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

[HeroCooky]

I guess maybe I am just a bit disappointed the story chose to go this route.

Click to shrink...

You're telling me.

But ah well.

Click to shrink...

Nah, that's just the author uncritically propagating fascist apologia in this quest, yet again. Since it's become a clear pattern at this point, I'm out.

Click to shrink...

My main sticking point is the idea that many of humanity's alien allies chose to betray them for "reasons" is too much for me to believe.

Click to shrink...

You are being informed/shown this by a being directly crafted, created, and influnced by the Emperor from the ground up. Characters in a story, like the Star Child themselves is, are not unbiased, nor unwilling to let their experiences taint their perception of things.

Like, I cannot say this enough:
THE STAR CHILD HAS ONLY ONE SOURCE OF WHAT WENT DOWN AND HOW, AND THAT IS THE EMPEROR. THEY WON'T QUESTION THAT OVERLY. THEY LITERALLY CANNOT DISTRUST THE EMPEROR, AND THUS TRUST THE VERSION SHOWN AND TOLD TO THEM!

If you wish to know, this is how shit actually went down:
(Also note that no species, not even humanity, is a united block here.)
>The Three Chaos Bro's grab humanity's AIs, AIs go murder-all-organics. Warp Storms Start Here.
>OH SHIT, KILL THE ROGUE AIs! - All species.
>OH FUCK, WE ARE GETTING SLAUGHTERED! - All species.
>Lads? The scary-as-hell AI is offering to let us live if we turn against the humans?! - Some species.
>Some: TAKE IT! Others: OBVIOUS TRAP!
>Three-way fighting ensues.
>Federation breaks apart as Chaos AI do their work.
>Yet, somehow, the non-AI fighters begin to push back from their enclaves.
>Traitors to Federation go warcrimes mode to eek out advantages so they'll not die themselves as they fear complete annihilation of their people in retaliation.
>This makes people do the exact thing they were afraid of.
>AI are broken after much sacrifice. Federation Civil War begins.
>Becomes so bloody in such a short amount of time that many on either side bail in fear.
>This leads to a complete breakdown of everything as technology rapidly decays.
>Warp Storms Intensify.
>Anarchy as everyone is basically on their own.
>Bloody extermination campaigns made by everyone against everyone for old grudges.
>Most (60%) of Federation Member Species hide instead.
>Slaanesh Is Born. The Warp calms.
>Emps shows up.
>He is utterly insane beyond nearly all description by all the deaths of humanity and only capable by running on pure Instinct/1+1=2 Logics.
>Finds Xenos that hid after shit went down.
>They couldn't have helped. He doesn't care, they should have.
>"Oh thank Spode, is it over. We getting the gang back together?"
>Emps: "DIE, XENOS."
>Xenos: Dies.
>All other Xenos: Why are there far less of us around, and why are there no returns from our diplomacy ships after we sent them to the federation the humans are putting together again?
>Imperium advances, kills nearly all Xenos.
>*Realization*
>Ah, fuck.
>Fight against Imperium or try to run. Most die anyway.
>Big E: "I WAS FUCKING RIGHT!!!"
>Skip 10k Years.
>Star Child: Mostly. You were mostly right.
>The Thread: Hol' Up.

 

[HeroCooky]

A new era begins, heralded by the Star Child's vision of the truth behind the past shown to their gathered faithful.
Even if some whisper about the forceful nature of it...and how wrong some parts felt.
This is an era in which the Outsiders shall be categorized as five parts of the whole, each different and requiring a keen hand and mind to find those who belong and those who don't within them, be it by misclassification or past atrocities committed and hostilities extended once more.
But by whom? Why were ours not shown?
One where a new class of ship wrought in holy visions would ply the stars and deliver the mercy of the Star Child to those ailing and those wicked!
Was it the Star Child which spoke to us...or the Emperor-and-Omnissiah?
And one where lowly challenges shall not bow us, for we have the truth behind us and the future before us. Us all, for the Kil'drabi can no longer be called a Protectorate for all that they have done.
There were contradictions. Parts didn't match. Holes in the story told.
They shall be Kin. Evermore. Blood has weight, and they spilled theirs for ours without prompting, willing to fight and die because it was the right thing to do.
Was it the truth? Or the one told to our Divine?
Thus it is written. Thus it shall be.

---

A ship enters Perfinda. It is an ugly thing, barely large enough to eke out a measly 300 meters, and much of that length is taken up by a badly damaged machine sticking out of the rear of it. The metals it is made of are brittle, its weapons, what little it carries, are laughably weak, and there are no shields to speak of. It is something that stretches the definition of a Warp Ship due to its glaring deficiencies.

And yet, what isn't laughable are the things that had dwelled within, eradicated by a squad of boarders, horrific fusions of bones, flesh, and metals, scrawling messages that were best destroyed utterly along the once-writhing walls and cramped corridors of the vessel they once crewed.

Make no mistake—this ship was intended to reach Perfinda. But there was one error in its construction: it possessed no Gellar Field.

Someone in Theta-Sigma 44c had created primitive Warp Engines, a massive leap in technology according to the last scouting report nine years ago, and they were trying to scout out their neighbourhood.

Without Gellar Fields.


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

[] [General] Colonize (Itani - Magdab (Volcanic and Frozen)) (1/2 Actions)
It is time to bring another world into the fold. Thanks to the Kil'drabi becoming our Kin, we can now categorize several previously Hostile Worlds as Habitable instead.
(Gain: A colonized World.
Habitable Worlds: Ultima Sigritta - Sira (Mesa and Savannah), Silista - Silista X (Temperate Continent), Itani - Grubbub (Ash and Frozen), Gnatiila - Smug (Volcanic and Ash)
Hostile Worlds (-1 Void Industry): N/A
Deathworlds (-1 to All): N/A)

[] [General] Integrate the Kil'drabi Kin (0/2)
This is much more than a 'mere' sharing of technology to those deemed worthy, but the declaration of another species as complete equals and members of the Glimmering Federation as one more Candle against the Dark. The Kil'drabi have bled for us; they have risked ships that are almost holy to them in defense of Ubraka, and they have done so without prompting or asking but out of their own free will. We have three centuries of peaceful and content co-existence and a battle as proof of their dedication, and a Divine Mandate. This is no blind trust, no matter the work that still needs to be done to take them in as equals. This is proof of the truth in the path we walk and the faith we preach. We declare them Kin. As have they.
(Gain: Kil'drabi Integrated! +1 Void Industry/Civilian Infrastructure/Heavy Industry, -1 Military Industry. Unlock [Emergency Transition Warp Breakers|Snapshot Pinpoint Targeting Solutions]!)

[] [General] Stop The Madness In Theta-Sigma 44c (Write-In Ships/SAGs/Diplomatic Approach)
The uncontacted Xenos within Theta-Sigma 44c have begun to transition from Children to Travelers, and they do so without Gellar Fields! Stopping them from doing so isn't a matter of morality, but faith, as they are directly stepping into the maws of Chaos in their ignorance, potentially dooming their entire species!
(Gain: Information about what is going on. A choice to end what could be the start of a Chaos Polity within the sub-sector.)

[] [Military] Karnivore Sanctification And Manufactorium
With the recovery of the Karnivore STC, we have gained a potent combat walker that will undoubtedly massively improve our troops' combat capability. However, the construction of the many specialized components and weapons demanded within the STC, as well as the Armiger Knight itself, will require dedicated assemblies, factories, and forges, alongside training academies and pilot cadres to pilot these combat walkers. Additionally, further sanctifications would not be amiss, alongside a change in appearance.
(Gain: The ability to construct Karnivore War-Packs (15 per).)

[] [Military] Fill Out The System Army Groups
With the military reorganized, it is time to begin a standardization across all our systems to fill out at least one SAG.
(Gain: All Systems currently fully controlled have their SAGs filled to 100% strength.)

[] [Military] Create A SAG - [System] - [Weight: Light/Medium/Heavy] - [Infantry/Mechanized] - [Classification: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn]
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.
(Gain: A SAG. These contain Four Units chosen from the above choices.)

[] [Military] Construct/Refit A Warp Ship - [Choose a Design]
Ships are produced at these rates: Three Scouts, Two Destroyers, or One Frigate per decade. One Light Cruiser per two decades. Refit Rates: 6 Aries to 6 Aries-Secundus per Decade.
(Gain: Chosen Ships.)

[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer, Frigate, Light Cruiser (0/2)]
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] Begin Military Operations (Assign SAG/s) (Choose Location/s) (Designate Objective/s)
-[] (3/8) Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(6x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Aries-Secundus Class Corvette, 1x Lupus-Class Torpedo Destroyer, 1x Crux-Class Missile Frigate, 1x Libra-class Light Carrier, 2x Taurus-Class Troopship (0/2 SAG Capacity))
-[] Scout Fleet Alpha
(4x Circinus-Class Scout Sloop)
-[] Kil'drabi Auxiliary Fleet
(2x Pact of Our New Path Battlecolony)
-[-] Lamenters Chapter Fleet
(3x Risen Dirge-Class Boarding Ships (Space Marine Troopship))
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. Scouting Efficiency: 40%
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)

[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0.0/1 - 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.
(Uncovered: Technology.
Secret: Slumber, Silence, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity II, Song III, Mercy, Creativity II, Health, Unity, Innovation, Machinery, Logic II, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, The Home II, 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, Humanity I, Creativity I, Song II, The Home I, and Logic I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent.)

[] [Faith] Monuments for Martyrs, Graves for the Forgotten
The Candle Keepers have been fighting the good fight for nearly 250 years, a fourth of a millennium. In this time, thousands have perished to give people hope, security, and a better life and pave the way for those who come after to stride further and with growing security and pride into the great unknown and black abyss shrinking before the light of the Star Child. Within those 250 years, we have fought against a constant barrage of Orks, worshippers of Chaos, and those who tried to turn traitors to their fellow people, with the first of many Xeno Protectorates established, and its people turned into faithful worshippers and adherents to the Droman Creed. Yet, though now temples ring with the sounds of bells and the hymns of choirs signing united, and our systems teem with the faithful eager to build a better future against the coming of the dark, many had to give their lives to reach this point...and many more will follow. Do these people, who are now forever lost to the soil of worlds and the greedy grasp of the void, deserve to be forgotten? Does their memory not deserve to be honored and remembered? They do, and though some bodies shall never be recovered, their names deserve to be carved for eternity. The only question then arises...where should they be carved into? And how grand would these monuments be if we made multiple instead of one?
(Gain: The Candle Keepers discuss how to honor the fallen and the forgotten. Variable Action Cost.)

[] [Faith] Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, Siblinghoods, And Orders of Faith
It is undeniable that many marching within our military are those most dedicated to spreading the light of the Star Child. Yet, questions have arisen from those seeking to contribute to the liberation of the galaxy, who either failed to enter the military by being too dedicated to the mission and failing to see the objectives that need to be taken or by failing some other criteria. Some of those questions are if it would not be beneficial if some manner of Faith Militant organization or organizations could be created, or allowed to be created, with others asking for a formal creation of Faith Orders to bolster the ranks of the soldiery with those utterly dedicated to the mission, lending strength, surety, and a bulwark against the horrors of the galaxy to all within.
(Gain: Nail down the Faith Militant aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Faith] Psykana Of The Outside And Unknown
Though we use the Celestial Choirs to bind and tame the powers of the Warp to minimize the risks and dangers inherent in the use of the Psykana, it is folly to believe that we are the only ones who have uncovered ways to utilize the Warp amongst the galaxy, or that there is nothing to be learned from Outsiders. Likewise, though there has been currently only one example, we must also consider what to do with the Psykers of Outsiders to the Federation and how we should go about ensuring that those individuals within our Protectorates or Kin are given over or sent to us instead of being utilized in horrific, immoral, or dangerous ways if they aren't outright killed as was the fate of all Kil'drabi Psykers before they began to send them to us to be taught control or executed should they fail and become a risk to themselves and others without sending their souls to the Great Enemy.
(Gain: Nail down the Outsider Psyker and Psykana Use-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Chapter] A Suit Worthy Of The Name (2.5/5)
With the business on Drixxus and Ixxus done, Chapter Master Chyron is now convinced that, with the possibility of encountering Chaos Marines as high as ever, the main priority of the Lamenters should be the construction of Space Marine Armor. Luckily, Cradle Station has several blueprints, but Chyron is reluctant to use them due to the connotations the Crusade-era designs carry. Instead, he will use the Chapter and Candle Keepers' technical expertise to build a new pattern of Power Armor untainted by history.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain actual Space Marine-rated Power Armor.)

[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)

AN: Integration auto-ticks.

 

[HeroCooky]

"Captains Log:
19th Day of the 5th Rotation of the 1111th Year after the Day of the Archangels."

"Oh Martyr, please tell me she isn't doing what I think she is doing," Derdak mumbled, hunching over their console as they tried to put the cheesy speech of Starshine (a very typical colonial name, if there ever was one) out of their mind by focusing in work. Unfortunately for them, it did not work.

"We have arrived at the system's edge aboard the 'Second Try' after completing the tests and run-down cruise of both him and his engines, particularly the Miracle Drive."

Maf chuckled nervously, leaning over to nudge the priest in the arm with his elbow, the whirr and whizzing of his hand-mounted manipulators humming angrily as they tried to compensate for the sudden movement. "Be glad you only had to hear this a few times. I had the pleasure for two decades."

"Though the issue of minor auditorial hallucinations persists whenever the Miracle Drive is in use too frequently, no harm has come from it in the last eight years. And in case something goes wrong with the drive, Chief Engineer Maf is fully qualified to repair it on his own," Captain Starshine continued unperturbed to the chuckling of said engineer and the muttered grumbling of the priest as she floated before the viewing screen at the front of the bridge.

"Martyr, please let there be no issues," Maf chuckled, "I don't think I could handle her 'Logs' if that'd happen."

"Dunno, seems like fair play to me, as you are plenty willing to let her handle your 'Log,'" Master Gunner Urkon said, grinning at the chuckling Yeen to a round of amused snorts.

"And so, with a skilled crew and the gathered well-wishes of all Yeeni-kind behind us, we will begin our mission once we spin up the drive: to set out into the Tyrant's Tooth System and find out what happened to the 'Bold Explorer' and his crew, and recover any additional information from the likely wreck it has been turned into so we can continue her mission: seeking contact with the Winged Watchers." Captain Starshine continued her log, unbothered by the ribbing of her crew around her. Not that it was hard, as the mention of the Winged Watchers had caused a hush to fall over the four Yeeni out of twenty-seven on board.

Few knew all the information gathered about their visits, which were first noticed several decades ago, and fewer had had the privilege of listening to the singular recorded instance of their speech. Captain Starshine was one such individual, and neither had done anything to curb the burning passion to learn more within her soul.

It was a fact that there were Archangels soaring through the vast Worldspace above their small world, hateful beings who despised technology and delivered fire and death upon the innocent whenever they could. For so long, the history of the Yeeni had revolved around hiding from them and rebuilding whenever their burning gaze shifted from their homes and kin.

Until they didn't arrive when they should have, their dark forms were nowhere to be found within the system as their people crossed the upper threshold of technology and population long speculated to act as a trigger to summon these hated demons. Decades passed as their people advanced, rising higher and higher until they hurtled ships filled first with explorers and then pioneers and settlers to Gnaril. They dug deep and fast there, hoping to prepare future generations for the fight against the Archangels when they would inevitably come.

They...did not. Instead, their people continued to prosper and reach ever further into the Worldspace...until they discovered an Archangel Artifact.

A station, one captured by a passing probe, massive and domineering all ships they then had at their disposal. Its function was quickly determined to be that of a watcher, the equipment it used alien yet not too different from what technology may provide in a few centuries or millennia. All governments had quickly come together to create and launch a probe into the station to gather what information they could...only for the Winged Watchers to appear.

They sent a communication to the station, a few words in a language that none could even begin to decipher or translate, and then...ripped it apart with ease.

It was then that tragedy struck, as the ship of the Winged Watchers turned to head into the system proper, only to be hit by the probe. Spooked and likely believing it was an attack by a hidden weapons platform, they turned and fled. Fleeing through a portal of swirling energies.

They returned, of course, yet they never ventured into their home. They merely sat and listened for a few days before leaving, often not even long enough for a communication attempt to be made. They did so for decades, all the while people tried to gain their attention, yet their appearances were so random that any ship that may have been in the correct position to catch them the last time would be weeks of burning away when they appeared again.

Ever since they had destroyed the station of the Archangels, speculation had run wild, with most believing the most likely scenario: that the Winged Watchers and the Archangels were at war and that the borders had shifted to encompass their people from one faction to the other.

From those who burned and killed to those who watched and listened.

And if it hadn't been for a plague devastating their homeworld, a program to seed their entry point with communication satellites could have been started decades ago. Instead, the march of time and careful examination of records, data, and videos gave them another option: meeting the Winged Watchers as fellow travelers of the Worldspace rather than as ignorant children grasping at their elders for attention.

The creation of Faster-Than-Light Travel.
The creation of the Miracle Drive.

Starshine knew little of how it worked, but she knew enough to know that it 'skimmed' over a dimension of energy, or the underlying architecture of the universe, to propel the ship at speeds faster than light. This allowed the ship it was built into to traverse the distance between systems in a short year rather than multiple decades, as a trio of sleeper ships were attempting now.

Granted, there was a minor issue with auditory hallucinations when used too frequently, as testing had shown, but that was the price once paid when skimming over the foundation of reality.

But regardless of such musings...

"Helm," Captain Starshine said, grabbing a truss above her to push herself into her chair. Its harness swiftly secured her body as her mind spun free. "Please begin checks for FTL. We have dawdled enough, and an infinite universe is calling for us. Let us no-"

Space was torn asunder. Violent purple, white, black, and red lights cracked in mists and lightning before the 'Second Try,' two hulking behemoths of thick armor and bristling weaponry emerged from within and flanked the tiny ship.

Not a soul aboard the bridge spoke, eyes wide and shocked, ears flat against skulls and bodies frozen as the computer systems of the ship were showered in alarms of radiation and energies washing over the vessel. Massive weapon batteries painted their hull as two gigantic turrets swiveled to lock onto their suddenly too-fragile-seeming hull.

It seemed that their second mission had just finished: the Winged Watchers had made contact.

And they sent a message:
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] (Write-In)

AN: I had ten hours of First Responder Training today. Have this, I'm going to sleep. Also, keep in mind that you don't have perfect translations for this species' language/s. Whatever you say will get mangled up. So, as the saying goes: "KISS."

 

[HeroCooky]

Starshine had never known just how much she had taken talking for granted. Yes, there were different languages to take note of, especially on Ground, within the various nations and cultures of her people, but there had always been the assumption within her that they'd be able to...talk with the Winged Watchers.

How could she not? They had guarded them from the Archangels, watched, and waited for a signal that they were ready to be contacted. She had always assumed they had already translated their languages to be able to talk seamlessly. Then again...

Once more, she stared at the transcript of the message sent by the two titanic ships, one repeated continually, with a heavy heart and drooping ears, within the solace of her cabin.

"This is a [talk/speaking/directive] concerning [Foe/Hurt/Danger], [more/additional/further] [talk/speaking/directive] soon. [Purchase/Buy/Heed] Attention to [this/us]. [We/Us] [faith/think/pray] [our people/these souls] to be a [thinking/foreseeing/careful] culture."

"This is a message concerning danger," she whispered, breathing deeply to steady herself as a chuckle rumbled within her throat. "We will talk more soon. Pay attention. We think we are no fools to say this," Starshine continued, carefully trying to put the last few months out of her mind.

It was one thing to make contact with someone you were trying to meet and have your expectations not met.

Quite another for them to race to stop you from accidentally hurting yourself, all but shouting at you not to do anything.

"The [Foe/Hurt/Danger] is within [movement/transport] [from/to/the] Stars. This is a [talk/speaking/directive] we [believe/think] [critical/noteworthy]."

When that line had been revealed to the public, there had been almost a species-wide panic. How could there be not? The Winged Watchers had just told them all that there was something inherently dangerous to either the Miracle Drive...or something far worse than the Archangels dwelled within the worldspace. The following lines translated from broken and scratched-together languages, seemingly thrown together in a hurry, did not ease that panic. It made it far worse.

"The [Foe/Hurt/Danger] [moves/heightens] as [movement/transport/distance] [from/to/the] Stars [endures/increases/happens]."

"The [Foe/Hurt/Danger] is to the [self/flesh/bones] and [soul/self], and it can [destroy/erase/mutate/change]."

There was a fringe religion on Gnaril—a temple near her hometown had even been dedicated to it—that preached that there were Demons between the stars, lurking underneath the light to devour all who stepped away from the cleansing light of their suns. "The danger increases the more you move away from the stars. The threat is to your flesh and soul, warping and destroying it."

It had grown massively since the last two sentences had been released.

Perhaps even more damningly, the Winged Watchers had sent them a lot of data, little of which had been deciphered up to now but almost assuredly contained the same pictures as had been given to them carved into a sheet of metal delivered by a shuttle.

The same ship that had watched her people moving from one system to another, a "bubble" around it, arriving safely.

And what could only be the Bold Explorer moving in the same way...only to arrive as a twisted and warped wreck on the other side.

A large hand grasped for the pack of alcohol she had smuggled aboard, squeezing it dry in a few gulps as she tried to ignore the rampant horror within her mind as people realized that they had all but sent all the souls aboard the Bold Explorer to a fate worse than death.

She eyed the rumpled and empty pack of alcohol in her hand. It was her last one, out of five she had intended to drink in total: one for their first journey, one for meeting the Winged Watchers, another after seeing one in person, the one for her name day, and the last when she and her crew returned. Now they were all gone, and nothing could silence her mind of the visions she now imagined.

She looked at her cabin and the empty, cold bedding strapped to the wall. Her ears twitched.

"Not like I'd get to sleep anyway," she mumbled with a raw chuckle and pressed a button on her console. "Maf to the Captain's Cabin, now," she said, uncaring about decorum.

She needed another mind to steady hers more than dignity.

Warning Delivered! Yeeni Languages (mostly) Translated! What Now?
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] (Write-In)
How do you wish to continue with your contact? (Intent, Desires, etc.) What information do you share? (Chaos, Daemons, Psykers, Tech, etc.) Do you try to make any pacts? (Protectorate Status? Neutrality? etc.)

 

[HeroCooky]

Five years pass as the delegation within Teardrop slowly explains the nature of the galaxy, Chaos, the Imperium, the Glimmering Federation, and a host of other issues and problems to the Yeeni, with the latter reacting with ever-growing horror, shock, disappointment, and growing sorrow to each news.

The revelation that they had sent their crews through the Warp, a realm of pure chaotic energies filled with dangerous parasites and malignant thought-diseases, without any protection, was received with shock and dismay. Additionally, the (scrubbed of all malignant influences) pictures of what had happened to their first ship and crew nearly resulted in a riot of civilians taking over the manufacturing plant of their "Miracle Drives" and destroying the same before order could be restored. The Yeeni have since stopped production and are concerned with understanding the Gellar Field technology given to them first before they resume Warp Skim-Drive production.

The warnings of the dangers of the Warp and the corrupting beings within were taken with varying levels of horror and terror, governmental organizations and faiths (which had a surprising amount of similarity to the Star Child in structure and should be quickly subsumed or syncretized in a century or two, as their governments have agreed to allow preachers and monasteries to be built on their soils) overreacting at first before being guided down a far less damaging path in the containment of Chaos and the forces of the "Schemer, Plaguebearer, Obsessionist, and Bloodseeker."

The news of the truth behind the "Archangels" and "Winged Watchers" did little to the already in-the-gutters morale of the Yeeni but was dutifully recorded and disseminated. That the "Archangels" are a brutal government suppressing its people who can be guided down a better path has seemingly demystified the Imperium and has kindled a fire in a small section of the Yeeni not to become its victims ever again. In addition, the truthful and honest nature of our information exchanges has strengthened their belief that we are "benevolent watchers" despite the latter being somewhat untrue and the first remaining a hotly debated topic amongst ourselves.

The news of the various Xenos has been taken in a far better mood, though the existence of the Orks was not. Questions about how we knew so little about the Eldar were rightly answered with: "Because we had one point of contact with them." That the Glimmering Federation is also a duo-species polity with the Kil'drabi having recently been declared as equal to its founding member, humanity, was also seen as a positive mark in our favor by the Yeeni.

When it came time to discuss the topic of Psykers, a demonstration was offered of a Choir (with a Kil'drabi member) using their powers to invoke a Fire Melody. The video was shared on their planetary noospheres and reached a combined total of 14 billion views within a day. We have, confusingly enough, received revenue for the ads shown before the video. (The Choir intends to spend it on a lifetime supply of incense.) However, the Yeeni have professed that they do not know or have never had an individual manifest psychic abilities...that they could empirically prove. The offer to have a Choir stationed within their system to examine those people and offer training so they don't accidentally summon a Warp Parasite and keep an eye out for problems caused by them was accepted after a few discussions.

All of which ended in the offer of Protectorate Status, with all the rights and duties therein, to the Yeeni.

They, after a species-wide referendum, agreed with an 89% super-majority. 5% abstained.

---

With the colonization of Magdab in Itani, our scouts were able to reach further into the galaxy, with the Brotar System of the Amratur Sub-Sector uncovered and scouted. Concerningly, no Orks were found, meaning that whatever had made the local Imperium retreat from their former worlds had to be something else...or the Orks were dealt with in the meantime by another. A theory supported by Brotar Primus having been, as declared by Chapter Master Chyron of the Lamenters, subjected to a Life-eater Virus bombardment.

Concerning.


You Have 3 [Three] Actions. You Have 1 [One] Action Thanks To Defeating Your First Sub-Sector War!
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] [General] Construct Something
-[] Food Production VI
-[] Civilian Infrastructure VI
-[] Heavy Industry II
-[] Void Industry VII
-[] Medical Services II
-[] Military Industry III
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)

[] [General] Colonize (Planet)
It is time to bring another world into the fold. Thanks to the Kil'drabi becoming our Kin, we can now categorize Frozen, Ash, and Volcanic Worlds as Habitable instead.
(Gain: A colonized World.
Habitable Worlds: Ultima Sigritta - Sira (Mesa and Savannah), Silista - Silista X (Temperate Continent), Itani - Grubbub (Ash and Frozen), Gnatiila - Smug (Volcanic and Ash)
Hostile Worlds (-1 Void Industry): Bortar - Brotar Prime (Barren and Lifeless)
Deathworlds (-1 to All): N/A)

[] [General] Integrate the Kil'drabi Kin (1.5/2)
This is much more than a 'mere' sharing of technology to those deemed worthy, but the declaration of another species as complete equals and members of the Glimmering Federation as one more Candle against the Dark. The Kil'drabi have bled for us; they have risked ships that are almost holy to them in defense of Ubraka, and they have done so without prompting or asking but out of their own free will. We have three centuries of peaceful and content co-existence and a battle as proof of their dedication, and a Divine Mandate. This is no blind trust, no matter the work that still needs to be done to take them in as equals. This is proof of the truth in the path we walk and the faith we preach. We declare them Kin. As have they.
(Gain: Kil'drabi Integrated! +1 Void Industry/Civilian Infrastructure/Heavy Industry, -1 Military Industry. Unlock [Emergency Transition Warp Breakers|Snapshot Pinpoint Targeting Solutions]!)

[] [General] Forge Closer Economic/Political/Spiritual Ties With The Yeeni
Having accepted our offer of becoming a Protectorate of the Glimmering Federation-though civilian morale seems to have taken a massive hit due to the large amount of revelations given by us-the Yeeni now require several structures built within their system to better protect them and facilitate economic, political, and spiritual integrations into the wider Federation. Unfortunately, this will entail a large portion of academics and eggheads arriving and bothering the people there.
(Gain: Starts auto-alignment of the Yeeni Protectorate to Glimmering Morals, Values, and Faith.)

[] [Military] Karnivore Sanctification And Manufactorium
With the recovery of the Karnivore STC, we have gained a potent combat walker that will undoubtedly massively improve our troops' combat capability. However, the construction of the many specialized components and weapons demanded within the STC, as well as the Armiger Knight itself, will require dedicated assemblies, factories, and forges, alongside training academies and pilot cadres to pilot these combat walkers. Additionally, further sanctifications would not be amiss, alongside a change in appearance.
(Gain: The ability to construct Karnivore War-Packs (15 per).)

[] [Military] Fill Out The System Army Groups - (0/2)
With the military reorganized, it is time to begin a standardization across all our systems to fill out at least one SAG.
(Gain: All Systems currently fully controlled have their SAGs filled to 100% strength. 4 SAGs in Total.)

[] [Military] Create A SAG - [System] - [Weight: Light/Medium/Heavy] - [Type: Infantry/Mechanized] - [Classification: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn]
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, with Heavy Units reliant on solid logistics to continue working while also offering an equal force-concentration in return.
(Gain: A SAG. These contain [Four Units] chosen from the above choices.)

[] [Military] Construct/Refit A Warp Ship - [Choose a Design]
Ships are produced at these rates: Six Scouts, Four Destroyers, two Frigates, and One Light Cruiser per decade. Refit Rates: 6 Aries to 6 Aries-Secundus per Decade.
(Gain: Chosen Ships.)

[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer, Frigate, Light Cruiser]
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] Begin Military Operations (Assign SAG/s) (Choose Location/s) (Designate Objective/s)
-[] 2x Free Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(6x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Aries-Secundus Class Corvette, 1x Lupus-Class Torpedo Destroyer, 1x Crux-Class Missile Frigate, 1x Libra-class Light Carrier, 2x Taurus-Class Troopship (0/2 SAG Capacity))
-[] Task Fleet Beta
(2x Pact of Our New Path Battlecolonies)
-[] Scout Fleet Alpha
(4x Circinus-Class Scout Sloop)
-[-] Lamenters Chapter Fleet
(3x Risen Dirge-Class Boarding Ships (Space Marine Troopship))
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. Scouting Efficiency: 50%
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)

[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0.2/1 - 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.
(Uncovered: Technology.
Secret: Slumber, Silence, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity II, Song III, Mercy, Creativity II, Health, Unity, Innovation, Machinery, Logic II, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, The Home II, 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, Humanity I, Creativity I, Song II, The Home I, and Logic I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent.)

[] [Faith] Monuments for Martyrs, Graves for the Forgotten
The Candle Keepers have been fighting the good fight for nearly 250 years, a fourth of a millennium. In this time, thousands have perished to give people hope, security, and a better life and pave the way for those who come after to stride further and with growing security and pride into the great unknown and black abyss shrinking before the light of the Star Child. Within those 250 years, we have fought against a constant barrage of Orks, worshippers of Chaos, and those who tried to turn traitors to their fellow people, with the first of many Xeno Protectorates established, and its people turned into faithful worshippers and adherents to the Droman Creed. Yet, though now temples ring with the sounds of bells and the hymns of choirs signing united, and our systems teem with the faithful eager to build a better future against the coming of the dark, many had to give their lives to reach this point...and many more will follow. Do these people, who are now forever lost to the soil of worlds and the greedy grasp of the void, deserve to be forgotten? Does their memory not deserve to be honored and remembered? They do, and though some bodies shall never be recovered, their names deserve to be carved for eternity. The only question then arises...where should they be carved into? And how grand would these monuments be if we made multiple instead of one?
(Gain: The Candle Keepers discuss how to honor the fallen and the forgotten. Variable Action Cost.)

[] [Faith] Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, Siblinghoods, And Orders of Faith
It is undeniable that many marching within our military are those most dedicated to spreading the light of the Star Child. Yet, questions have arisen from those seeking to contribute to the liberation of the galaxy, who either failed to enter the military by being too dedicated to the mission and failing to see the objectives that need to be taken or by failing some other criteria. Some of those questions are if it would not be beneficial if some manner of Faith Militant organization or organizations could be created, or allowed to be created, with others asking for a formal creation of Faith Orders to bolster the ranks of the soldiery with those utterly dedicated to the mission, lending strength, surety, and a bulwark against the horrors of the galaxy to all within.
(Gain: Nail down the Faith Militant aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Faith] Psykana Of The Outside And Unknown
Though we use the Celestial Choirs to bind and tame the powers of the Warp to minimize the risks and dangers inherent in the use of the Psykana, it is folly to believe that we are the only ones who have uncovered ways to utilize the Warp amongst the galaxy, or that there is nothing to be learned from Outsiders. Likewise, though there has been currently only one example, we must also consider what to do with the Psykers of Outsiders to the Federation and how we should go about ensuring that those individuals within our Protectorates or Kin are given over or sent to us instead of being utilized in horrific, immoral, or dangerous ways if they aren't outright killed as was the fate of all Kil'drabi Psykers before they began to send them to us to be taught control or executed should they fail and become a risk to themselves and others without sending their souls to the Great Enemy.
(Gain: Nail down the Outsider Psyker and Psykana Use-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Chapter] A Suit Worthy Of The Name (3/5)
With the business on Drixxus and Ixxus done, Chapter Master Chyron is now convinced that, with the possibility of encountering Chaos Marines as high as ever, the main priority of the Lamenters should be the construction of Space Marine Armor. Luckily, Cradle Station has several blueprints, but Chyron is reluctant to use them due to the connotations the Crusade-era designs carry. Instead, he will use the Chapter and Candle Keepers' technical expertise to build a new pattern of Power Armor untainted by history.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain actual Space Marine-rated Power Armor.)

[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)

 

[HeroCooky]

With the pressure of an interstellar polity without any reliable faster-than-light communication and fast FTL speeds bearing down on the Celestial Choir, it comes as little surprise that they begin the preparations for the Songs required to solve each problem.

So once again, the Choirs meet in their multitudes, supported by the thousands of minor Psykers with too little power to be safely allowed to Sing or Hum on their own, yet able to lend their voices to the symphony and the choir.

Once again, the Choirs sing, craft, and think, a hundred different voices united in purpose and resonating within the Warp, the daemons within warded off by the efforts of thousands and the faith of millions, a bulwark against the horrors beyond the Veil.

Once again, steps are taken slowly; every note, timbre, and falsetto is placed with great care and thought, and nothing remains untouched and unsung for a hundred repetitions. There can be no mistake here: the fate of millions will eventually depend on their work, and the Choirs shall not be found lazy and their work wanting.

Years pass, years spent in great study and contemplation, with the outside world passing by in a blur for many as their minds are focused on this one singular task, the work of singing the Melody of Unity nearly scandalously completed like an afterthought as the Song begins to near its end.

Until, with one final performance, the Song is sung, and thousands of exhausted Psykers look on and at each other with pride bubbling within, the feeling of a work long labored for finally finalized.

...

And then the realization hit.

Though they could now sing a Song that allowed a Choir to speed up the passing of a ship through the Warp to comparable speeds as a Void Abacus notated within the more esoteric cogitators and libraries of the Glimmering Federation...it required a Choir.

One Choir per Ship.

One. Per. Ship.

There were 3 Choirs free at the moment.
And they had 18 ships to guide, not counting the three of the Lamenters.

A short-lived panic and scramble for modifications ensued before Hymnal Bnuy enforced order once more, her voice brooking no argument or dissent amongst the halls she had guided and guarded for literal centuries, amongst the oldest of the assembled here. With her voice and mind, she cleaved apart the panic and the scrambling minds, breaking apart the fear and the shame. There was none to assign here; they knew one and all that the Warp does not play to the rules of mortals, and they all had to bow before its tempests and disharmonious sounds when they threaded their voices in aid and support of the Glimmering Federation.

There was no time to cry and dread the results of their work. They had sung the Song, and now it was time to pave the way forward, for there was always a way to drudge more power from the depths without compromising the safety of the whole if one knew where to step, where to bow, when to hum, and how to scream.

This was now their duty, and they owed it to all to fulfill it to their best ability.

Yet, the question remained...how?
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] Relax Standards
Though it may sound cruel to those who knew little of the Warp, assigning those with little chance to be considered part of a Choir to a ship-bound one in service of guiding it through the Warp is a chance few Psykers of little power or talent will deny. Yet, the Warp will claim its price, as the powerless and the unlucky will find themselves unbound and snagged from the confines of their mortal coil into the embrace of darker things yet.
(Ships do not require Choirs to benefit from the Song [Bound To The Stars], but doing so burns through your Psykers as the Warp claims the exhausted and weak.)

[] Let The Spirits Of The Machine Aid Our Voices
01010011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00101110 00100000 01010011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000110 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110100 00100111 01110011 00100000 01010011 01110000 01101001 01110010 01101001 01110100 01110011 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100100 01100101 01100110 01101001 01100001 01101110 01100011 01100101 00100001 00100000 01010011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01101101 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01100001 01100111 01100001 01101001 01101110 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01010111 01100001 01110010 01110000 00100001 00100000 01010011 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110111 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01101001 01110100 00100000 01101101 01100101 01100001 01101110 01110011 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101111 01110000 01110000 01101111 01110011 01100101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01000101 01101101 01110000 01100101 01110010 01101111 01110010 00101101 01100001 01101110 01100100 00101101 01001111 01101101 01101110 01101001 01110011 01110011 01101001 01100001 01101000 00100001
(Unlock the Ship Equipment [Hymns of the Machines], which has unknown DP cost.)

 

[HeroCooky]

While the wider Celestial Choir was busy sending out requisition orders for industrial quantities of incense and anti-headache medications alongside a multitude of bulk purchases of parchment, vellum, wax, and more, two Choirs set out onboard two Circinus Scout Sloops instead, sent away for critical information gathering purposes.

One went anti-Terraward to see what was happening in Lone Wave and what the Imperium was planning or doing within Voxx Primus. At the same time, the other left Terraward to look at the systems of Barbarun and Ikatun within the Amratur Sub-Sector.

The one going to Voxx Primus left the Warp several light months away from the system, drifting into range for stellar observation via telescopes before leaving the same way it had arrived. Luckily, no large fleet could be observed, or if there was one anchored there, it had been hidden. What could be observed and caught via errant vox-emissions were the six stations being built over Voxx Primus. From the limited intelligence we have access to, it seems that the Planetary Governor has been pulling strings wherever he can to build his system up as a nice little bastion with ship-building capabilities, especially to ensure that the orders of menials for a distant Forge World could be supplied without taking up more critical assets. Our strategic planners think it is unlikely that there will be any threat from that direction anytime soon.

What was slightly more terrifying was the visit to Lone Wave, where the Scout found itself in the sights of four Eldar Battleships the moment it left the Warp. Tense minutes followed in which the Captain of the Circinus readily agreed to never again enter the system on pain of death and spread that message to the Federation, before they red-lined the engines to turn around and run.

In contrast, the Scout entering the Amratur Sub-Sector had a...interesting time. Entering Ikatun, the ship began to initially burn toward the planet before a trio of Light Monitors began painting the ship with vox communications, proclaiming the system under the protection of "Lord High Protector Ivan Svastios Numarata van Hijila van Rikatin von Von Grabsteinhauerhausen" and part of the "Protectorate of Neon," an "Imperium of Man Enclave under the ever-burning protection of the God-Emperor of Man, never to be subject to the predations of the Heretic, the Xenos, and the Witch!" Communications by the Scout were ignored by the vessel, which eventually retreated after gathering what planetary information could be gained without appearing too hostile. The same dance and spiel repeated itself within the Barbarun system.

Yet, what is vital to know is that all three planets with human presence within the two systems had all the signs of being recently colonized and are only lightly defended. Concerningly, Karkona V of Ikatun is used as a military-industrial and recruitment world, with a small population of greenskins used to bloody recruits. Our information department theorizes that these are the remnants of the Ork polity we destroyed within our Sub-Sector. Brabu and Xandulia within Barbarun, in stark contrast, seem more focused on material extraction, the first used to mine for minerals with the latter being used as a proto-agricultural world overseen by a "House Imakulatius van Gerstenberg."

Whatever else the future may bring, it seems that this "Protectorate of Neon" will be our future adversary, as the crimes already passively noticed and written down by these two systems are enough to spell their end. A fortunate thing then that the Federation is now able to create its armored spearhead thanks to the manufactories for the Karnivores finishing in time.



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

[] [General] Colonize (Planet)
It is time to bring another world into the fold. Thanks to the Kil'drabi becoming our Kin, we can now categorize Frozen, Ash, and Volcanic Worlds as Habitable instead.
(Gain: A colonized World.
Habitable Worlds: Ultima Sigritta - Sira (Mesa and Savannah), Silista - Silista X (Temperate Continent), Itani - Grubbub (Ash and Frozen), Gnatiila - Smug (Volcanic and Ash)
Hostile Worlds (-1 Void Industry): Bortar - Brotar Prime (Barren and Lifeless)
Deathworlds (-1 to All): N/A)

[] [Military] Fill Out The System Army Groups - (0/2)
With the military reorganized, it is time to begin a standardization across all our systems to fill out at least one SAG.
(Gain: All Systems currently fully controlled have their SAGs filled to 100% strength. 4 SAGs in Total.)

[] [Military] Create A [Blazing Sun - War-Pack] or SAG - [System] - [Weight: Light/Medium/Heavy] - [Type: Infantry/Mechanized] - [Classification: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn/Kil'drabi]
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. Kil'drabi Units can go into temperature enviroments Humans would require special equipment with ease. 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, with Heavy Units reliant on solid logistics to continue working while also offering an equal force-concentration in return. A War-Pack consists out of 15 Karnivores grouped in Packs of 3 Knights each, alongside the infrastructure/logistics to support and rebuild their Knights.
(Gain: A SAG. These contain [Four Units] chosen from the above choices.)

[] [Military] Construct/Refit A Warp Ship - [Choose a Design]
Ships are produced at these rates: Six Scouts, Four Destroyers, two Frigates, and One Light Cruiser per decade. Refit Rates: 6 Aries to 6 Aries-Secundus per Decade.
(Gain: Chosen Ships.)

[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer, Frigate, Light Cruiser]
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] Begin Military Operations (Assign SAG/s) (Choose Location/s) (Designate Objective/s)
-[] 1x Free Celestial Choir
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(6x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Aries-Secundus Class Corvette, 1x Lupus-Class Torpedo Destroyer, 1x Crux-Class Missile Frigate, 1x Libra-class Light Carrier, 2x Taurus-Class Troopship (0/2 SAG Capacity))
-[] Task Fleet Beta
(2x Pact of Our New Path Battlecolonies)
-[] Scout Fleet Alpha
(4x Circinus-Class Scout Sloop)
-[-] Lamenters Chapter Fleet
(3x Risen Dirge-Class Boarding Ships (Space Marine Troopship))
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: 2 Systems from Claimed Systems. Scouting Efficiency: 50%
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)

[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0.4/1 - 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.
(Uncovered: Technology.
Secret: Slumber, Silence, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity II, Song III, Mercy, Creativity II, Health, Unity II, Innovation, Machinery, Logic II, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, The Home II, 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, Humanity I, Creativity I, Song II, The Home I, Logic I, and Unity I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent, Bound To The Stars.)

[] [Faith] Monuments for Martyrs, Graves for the Forgotten
The Candle Keepers have been fighting the good fight for nearly 250 years, a fourth of a millennium. In this time, thousands have perished to give people hope, security, and a better life and pave the way for those who come after to stride further and with growing security and pride into the great unknown and black abyss shrinking before the light of the Star Child. Within those 250 years, we have fought against a constant barrage of Orks, worshippers of Chaos, and those who tried to turn traitors to their fellow people, with the first of many Xeno Protectorates established, and its people turned into faithful worshippers and adherents to the Droman Creed. Yet, though now temples ring with the sounds of bells and the hymns of choirs signing united, and our systems teem with the faithful eager to build a better future against the coming of the dark, many had to give their lives to reach this point...and many more will follow. Do these people, who are now forever lost to the soil of worlds and the greedy grasp of the void, deserve to be forgotten? Does their memory not deserve to be honored and remembered? They do, and though some bodies shall never be recovered, their names deserve to be carved for eternity. The only question then arises...where should they be carved into? And how grand would these monuments be if we made multiple instead of one?
(Gain: The Candle Keepers discuss how to honor the fallen and the forgotten. Variable Action Cost.)

[] [Faith] Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, Siblinghoods, And Orders of Faith
It is undeniable that many marching within our military are those most dedicated to spreading the light of the Star Child. Yet, questions have arisen from those seeking to contribute to the liberation of the galaxy, who either failed to enter the military by being too dedicated to the mission and failing to see the objectives that need to be taken or by failing some other criteria. Some of those questions are if it would not be beneficial if some manner of Faith Militant organization or organizations could be created, or allowed to be created, with others asking for a formal creation of Faith Orders to bolster the ranks of the soldiery with those utterly dedicated to the mission, lending strength, surety, and a bulwark against the horrors of the galaxy to all within.
(Gain: Nail down the Faith Militant aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Faith] Psykana Of The Outside And Unknown
Though we use the Celestial Choirs to bind and tame the powers of the Warp to minimize the risks and dangers inherent in the use of the Psykana, it is folly to believe that we are the only ones who have uncovered ways to utilize the Warp amongst the galaxy, or that there is nothing to be learned from Outsiders. Likewise, though there has been currently only one example, we must also consider what to do with the Psykers of Outsiders to the Federation and how we should go about ensuring that those individuals within our Protectorates or Kin are given over or sent to us instead of being utilized in horrific, immoral, or dangerous ways if they aren't outright killed as was the fate of all Kil'drabi Psykers before they began to send them to us to be taught control or executed should they fail and become a risk to themselves and others without sending their souls to the Great Enemy.
(Gain: Nail down the Outsider Psyker and Psykana Use-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Chapter] A Suit Worthy Of The Name (3.5/5)
With the business on Drixxus and Ixxus done, Chapter Master Chyron is now convinced that, with the possibility of encountering Chaos Marines as high as ever, the main priority of the Lamenters should be the construction of Space Marine Armor. Luckily, Cradle Station has several blueprints, but Chyron is reluctant to use them due to the connotations the Crusade-era designs carry. Instead, he will use the Chapter and Candle Keepers' technical expertise to build a new pattern of Power Armor untainted by history.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain actual Space Marine-rated Power Armor.)

[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)

 

[HeroCooky]

Sing for me of better days,
Humm to me of gentler times,
Speak no more,
Of a Dirge Unsung,
A Dirge Unsung,
Let no child be cruelly hung,
How we wish for days long gone,
When eyes looked yonder,
Upon the stars,
And saw wonder,
Where few had yet gone,
Where horrors did not rear their heads,
Amidst the minds of innocents.​

You Have 3 [Three] Actions.
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] [General] Develop The Federations'...
-[] Food Production VI
-[] Civilian Infrastructure VII
-[] Heavy Industry V
-[] Void Industry VIII
-[] Medical Services II
-[] Military Industry II
(Gain: A boost in production focusing on the chosen option.)

[] [General] Colonize (Planet)
It is time to bring another world into the fold. Thanks to the Kil'drabi becoming our Kin, we can now categorize Frozen, Ash, and Volcanic Worlds as Habitable instead.
(Gain: A colonized World.
Habitable Worlds: Ultima Sigritta - Sira (Mesa and Savannah), Silista - Silista X (Temperate Continent), Itani - Grubbub (Ash and Frozen), Gnatiila - Smug (Volcanic and Ash)
Hostile Worlds (-1 Void Industry): Bortar - Brotar Prime (Barren and Lifeless)
Deathworlds (-1 to All): N/A)

[] [Military] Fill Out The System Army Groups - (0/2)
With the military reorganized, it is time to begin a standardization across all our systems to fill out at least one SAG.
(Gain: All Systems currently fully controlled have their SAGs filled to 100% strength. 4 SAGs in Total.)

[] [Military] Create A [Blazing Sun - War-Pack] or SAG - [System] - [Weight: Light/Medium/Heavy] - [Type: Infantry/Mechanized] - [Classification: Sabotage/Assault/Engineering/Demolition/Ogryn/Kil'drabi]
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. Kil'drabi Units can go into temperature enviroments Humans would require special equipment with ease. 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, with Heavy Units reliant on solid logistics to continue working while also offering an equal force-concentration in return. A War-Pack consists out of 15 Karnivores grouped in Packs of 3 Knights each, alongside the infrastructure/logistics to support and rebuild their Knights.
(Gain: A SAG. These contain [Four Units] chosen from the above choices.)

[] [Military] Construct/Refit A Warp Ship - [Choose a Design]
Ships are produced at these rates: Six Scouts, Four Destroyers, two Frigates, and One Light Cruiser per decade. Refit Rates: 6 Aries to 6 Aries-Secundus per Decade.
(Gain: Chosen Ships.)

[][Military] Design A New Voidship Class - [Available: Destroyer, Frigate, Light Cruiser]
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] Begin Military Operations (Assign SAG/s) (Choose Location/s) (Designate Objective/s)
-[] 2x Free Celestial Choirs
-[] Task Fleet Alpha
(6x Aries-Class Corvettes, 1x Aries-Secundus Class Corvette, 1x Lupus-Class Torpedo Destroyer, 1x Crux-Class Missile Frigate, 1x Libra-class Light Carrier, 2x Taurus-Class Troopship (0/2 SAG Capacity))
-[] Task Fleet Beta
(2x Pact of Our New Path Battlecolonies)
-[] Scout Fleet Alpha
(4x Circinus-Class Scout Sloop)
-[-] Lamenters Chapter Fleet
(3x Risen Dirge-Class Boarding Ships (Space Marine Troopship))
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: 2 Systems from Claimed Systems. Scouting Efficiency: 50%
Note: For use outside your territory or in support of forces specified within another Action.)

[] [Psykana] Conduct a Melody (Choose one below.) (0.6/1 - 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.
(Uncovered: Technology.
Secret: Slumber, Silence, Perception, and Grounding.
Star Child: Hope, Compassion, Humanity II, Song III, Mercy, Creativity II, Health, Unity II, Innovation, Machinery, Logic II, Progress, Protection II, Justice, Wisdom, The Sun II, The Home II, 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, Humanity I, Creativity I, Song II, The Home I, Logic I, and Unity I.
Gain: A Song.
Sung: Dirge for the Innocent, Bound To The Stars, A Web Of Song.)

[] [Faith] Monuments for Martyrs, Graves for the Forgotten
The Candle Keepers have been fighting the good fight for nearly 250 years, a fourth of a millennium. In this time, thousands have perished to give people hope, security, and a better life and pave the way for those who come after to stride further and with growing security and pride into the great unknown and black abyss shrinking before the light of the Star Child. Within those 250 years, we have fought against a constant barrage of Orks, worshippers of Chaos, and those who tried to turn traitors to their fellow people, with the first of many Xeno Protectorates established, and its people turned into faithful worshippers and adherents to the Droman Creed. Yet, though now temples ring with the sounds of bells and the hymns of choirs signing united, and our systems teem with the faithful eager to build a better future against the coming of the dark, many had to give their lives to reach this point...and many more will follow. Do these people, who are now forever lost to the soil of worlds and the greedy grasp of the void, deserve to be forgotten? Does their memory not deserve to be honored and remembered? They do, and though some bodies shall never be recovered, their names deserve to be carved for eternity. The only question then arises...where should they be carved into? And how grand would these monuments be if we made multiple instead of one?
(Gain: The Candle Keepers discuss how to honor the fallen and the forgotten. Variable Action Cost.)

[] [Faith] Brotherhoods, Sisterhoods, Siblinghoods, And Orders of Faith
It is undeniable that many marching within our military are those most dedicated to spreading the light of the Star Child. Yet, questions have arisen from those seeking to contribute to the liberation of the galaxy, who either failed to enter the military by being too dedicated to the mission and failing to see the objectives that need to be taken or by failing some other criteria. Some of those questions are if it would not be beneficial if some manner of Faith Militant organization or organizations could be created, or allowed to be created, with others asking for a formal creation of Faith Orders to bolster the ranks of the soldiery with those utterly dedicated to the mission, lending strength, surety, and a bulwark against the horrors of the galaxy to all within.
(Gain: Nail down the Faith Militant aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Faith] Psykana Of The Outside And Unknown
Though we use the Celestial Choirs to bind and tame the powers of the Warp to minimize the risks and dangers inherent in the use of the Psykana, it is folly to believe that we are the only ones who have uncovered ways to utilize the Warp amongst the galaxy, or that there is nothing to be learned from Outsiders. Likewise, though there has been currently only one example, we must also consider what to do with the Psykers of Outsiders to the Federation and how we should go about ensuring that those individuals within our Protectorates or Kin are given over or sent to us instead of being utilized in horrific, immoral, or dangerous ways if they aren't outright killed as was the fate of all Kil'drabi Psykers before they began to send them to us to be taught control or executed should they fail and become a risk to themselves and others without sending their souls to the Great Enemy.
(Gain: Nail down the Outsider Psyker and Psykana Use-doctrine aspects of the Cult of the Star Child.)

[] [Chapter] A Suit Worthy Of The Name (4/5)
With the business on Drixxus and Ixxus done, Chapter Master Chyron is now convinced that, with the possibility of encountering Chaos Marines as high as ever, the main priority of the Lamenters should be the construction of Space Marine Armor. Luckily, Cradle Station has several blueprints, but Chyron is reluctant to use them due to the connotations the Crusade-era designs carry. Instead, he will use the Chapter and Candle Keepers' technical expertise to build a new pattern of Power Armor untainted by history.
(Gain: The Lamenters gain actual Space Marine-rated Power Armor.)

[] [Other] Take Care Of [Future Or Current Problems]
(Write-In the problem being addressed.)

 

[HeroCooky]

Though it took several decades, the closing days of 355.M42 saw the hollowed-out mountains on Ixxus and Drixxus finally filled with the finishing pieces of machinery held back for quality concerns, these great behemoths of industry and warfare soon thrumming with molten metals and circuits printed unto surfaces far too small for any human eye to behold, miracles of the mundane etched unto the fabric of reality with every limb and weapon assembled and prepared to be taken into custody by an Order of Knight who had yet to begin practicing within their frames and armors.

But while the giant assemblies underneath a hollowed-out mountain on Ixxus stamp mundane metals into heralds of the Emperor-and-Omnissiah, another assembly gathered within, one of engineseers and clergy, knight-pilots and those who fight daily against the reach of the Ruinous Powers within the fabric of the Glimmering Federation. This assembly did not have any sinister purpose in mind, quite the opposite, for they knew through talks and interference with Chapter Master Chyron and records of words from Teeln, Prophet of the Star Child, of the risk of a Sympathetic Call from the Karnivores of the Ruinous Powers to those of the Star Child.

In response, they gathered in their multitudes, those who held the power to prevent such a thing, to discuss and potentially inscribe changes unto the appearance of the Karnivores before the first was finished to shield these holy machines from malignant influences, changes to head and body both...though some argued for one or both to not be changed, the risk to upset the Machine Spirits within too great when they had already been confirmed to thirst for justice to make good what their corrupted cousins had wrought.



In the end, it was agreed to:
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] Change Nothing

[] Change the Head to a
-[] Mono-Optic Head
-[] Hardened Single-Slit Optic Mask
-[] Human Skull
-[] Animal Skull (Write-In + Post Picture)
-[] Death Masks of the Holy Sphinxes and Hallowed Martyrs
-[] (Write-In)

[] Change the Body to include
(This can include more than one thing.)
-[] Seals of Purity and Prayers
-[] The painted names of our Hallowed Martyrs
-[] The handprints of all who labor for them
-[] Oaths of Conviction and Compassion
-[] (Write-In)


AN: If you wish to change one thing (like the body) but not the other, then vote so. Changing both requires a Plan Vote.

 

[HeroCooky]

With a new form for the head chosen and new adornments for the body agreed to, slight changes were instituted within the manufactories producing the required parts, alongside orders for paint, requirements of participation in the final sanctification before any Karnivore would leave the halls they were created within, and a new class for calligraphy for pilots mandated.

Instead of a lupine skull with baleful eyes (though they would have been blue instead of the called-for red), a mask bearing the countenance of the Terran Wolves (though they were likely only called so for aggrandizing reasons long since forgotten) native to Ixxus and Drixxus was chosen. Still painted bone-white, three other colors joined to give new meaning where old did not suffice. White for the Innocence regained by purification, swirls of Gold and Black to announce the Knights allegiance to the Order of the Blazin Sun, and red drops underneath the eyes to herald the bloodshed to protect those the Knight and their Pilot would strive to leave behind in safer fields.

Along the entrance to its cockpit, handprints would be left by the workers who had labored to bring this machine to life, reminding the Pilot of those who had made their duty possible and needed them to provide it every time they would enter to bring war and death to the foes of the Star Child. Likewise, the Pilot would inscribe an Oath on the left thigh plate, not the one of the Order, but one of their own conviction to their duty and to the compassion they would need to show even in the most brutal battle to those they shielded, and those who surrendered in truth before their might.

But while this happened, while these changes were applied and pilots notified of their increased course-work that would eventually see them sit within machines of war that ruled entire worlds over yonder, who oddly seemed to possess a 'whine' whenever they were powered down from training...

...while all this happened, a horrific realization came over those who held to the technical mysteries, Small and Great, of the Emperor-and-Omnissiah, the technicians and Techpriests, the Engineseers and Acolytes, all those who worked on the machines and assuaged their spirits. The realization was horrific to behold, for these adherents to the incorporated Cult Mechanicus realized...they had free time.

And for the first time in nearly 1.864 years within the Archwan Sub-Sector, hundreds of Techpriests laid down their tools. Not because they had had enough and were striking, not because there was an emergency that required them to act now, and not because they just stopped caring about the machines they were in charge of...but because they had done all that needed to be done, with enough of their orders present to ensure that the required and optional tasks, rituals and maintenance could be done in full.

It was like looking at an enlisted that had just fulfilled an order and had no others to fall back on, unsure about what to do now that the screamed orders were done and no others were left.

Only about twice as horrific once the realization set in that they had free time.

Thousands of transhumanists suddenly found the time to fix, add, improve, enhance, introduce, swap, exchange, trade, and, in more words yet, fuck around with their augments. From legs to arms, mechadendrites to eyes, internal organs to extra limbs, treads to spider-bodies, faceted ocular implants to echolocation and stranger things still that introduced nightmares when a layperson witnessed this feeding frenzy of augmentation into the non-human and blessed machine.

But all frenzies must end, and this one ended all the same as the various orders and labor groups gradually reached a new level of equilibrium amidst their augmented forms...only to realize that there was still time left after their day-to-day work.

At which point a severely exhausted Khippron-80//fO_14 stumbled out of their hidden workshop, a primitive version of a las-pistol in their ten hands and mechadendrites, loudly proclaimed to have created it from first principles, before falling over into a coma.

Like an invisible wave, the following emotions spread throughout the Glimmering Federation: passive interest in the novelty of such a thing, abject horror at the realization by many that Khippron-80//fO_14 had just broken one of the most fundamental Warnings of the Mechanicum: To break with ritual is to break with faith. Khippron-80//fO_14 had broken millennia of established precedent that questioning and trying to recreate the knowledge of the Ancients was in direct opposition to the 13th and 14th Warnings: The knowledge of the ancients stands beyond question, and The Machine Spirit guards the knowledge of the Ancients.

And then, as all those Techpriests with free time to take a step back from their frantic scrambling to keep things working and maintained stared at each other in uncomfortable silence as they wondered what would happen now...

...realized that those Warnings had been created to protect what little Humanity had left, seeking to prevent an Age of Ignorance to ensure an Age of Reason could once more be heralded by those equipped to toll it into being.

And they had been laboring for centuries to build that Fucking BELL!

That day, Teeln, Prophet of the Star Child, awoke to several trillion requests for research grants and study leave, outright begging him to send over funds this way or that or to prioritize their line of inquiry.

He decided to go back to bed with Bnuy instead.

Your Industry Advances. Choose One:
(6-Hour Moratorium)
[] Merchant Marine
With the increasing amounts of heavy industry available, a slow-rolling initiative to create a Merchant Marine for military matters has been green-lit, allowing a slow roll-out of troops from within the Federation to the outside, if at the mercy of fleet deployments to protect these lightly armored ships.
(20% of your Total Controlled Systems is converted to Transport Capacity independent of your Fleets.)

[] A Hereteks Refuge
The Federation can offer those typically considered 'Hereteks' within the Imperium or the wider Mechanicum due to their curious nature and unwillingness to stop poking things in a bid to understand them refuge and an alternative...so long as they agree to several ethical and moral restrictions.
(Reduce Research Cost by 20% Rounded Up, Radical Techpriests may join you when you attack a Human World.)

[] *Mad Binary Screeching*
*Madder Binary Screeching*
(Auto-Complete 1 [One] Random Research Project at 0.1 Progress Per Turn.)