and thanks to an intervention from Admiral Forhof she manages to convince Imperial Forces to come to the aid of the Holy Knight World Tet first, the general hope being the Sector Capital will hold out, but receives minimal support for her own mission to reinforce the planet.

3851.12 (I+(231-261))

Following a gathering of the Ecclesiarchy's most important local authority figures to ratify the miracle of Sister Sena, she and Eliza Harkon are detained and examined by Inquisitorial agents. A direct confrontation between the UEF and the Imperial Inquisition can be averted utilizing Magos Clad as an intermediary, but only postpones the inevitable. Both are returned into Shepard's care with minimal harm and a proper documented and validated ratification of the miracle - with an Inquisitorial stamp of approval. In order to shield Eliza Harkon from potential future encounters with the Inquisition, Shepard formally enlists her within the UEF's ranks as First Lieutenant Eliza Harkon.

3851.12.30 (I+260)

Utilizing a titan conveyor lent by the Legio Tonitru and escorted by a flotilla of Imperial Navy ships provided by Admiral Forhof, Shepard and Harkon begin their warp journey to Tet. During the warp translation out of the system, Shepard suffers from quantum disruption syndrome and receives a vision of Princess Burke warning her of "legions adorned in blood", a "Moon Killer" and a "Crimson God".

3852.01.17 (I+277)

After two weeks of warp travel, Shepard arrives in the Tet system. A remnant of the tendril that escaped Epstost Major, having its fleet assets dispersed around the system, falls upon the flotilla immediately upon their arrival. In a daring move to bring the conveyor to Tet, the flotilla sacrifices numerous ships, enabling General Shepard to make planetfall, aiding the Knight King's fortress where the relics and remains of Saint Saka are safeguarded, one of two holdouts on the planet. Coordinating with the Knight Houses, a battle against the Moloch quickly ensues, but a reinforcement push towards the capital hundreds of kilometers away will not make it in time. Making use of this fact, forces of the Eldar Craftworld Yme-Loc offer their support to the capital in exchange for a meeting with the General. She agrees and as promised the Eldar fight off the Tyranids invading the city and incase both locations with massive storm phenomena to keep the Tyranids out. The meeting with Farseer Samathal is held the same day, both parties parting afterwards without incident.

3852.01.18 (I+278)

Discovering the precise nature of "feudal world", Shepard confronts the Knight Houses, a heated confrontation that turns into an honor duel. Before Knight Prince Lanval can come to serious harm however, he surrenders, leaving only his ego and Shepard's relationship with the Knight Houses damaged.

3852.01.21 (I+281)

Imperial Reinforcements, belonging to Battlefleet Pandora, the Atraxis Explorator fleet and the Halo Sword Space Marine Chapter as well as minor allies, arrive from the Warp and make their cautious approach towards beleaguered Tet to evacuate the survivors. The Knightly Nobility and Shepard cooperate in defending the evacuation perimeter against the relentless, advancing swarm.

3852.01.26 (I+286)

Following an uninterrupted, eight day battle and a three day evacuation, during which General Shepard is pushed to the edge of her abilities, the ACU suffers a critical core malfunction. Thanks to the effort of the Knights, the ACU and her are recovered, albeit in an unconscious state, and they leave the planet, having successfully saved the Knights and their remaining subjects, the Order of the Stoic Heart as well as countless important religious artifacts from the doomed planet.

3852.01.28 (I+288)

On board the van Styr Rogue Trader vessel "Merchant's Motive", General Shepard escapes the ensuing space battle despite the Inquisition's desperate demands for the vessel to remain in the system. Recovered in an unconscious state, she reawakens two days later with a loss of color vision suffered as a result of brain damage due to sleep deprivation and stimulant overuse.

3852.02.03 (I+295)

Ecclesiarchy representatives and Canoness Rosentree, the Sororitas in charge of the Order of the Stoic Heart, offer Shepard a deal, in exchange for formally converting to the Imperial Creed she will be nominally put in charge of the Stoic Heart and allied to the Ecclesiarchy for the purpose of combating the various enemies of Mankind in the Sector. Shepard agrees, with some conditions.

3852.02.05 (I+297)

The tendril choking Tet is defeated by the Pandora Sector combined void fleets and the planet delivered absolution via the cleansing fires of Exterminatus. Celebratorial astropathic hymnals call out all over the sector, even if the Norn queen's death rattle has made the Warp around the Tet system untraversable for months.

3852.02.10 (I+302)

The "Merchant's Motive" arrives in orbit around Epstost Major. The autodoc system begins treatment of Knight King Balin, nearing death due to a Tyranid disease.

3852.02.13 (I+305)

Using the working base infrastructure available, Shepard finishes constructing the QEC booster design sent to her by EarthCOM. Contact with EarthCOM is officially reestablished. Due to her failure to follow up on the presence of a QAI node, President Hall puts her under the oversight of General Laurent for the foreseeable future. Laurent orders preparations for an allied military offensive against the remaining tendril to begin immediately. For this purpose she is to repair her ACU, begin construction of an sACU and training of a support commander, as well as focus other efforts on cooperating with the allies she made to that end.

3852.02.17 (I+309)
Analysis of the node data reveals QAI is likely responsible for the incident that drew General Shepard into this unfamiliar universe. Shepard begins training Lieutenant Harkon and Sergeant Sena to be able to serve as support commanders.

3852.02.21 (I+313)

Knight King Balin reawakens from his artificially induced coma. Although his body is severely damaged by the intensive surgeries required, no trace of Tyranid pathogens can be detected in his body. A formal alliance with the Knight Houses of Tet at the suggestion of Lieutenant Harkon is finalized, the Knights swearing fealty to EarthCOM in exchange for the restoration of their homeworld of Tet. An astropathic call goes out to Knights of Tet questing all over the Imperium to return to the sector.

3852.03.02 (I+323)

Lieutenant General Shepard's ACU is restored to functionality.

3852.04.23 (I+375)

The Astra Militarum mustering world of Tallanus is attacked by the Necrons, as prophesied by Farseer Samathal. Due to General Shepard's warnings, the Guard can organize a defense that ultimately repulses the raid, but casualties are catastrophic with the singular Necron vessel leaving much of the planet completely destroyed before it disappears again.

3852.05.21 (I+403)

In a grand ceremony, attended by various notable figures such as Chapter Master Ambros, Magos Clad, Admiral Forhof and Canoness Rosentree, Rebecca Shepard formally converts to belief in the Emperor. She is officially put in charge of the Order of the Stoic Heart the same day, their ranks continuously increasing as the Ecclesiarchy pulls together Sisters from smaller convents and civilian branches from over the Sector to bolster the order's numbers.

3852.06.29 (I+442)

After months of work, General Shepard manages to finish construction of an sACU. Lieutenant Harkon is promoted to Commander and designated the primary pilot, with Second Lieutenant Sena being designated the backup.

3852.07.01 (I+444)

The Pandora Sector Command Council declares the Capital of Mediborn lost to the Moloch. Magos Clad officially announces the restoration of two STC's, one for an advanced foundry and one for a dark age manufactorium thanks to cooperation with the UEF.

3852.07-3853.02 (I+444-659)

EY, THERE IS A VOTE HERE:
Crusade preparations begin, what specifically do you focus on? (Vote for three, no plan voting. Different combos have different synergy effects):

[] Train and Build Up the Order of the Stoic Heart as a Proper UEF-Compatible Force
Just using UEF power armor is a small fraction of what's possible to augment the Order of the Stoic Heart's capacities. UEF tactics, command structure, support vehicles, doctrine, and much more can truly turn them into a force of zealous battle nuns a million strong, ready for a new age of warfare.

[] Assist Magos Clad to Become the New Archmagos of the Sector Forgeworld
Atraxis is leaderless, and you have a high-ranking Magos who desires the job. You can probably help them get ahead in the competition and gain valuable influence and resources from the new Archmagos.

[] Expand the Gate Network to More Planets in the Pandora Sector
The true power of quantum gates only reveals itself once it actually forms a network. Use your contacts in the Ecclesiarchy to approach planetary governments willing to have a gate in their system and have Admiral Forhof deliver gates from Epstost Major via Warp travel.

[] Retrieve a Semi-Complete Knight STC from Absalom's Memories and Begin Mass Production
Luna, your QAI, after learning of the echoes living in the Throne Mechanicum of the Knight Engines, wishes to make contact to see if she can recover any useful information. Under the guise of being your ACU's machine spirit, facilitate this interaction and manage to recover a mostly complete STC for a Knight Engine, cooperate with Magos Clad and put it back into production.

[] Cooperate with Partners to Mass-Produce Advanced Imperial-Tech Weaponry
Protofabricators can produce almost anything in vast quantities, much faster and cheaper than conventional manufacturing. Develop the proper templates and work with allies to sort out political and economic interests, enabling the mass production of advanced equipment like Carapace Armor, hell-, plasma-, melta-guns, and Astartes equipment.

[] Use UEF Antigrav Spacelift to Construct Voidship Maintenance Yards and Space Infrastructure
Mechanicus techpriests can provide blueprints for structural components, and Laurent's tech support can send you templates. Use protofabricators to create the basic structural components, and lift them into space with UEF cargo haulers for assembly. Your Imperial allies handle the rest with UEF provided space suits.

3853.02.07 (I+665 | Today)

…

Hell has come to Cadia. The planet writhes in the despoiler's clawed grip, squeezed with a relentless force that seeks to annihilate the Gate. He is a figure shrouded in shadow and malevolence, the Warmaster, chosen of the Four. His legions are without number, swarms of demons beyond counting, and his fleets obscure the very light of the stars. Against him stands a host of heroes, their faith, zeal, and resolve unyielding, yet she knows she cannot match their courage, no matter how much she feigns.

In a blinding clash, the defenders strike back. A billion lasguns blaze and the radiance of an angel sears the Despoiler's hand, forcing it to recoil. For an instant, hope flickers. But then she feels it: his wrath, a horrifying chill that pierces her soul, making her wish Cadia had already fallen. His sneer twists into a mask of scorn and rage as he prepares to strike again. She prays desperately for the Emperor's intervention, but nothing answers. Unchallenged, he unleashes Cadia's doom. The planet shudders and fractures under the impact of the eight-pointed star, its molten core erupting through the crumbling crust, devouring the Gate, its fortresses, bunkers, trenches, and ten thousand years of history.

Cadia has fallen.

The Despoiler's laughter echoes through the void, each exhalation causing the Eye to pulse, expanding like an all-consuming cancer into the cosmos. Stars, planets, entire sectors are swallowed by the Warp. His wrath transforms into exultation, and with forbidden words spoken in an ancient tongue, the forces of chaos advance, spreading ruin across humanity.

The Imperium stands divided, anarchy reigns across the stars.

Eliza awakens, her first breath being the one of a drowning woman taking her first gasp of fresh air, her skin cold and sweaty, her hands trembling, the dream with all its imagery still burned into her mind. Reflexively, her hand wanders to the double eagle pendant around her neck, a desperate prayer coming over her lips as she avoids looking at the six squares dominating the wall opposite from her, looming over the young noblewoman turned support commander like a haunting specter.

Unite the Galaxy and restore Order, no matter the cost.

There is a headache building behind her temples, an impending sense of doom creeping up her spine, leaving her hairs stand up, guts clenching, heartbeat and breathing accelerating on its way.

"Commander Harkon, are you alright?", a small blue hololith appears at the edge of her vision. Round and unassuming, the eye of Rebecca's shackled Abominable Intelligence gazes at her, its tone voicing worry. "Your vitals are spiking."

"No, something is coming, something bad", Eliza mumbles, rubbing her temples, on the other hand trying to ward off the chill creeping up her back by pulling her blanket closer, the soft fabric soaked in cold sweat. "We must warn Rebecca!"

"The Lieutenant General is currently busy meeting with the Crusade Planning Committee. Do you want me to tell her you had a bad dream?"

"Throne preserve me. I, in fact, order you to!", Eliza's resolve finally firms, the blanket thrown off as she makes her way over to her own small personal shrine, quickly going through her morning prayers and lighting a sanctified candle, before hurrying through her morning route of showering and cleaning, grooming her skin, nails and hair, getting makeup applied by her personal stylist, making it halfway before a siren echoes out all across Fort Pastor, a mechanical, toneless voice blaring out of the base's intercom system.

"Attention all personnel, Fort Pastor is now at DEFCON 3. Proceed calmly and follow the procedures outlined in the condition manual. Attention all personnel, Fort Pastor is now at DEFCON 3."

---

Lieutenant Katrisha Sena hands hover over the console, her spirit momentarily broken by the mundanity of her assignment as she contemplates her life choices, the words she typed out blurring on the screen. She imagined being in charge of security to be more exciting, more thrilling, more fulfilling. Hunting down heretics and traitors, tracking them down, investigating suspicious activitiesand corruption and personally delivering the Emperor's and the UEF's justice. The truth is much less exciting, meetings, reports, managing assignments, discussing procedures and planning contingencies. The Canoness was very amused at her realization that the duties of having a command do not solely extend to leading heroically from the front.

She finds it suspiciously quiet. There are attempts of course attempts to breach into Fort Pastor or the surrounding Harkon industrial park: adolescents with more bravery than common sense trying to skirt the rules, gangs or rival noble houses trying to make connections, bribe or fully muscle their way into the amount of industrial wealth leaving the fort every day by train, hoping to skim off a fraction, Sisters of the Stoic Heart unable to live with the new behavioral guidelines, taking physical punishment of their subordinates a little too far, attempts to smuggle contraband or illicit substances into the fort.

Nothing that a few Sororitas cannot solve. She hopes the gangs have not learned their lesson by now. The repeated crackdowns on such takeover operations, subtle and not so, are the most action she has seen in a year, leaving her hands itching with desire for more righteous violence. This cannot be what the God Emperor meant when he tasked her with dedicating herself to Shepard's security.

She focuses on her report again, a summary of the last few months' of criminal activity and House Harkon's inability to solve the problem. The influx of people fleeing the Tyranid invasion towards the more heavily defended cities has created an unhealthy environment for recruitment of those lacking faith and dedication, mainly focused in the slums now sprawling out from the urban cores and flocking to the gangs in their weakness.

At the bottom is a recommendation for a more proactive approach in dealing with the problem.

Her gaze wanders to an artfully rendered depiction of the God Emperor framed on her desk, a golden, divine figure standing triumphant over His many enemies lying at His feet. She wonders if even He had to waste His divine time on the duties of administering His growing Imperium when he still walked among his subjects. The thought amuses her enough to break her out of her momentary stupor and continue typing, when her chest is suddenly filled with a heat that is agonizingly hot and yet does not hurt. Her spine straightens, brows furrowed in confusion, the heat intensifying until it suddenly and uncontrollably spills out in an explosion of golden fire out from her body that incinerates everything in her office. Still radiating a quickly lessening golden shine and nakedly lying in the burned remains of her workspace, staring at the ceiling in confusion, before she feels it.

The Great Rift.

---

"Adept Johson, your current trajectory is one of considerable peril. The Omnissiah does not favor such recklessness," Magos Theta-Five intoned, her mechanical form vibrating with ominous resonance.

Fran Johson lit himself a lho stick, the gilded promethium lighter disappearing back into the many pockets of his red robe as if it was a magic trick. He gazed up at the towering mechanical form of the Magos, blowing smoke from the corner of his mouth as he answered. "What I'm doing isn't considered heretical by most of the doctrines within the Cult of Mars."

"Your statement is accurate yet incomplete, failing to address the fundamental issue with your conduct," Theta-Five hissed, steam hissing from multiple vents on her chassis. "The symbiosis of UEF and Mechanicus technology is not inherently tech-heresy, provided it is conducted by an individual with the requisite knowledge and expertise."

"In terms of knowledge and experience with UEF technology and integration, I'm second to none," he declares confidently. "So, where exactly is the issue?"

"Your impetuous actions demonstrate a blatant disregard for established protocols and procedures."

"The General demands results."

"A tech-priest of superior experience would have instilled in her the principles of caution and meticulous inquiry."

"She isn't like us, Magos," Johson sighs. "She's not going to be swayed by anyone."

"Your personal involvement with her compromises your judgment and obscures your adherence to the core tenets. To consider yourself irreplaceable is folly, Adept. Your knowledge can be extracted and transferred to a more suitable candidate, should you persist in your disobedience."

"Was that a threat?" he asks, picking up the lho stick between his fingers and glaring at the Magos, leaning against the work table behind him.

"This is not a threat, merely an imperative reminder."

Fran presses the glowing end of the lho stick against Theta-Five's frontal armor, extinguishing it. "I bet General Shepard will be thrilled when I tell her you decided to 'remind' me."

"You are merely an Adept, unworthy of undue consideration. The Princeps General possesses significant intellectual prowess; I trust her logical faculties will prevail over any emotional inclinations."

"And I trust her enough to know if you will not leave my workshop right now to get me the neocortex analysis I demanded, you can expect a few hundred Sororitas to visit your office tomorrow, Magos", Fran drops the gleaming Lho stick at Theta-Five's feet.

Theta-Five's optics whirr as they focus down on Johson. "Your insubordination has been duly recorded, Adept. Magos Clad will learn of this."

"Your continued attempts to threaten me have been noted as well," Fran states definitively, as the doors hiss open and two Skitarii in bulky UEF power armor enter, plasma blasters ready. "Escort her out. I won't waste any more time on this."

Theta-Five leaves without any further complaints or attempts to resist, stomping outside and leaving Fran alone in the expansive workshop alone with his various projects and his thoughts. He lights himself a new Lho-stick to calm his nerves, hands trembling now that he has navigated that interaction successfully, one hand running through his hair, mumbling a short prayer to the Omnissiah. The golden lighter is put onto the big table at the center, an amalgamation of blocky, gray and smooth UEF technology and various, complicated Imperial mechanisms. Johson pulls out a thin data cable, slotting it into a socket at the back of his head. The new ones still tickle a bit, the skin around it still the wrong color, but he'll think about fixing it later, his concentration now focused on the hololith appearing above the table.

It's the nervous system of one of the Skitarii, together with what remains of its skeleton and the various cybernetics interfacing with both. He thinks a thought, and the depiction shifts, several parts of the Skitarii's nervous system replaced with different looking implants, UEF implants, Symbiont implants. He finds them beautiful. On some functional level, Symbiont implants are hardly revolutionary. The Mechanicus has more than ten thousand years of experience melding man and machine in the image of God, but where the UEF lack that experience to achieve this goal, they make up in sophistication, achieving perfect symbiosis in thought, mind and identity between the flesh and the cogitator.

Sadly, for all her general understanding of her technology, Rebecca does not know the intricacies of Symbiont augmentation. The knowledge is there, it's just how it should be applied that is the problem. Fran does not lack volunteers to figure it out, but he lacks expertise in neural augmentation. The cogitator banks around him whirr and hum as they begin their work, beginning to simulate the most recent neocortex analysis, while he hopes for the preliminary work to finally be promising enough to begin first real trials.

He reaches over the holodesk, grabbing the portable cogitator console lying there, folding it open while mumbling litanies of function and maneuvering to the text communication.

>Magos Theta-Five has just issued a threat towards me, expressing clear disapproval of my current activities and indicating potential repercussions should I persist in my chosen course of action.

He types, analyzing the few words for possible misinterpretation before sending it off, receiving a reply from Rebecca almost immediately.

<Oh no! Do I need to tell the Lieutenant to pay someone a visit ò-ó

>While I greatly appreciate your concern and the swift willingness to offer assistance, I must respectfully decline such intervention. The truth is, I require Theta-Five's unique expertise for a critical and ongoing project that would suffer without her involvement.
>Incidentally, are you not currently engaged in a meeting with the Crusade Planning Committee?

<You're so much more fun to talk to! <3
<And I can multitask >w<

Fran's face remains stoic and unmoving, but a jolt of endorphins surges through his mind as he contemplates his response.

>I am profoundly grateful for your kind words and equally value our conversations. They are a source of great joy to me.
>As for another matter, would you be available later, once your meeting has concluded?

It takes a few minutes when the cogitator console beeps with another incoming message, one he did not expect.

>Fran, backup your stuff and pack up. Sergeant Hunna will pick you up in five. We are under attack.

Moments later an alarm blares through Fort Pastor.

---

Chaos has engulfed what was supposed to be a routine meeting of the Crusade Planning Committee to discuss food logistics. With the Administratum and Munitorum offering only token support, the responsibility of organizing and acquiring supplies, material, and manpower falls squarely on you and your allies. Your two ACUs are sufficient for open-field conflicts, but the objective is to retake planets with their resources and infrastructure as intact as possible. Flattening every Xenos stronghold and city is an option, but the Imperial Navy could handle that if it were the goal. While the Stoic Heart and the Halo Swords provide significant strength, you still need manpower for urban combat, cleanup operations, and making the reconquered assets usable for the Imperium once you move on.

You glance around the room at the various members of the Committee, each engaged in heated discussions with their aides. Your enhanced hearing picks up snippets from the cacophony of panicked reports. Only Canoness Rosentree and Knight King Balin seem as clueless as you. As the unofficial leader of this operation, you inhale deeply to impose order on the chaos. "Someone tell me what in the Emperor's name is going on?"

"A sudden sense of panic and unrest has taken hold of the populace of this world," whispers Cardinal Lengström, his voice like brittle paper. "Spontaneous riots have broken out, chanting the End of the Imperium and all things."

"The Astropaths and Navigators are panicking," Admiral Forhof adds, worry etched across his usually stoic face. "They can no longer perceive the light of the Astronomican."

"Something has just entered the system," Chapter Master Ambros growls, turning from his chapter serf to face you. "We just lost contact with some of our outer system early-warning stations. Something tore through them before they could give warning."

"Ground-based long-range augurs have detected the anomaly," intones Magos Clad, their voice a mechanical monotone. "Sensor towers are being focused with immediate effect."

"I have given the same order to my captains. We should get a sensor scan immediately."

"Chapter Master, it's your planet. Handle the unrest with support from the Stoic Hand. Canoness, put your Sisters on alert and set Fort Pastor's DEFCON level to 3. Your Highness, prepare your Knights and their steeds for combat," you command, sending a quick message to Fran before closing your laptop to focus on the present.

"I am indeed, noble Lady Princeps General," the Knight King declares with a whisper, his words punctuated by the hiss of his oxygen compressor. A Houseguardist quickly wheels him out of the room. Canoness Rosentree has already risen, saluted, and hurried out.

"And Magos, get the augur readouts onto this holotable," you demand, tapping your finger impatiently, gray eyes locked on the humanoid mechanical form of the techpriest. Their metallic digits work swiftly on the keypads, while two of their retinue hold incense burners.

"Processing, General Shepard," they respond, two of their four green optics locking onto you. "Commencing the rite of splicing and the litany of data integration. Integrating long-range data streams from Battlefleet Pandora, the Chapter Fleet, and groundside installations. Displaying now."

The green hololith flickers to life above you, initially displaying the entire system with bright green lines and orbs representing planets and their orbits. It then zooms in on a red-marked spot at the edge of the outer system.

The mood in the entire room immediately drops to subzero temperatures, all conversation ceasing as everyone absorbs the display.

Who has decided to show up for a fight at this moment? (Vote for as many as you like, highest one wins, I might use vote ranking to decide the order all others appear later)
[]The Tyranids
Hive Fleet Moloch re-emerges after more than a year of inactivity. Navy reports indicate it is the same Tendril that attacked the Sector Capital Medirborn, likely having consumed it by now.
[]Necrons
A singular, half-moon shaped ship sails quietly through the void towards Epstost Major, by all likelihood the same vessel that destroyed Tallanus you were warned about by the Eldar and Princess Burke.
[]Orks
You heard many things about the Orks. The lost hiveworld of Canophes was a likely crusade target, but no one expected them to show up on the offensive. The Ork problem was supposed to be managed, but now they are here, in force.
[]Chaos
An ugly, scar-like tear in reality is forming at the location, the readouts not making sense, as unreal energies flood realspace, some visual data indicating a fleet of unknown size emerging.
[]QAI and its Men of Iron
Three cruiser sized vessels have dropped out Warp and are now burning towards the planet, a last, badly corrupted image sent from one of the early warning stations showing a utilitarian, gray block of a vessel covered in Seraphim symbols with FCS Manifest Destiny, written on one side in plain English as you know it.

Quest Header

Welcome to Soldier in a Wartorn Galaxy, the Sequel to a Stranger in a Wartorn Galaxy. I have tried my best to summarize what happened in the original so someone new can jump into it without reading all 450k words of it. StrangerQuest is rough and not well paced in some places and I was still learning a lot while writing it, but people seem to like it. I will do many things differently in the sequel, most importantly I will massively scale back the quest portion to turn it into a quest light, a creative writing piece where the readers ever so often get to make direct input if you will.

This is a narrative quest with an attempt to try and frame both Supreme Commander and 40k in a serious lense, with a focus on characters, their interactions, relationships and development as well combating the various threats of the 40k universe with both the strengths ACU and SupCom tech provides, as well as the weaknesses and limitations that come with it. If you're expecting the protagonist to effortlessly solve every problem, invent or reverse-engineer miraculous technology at the drop of a hat, easily convert the Imperials to their way of thinking, break the established conventions of Supreme Commander, or churn out fleets of AI-controlled spaceships, then this story isn't for you. For those seeking that kind of fantasy, feel free to return to your preferred brand of escapism. There are plenty of badly written, self-insert Supreme Commander multicross fics out there.

Aka, don't be the person who left the greatest comment I ever received on the original:

The si really needs to start being spaceborne. He's stuck on the tiny planetary scale when he should be in space mass producing warship drones instead on tanks and Fatboys. If he doesn't adapt the chances of him being taken out increases exponentially. An ACU is infinitely fragile compared to a battleship or mobile Battlestations. He should be building toward the PA phase of treating planets as ships or ammunition.

Click to expand...

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Additionally, Soldier in a Wartorn Galaxy will be a sequel in broad strokes, not in details, meaning I assume the things have happened roughly like they did in Stranger in a Wartorn Galaxy without claiming to adhere to every detail to preserve my sanity. To that extend, I have a list of canon changes, which are assumed to have always been true:

-The UEF Autodoc medical system cannot regenerate organs or limbs (without a MedTech) or revive people from the dead.

-The Halo Swords' number of Astartes has been increased to 50k. The general space marine chapter size limit has been increased to 100k. All required supply chains for Astartes equipment have been scaled appropriately.

-Similarly the number of Stoic Heart Sororitas, current and maximum, has been scaled by 100 times.

-Quantum link extenders don't exist.

-Secbots don't exist.

-Organic material cannot be directly protofabbed and needs to be synthesized slowly via complex machinery from protofabbed raw material input.

-Infantry scale UEF plasma weapons are no longer the default, replaced with coil weapons. Plasma blasters still exist in an anti armor role.

-UEF power armor changed in vibe from Starcraft PA to something more like Battletech Battle Armor (without jetpacks).

I have a channel in the Poptart Prodigy Discord Server for my projects if people want to give me attention or discuss stuff with me.

Primer to Supreme Commander

Supreme Commander and Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance are Real-Time-Strategy games released in 2007 and 2011, during which you play as a Commander of one of the three factions: The United Earth Federation, the Cybran Nation and the Aeon Illuminate in the closing days of the Infinite War and beyond. And this is meant to serve as a primer to everyone not familiar with what little lore of the universe exists. This primer does contain some quest-specific lore and I will not bother pointing out what is what. It will eventually be placed at the top of the initial threadmark and if people want to add suggestions to it, I will add them gladly. Since we are a UEF commander, this primer will also be biased towards a UEF perspective Keep that in mind.

The Background:

Just watch this.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8zD2uYryJM

It is the 39th century. For a thousand years, three opposing forces have waged war for what they believe is true. There can be no room for compromise: their way is the only way. Dubbed The Infinite War, this devastating conflict has taken its toll on a once-peaceful galaxy and has only served to deepen the hatred between the factions. After centuries of struggle, the battle for supremacy has at last reached a turning point.

The Quantum Gate Network:
The Quantum Gate Network is as the technological cornerstone that propelled humanity into the vast expanse of the cosmos. These monumental orbital space gate installations facilitate instantaneous and interstellar transmission of both information and matter within the network. However, the seamless transfer of mass comes at a considerable, and growing with distance, energy cost. Additionally, exceeding certain limits can disrupt the local quantum field, temporarily isolating a system from the network and galactic civilization. An option with an exponentially higher energy cost allowed for gate jumps without a designated receiver gate. This capability played a crucial role in humanity's space colonization endeavors. In 2108, the first extra-solar human colony was established in the Alpha Centauri system. The colossal energy expenditure incurred prompted scientists to seek more economical alternatives, as the transmission of large teams and their equipment across vast distances proved unfeasible. Subsequent colonization efforts implemented a more efficient strategy. They included a far smaller operation, containing a seed population of 1000 bio-engineered human DNA patterns, accompanied by a small team tasked with initiating the initial colony setup. On-board nano-fabricators utilized resources at the destination to construct an automated creche for the development of the seed population. Raised by the existing colonists, primtive AI systems (and their own bio-engineered skills embedded in their DNA), the colonists were to begin a rapid program of technological development and population growth in order to begin terraforming efforts and eventually construct a Quantum Gate to connect them to the wider network and allow for the transfer of skilled specialists, information and advanced technologies from the mother colony.

Protofabricators/crafter:
The protofabricator stands as the second technological cornerstone of the (Supreme Commander) humanities technology base. Based on discoveries made after quantum gate technology was perfected, a protofabricator is capable of fabricating almost anything as long as it has access to mass, energy, a template for the item in question and time. As the capability of these machines improved, protofabs superseded most other manufacturing technologies, enabling rapid construction of structures, war machines and civilian goods. The mass, energy and time requirements for fabricating an item rise with its weight, complexity and its composition, as fabricating elements lighter or heavier than iron come with increased energy costs.

The Armored Command Unit (ACU):
ACUs stand as the epitome of warfare technology, representing the ultimate weapon of the Infinite War. During the declining days of the Earth Empire, unrest proliferated in the outer colonies, presenting a profound challenge for EarthCom military planners. The sluggish and expensive process of transferring entire armies and their equipment posed a logistical nightmare. Focusing solely on moving soldiers seemed more viable, but it necessitated control over local infrastructure for on-site equipment production. The solution to this problem emerged in the form of the Armored Command Unit. This groundbreaking technology seamlessly integrated multiple advancements, bringing about a paradigm shift in warfare. At its core was a specialized beacon enabling the ACU to execute a receiverless gate jump with pinpoint accuracy. Furthermore, it featured a control node for a receiverless mass and energy resource network. This network not only provided a steady stream of mass and energy but also served as an unjammable communication hub for issuing commands to units within its reach. Complementing these innovations was a sophisticated mass and energy-generation system. All coming together to create the most compact military asset capable of deploying and creating armies anywhere, anytime and within hours. EarthComs finest soldiers would use these machines to jump onto a battlefield, constructing mass extractors, power generators and unit factories to wage war on land, in the air and the sea. Over time, through a combination of espionage and independent development, all remaining factions secured access to ACU technology. This ushered in an age of warfare that rendered conventional methods obsolete practically overnight.

The Seraphim:
During humanity's second great expansion into galactic space, Commander Trent Smith of the Earth Empire led a group of scientists and colonists to Seraphim II, a planet approximately five times the size of Earth. Here, for the first time, humanity encountered intelligent alien life. Commander Smith, following previously untested protocol for dealing with intelligent alien species, quarantined the planet and refused to establish communications so as not to reveal Earth's position. However, foolishly ignoring orders, the colony's biologist, Dr. Jane Burke, sought out and tried to secretly befriend the Seraphim. Others joined her and soon a small group of humans were regularly visiting. The Seraphim introduced them to a philosophical viewpoint considered unimaginable by human minds, a way of "peace" and "love" so dangerous and ingenious in its make that it completely brainwashed someone's perception of the universe. After learning of Burke's involvement with the aliens, Smith had to come to the conclusion that Burke was brainwashed. He led the remaining loyal colonists into a massive and brave campaign to destroy the aliens and Seraphim II. Just before Smith's forces fell to the superior might and numbers of the Seraphim, his scientists succeeded in engineering a strain of virus unlike anything encountered on Seraphim II, killing them all. The Seraphim were thought extinct, until the breach in the barrier between the material world and quantum realm opened by the firing of Black Sun allowed the rest of the Seraphim civilisation to emerge from the Quantum Realm and begin their slaughter of humans all over the galaxy, beginning the Seraphim conflict.

Symbionts:
As quantum computing technology advanced, the limitations quickly became apparent. While the development of primitive AIs made rapid progress via large stochastic data models and VI assistants, these suffered from problems regarding creativity, adaptiveness, exploits and slowing down advancement, more advancement models requiring exponentionally more processing power and development work. The goal of true quantum artificial intelligence remained illusive. As the 26th Century came to a close and the 27th Century began, a then merely-famous Doctor Gustaf Brackman would develop the Symbiont Program in the old Earth Empire, seemlessly integrating the human brain with an AI implant, intertwining the calculative and data analysis capacities of AI algorithms with the human mind. As civil servants and analysts began to embrace the efficiency and increased work output that came from computer augmentation, the ability of the Earth Empire to progress technologically and administratively advanced by leaps and bounds as the Symbiont Program technology became available to both the government and the private sector in 2612, which many scholars argue led directly to the Third Expansion in 2663 or 2665, depending on the historical criteria used.

While some misguided Symbionts have chafed at in service, most infamously Doctor Brackman himself in a - most scholars agree well-justified! - insurgency against the then-Earth Empire in 2669 in an effort to secure a protected-class status for the cyber-augmented. While the Cybran insurgency continues a misguided rebellion against the UEF, civil protections were implemented by the UEF, and to this day, Symbionts serve with honor and loyalty in academic and research programs, military intelligence and communication fields, and civil service positions throughout the UEF government.

Are you or a family member considering UEF government service? Ask your health management representative about augmentation today!

The Factions:

The United Earth Federation:
In the 33rd Century, the old Earth Empire finally collapsed under the strain of its corrupt bureaucracy and powerful corporate nobility, combined with Cybran and Aeon agitators fueling the flames of chaos of strive. Law and order broke down as aspiring warlords, criminal gangs, terrorist groups, corporate mercenary outfits, religious extremists and misguided revolutionaries battled it out in the ashes of the Earth Empire, decrypted military templates for anything from small arms to nuclear and nanomachines weapons provided by Cybrans terrorists enabling destruction on a never before seen scale. EarthCom, under the command of Admiral Burislov, who were overstretched and bogged down fighting the Aeon and Cybran in the rim regions, made the difficult decisions that Earth politicians, mired in corruption and their own self-interest, could not. The rim worlds were abandoned, leaving them to the Aeon and Cybran, and much of the Quantum Gate Network was intentionally destroyed in an effort to isolate the Core Worlds from the rest of the galaxy. After a hundred years of brutal fighting against the the filth that sprung up from the dead and rotting carcass of the Earth Empire, EarthCom was finally able to restore order and establish a new government, the United Earth Federation. Risen, phoenix-like from the ashes of the old Earth Empire, the UEF vowed to purge itself of bureaucratic corruption and remain pure to a single task: the rescue of mankind's war-torn worlds and an end to the Infinite War. By any and all means necessary.

UEF citizens are scientists, artisans, athletes, craftsmen, warriors and philosophers. They desire stability and order, but their ideas on how this should be achieved vary widely. Each has their own opinion on how the government should achieve its goals and whether or not the UEF even has the right to try and restore something that failed so long ago. Ancient religions are as varied and diverse as they were in pre-war days and continue to be a motivating factor for many. Even if individuals differ in their political or social perspectives, the single most common trait shared by every UEF citizen is their sense of brotherhood and community. UEF colonists really band together when times are tough. Positively contributing to society and personal improvement is a way of life for UEF citizens. Most UEF citizens decide to enlist in the military service for ten years or civilian services for twenty, after which they are eligible to vote and candidate in Federal elections. The vast majority of the UEF's citizenry are directly descended from cloned or genetically enhanced colonists, as are the Aeon and Cybran populations. Unlike the other two factions however, the UEF continues to employs wide-scale genetic modification programs among their own populace designed to help public health and continue to advance the form of humanity towards its full potential. This goes even further for EarthCom's soldiers who are even more heavily genetically and biologically modifed to mold them into wariors capapble of standing against any and all threats, human or alien.

The Cybran Nation:
In 2666, under the misguided direction of the same Doctor Gustaf Brackman who had, almost a hundred years prior, spearheaded the Symbiont project, a substantial Symbiont and Symbiont-sympathetic population in colonies of the Third Expansion raised a flag in rebellion against the Earth Empire. While the Earth Empire had - most scholars agree - failed to protect all their citizens as they should have, Gustaf Brackman led an oppressed class not in civil disobedience and reform, but into an armed, terroristic uprising - an uprising doomed to self-inflicted tragedy.

In 2669, a diplomatic mission to Procyon, then home of Gustaf Brackman and his self-proclaimed Cybran Nation, was attacked mercilessly. As a desperate military action was taken in order to rescue beleaguered diplomats and their small bodyguard cadre, violent Cybran response and escalation resulted in the destruction of the planets surface, and the Cybran insurgency has continued to some degree or another ever since. The UEF government condemns terrorism in all its forms and has established the apprehension and prosecution of the leadership of the Cybran Nation as a priority.

The Cybrans are varied and diverse in their interests, much like any human culture, except Cybran interests often revolve around technical specialisation. The Cybran Nation is composed of loosely affiliated Nodes (akin to ancient tribes) of people, and many of the Cybrans have augmented their bodies so that they look more machine than man. As a result of their beginnings, the Cybrans have come to share a common vision of achieving freedom and autonomy through technology. They have possessed technological aptitude and a deep, almost kindred understanding of AI. For the most part, the individual Nodes are counter-cultural in nature, and it is not uncommon for them to wage war amongst themselves. When pitted against a greater threat, however, they band together.

Aeon Illuminate:
Aeon society is a testament to the profound influence of the Way, embodying grace, beauty, and a pursuit of esoteric peace. Their culture, relatively new by human historical standards but deeply spiritual, focuses around a monk-like, minimalist lifestyle in small, communal societies with varying levels of technology use. The average Aeon citizen is soft-spoken, modest, and internally disciplined, traits crucial for a society with such intimate awareness of everyone else's feelings, exhibiting a number of extrasensory and psionic powers attributed to the Way. The teachings left by the alien Seraphim have been instrumental in promoting this "harmonious existence." Contrasting with their on the surface very egalitarian society is the undemocratic, rigid caste system by which the state of the Aeon Illuminate is organized beyond their agricultural communes. Notable here are the Priest Caste led by a "Princess" and their warrior caste led by an "Avatar of War", between which tensions were rising towards the end of the Infinite War.

Aeon technology is advanced, their units blending an alien form of beauty with formidable destructive power. Beneath their gleaming exteriors lies Seraphim derived technology, Their use of exotic energy weapons and advanced quantum field theories showcases their advanced scientific prowess, providing both defensive and offensive capabilities. Aeon units, designed for rapid and overwhelming offensives, reflect their strategic emphasis on swift and decisive victories.

Aeon soldiers go through a rigorous, spartan-like training going beyond the mere technical, historical, tactical and strategic areas taught to UEF commanders. Being an Aeon soldier is a life-long commitment to all areas of combat and warfare, mind and body, heart and soul. Predominantly female, these warriors exhibit both compassion for humanity and, before the Burke Reformation, a conviction that other factions were not yet ready to embrace their higher way of life. Their aim was simple: cleansing humanity of its flaws by spreading the Way and cleansing the Galaxy of unbelievers, a doctrine which was revealed to be flawed by Princess Burke and partly responsible for instigating the Infinite War, the very outcome which they sought to avoid.

What happened so far?
It is the 2nd of August, 3844, and the Infinite War has raged for a thousand years without resolution. UEF President Riley, realizing a conventional victory is unattainable, comissioned the the creation of Black Sun at the start of his presidency, a superweapon designed to harness the Gate Network to annihilate any planet within range, ensuring UEF victory. On this day, the Aeon Illuminate launches a final offensive on UEF territory. Under President Riley's orders to defend every inch of UEF land, EarthCOM's supreme commander, General Samantha Clarke, orchestrates a grueling 53-day campaign, holding off both the Aeon and the opportunistic Cybran forces, all while racing against the clock to complete Black Sun.

The superweapon's existence leaks, prompting a frantic dash by both enemy factions to seize Earth. On the 24th of September, 3844, the Infinite War reaches its climax in a decisive battle on mankind's home planet. Despite the Aeon and Cybran's best efforts, EarthCOM holds firm. Black Sun is completed just in time, and General Clarke, unable to risk any further delay and the destruction of the UEF's leverage, orders the destruction of the Aeon and Cybran core worlds. The ensuing devastation cripples their high-level industry, command infrastructure, recall gates, and reserve commanders, allowing UEF forces to push back their overstretched enemies.

With all lost territory reclaimed, EarthCOM prepares for an invasion of the weakened Aeon and Cybran, should surrender negotiations not lead to a satisfactory end to the Infinite War. However, negotiations are abruptly halted as the instability created by Black Sun's firing rips open a rift in the Quantum Realm over Earth, unleashing the thought existinct Seraphim who incinerate Earth in their quest to annihilate humanity. EarthCOM faces a new, dire threat. The Aeon fracture into a civil war between the Loyalists, following Princess Burke's teachings of non-coercive enlightenment, and the Order of the Illuminate, allied with the Seraphim. Simultaneously, Dr. Brackmann's super AI derived from Seraphim technology, QAI, betrays its creator, crippling the Gate Network and devastating the remaining Cybran military.

In the face of extinction, General Clarke and Dr. Brackmann form the Coalition of Colonial Defense, uniting the UEF and Cybrans against the Seraphim, QAI, and the Illuminate. Reluctantly, they admit Aeon Loyalists, led by Commander Rhiza, into the Coalition. Despite being on the backfoot for the longest time during the war, a critical victory at Fort Clarke, the UEF's headquarters, exposes the Seraphim. What follows is a rapid and decisive campaign that shatters the Seraphim's grip on the Order. Princess Burke's reemergence incites an Order civil war, QAI is destroyed, and the final showdown takes place once again on Earth.

On the 10th of August, 3847, the six squares flag is raised high on Earth. In a final act of sacrifice, Rihanne Burke closes the rift, ending the Seraphim threat for the foreseeable future. A tentative peace descends, and humanity begins the arduous process of rebuilding.

Quest/QM FAQ

Scaling and Building Times
Mentions by the devs are that maps, weapon ranges etc. are ten timer smaller in-game then what they are supposed to be in-lore. This Quest assumes as such. Ranges and building times are increased by ten times, unit speeds stay the same. As such a T1 Mech Marine has a build time of 70 seconds in a T1 factory, 35 in a T2, 23 in a T3 and has a weapon range of around 2.7 kilometers.

Canonicity of Supreme Commander 2
For all intents and purposes Supreme Commander 2 is noncanon for this quest. I might reuse parts of it, but I will make no promises.

Titans/Knights
To better scale in power level next to SuCcom units, Titans and Knights (as well as a select number of other superheavies) have gained an upgrade and have been scaled to be double their canonical sizes. Knights now possess small void shields instead of ion shields. In general this means a Knight can easily fight a T3 unit and a Titan an Experimental unit one on one. The ACU at 40 meters is roughly as tall as a Reaver.

Blanks and Pariahs
Because 40k is vastly inconsistent with Blanks/Pariahs/Nulls, I will go with the following interpretation: If a normal person with a soul has a positive warp presence, a Blank is someone with exactly, or somewhere around, Zero Warp presence. Being Blank does not have a negative effect on people with souls or a negating effect on Warp phenomena. People with souls see them as odd, but other than that their treatment varies from system to system. Nulls/Pariahs are the ones with the negative warp presence typically associated with Sisters of Silence or Culexus assassins.

Leagues of Vottan
Because this quest started before they existed and because I am a boomer who hates new things, the Leagues of Vottan will not be part of this quest. They might exist, I have not decided on that, but if they do they do so in the background.

What about the Paragon?
The Paragon-technology has been locked away by the Aeon and is currently being investigated by their scientists for whether or not it is a trap technology by the Seraphim.

What about Black Sun?
You don't want to try and fire Black Sun again.

Mechanics of Scanning Technology for Replication:
One of the biggest challenges is the size of the scans. Raw scans require roughly as much volume in data storage devices as the item in question, in many cases way too large to fit in the memory modules of the ACU, making it impossible to store the scans in there. It's like trying to upload a 4K video to a VHS tape. This means that the scans have to be compressed or broken down into smaller parts to be processed. Moreover, even when the scans can fit in the memory, the scanners themselves may be physically too small to capture the entire item in one piece. This requires disassembling the item and scanning its individual components separately. This process can be time-consuming and requires a great deal of skill and care to ensure that the components are reassembled correctly in editing. Once the scans are captured, they are processed using QCAD, a computer software that allows you to work on the scan files. However, QCAD is notoriously complex and requires a strong understanding of math, engineering, and electronics for proper use. This knowledge is a limiting factor for many people, and even those who do know how to use QCAD may struggle to optimize the scans lacking the technical expertise. Lacking those, QCAD possesses automated file optimization. However, these tools can sometimes remove critical details that are necessary for the item's function. This means that even if you are lucky enough to produce a working compressed scan, you may still need to make adjustments or re-scan certain parts to ensure that the item is properly replicated. All this of course does not help if you lack the technical expertise to know whether or not the replicated items work. Then the selected protocrafting device has to be able to handle receiving that kind of data stream, fast enough to print it, and still small enough to perform the task.

Can we develop/reverse engineer/improve X?
No, because apparently "Yes, if you spend years to decades of quest time on nothing else" is an answer some people have trouble understanding.

Luna's Abilities as a QAI
For some of you making claims about Luna's potential for extraordinary intellectual feats, the original Quantum AI, developed by Brackmann, was a formidable superintelligence spread across an extensive network of server nodes spanning numerous planets, leveraging the Quantum Gate network. Despite its immense power, even the original QAI couldn't tilt the balance decisively in favor of the Cybrans against the Aeon and UEF forces. Luna operates on a much smaller scale. She is a miniature QAI with access to a limited number of quantum computer banks embedded in the ACU. Luna primarily serves as an electronic warfare and support platform, with built-in safety measures that limit her autonomy. As such, claims that Luna could perform feats such as devising entirely novel methods of FTL travel distinct from existing Warp or Quantum Gate systems, are unfounded.

Can EarthCOM Provide Spaceship Templates?
Given SupCom humanity's shift away from space warfare concurrent with the proliferation of ACUs, the knowledge and technology related to spacecraft design have remained stagnant. Much of the innovation driving the effectiveness of ACUs is not directly applicable to space combat. Achieving parity with the vastly superior space threats in the 40k universe would require significant investment of resources and time by EarthCOM. Even if spaceship templates were developed, the QEC system, even with the booster, lacks the necessary bandwidth to transmit such large data files within a reasonable timeframe. Additionally, there are numerous smaller templates, and data with more immediate and impactful applications that will be prioritized for transmission instead.