Only the greatest of fools would think otherwise. What else can a person say when they saw the story of civilisation built throughout 65 millennia turn into a tragedy that was not heard since a deal most foul was made without a word?
What could uncounted septillions in the Milky Way galaxy do but despair as the famine and plague steal their siblings, parents and children?
What could the eight generations of officers do but rage against callous war led by man's most incredible creation as it turned a dream into a nightmare?
What could nine successive governments of the Terran Federation do but curse fate as its alias abandoned them and planets went dark with only screams of the damned left behind?
And so forth for 789 long years. The Iron Wars and the Crisis of the 25th Millennium destroyed the Golden Age of technology, giving way, piece by piece, day by day, to the darkness and chaos that would follow.
And yet, not all is lost. The man was born alone from the dust of the cruel and uncaring universe. We rose from the world with barely any aid from the ancient visitors from the stars. We fought a thousand wars across millions of worlds to keep our heads above the water and succeeded each time. This time will be no different.
The despair that swallowed many did not extinguish the hope of all. The rage against the machine did not blind us to those still with us and willing to sacrifice everything for tomorrow that is yet to come. Fate will be denied its due because it fights against the indomitable human spirit and spite.
Fate is fickle and cruel, especially when its Architect cackles as followers of its greatest rivals fall further and further into depravity. The Eldar Dominion, the almost primaeval fixture of the Milky Way galaxy, will soon meet its end.
But you are not one of the ethereal and all-powerful Aeldari; no, you were the official of the other corpse of the galactic superpower, Terran Federation, the polity that held most free stars in our galaxy, once held sway over your world.
Yes, the past tense when speaking about the Federation; while Aeldari should only blame themselves for their fall, the fallen children of Old Earth did not have the luxury of even that.
While few ever learned of the second grandest scheme of the Great Conspirator, those who learned of it cursed Changer's name for all of eternity and a day more.
The Lord of Change managed to very briefly make the Lord of Rage and Lord of Pestilence work together for just an instant. Millennia before Chaos Undivided could exist, it existed. From that unholy union, the
Cybernetic Revolt was born.
And so the work of ten thousand generations crumbled, for it could've survived the rising of the warp storms that heralded the birth of the dark prince, the psychic awakening of humanity, and the Iron Wars. Yet, it couldn't survive all three at once.
But that is the story of the days past; your story is of what mankind did in the aftermath of the Great Catastrophe, how meer mortals fought as the Golden Age of Technology clothed in the dark ashes of the dreams was giving its last breath as the lyrics of the ancient song were slowly being forgotten as the unforgiving shadow of the Age of Strife creeps ever nearer, you shall sacrifice, blood, sweat and tears for the tiniest ember of hope.
But as with all stories, yours also must start somewhere, and yours start with:
Characteristics: Greatest starting leaders, Legacy of the Federation, Refugees
The Cybernetic Revolt shall forever be known as the final nail in the coffin of the Age of Technology, but what most will forget what many will never think looking at ruins and husks of the past: Cybernetic Revolt failed, by the might of the human spirit, by the strongest of the oaths, by the sacrifices of quadrillions, by the heist most bold humanity won against the corrupted rage of its creations. Hundreds of thousands of worlds, tens of thousands of stars, and one ringworld were destroyed for a victory that no one counted as a victory.
Your people were there when Overmind was shattered; you led those who could not fight out of the encirclement and into the star across the turbulent warp. Your fleet ran as fast as it could as far as the warp drives could carry them with knowledge people would kill for. Until you found your new home, an empty world to make a new home.
Characteristics: Stable society, Kings of Strife, lack of advanced tech
West Eurasians and their descendant cultures were known in the Federation for three things in the intersphere: thinking about the first Roman Empire, unhealthy smugness, and creating the highest number of so-called Fair Worlds. This trend started in the days preceding the Cybernetic revolt, when a group of fans of a given time period or series gathered, bought a world, and built it around a given concept.
Of those worlds, the Knight Worlds were the most prevalent bar none. Those tourist traps often used only the bare minimum of AI and advanced technology to try to keep the suspension of belief; this and relatively low population density made such a world's low priority in the Overmind's desire to exterminate biological life.
Yet they, too, suffered; Overmind's "minor" excursions still reaped the uncounted trillions, with most of the surviving worlds populated by mech warriors who used machines not made for war to defend their loved ones like the knights of old.
Characteristics: Population: yes, Titan of Industry, starvation countdown
As the Overmind burned world after world, the Federation struggled with refugees flooding entire sectors, and the industrial sector not only struck but outright revolted and fell to the Logic Plague. Thus, a hive initiative was created. Quickly build the densely populated industrial worlds to pump out basic goods needed for the war effort and to trick automated cleansing forces of the Overmind into funnels and traps.
The plan worked. Hiveworlds preserved humanity and caused many less populated worlds surrounding them to be ignored by the Overmind, but as the warp storms grow more common, one thing became clear: you must secure a food supply or make some very hard decisions.
No matter where and who you are, you have one goal in mind:
"Humanity must not fall".
