240.M42 - The Choirs Sung
HeroCooky
Unverified Monstergirl
With the obliteration of the Ork Mega Rokk, a sense of calm began to descend upon the peoples of Droma, Ubraka, and Neumidia, though, for the first two, such peace was of a far different nature than to the latter.
For the latter, it was the calm that ensued when the fighting was over, when the first people began to realize that they had won, but the majority still cautiously gripped their weapons and sought enemies that weren't there. In all fairness, the clean-up from the survivors of the Mega Rokk would continue for five more months, where Orks would be beaten back into primordial sludge and dispersed into atoms whenever they popped up...but for the people of Corcrat?
The war was over. They had won! The Orks were dead; long live the Candle Keepers, long live the Lamenters, and long live their Leaders!
Like lightning did the realization that they had won shoot through the veins and hearts and souls of every person upon that ash-covered planet, whose surface glowed with bioluminescent colors and was warmed by rivers of lava. There was the expectation of parades of their victorious soldiers, of the heroic crews! Festivals, games, a day off! Celebrations of this day for centuries to come! They Had Won! LONG LIVE CORCRAT!
...
...none came. There were no celebrations.
Instead, a few of their leaders appeared on the rare televisions and ubiquitous vox systems on the planet and delivered a speech as troops began to smash doors and crack heads of private security details as they attempted to arrest traitors and cowards.
The small group of their leaders told them of the planned betrayal, of how two-thirds of the government wanted to sell them all out, how they wished to become pirates in all but name, that the loyalty of their people, the sacrifices made in flesh, blood, and tears was nothing to them but a chip to barter and haggle with. How they wanted to sell them to the first people who found them like they were clothes.
And how the Candle Keepers, enraged, rejected such a notion. How they had informed those still loyal to the people of Corcrat of the planned betrayal, and how they did not come here seeking conquest, but friends.
And friends they would have, these leaders vowed, for those who come to Corcrat with a sword shall perish by it, and those who come with open hands in friendship shall find them clasped in friendship.
The five months it took to exterminate any remaining Orkish presence within the Neumidian system utterly were five months filled with utterly brutal violence upon the planet of Corcrat, as the leaders who had spoken of their former peer's treachery fought with the aid of the Candle Keepers and Lamenters against the forces of the Traitors, a tragedy made by those unwilling to accept they had been duped. To accept that those who they looked up to in reverence were nothing more than scum.
But they were beaten, and the soldiers were offered leniency.
Their traitorous masters were offered none, even as they begged for crumbs of such as they were led to their execution by firing squad.
Corcrat joined the Candle Keepers four months later, the ink on the joining document glinting with the light of a human world free of the Imperium and the Xenos.
But did I not talk about a calm that had descended upon Droma and Ubraka? I did.
You see, after nearly sixty years of breathing free air, away from the stench of the Orks, the last person who had been held in their vile human pens had died, breathing the last of their life.
And when that breath left their lungs, when it passed their lips...the Choirs began to sing.
It was a mournful tune heard by all worshippers of the Star Child, a song of loss and tears. A lament of what could have been had the universe been a fairer, more just place. It was a dirge of memories spilled upon the canvas of the galaxy, of lives snuffed out and wrenched into terror and horror, pain and anguish.
The Choirs sang this tune for all who had perished upon Khara, all who had never wished for such a thing, those who merely wanted to live in peace, wanted to laugh and weep in the good and hard times of the world they tended to. Those who wanted no part in war and no role in suffering.
The Choirs sang the Dirge for the Innocent as they made all within Droma and Khara spill the bitter tears of the Star Child, unable to save the souls of those now forever gone as they had not yet been born.
The Song left behind a pain in the lungs and hearts and chests of the people, the kind that came from gut-wrenching loss and the catharsis of crying until there were no tears left to shed unto the ground. It was a good pain, the one which cleansed the soul of pain and anguish by allowing it all to leave, by allowing space to grow where the good things may once more dwell.
It was a dirge for those who should have never suffered.
You Have 3 [Three] Actions. You have 1 [One] Extra Action thanks to growing to 3 [Three] Systems!
[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production II
-[] Civilian Infrastructure
-[] Heavy Industry III
-[] Void Industry VII
-[] Medical Services II
-[] Military Industry IV
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)
[] [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] Enacting The Plan (0/2)
With most of the planning already done, the expansion and correction of your current designs can be undertaken in a speedy fashion that will result in outsized effects.
(Gain: Design Turn to create one Scout, one Destroyer, and one Frigate, and build all three.)
[] [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
-[] (6/6) Droman Coral Assault Unit
-[] (2/2) Droman Tideswarm Heavy Demolition Unit
-[] (2/2) Corcrat Heavy Mechanized Assault Unit
-[] (1/1) Budget Arms Light Tank Unit
-[] (2/2) Lamenters Space Marine Squad
-[] (2/2) Lamenters Space Marine Scout Platoon
-[] (2/5) Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(4x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Sagittarius-Class Artillery Frigate, 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 Claimed Systems.
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)
[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0/1 - Auto Complete)
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, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity, Song, Mercy, Creativity, Health, Unity, Innovation, Machinery, Logic, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, 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, The Sun I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent.)
[] [Faith] Nursery-Temples Beyond The Cradles
Corcrat and Khara have been liberated from the oppression and hateful touch of those who shall be expunged from the history of the galaxy for their vile actions and presence. 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 your realm, 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] From The Top Again (1/2)
The Chapter still needs more Companies filled before Chyron is willing to shift his mindset of emergency to one of merely acute danger for the Chapter. After that, the real work begins.
(Gain: The Lamenters fill out two more Companies.)
[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)
AN: Psykana will now be auto-completed at .2 progress per Turn, randomly chosen from those available. At ten available (not occupied) Choirs, progress can be targeted instead.
Also, I can only write so fast, I still have a life to get to! Be more divided! Argue, debate, stab somebody with Voodoo Dolls!
Hiss! 
For the latter, it was the calm that ensued when the fighting was over, when the first people began to realize that they had won, but the majority still cautiously gripped their weapons and sought enemies that weren't there. In all fairness, the clean-up from the survivors of the Mega Rokk would continue for five more months, where Orks would be beaten back into primordial sludge and dispersed into atoms whenever they popped up...but for the people of Corcrat?
The war was over. They had won! The Orks were dead; long live the Candle Keepers, long live the Lamenters, and long live their Leaders!
Like lightning did the realization that they had won shoot through the veins and hearts and souls of every person upon that ash-covered planet, whose surface glowed with bioluminescent colors and was warmed by rivers of lava. There was the expectation of parades of their victorious soldiers, of the heroic crews! Festivals, games, a day off! Celebrations of this day for centuries to come! They Had Won! LONG LIVE CORCRAT!
...
...none came. There were no celebrations.
Instead, a few of their leaders appeared on the rare televisions and ubiquitous vox systems on the planet and delivered a speech as troops began to smash doors and crack heads of private security details as they attempted to arrest traitors and cowards.
The small group of their leaders told them of the planned betrayal, of how two-thirds of the government wanted to sell them all out, how they wished to become pirates in all but name, that the loyalty of their people, the sacrifices made in flesh, blood, and tears was nothing to them but a chip to barter and haggle with. How they wanted to sell them to the first people who found them like they were clothes.
And how the Candle Keepers, enraged, rejected such a notion. How they had informed those still loyal to the people of Corcrat of the planned betrayal, and how they did not come here seeking conquest, but friends.
And friends they would have, these leaders vowed, for those who come to Corcrat with a sword shall perish by it, and those who come with open hands in friendship shall find them clasped in friendship.
The five months it took to exterminate any remaining Orkish presence within the Neumidian system utterly were five months filled with utterly brutal violence upon the planet of Corcrat, as the leaders who had spoken of their former peer's treachery fought with the aid of the Candle Keepers and Lamenters against the forces of the Traitors, a tragedy made by those unwilling to accept they had been duped. To accept that those who they looked up to in reverence were nothing more than scum.
But they were beaten, and the soldiers were offered leniency.
Their traitorous masters were offered none, even as they begged for crumbs of such as they were led to their execution by firing squad.
Corcrat joined the Candle Keepers four months later, the ink on the joining document glinting with the light of a human world free of the Imperium and the Xenos.
But did I not talk about a calm that had descended upon Droma and Ubraka? I did.
You see, after nearly sixty years of breathing free air, away from the stench of the Orks, the last person who had been held in their vile human pens had died, breathing the last of their life.
And when that breath left their lungs, when it passed their lips...the Choirs began to sing.
It was a mournful tune heard by all worshippers of the Star Child, a song of loss and tears. A lament of what could have been had the universe been a fairer, more just place. It was a dirge of memories spilled upon the canvas of the galaxy, of lives snuffed out and wrenched into terror and horror, pain and anguish.
The Choirs sang this tune for all who had perished upon Khara, all who had never wished for such a thing, those who merely wanted to live in peace, wanted to laugh and weep in the good and hard times of the world they tended to. Those who wanted no part in war and no role in suffering.
The Choirs sang the Dirge for the Innocent as they made all within Droma and Khara spill the bitter tears of the Star Child, unable to save the souls of those now forever gone as they had not yet been born.
The Song left behind a pain in the lungs and hearts and chests of the people, the kind that came from gut-wrenching loss and the catharsis of crying until there were no tears left to shed unto the ground. It was a good pain, the one which cleansed the soul of pain and anguish by allowing it all to leave, by allowing space to grow where the good things may once more dwell.
It was a dirge for those who should have never suffered.
You Have 3 [Three] Actions. You have 1 [One] Extra Action thanks to growing to 3 [Three] Systems!
[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production II
-[] Civilian Infrastructure
-[] Heavy Industry III
-[] Void Industry VII
-[] Medical Services II
-[] Military Industry IV
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)
[] [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] Enacting The Plan (0/2)
With most of the planning already done, the expansion and correction of your current designs can be undertaken in a speedy fashion that will result in outsized effects.
(Gain: Design Turn to create one Scout, one Destroyer, and one Frigate, and build all three.)
[] [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
-[] (6/6) Droman Coral Assault Unit
-[] (2/2) Droman Tideswarm Heavy Demolition Unit
-[] (2/2) Corcrat Heavy Mechanized Assault Unit
-[] (1/1) Budget Arms Light Tank Unit
-[] (2/2) Lamenters Space Marine Squad
-[] (2/2) Lamenters Space Marine Scout Platoon
-[] (2/5) Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(4x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Sagittarius-Class Artillery Frigate, 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 Claimed Systems.
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)
[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0/1 - Auto Complete)
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, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity, Song, Mercy, Creativity, Health, Unity, Innovation, Machinery, Logic, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, 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, The Sun I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent.)
[] [Faith] Nursery-Temples Beyond The Cradles
Corcrat and Khara have been liberated from the oppression and hateful touch of those who shall be expunged from the history of the galaxy for their vile actions and presence. 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 your realm, 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] From The Top Again (1/2)
The Chapter still needs more Companies filled before Chyron is willing to shift his mindset of emergency to one of merely acute danger for the Chapter. After that, the real work begins.
(Gain: The Lamenters fill out two more Companies.)
[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)
AN: Psykana will now be auto-completed at .2 progress per Turn, randomly chosen from those available. At ten available (not occupied) Choirs, progress can be targeted instead.
Also, I can only write so fast, I still have a life to get to! Be more divided! Argue, debate, stab somebody with Voodoo Dolls!
Hiss!
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